Content continues to dominate the brand marketing landscape. With brands creating more and more content, their role is increasingly merging into that of a publisher, a fact that brand marketers are still struggling to get to grips with. Indeed, a few months back a report by Havas concluded 60% of the content created by the world’s leading 1,500 brands is “just clutter” that has little impact on consumers’ lives or business results. With customers bombarded, perhaps it’s time for brands to rethink their content marketing strategies to harness its true potential.

Content marketing is a valuable tool in the marketing mix which when done well, enables brands to build relationships and connect with existing and potential customers at every step along their path to purchase. By creating positive micro-interactions and moments with consumers, brands can guide them to make a change – a positive move to the next step in their purchase journey, to repeat purchase and loyalty.

It’s an opportunity to make a customer connection, and you know you need it, but how can you make sure it’s good?

To start a conversation and help engagement to soar, content must speak to the right consumers and in the battle to win business advantage, female consumers are a crack team to deploy in every brand’s battle. Why? Well because women are the super-consumers of planet Earth and almost certainly represent your brand’s most influential segment. Not only do women exhibit the greatest buying power, they are also the most willing to collaborate, engage with and share branded content. More women use social media than men across every social network. Plus they are the most active at adding to their own social networks, meaning that getting women engaged will help your content reach her entire community.

With this in mind, here are our top tips to help ensure your branded content maximizes appeal with your female audiences, getting noticed and getting shared.

The [ f ] Perspective:

1. THINK LIKE HER

Flip your whole perspective. The key to great content is having genuine customer focus - a deep and insightful understanding of how your brand fits into the lives of your customers. A recent study has shown that only a tiny 5% of all brand content accounts for 90% of total engagement*, meaning the majority of brands are essentially “talking to a brick wall”. What’s the role of your content and how can it genuinely add some sort of value to your customers’ lives?

2. MAKE IT HUMAN

Unlock your brand’s human stories – evoke, enthuse, emotionalise, humanise everything. This can be hard for a brand that is not used to opening itself up beyond sales messages, but it’s essential. Women really value human connections far more than men so personalize as many interactions as possible. Use more expressive or intimate language to help audiences ‘feel’ your brand. Use content to prove that you share their perspective, to help them feel special and understood.

3. MAKE IT REAL

Women can spot brand inauthenticity at 50 paces. Content opens up wonderful opportunities to bring your brand stories to life, in meaningful ways, with truth and substance. Aspirational styling is important but un-natural poses and filters will be recognized as such and may suggest your products, service offering and claims are equally as fickle. The cultural tide is beginning to turn as regards how we expect brands to present themselves and their products. Those that don’t live and breathe their values risk a hefty backlash.

4. MAKE IT A STEP TO A BIGGER IDEA

Women love brands that share their outlook and help augment their position in wider life and society. To add value to their lives, look to connect on subjects and in ways that go beyond selling them stuff. Start a meaningful conversation - show that your brand has an opinion and cares. Create stimulating content that encourages an action – that’s a jumping off point rather then the last word.

5. MAKE IT IMAGINATIVE

To cut through, you need to stand out. Pick out an unusual or original approach to tried and tested subjects rather than copying everyone else. If it’s not distinctive and different, why should busy customers waste time on it?

For help creating meaningful content for your brand that genuinely connects with your audiences, contact the Frontroom LDN team today.

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