Does a video post generate more engagement than an article? Should I do a podcast? Is Tik Tok just a fad and not worth investing resources on it?
If you’re in business or marketing, you probably heard questions like these before or, better yet, wonder about them yourself.
They in no way indicate a lack of knowledge, but an understanding that, in marketing, especially digital marketing, the rules are constantly changing.
That is, except one rule: know your audience.
Imagine your company works with accounting services for the industrial sector and most of your clients are CFOs and alike. Does investing in amazing video productions and animated gifs for Instagram will bring a positive ROI? For that matter, should you even have an Instagram account for your business? (Believe me, this example above is not uncommon. I’ve personally dealt it with before at least twice).
Knowing your audience might be an simple concept, but is not an easy one. Many marketing and business executives assume they know their consumer based on past experiences and hunches. That’s a mistake.
Invest time and resources into truly knowing your audience. Do in person interviews, send out surveys, talk to them at the point of sale. Many of the most effective (and creative) campaigns are not born in a cool brainstorming sessions with lots of colorful post-its and fun back and forth, they come from research and real data.
What are the most popular content formats?
Written formats:
Blog posts
Long Articles
Case Studies
E-mails
Reports
E-books
Written formats are used to place your as an expert in your field by sharing in information in details.
Visual Formats
Videos
Infographics
Images
Presentations
Visual formats are best to simplify complex information, making the content faster to read and more digestible to your audience.
Audio Formats
Podcasts
Lectures
Audiograms
Audio is becoming a very popular format for some segments especially those brands with messages that generate discussions.
With those formats in mind, ask yourself:
Which formats would bring a better experience to my audience?
Which would be the easiest to find?
Which would be they be more comfortable sharing?
What’s my audience favorite format? Why?
For example, imagine that your audience takes the bus every day. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for them to watch a video or listen to an audio rather than read a long article?
In a study by Quartz, it was found that most executes rather consume content in the form of data visualization, charts, images and spend most of their social media time in LinkedIn. If your company works with B2B sales and your audience fits that group, wouldn’t an infographic generate more engagement than a very creative video? (think of the cost you’ll save!)
Also, when a company knows their audience its not just a win for the bottom line, it’s also a win for your marketing team. As important as it is to challenge your staff, sometimes it’s necessity to understand the limitations of skill and experience within the team. Better a simple idea with great execution than a good idea with bad execution. In summary: