Here is how to create content that resonates with brand values and helps consumers

Are you gearing up to create your next content marketing piece and looking for something that connects with the consumers? Well, the magic sauce for a content piece to be engaging, shareable, relatable to the consumers, and has good SEO value, is to work around something which is ‘helpful’ to them.

In the last story, we discussed that while many brands are creating content, most of it isn’t helpful for consumers. We had talked about the importance of creating helpful content, the challenges associated with it and how human-interest storytelling in content can be helpful.

Here’s the link to the previous story:

https://www.buzzincontent.com/story/is-your-content-helpful-single-enough-for-consumers/

In this article, content marketing practitioners discuss things to be kept in mind while creating helpful content. BuzzInContent has listed the takeaways from the content practitioners in form of a checklist.

Consumer is the key to helpful content

Neena Dasgupta

Understanding the mindset, psyche, interests, habits, preferences, lifestyle, behaviour, anything and everything that describes the consumer better and more accurately can empower us to create more relatable content. Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director at Zirca Digital Solutions, said, “We use our proprietary tool, ConsumeriQ, to determine this in detail. Going beyond simple demographics, we dive into the psyche of our target audience. Because when we know what their goals, ambitions, and fears are, we can provide them content that’s actually meaningful and connected to their day-to-day lives.”

Shirish Agarwal

Shirish Agarwal, Head of Brand and Marketing Communications, Panasonic India, pointed out that social listening plays an important role in monitoring, understanding the need and responding accordingly. “This type of strategic approach helps in building a positive perception of the brand.”

Put the customer's pain point first

Natasha Puri

Natasha Puri, Content Marketing Lead, at Pepper Content, told BuzzInContent that a lot of brands make the mistake of making content about themselves. “Don't sell. Prospects get turned off by brands who keep trying to sell. So focus on what their needs are, what are some questions you can answer for them before they ask.”

In the helpful content checklist, make sure that the information is the hero, not the product. Payal Shah Karwa, Content Director, The Word Jockey, explained this with a brand’s wrong approach to helpful content, “For instance, Lifebuoy recently did a CSR video in association with FICCI, which spoke about hygiene during the pandemic. However it came across as a lame product ad, and not as a CSR message. There was no new information neither tips to fight the virus. Instead it was all about why people must wash hands with Lifebuoy.”

Karwa said that content must either give new information, knowledge or practical tips for consumers’ overall well-being or welfare.

Content must connect with the brand values or product category

Jana Colaco

It is imperative that brands, while being sensitive, also push content that is within the sphere of their existing tonality and brand vision, said Jana Colaco, Associate Creative Director at Blink Digital.

Sanchita Roy

Sanchita Roy, Head, Strategy, Havas Media Group India, seconded Colaco’s thought and said brands should first focus on what is most authentic to them, not just jump on the bandwagon to support the latest social cause. “Once the key area is identified, brands can tap into the opportunities and focus their efforts on the areas that are most essential for them to address.”

Roy said, “For instance, a healthcare brand can focus on content related to good health, physical and mental well-being, providing medical help, etc. Overall, content that makes a consumer’s life easy, helps in decreasing life’s stressors, gives them peace of mind and makes them feel truly happy has a long-term positive impact on consumers.

Payal Shah Karwa

Explaining the point, while giving an example of a brand for which her company creates content, Karwa of The Word Jockey, said, “We manage social media for Mahindra Rural Finance which helps the low-income groups get finance to build their own homes. It’s a straightforward brand that is actually helping the underprivileged move from huts to build their own homes. But the brand does not believe in promoting its products. Instead, we create a lot of helpful content for their TG. For instance, we did a quiz-based campaign on home construction tips for consumers, which include what kind of cement to use etc.”

She said, “Though MRHFL is not in the business of construction, this campaign helped the TG understand basic fundamentals of building their own homes. And the one connecting element in our content is ‘homes’. So we do home decoration tips around festivals, or how to save water at home around Environment Day, etc.”

Create informative and value-oriented content

Agarwal of Panasonic said that communicating informative and value-oriented messages with empathy should be the approach towards creating relevant content.

Although Karwa said she always wondered why certain consumer durables such as washing machines, air conditioners or microwaves do not have relevant content that will help users utilise their products better.

Explaining the reason behind this notion of hers, she said, “They have demo guys coming home to explain the two dozen complicated functions on a machine, but not many videos/ tips to help consumers optimise the usage of these products and apply the knowledge to everyday life. They must keep in mind that it is mostly women who use these products, and an average Indian woman is not exactly very machine-savvy. How about educating her through helpful content?”

Use target audience friendly formats

Puri of Pepper Content said content creators should use formats that are most accessible to their target audience. For example, “Find out if they will respond to video more than text or audio,” she said.