As any knowledgeable digital marketing guru will tell you, engagement means likes, comments and shares, purchases and email sign-ups – not clicks.

It’s common for professionals to forget that their social media and websites are not just gateways to their sales funnel. It is also the number one way that your customers will research you as a brand so they can feel more confident that they want to do business with you. Your social media and web platforms should be full of content that makes people want to respond, learn more about you and connect with you!

We’ve found five effective ways to create content that will not only speak to your audience in fun and engaging ways but have them responding in kind!

1. Be Original
It’s tough to produce content that is 100% unique. There are others out there who are talking about the same things, taking similar photos, or conducting similar research. That is simply the nature of content creation in today’s digital landscape.

The idea is to produce content that stands out. With so much competition, it’s no surprise that producing engaging content is the biggest challenge for marketers. The real question here is, how can you overcome this? Be original.

Yes, you can still blog about a topic that’s been previously discussed. But don’t write it the same way everyone else has. Add your unique voice and spin to the subject. Share personal experiences – after all, nobody else had them but you!

Often, marketers try to come up with the most cost-effective solution to content creation. Well, like anything else, you get what you pay for. You can’t expect cheap content to be original and engaging. Make sure your content is written in a way that is unmistakably your own. Professional writers call this “finding your voice”. Capture your business’ personality in everything you produce. In doing so, you’ll end up growing a loyal group of followers and/or readers.

2. Produce Actionable Content

If you don’t know the purpose of your content, your audience won’t have any idea either. You need to know what your goal is first; what do you want someone to do after they consume a piece of your content? For example, let’s say you’re promoting a new product on your website. You decide to blog about it. This is a great idea, but that alone won’t get people to buy the product.

If the goal is to get the reader to purchase the product after reading your blog than your “actionable content” should include: highlights of the features and benefits, how the product can be used, how you have used it, and how it can improve the lives of your consumers. Basically, the blog should sell the product for you by being the consumer’s online sales professional that answers all the questions they have about your product.

Content of this type should also include a hyperlink that brings the reader to a landing page for sign-ups or purchases. This is arguably the most important part.

You can’t assume your audience will read something, navigate to your ecommerce site, search for a product, then click on it and add it to their carts. That’s way too many steps! They should be able to complete this action with one click from within the post. It’s common knowledge in building online sales funnels – the less clicking, the more likely you are to close the deal.

Finding these one-click sign-up or purchase options shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt. They need to be obvious so that your visitors can complete their desired actions easily.

3. Publish accurate information

If you’ve read our other blogs, you have probably noticed that I love to include statistics and research within my content. Keep in mind, however, that I am very careful of the information I publish. Basically, anyone can put anything on the Internet today! It’s important that you recognize the quality and accuracy of the websites you’re sourcing.

You may come across a relevant statistic, but if it’s on some no-name blog and doesn’t include a data source, you can’t know for sure whether the information is accurate. It’s best to source your information from authority sites only.

In addition to making sure the source is reputable, make sure it’s recent. Information changes at a rapid rate. A statistic or study from ten years ago may not be relevant today. But if your content provides up to date and accurate info, people will be more inclined to engage with it.

Even with this being said; don’t let your old content go to waste either! Just because you published something in 2012 doesn’t mean you can’t refresh it with 2019 information.

You can very easily show your followers that even your older existing content is still relevant today with a little bit of re-vamping. Something as simple as changing the title and some of the talking points can be a very effective strategy.

4. Tell A Story

While data is important, it’s easier for people to relate to stories than to naked facts. That’s why we read books, watch movies, binge-watch television shows, and keep up with reality and celebrity news. We want to know what comes next in the story!

You can learn how to increase sales by mastering the art of storytelling. Telling a story will help you connect with your audience. It can also improve your credibility on a subject. For example, let’s say you’re a personal trainer. If you tell a story that happened during your personal certification training, your audience will realize you’re qualified and knowledgeable on the topic. They are more likely to trust you as a certified professional over someone who has never set foot in a gym in their life.

Another important thing to remember is that you want to share stories that stimulate an emotional response from the audience. Speak in a way that’s relatable to your audience. Try to evoke powerful emotions such as joy, fear, or sadness.

The focus of the story should be real connection to your audience. This in turn advances your goal by building trust, and that encourages the follower to complete the action you want them to take.

5. Make your audience think

Being original is one thing. But being thought-provoking is another. It’s an art form, really. The idea behind thought-provoking content is that the audience can relate to what you’re saying. You don’t always need to talk about a concept in black and white terms. Let the audience’s imaginations run wild in that grey area. Ask questions with no definitive answers. Paint a picture with some abstract scenarios.

Do these things AND make it relevant to current events, pop culture, and our daily lives, and you will keep your audience hooked and help them engage with your content.

This type of strategy can also help stimulate conversations in the comments section of your content. As a result, people will keep coming back to check in on the discussion to see what others have to say as well. This is great news for you in terms of your traffic and engagement metrics. Each visit increases the chances of a conversion!

SocialFormula’s team of experts can help you build marketing strategies that will include all 5 of these points. Click here to contact us today and let’s discuss how we can work together to make sure your followers stay your followers, and start bringing other people to the party!