7 Ways To Learn What Content Your Audience Loves (Before You Create It)

Brands create tons of content every single day.

So how do you make sure that your content stands out and really engages your audience? By tailoring it to the expectations, needs, and desires of your target.

To succeed in content marketing, you should have a full understanding of your customers. You need to know what types of content they consume, where they hang out, and what their common pain points and problems are.

Here are 7 tips to help you learn what kind of content your target audience wants and use these insights to build a successful content marketing strategy.

1. Research your competition

There’s no better way to make sure that your content stands out than by first learning what your competitors in the niche are up to. If you think that simply mimicking the leaders will do the trick, you might be making a huge mistake.

Look toward the leaders in your sector for inspiration, but don’t copy them mindlessly. Instead, focus on the opportunities to fill in the narrative.

Check the comment section to learn what people are asking about. These comments might lead you to writing a great piece that addresses a real need among your target.

2. List all keywords users search for

Looking at the most common keywords in your niche is a smart move. That’s how you can learn what your target audience searches for on the web.

Have a look at Google Trends first. That’s where you’ll find insights about the level of interest users show about a specific keyword. Check it for generic keywords of your niche to understand which topics are trending in your sector. Identify the top keywords and build your topic ideas on their basis.

Check Google’s Related Keywords as well (and the amazing Keyword Planner).

It’s a list of keywords you’ll find at the bottom of each search page. When you spot a promising long-tail keyword, have a look at its search volume and address it in your content to see its performance. These long-tail keywords usually represent topics people really want to talk about.

3. Consider what works and what doesn’t work for you

Many marketers are constantly searching for new things and current trends, focusing on what others are doing. That’s how they become mere followers, creating content just to keep up with the big players.

But if you really want to engage users, you need to look at the content you created in the past which worked for your audience. Can you repeat your achievement and make it better? Review your best content, update it or create better sequels. Building on previous successes is a good strategy for driving engagement.

But you should also pay attention to what’s not working. You might be concentrating on creating new content, but you should take your time to regularly audit your content.

If you spot that certain topics or formats are underperforming, get rid of them and focus your energy on finding the best ways for producing the highest quality content that works for your brand. Even if it comes at a cost of reducing your publishing volume.

4. Listen to your customers

Instead of aiming to become a thought leader in your field known for expertise in a specific area, you should concentrate on delivering content your target wants to consume.

That’s why you should listen closely to your customers. Check the comments on your blog section and industry publications. Ask your audience about their problems or doubts. Encourage them to share their problems and thoughts.

5. Carry out a survey

One way to learn what your customers are thinking about is by organizing a survey.

Users rarely engage in polls and surveys, so you need to provide them with an incentive or face low response rate.

Make sure that you’ve got an engaged group of users at hand who are willing to answer your questions. This targeted group of users will give you some interesting ideas about what you should be covering in your content.

6. Dig deep into your topics

Many marketers settle on writing about superficial ideas and use popular research studies. Why not dig deeper and bring your audience something unique?

The central goal of your content marketing strategy is to provide useful content to your entire audience.

Search for inspiration in many places. Get inside the minds of your customers – ask them questions via email and calls, but also during conferences and meetings. That’s how you’ll get valuable information that will allow you to cover a topic from all possible angles.

Keep track of your notes and store them in one place. They’ll serve as excellent inspiration for your next brainstorming session with your team.

7. Be smart about social networks

Social networks are your best source of personal opinion.

People share plenty of information on social media these days, so if you know where to look, social platforms can be a great source of inspiration.

If you’re browsing Twitter, your best source are hashtags. Check the hashtags that represent your niche to see what your audience talks about in relation to these topics.

Remember to have a look at the accounts of industry leaders and top influencers. What hashtags are they using? What are they talking about? What kind of content do they share?

If you’re active on Facebook, get more interactive and ask your followers to share their thoughts about your product or service. Gather all the insights and capitalize on them in your content.

You can be sure that whatever you create will resonate with your target.

If you want your content to engage and convert (and who doesn’t?), you simply need to learn what your audience wants and needs.

That’s your best strategy for producing content that locates your brand at the top of your industry niche and generates a great ROI.

Tags: blogging topics Content Keywords Strategy Survey