What are the best practices for identifying your target audience's content needs?

Ask yourself, do you truly know these things about your ideal buyers: ???How their business model works? ???How do they prioritize their budget? ???Their core challenges and the reasons behind them? ???Their worries and bottlenecks? ???The larger process they have, which your product helps support? ???How do they evaluate vendors and solutions? ???Why do you win deals? ???Why do you lose deals?

First, identify your ideal buyer who should be your real buyer. Sometimes, your actual loyal and high-paying customers might differ from your initial perception. Analyze their patterns and insights to refine your content strategy. Empathise with your ideal buyer by stepping into their shoes, experiencing a day in their life, and understanding their concerns and objectives.

The key is building strong relationships with your target customers and learn about their pain and needs. Ask them how you can help them do their job better.

I'd conduct customer research to better understand the jobs that your buyers are trying to get done and create content that actually helps them do it. That’s the "jobs to be done" (JTBD) framework for understanding why customers choose and use products (developed by Clayton Christensen). Focus on these straightforward questions when trying to uncover their JTBD: 1- What are they trying to achieve? 2- What are the challenges/pains they are facing? 3- How do they currently address their challenges/pains 4- What are the outcomes they would like to achieve? 5- What alternative solutions are they considering? 6- What are the steps involved in getting this job done? 7- How can you improve your product/service to better meet their needs?

First, get into your customer's shoes; if you are a customer of your product/service, then this will be easy. Otherwise, go into public forums, social media groups, discussions, product reviews, etc. Now, go through the reviews and feedback that they have posted. You will understand the problems that they have faced, solved, or attained when using a similar product. Now you'll understand: - who are the people using the product - what are their problems - what are their pains - how they are thinking slowly, you'll get an idea about your ideal customers.

My proven audit process that helps me create content hits over and over again: 5 simple steps: 1) Use SHIELD Analytics - they are a dedicated LinkedIn audience data platform (IDK if LinkedIn endorses) 2) Sort your posts by engagement (not impressions) 3) Notice your top posts and create similar posts 4) Review at least once per month for additional iteration 5) Repurpose your best content into carousels, audio events, or videos

This ACTUALLY depends on the platform you're working on. Let's say LinkedIn for example, there are a couple things to watch out for: 1. Your headline: this is the first line or the first 3 lines of your LinkedIn post. Use hooks that compel readers to SEE MORE. 2. Your last line: ask an engaging question that lets your readers know the kind of response you expect on your post. Or simply end with a strong one-liner that summarizes your entire content. 3. Your media: one hack to an engaging post is the type of media used with a great headline. It should be quality, scroll-stopping, & engaging. 4. Your content: share savable or sharable content. Make it relevant to your audience.

Conducting a content audit is like taking a compass reading before embarking on a journey. It provides direction and clarity in your content strategy. Here's how: Imagine you run a fitness blog, and your content audit reveals that your workout video posts consistently receive higher engagement and shares compared to written articles. This insight tells you that your audience prefers visual content for fitness routines. Armed with this knowledge, you can focus on creating more video content or enhancing existing ones, catering to your audience's content needs effectively.

Content audits are an excellent way to see what’s performing well and replicate success but they’re underutilized as a tool to identify content gaps. When you perform a content audit, map out a typical customer journey for each persona and ensure your content carries them through each stage. Make note of any gaps so you can fill them as you build out future content calendars.

Identifying the content needs of your target B2B audience involves comprehensive research, including market analysis, buyer persona creation, and customer feedback through surveys and social listening. Analyzing competitor strategies and keyword research aids in aligning content with audience interests. Mapping content to the buyer's journey, maintaining a content calendar, and continuously testing and optimizing content types enhance effectiveness. Personalization, educational content, and monitoring metrics for engagement and ROI are vital. A feedback loop with sales and customer support teams provides insights. Regular content auditing and adjustments ensure ongoing relevance in a dynamic B2B landscape.

Here's a research process that never fails: STEP 1 - Search Perform a LinkedIn search relative to your field. Example: if you're a Career Coach, search "career coach in the search bar." STEP 2 - Identify Identify a coach who's actively creating content. Bookmark their activity page. STEP 3 - Study Study their posts, how they interact with people, AND ... (this is important) ... the types of questions people are asking in their comments. STEP 4 - Featured Section Look at the contents of their Featured Section. Study their site. Review their language. STEP 5 - Create Use all of the information above to create your offer. Leverage the audience questions in step 3 to create content that speaks to the core audience. PS) Never copy

Researching your competitors can be a goldmine of insights for understanding your target audience's content needs. Take, for example, a fitness blog looking to cater to health-conscious individuals. Tools like BuzzSumo can reveal that a competitor's articles on "High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)" consistently get high engagement. This signals a strong interest in HIIT workouts among your target audience. However, by also noticing a gap in their content about "Nutrition for Muscle Gain," you can seize the opportunity to provide well-researched, in-depth articles on this topic, giving your audience the comprehensive content they crave.

Don’t allow competitor research to dominate your time or strategy. While competitor research can be helpful, it’s better to focus on what your company does best and outshine competitors that way rather than trying to beat them at a game they’re already winning. Moreover, the fact that a competitor is leveraging a strategy doesn’t mean it’s successful or contributing to their growth. For example, you might find a competitor with hundreds of YouTube videos or active profiles on every social network. It doesn’t mean these initiatives are generating ROMI (return on marketing investment). Duplicating their unsuccessful initiatives diverts resources from your proven strategies and slows growth.

Keep your competitors in sight, but don't let their content outputs cloud your content strategy. While it's always useful to keep tabs on what your competitors are doing, it can also result in your efforts being shaped by their activity. Always define your content agenda first, then dip into what others are doing and overlay your key findings (if required) as an added extra. Differentiate yourself within the market, do not blend into it and the rest of the 'noise' that is being generated.

Here's an ugly truth that we understood while researching our competitors. Most of them were merely spinning the same content with different phrases and narrative. AI has further worsened the game wherein everyone rephrasing the same popular post. And there's your opportunity! Produce quality and original content, avoid doing what others are doing, focus on the reader's experience and wait for the magic! <3

Have real conversations. Talk with people and listen to them. It's as simple as this. It's all about engaging and connecting with them genuinely. The best practice is to forge strong bonds through conversation. Think about it - people love to share their thoughts and ideas. Show interest in their lives, their struggles, and their needs. Ask them for advice - people often respond positively when you value their perspective. Remember that empathy goes a long way in these discussions. This process will not only help you understand what content they're hungry for, but also build a loyal, engaged audience. So, let's start conversing and make our content as relatable and compelling as possible!

How to listen to your audience in 3 steps: 1) Check profile views; DM those applicable 2) Respond to post comments with questions 3) Join communities; engage in conversations But the sweet spot is what you do AFTER you've gained audience info. You write posts that relate to your audience. It helps you build trust. Real example below: At least 1 of you needs this reminder. It's 100% going to be ok if your: - Direct Message - LinkedIn post - Newsletter - Product Suffers from: - Low response - Low engagement - Low signups or opt-ins - Low sales and a bad review You don’t suck, you’re just learning. You’ll be more successful as you learn. You’ll eliminate the anxiety with study and Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Social listening is underrated - reading comments, reviews, online forums, etc will definitely give you an idea of what your audience wants, but it is up to you as a content marketer to read between the lines and understand what your audience DOESN'T want. - Offer genuine help, not a glorified sales pitch. - Make an effort to reach out to these people and talk to them - Ask meaningful questions from your end - the answers that make the most sense might point you to your right target audience.

Read all conversations, reviews, and comments about your product/service on social media. Especially pay attention to negative ones. They are excellent sources of information, there you can listen to what consumers really need, what they lack, and what worked wrong. Talk with real people instore, make a call after a person buys your services, ask the right questions about his experience - be proactive an look for feedback from your customers.

Go where your audience goes. Is it LinkedIn? Twitter? Real-life? Use your active listening skills. Understand the language of the community and what they engage with. The more you understand your audience, the better your content.

Tools to validate popularity don’t cut it. Google Trends, Keyword Planner. They’re great for identifying popularity. Sure. But the real place you’re going to validate an idea: Talking to people. Here’s how: 1. Create a set of questions that drive answers you need to create marketing 2. Identify where those people (your ideal audience) hangout 3. Network, be friendly, then ask if you can do either A) ask a few questions or B) hop on a call (to ask questions) 4. Record and transcribe the call THEN, go away and turn ideas from that transcript into content. Test relentlessly. Double down on your winners. Ask and talk to people. That’s how you capture the nuances that will make a difference. Not popularity of a trend.

Top creators validate assumptions like this: 1) Yes, look at your LinkedIn analytics to see which posts performed well But also... 2) Of those posts that did well, how many leads or service inquiries did you get. Numerical data is important, but numerical data + SQL data is legendary.

Validation is the crucial step that transforms assumptions into actionable insights. Imagine you're running a fitness blog targeting busy professionals. Your research suggests they want quick home workout routines. To validate this, you use Google Trends and discover a spike in searches for "10-minute home workouts." This data supports your assumption. Now, you decide to experiment by A/B testing two headlines: "Quick Home Workouts" and "10-Minute Home Workouts." After a month, you find that the second headline had a higher click-through rate. This validates your assumption further, proving that specificity matters. In this way, validation ensures your content strategy is not just guesswork but backed by concrete evidence.

When validating your asumptions, don't just focus on posts with higher engagement, also consider click rate on the CTA which was the main goal after all.

After gathering insights, test your content hypotheses. A/B testing, where you compare two versions of content to see which performs better, is invaluable. For instance, you might try two headlines for an article and see which drives more engagement. Continuously measure the performance of your content using metrics relevant to your goals (e.g. clicks, shares, conversions with UTMs for accuracy) and adjust your strategy based on the data.

Who are you trying to reach? Create 3 Buyer Personas. Identify the questions, desires, pain points, and challenges that drive your audience to action. Glean insights from competitors, customer reviews, search data, and places where your audience hangs out.

Your LinkedIn content marketing journey in 3 phases: 1) When you start: "Lol, you're 1 of those online business builders." ? Conclusion: ignore these comments ?? 2) When you succeed: "You're posting really great content!" ? Conclusion: "Free for a call?" 3) When you succeed FOR others: "Your post brought me 6 leads & tons of messages! ? Conclusion: "Invoice paid. I'm ready for month 2!" You need 0 validation from anyone. Literally 0. I spent so much of my life worrying about what other people think. Seeking their validation. It's sickening to process. If you have a content biz idea... Grab it. Own it. Run with it. Make it yours and win. See ya friends ??

Brainstorming content ideas should be a team effort. Each person on your team has a unique window into the customer experience. Your marketing team likely uses data and competitor research to identify opportunities. However, your sales team hears what holds people back and what they want to achieve firsthand. Your customer service team hears when expectations don’t meet reality and the issues people face while using your products and services. Leadership often has a pulse on industry trends and news. These insights are invaluable and can all be leveraged to build out a comprehensive content strategy.

Go to the places they use to get industry information. Think publications, newsletters, online forums, competitor websites, and so on. Find the pieces with high engagement rates. Then scrutinize each one using these questions: 1. What makes them different from others? 2. Do you have the resources (internal experts, unique angles, customer stories) to replicate such? If yes.... 3. How can you ensure you replicate it consistently?

Add to it, look out for questions in forums, discussion groups, social communities (Telegram for example), comments on articles and posts etc. Identify the FAQs that no one is answering and in clued those in your content. This is a sure shot game changer :)