With an engaging content designing strategy in place, companies can gain a competitive edge in the market and build customer trust through their unique, continuous, and personalized experiences.

Gone are the days when marketing focused only on the product benefits presented through the ad jingles. But now its marketing done through storytelling that is being increasingly employed to convey the brand message to consumers in a much more impactful manner. And digital storytelling has taken over all forms of marketing as designing content with an emotional connect works better to capture consumer attention.

It’s a known fact that people connect with people and not brands. With content designed to enable digital storytelling, brands can show their human side by sharing what their team is doing, what it is that they’re learning or give their customers a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes in their workplace. When brands advocate something that their consumers need, value or want, the latter can then relate to the brand’s message, values and story. And content plays an integral role here in communicating the brand message in an engaging manner.

Having a great product means nothing if nobody is aware of it or what purpose it solves. If companies do not pay heed to what customers want, then they risk damaging their own brand. The same is true for brand communication as well. Writing a moving blog means nothing if nobody reads it. Also, if brand communication does not address customer pain points then it fails to make an impact.

The best stories do not teach people something new. Instead, the best stories are those which agree with what the consumers already believe in and makes the audience feel smarter and secure when reinforced how right they had been in the first place.

Content Marketing vs. Content Experience

Creating, analysing and distributing individual pieces of content is referred to as content marketing. However, that’s not enough for brands to leave their mark in the minds of consumers. It’s important that they focus on creating indelible consumer experiences. This is where content experience comes in.

Content experience is a more comprehensive process that brings within its ambit the process of creation, analysis and consumption. Shoppers do not just seek out pieces of content only for the sake of reading. Instead, they look for resources in their buying journey that will educate them on and provide information about various products which would eventually influence their purchase decision.

The content experience begins with designing immersive and engaging content that the visitor will come across first on visiting the brand website. Usually, it takes exposure to multiple brand assets before consumers narrow down and pick their choice for purchasing it. Brands should primarily focus on keeping consumers interested and so subsequent pieces of content, whether it’s in an email or social media post or blog post, should speed up the content journey so that it leads to more conversions or sales.

In today’s time, it all starts with captivating content that delivers an emotional connect. Brands need quality content that is not just entertaining but also educational and demonstrative to be capable of influencing customers. And this needs to be done consistently over fixed intervals so that the brand content stays meaningful and relevant for its audience. Building a community of brand loyalists on social media channels is an effective way to engage more customers with each other so that they can exchange their positive and negative experiences as well as their own ‘user-generated’ content in which they can share images or videos of their interaction with the brand product or service. This boosts brand loyalty and brings in more potential customers.

Design thinking needs to be at the root of all content strategies. Marketing and design research, customer satisfaction surveys, social listening, data analysis, and other similar methods will ensure that brands get a clear picture of their customer base and can then craft messages basis the consumer needs and preferences.

Well-executed, useful and relevant content can lead to positive and fulfilling content experiences for the prospective consumers. Delivering content in a way that draws customer focus and which is enjoyable as well as rewarding for them is a great way to not just acquire new customers but also retain the existing ones. When designing content, it’s important to empathize with the prospect in a manner that connects their experience with the brand’s USP. For example, if it’s a cosmetic brand then they should sell their product by focusing on hurdles faced by people with skin woes. This will educate the audience on skin problems, recommended skincare routines and offer reviews from satisfied customers.

Summing Up

In a nutshell, strong customer engagement is essential for cultivating and maintaining brand loyalty and establishing long-lasting relationships. With an engaging content designing strategy in place, companies can gain a competitive edge in the market and build customer trust through their unique, continuous, and personalized experiences.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house