Content Mantras

    

Content Mantras 

Today, the entire world is talking about content. 

We get to hear this so very often and say it even more - "The content was not so good' or then " The story rocked the show".

What is rocking or poor about content or communication?  

It's simple, it's all about, if I as a consumer feels it worthy to read, hear or see the content, subscribe or buy a product or service after seeing, reading or listening to the piece of communication, it is good and if not,  it makes no meaning.  

"If Consumer is the King, Your Content needs to be the Queen".  Only then can you get them married!

Today I will share a few basic yet crucial key points to assist you in  keeping your consumer hooked to your content.

#1 Begin with the end in mind..

Why are you doing what you are doing? 

How do you want your audience to feel? 

What you you want them to think? 

How do you want them to react after viewing what you show them?

What's the purpose of your activity? 

What are you telling them what you are? 

Do you want them to go to your website, make them aware of your product, download your app, subscribe to your service, watch your show, laugh, cry or buy or then some thing else. 

It's important to have answers to all these questions before you put across the communication you desire to.  

If you do not have the answers to these basic questions, there are huge chances of your communication not coming accross the way it needs to.

#2 Identity the features 

It's a good idea to ask your self questions like,

Why will my audience listen to me? Why will they watch my show? Why will they consume my product or subscribe to my  service? Why will they watch my show?  What is the value they need to see in it ?  How am I different or better than others in my business?  

The more your communication stands crisp & clear,  the better chances of you getting a response. 

The more relate-able your content is, the better chances of your audience giving you a desired reaction. 

In summary,  a brag sheet about your product / service helps big time in making precise communications about your brand or story.

 #3 Who are you talking to?

Whom are you conversing with?  What is important for them? What will drive them? Who are they?  

For instance, the Colgate toothpaste commercial communicates to two types of audiences, the first one being P -To - P, parent to parent, where a mother holding her toddler in her arms & saying, "mein apne bacche me like sirf colgate pe hi bharosa karti hi" 

The other one is a C-To-C, child to child. where a mother who is also a dentist is explaining  the essence of  strong teeth to a bunch of nursery school kids and one of the kids picks up the Colgate tooth paste pack saying " my teeth strongest"

Sketch your consumers bio or persona  in your mind. Give them a name, a face and pen down about them, 'a day in the life of"  to know about them & where does the need of  your products & services feature in their day and how.

Important it is to also know what do they want? Products, Services, Value or something else..

 It's crucial to be  sure of where does your communication fit in, in to your consumers day.. Only then you will know what and how to communicate.

 

#4 Well started is half done!

This is a very popular phrase, heard by us a multiple times at various occasions..

Your headline is your start. The first key role of your headline is to grab the attention of Mr. King, your consumer.

 The headline should create curiosity in the mind of your audience in a way that they would desire to know more about what's in there. They should want  to listen to your story till the end or at least maximum possible. Be it a show, an ad or an email. 

A lot of times headlines / synopsis or about me's targeting  concerns or aspirations  of your audience helps in it being impactul. 

If you are telling a story of something your consumer is living with or in, he / she will relate with it  better and want to listen to you more. 

A recent show on Netflix, 'Mumbai Begums' has ideated a great way of creating curiosity in the female  audiences mind about the story just by the way they've written a short synopsis.

 "It's a story of five ambitious women from different walks of life figuring their dreams, desires and disappointments through their journeys"  A short about me  is enough for  female masses consuming Netflix  to watch the show.

If your head line or title can address a concern of its audiences,  it increases the probability of the consumer identifying with your communication and chances of him / her  staying on becomes higher. 

An effective piece here, the Synsodine toothpaste ad. The communication starts with a lady biting a piece of candy ice cream and giving a deep expression of "daanton mein zhanghanahat" and discomfort. The viewers easily identify their ice cream eating  experiences and relate to this expressions and concerns

Your start or headline can either create the moment of truth for your consumer or even become a reason to kill it.

#5 Avoid too many layers 

Span of attention in humans is dipping by the day. The remote is with your audience and channel switch happens in less then five seconds ! 

Keep your story interesting, take tweaks to keep the curiosity on. Avoid too many layers in  your communication with excessive IFs and But's or complicate it with to many characters, procedures or Call to Actions ,  making  it confusing for your viewer / reader to understand and give you the desired response. It's a good idea to use

 "The KISS Policy" - Keep it Short & Simple 

Hope this was useful. Stay tuned for more coming  soon!

Would love to hear from you, your experiences with your creations and yourselves as consumers