So much of your success in the world of content marketing comes down to getting the right message in front of the right people at the right time.
For years, companies have been using customer personas to do exactly that.
By creating a fictionalized version of their average or ideal customer, it gives them someone to write for – it’s a way to keep their “eye on the prize,” so to speak.
It’s a technique that has paid off handsomely over the years.
An incredible 71% of companies that exceed their lead and revenue goals have documented personas in place.
A further 47% are taking steps to update those personas on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, 2017 will be the year where this stops being “enough.”
With quality content (and quality writers) being more important than ever, 2017 officially becomes the year where the best way to inform and refine your content strategy involves an unparalleled level of face-to-face interaction.
The Power of Face-to-Face Interaction
The real reason why this is so important has to do with the benefits of personalized content in general.
According to an IBM Digital Experience Survey, 56% of marketers believed that highly personalized content creates higher engagement rates.
It also helps with brand recall, which is hugely important for consumers when it comes to making those final purchasing decisions.
Stephanie Stahl, the general manager at the Content Marketing Institute, firmly agrees with this.
In a piece that originally ran on Magnificent.com, she said that the new year will be one that requires marketers to “step out from behind their persona documents and get to know their customers by spending face-to-face time with them.”
She want on to add that “this will allow their content strategies to be informed (and refined) by real and personal customer insights.”
The power of relationship marketing also extends beyond just knowing what content to serve which groups of people.
When it comes to complex purchasing decisions, buyers routinely say they prefer personal interaction because of the existing relationships and trust that they’ve forged.
They want to establish a relationship with a company and when making that final purchase, they deeply prefer an in-person scenario so they can get all of their final questions answered effectively.
In the end, it’s important to remember that content is one thing – relevant content is another.
You could have what is objectively a beautifully written piece of content and it ultimately won’t mean anything if it doesn’t cover information or offer something that your real customers are actually looking for.
The goal of content marketing is always to provide value for your customers first, everything else second.
If you truly want to pin down what “value” means to your situation, you have to go straight to the source’s mouth.
Additionally, all of this serves to underline the importance of hiring copywriters and serving up high quality content in the first place.
Remember that you’re always looking at a two part process – you find out what your customers want and you find a way to give it to them.
In many ways, investing in marketing content writer services isn’t just an investment in this valuable relationship you’re trying to forget – it’s an investment in the future of your business.
Stephen L is a freelance writer and passionate content marketing writer with WriterAccess. See the freelance writers in your industry we have awaiting your business needs today.
