Back in 2006, Brian Clark started his one-man blog, Copyblogger.
Over the next few years, that site would become one of the web’s biggest content marketing blogs, evolving into an 8-figure digital business.
How did Clark do it?
Copyblogger’s success rested on a few simple fundamentals.
And these are basic principles we can all apply to our own content development efforts.
3 Content Development Elements
The laws of content development are simple.
You’ve got to create something compelling enough for people to pay attention.
But it’s not so easy, is it?
These days content creation is ceaseless.
So, how do you stand out?
The secret is building the right audience, said Clark in this Forbes article.
“I didn’t really plan out the business. I built the audience at Copyblogger with the faith and understanding that I would identify problems and desires they have, and then I’d figure out what to make in order to satisfy those problems and desires.”
Clark expands on the fundamentals of growing a successful digital business in his free audio course, Next Level 7.
You need to keep these three “bedrock fundamentals” in if you want to thrive online:
- Audience (who you choose to serve)
- Offer (what they want to buy)
- Copy (how to best communicate)
Beyond digital businesses, these principles can be applied to content development.
And here are practical examples for how you can bring these three elements to your content development strategy.
1. Audience
Who are you writing for?
Understanding your audience has always been the gateway to creating better content.
As a print journalist, I’d always get a good sense of what mattered to readers by visiting local council meetings. Residents had the opportunity to lodge their issues with their representatives, and these were discussed during council sessions.
It was a way to uncover problems readers cared about.
Today, creating content online hasn’t changed that audience-first focus.
Let’s think of the content we create like a product. Our readers become our customers, the people our product serves.
Knowing your customer (or reader) leads to better customer experience leads to more growth, said André Morys, the CEO and Founder of konversionsKRAFT.
Morys digs into the importance of customer behaviour in this short course on Applied Neuromarketing.
Morys speaks about ecommerce:
“Every dollar you create is a result of buyer behaviour,” said Morys.
Let’s apply these ideas to content development:
- Why do people read your content?
- Why would they share your content?
Identifying those motivations will help you create the right kind of content.
“Are you thinking about (your customers’) thoughts, motivations, their fears?” said Morys.
So, how do you gain a deeper understanding into your audience?
Search Engine Journal lists some tips to know your audience.
- Research social networks
- Online surveys
If you’ve already started creating content, assess that content to discover popular topics, suggests HubSpot:
“When researching your audience, don’t neglect what’s currently working for your audience in terms of your products, services, customer support, and marketing efforts.”
Which posts have resonated with your readers?
2. Offer
Once you know your audience, you know what they want.
So, in this way, an offer is relevant even if you’re not selling a product.
Again, we’re seeing our content as a product.
What solution or insight does your content product offer?
A good way to start your content development strategy to by answering these questions:
- What do people want?
- What questions are they asking?
- What problems do they want solved?
Now, while these questions refer to blogging, you can use them to help with any type of content creation. The best thing is you’ll be able to answer these questions confidently after completing your audience research in the first step.
Here’s another set of focusing questions for your content from Smartblogger.
This time, consider your audience’s answers to these questions about your content:
- Is This Relevant to Me?
- Is This Valuable to Me?
- Can I Trust This?
Consider these points as you create your content.
Who are you to help your audience solve this problem? What indicators of trust have you included in your content?
Perhaps you’re drawing on years of experience? Maybe you’ve interviewed industry experts? Are you linking back to original research to support your arguments?
These badges of trust send signals to your audience that your content is verifiable.
3. Copy
Does copy convert your reader’s attention to action?
That’s how Sonia Simone sums up the goal of content marketing in the Coursera course,The Strategy of Content Marketing.
Copy is the words you use to convey your offer.
For me, it’s about showing the reader how the product can improve their lives.
And, again, you can only create the copy once you know your audience.
Want to learn more about copywriting?
Here are some articles:
- 75 Resources for Writing Incredible Copy that Converts
- Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy
Need help developing content consistently? Read this article about a content development process.
