If we were omniscient, we might enjoy the privilege of hearing what everyone is thinking about us. If we were omnipresent, it might be fun to hear what everyone is saying to other people in conversation. We talk about other people, brands, experiences and products all the time with our friends. A lot of it is to boost our own social currency. When we talk about things that make us look good in the eyes of others, then we get valuable perception points in the mind of our hearers.
As social media and digital technologies become remarkable distribution channels for marketers, the content that fills these platforms has to be rich with value for it to be a conversation piece. We don’t like to talk about boring things nor ideas that are not memorable. That would lower our social currency altogether.
If you are going to position yourself as an expert in the mind of the buyer and be the de facto leader in your industry, then you have to create conversation pieces that spread. This is about putting your ideas in a clear way out there for the world to understand, consume and share easily. Ideas that spread and travel fast are not easy to come by but they can be packaged within your content and provide a clear way for your audience to talk about concepts, strategies and tactics that are helpful to their world of problems.
Give Them Something To Talk About
Having something to talk about means there is insight and precision to your content that makes it worth talking about in the first place. Without this, all the other mechanisms you might put in place have little impact. Helping your audience to think about the issues of your industry and how the arguments are framed in the first place allows them to be conversational about such topics. People like to feel informed and intelligent. Thus, timely information that breaks down the noise or complexity of your industry can be easily shared.
As you are growing your content and building your marketing assets, think about how people would retell what they read on your content platforms and blogs. Everything should be written simply. If you cannot picture a person telling you back what you read, then it is too complex.
Also, be sure to focus on a big idea or viewpoint in each of your content pieces. Your audience wants to feel validation in aligning with your position and have a way of articulating their alignment. For example, if you believe that everyone should work out every day, then say so plainly and give concrete and valid reasons for why. Perhaps a list of 10 Reasons To Get Your Heartrate Above 120 Beats Every Day would be a great article for someone to easily tell their friends when they are sharing about health benefits. In all likelihood, the details may escape the person telling the story, but a few of the high level points should be memorable. They can share your article with whoever they are talking to easily thereafter by simply emailing or sharing on social media.
We trust our friends and even strangers that do not have a stake in selling your goods. Intuitively, we know that they are not biased. When they share about something, they are putting their reputation on the line.
Giving your audience members something to talk about that helps them articulate a viewpoint puts your name in the hat and become a resource for someone wanting to know the real answers behind their curiosities or problems. That first touch point can translate into deeper engagement with your other content that constitutes your overall assets as well. Thus, a new relationship can be born from being intentional by making your content resourceful enough and insightful for sharing in conversations that happen every day.
Before social media and mechanisms, we are social animals. We share easily in conversation, especially with what makes us look good or positions us to help others. Make your content count in this natural flow of daily interaction.
So, how are you providing content that helps people converse and look good with their friends?