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2019 will soon come to a close and 2020 will be here before you know it. With 2020 right around the corner, you should be thinking about how you can curate your content for 2020, so you are not left scrambling to create content once the new year begins.
You will want to start off 2020 by beginning (or continuing) to leverage your own content. When curating your content, you will want to think of your customer’s preferences, which can be found through running analytics on your site that collect data on your users.
From the data you collect, you will want to create highly targeted content to answer detailed questions. For example, create a marketing email that includes products at prices your audience is usually attracted to clicking on or purchasing. In the process, make sure you are giving the customer not only what they need, but also what they want, so they invest or stay invested in your brand.
When you leverage the content you curate, tailor content that moves your user towards making a decision about your products or services.
You want to go even further to personalize your content to the context of the transaction. Through curating personalized content, you will take into account how each person wears various hats or personas, and how they will act when consuming content.
Learning how to add your voice and value to your content is not an easy feat, but it is something you are more than capable of.
When you add your voice to your content, you can make your customer interactions more intimate. Also, by creating value-added content, you can address your customers’ pain points and what you can do to help them.
Don’t focus on selling all of the time on your site-- also think about how you can be of value to your users or customers. Another thing you will want to think about is whether or not your content has a purpose, or adds value to, the subject you are talking about. While you are adding value with the content you are creating, you will want to make sure your content is transparent and authentic.
By learning how to add value, use your voice to elevate your content. Adding your voice to your content allows you to express your personality and style, so your content does not sound mundane, but rather connects with the reader.
By using your voice in your content, you will differentiate yourself among your competitors. Also, adding your voice can build trust among your audience. Don’t just add your voice in certain places of your site but all across your site, and be consistent so you can breed familiarity and trust among your audience.
When curating your content for 2020, you’ll want to first know who your target customers are and where they are at in the buyer’s journey.
Doing research and creating buyer personas will help you curate content that speaks to their needs, desires, and pain points. You can also brush up on the three main stages of the buyer’s journey, so you can effectively curate content that leads customers towards making a purchase.
And your content at each stage of the buyer’s journey should add value and be targeted towards that customer. Now let’s begin curating and catering content to fit your buyer’s journey.
The first step you will take in curating content for the buyer’s journey is starting out with researching the roadblocks your audience is facing and what solutions you can provide for them.
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial part in this stage, since many of your users will go to a search engine asking a question and, if you have those keywords they are searching for, they will be matched with your site.
For instance, you will want to incorporate keywords into your site, such as “improve,” “prevent,” and “troubleshoot” in any of your blog posts or research reports. Also consider creating frequently asked questions (FAQs) that will present questions and their solutions.
During the awareness stage, you will want your content to educate, define, clarify. and inform your audience since this prepares them in considering what their next step will be when searching for a solution to their issues.
The next stage in the buyer’s journey is where people will be considering solutions to their issues. So you should curate content that encourages users to start free trials where they can see the benefits of your product or service. Also, you should curate your content that shows how you propose to solve their issue.
Now, more than ever, you will want to explain and show how your product and service will solve the specific issue at hand. At this stage, you will want not to forget the decision stage is only a step away, so it is crucial you offer relevant and valuable content that will attract a buyer to make a purchase.
The third and final step in curating your content in the buyer’s journey is where people will be looking to make a purchase. So your number one goal in this stage of the buyer’s journey is to convince your potential customers to buy your solution rather than your competitor’s. Meaning your content in this stage should shine a light and highlight the merits of your solution, and also show how it helps others who face similar issues.
This is also a good time to include any reviews, testimonials, or even limited time discounts to encourage a potential customer to choose your product or service over your competitor’s.
While you may follow these stages to a tee, or tailor them to your business model, do take these considerations when you are curating content for 2020.
Pairing your content with each stage of the buyer’s journey will immensely help you focus on how you should go about curating content that produces results. And, while it may be a journey to get where you want to go, just remember that taking these steps will get you where you want to go with your content, and even your business.
Getting a grasp on the elements of content creation is a crucial step in curating content.
The first element you want to focus on is your target audience, which you can figure out through researching your ideal audience or the type of user you hope to reach. In doing this you will be able to curate the right content for each user.
Next, your second element is basing your content on the foundation of concrete goals and objectives you have-- for example, knowing the amount of engagement you hope to obtain will help you better understand where you should put your efforts and resources on your content strategy.
In turn, this allows you to curate content that helps you attain your goals.
Thirdly, you will want to define your brand; your voice and persona, and what you want your brand to be known for. Once you define what you want your brand to stand for, your content can be more cohesive in its messaging.
The fourth element is knowing which distribution channels you want your content to be sent and shared through.
The fifth and final element are the tactics you want to use in the content creation process.
Recently, Search Engine Journal published an article about the “5 Big Content Trends for 2020” to help you as a content creator have a better idea of what you can expect and curate for:
With this all in mind, you can grasp and use these elements to elevate your content creation. This will not only save you time and money, but also help you prepare and plan for your content strategy in 2020.
Now that you know how to curate your content for 2020, and what you need to do in order to prepare you content strategy, you can now step in and start dabbling with what you want your content to look like in the new year.
By starting now, you can prepare instead of scrambling to create content that is effective and incorporates all the elements it needs to be/have.
While we still may have a couple months left in 2019, growing and knowing how to cultivate your content for 2020 will not only take the stress off you as a content creator, but save you and your company time and money in the process.
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