If you’re a business owner, you know that your brand is one of your most valuable assets. Brands grow strong through consistent development and use. By applying uniform standards to the way your organization behaves — and how it presents itself graphically — your customers learn what to expect from you, and you build loyalty.
That same logic should apply to your content. Any communications you share with your customers — whether in writing, in pictures or in videos — should adhere to standards that ensure consistency. From email marketing to blog posts to YouTube videos, your content should stick to a familiar style, voice and publication schedule.
Why is content consistency so important, and what steps can you take to build a content plan that helps you exceed your customers’ expectations?
Consistency is key
Consistency in your content — how it’s written, filmed or photographed, along with when it’s published — provides a boost to your brand recognition. Your customers will come to expect an email on a certain day, and even at a certain time, alerting them to your latest blog post or video.
Each time you publish a piece of content, you add to customers’ expectations of you. When you publish interesting, well-written content that adheres to your brand voice, customers begin to expect more of the same. And when your email alerts arrive on the schedule you establish, that reliability encourages customers to continue clicking through to your website, blog, social media or video feed.
Consistency helps shape perceptions of your brand among both existing and prospective customers. It sends the message that customers can rely on you, and it helps evoke positive feelings about your brand, which — over time — builds loyalty and differentiates you from your competition.
Getting consistent with your content
Content consistency, first and foremost, means building a content plan and sticking to it. Your plan should include a regular schedule for your various content forms — on any platforms on which you engage — along with methods for implementing a consistent voice, style and tone in all your communications.
If you need assistance with creating a solid content plan, consider working with an experienced marketing agency. Allocating appropriate resources also is vital in creating consistent content. Do you have an experienced team member you will designate within your organization to take the lead on content? Creating a schedule and template is only the first step; going forward, you’ll need blogs and marketing emails written, videos filmed, photos taken — and all your content posted to the right places, on the right schedules, and in the right ways.
Many organizations lack the people power and other internal resources necessary for keeping an effective content plan moving forward. If you’re unable to designate someone within your organization to take responsibility for content, consider working with your agency to delegate content creation tasks and management.
Starting conversations — and building relationships
The ultimate goal of your content plan should be building relationships with your current and prospective customers. By building trust in your brand, you can convert browsers into buyers — and buyers into loyal, repeat customers.
As you begin publishing content on a regular schedule, you’ll encounter opportunities to engage with your customers and even learn from them. You may find that as ongoing conversations develop around specific topics, you’ll generate new ideas for content that can support your overall strategy.
Along with designating someone internally or externally — through your agency — to create and post your content on a regular basis, be sure that an experienced individual or group has responsibility for engaging and interacting with customers through your social media platforms. The more content you post, the more questions and comments you’re likely to generate. To keep your brand strong and your reputation stellar, you’ll need to not only respond to those queries but keep the conversation going — in a personal way that shows personality and reflects your brand values and voice.
By regularly engaging via social media and listening to users’ feedback, you’ll also begin to get a clear picture of content pieces that hit the mark and others that may need some tweaks. Over time, you and your team will become more effective at creating engaging content, posting it on the right schedule, and fostering personal, productive conversations with your audience.
The post Why does content consistency matter? appeared first on Walker Marketing | Digital Agency | Internet Marketing | Web Design | Concord, NC.