Make Your Content Speak for Itself

Having a great product or service is key to a successful business, but only if the messaging around it is right – and by right, I mean convenient. It’s not enough to “info-dump” on your audience and hope they find the answers themselves. Your marketing should hand them the next step directly – clearly, concisely, and conveniently. People don’t want to work hard to understand what you do or what you’re selling. Make it easy for them, and you’ll make it easy for yourself. 

Here, we’ll go over the importance of how you market your messaging to your audience, how you can transform your content from confusing to convenient, and how to simplify long-form content to better engage with your consumers. Let’s dive in. 

The Messaging Matters

Most marketers know that it’s not enough to just give your audience the information – you also need to present it in a way that’s digestible, interesting, and compelling enough for consumers to take the next step. And yet, it’s easy for a lot of us to fall into the trap of meeting deadlines, shipping campaigns, and launching strategies without taking the time to think about the content from a user perspective. To you and your team, it’s all secondhand knowledge. But how does it look to someone seeing it for the first time?

This is why messaging is so important, not just for what you’re delivering but how you’re delivering it. Most people are already getting constantly swarmed by countless ads, emails, posts, and promotional texts every day, and if we’re being real, they probably only read the first couple of sentences of anything. If your content is at all confusing or ambiguous, it’ll probably get an immediate pass simply because a lot of people don’t have the time or effort to do the work. You’re not giving your consumers a puzzle to be solved when selling your service. Don’t make your audience work to understand what you’re saying – let your content do the work by speaking for itself. 

Take Your Content From Confusing to Convenient 

As a marketer, you should always be asking yourself the question: Would consumers understand what I’m trying to tell them in 10 seconds or less? Whether you’re posting a video, designing a graphic, or writing an email, always start by thinking about the front door. What is the first thing people see when they interact with your content? 

For example, the first five seconds of a video are crucial to whether or not people stay watching or keep scrolling. Hook them with an interesting cover image, a shocking fact, or a compelling reason for them to watch through the entire thing and watch your engagement and play counts increase. While the content of your email is definitely important, are you spending enough time on the subject line? As the first thing people see in their inboxes, your subject line should draw enough interest to generate an open. Enough generic subjects – make it more interesting for your readers!

Editing Long-Form Content

Sometimes, products or services in certain industries can’t be marketed with a 5-second email and need to be fully explained. What do you do then? Instead of sending your consumers pages of how-tos or giving them wordy brochures, think about how you can make your long-form content less of a burden and more of an interactive journey for your audience. This includes things like summaries of high-level info, an easy-to-follow structure with relevant information easy to find, and call to actions that direct users to specific next steps, rather than just the generic “learn more” or “shop now.” 

As with the start of a movie or book, the first chapter is one of the most important when hooking your audience and keeping them engaged through the final act. If you have a library of long-form videos, are you starting them all with a generic message or template? Try switching things up to give your viewers a reason to stay. The same goes for long-form blogs, informational guides or documents, and even things like manuals or SOPs. Don’t bog your audience down with tedious details – make it an exciting journey that gives them the answers easily and conveniently.

Conclusion

As a marketer, your job isn’t just to give your audience the facts. Your job is to give them the facts in a way that’s digestible, accessible, and easy to understand. Let your content speak for itself by tightening your messaging, focusing on a compelling and clear beginning, and editing any long-form content to make it less of a burden and more of a fun learning experience for your consumers. I challenge you to take your next campaign, whether video, email, or blog, and shorten the beginning to make your message as simple as possible. With less information and more focus, you can take your content from confusing to convenient and watch your business grow.