You’re probably already aware that a thoughtful messaging strategy is imperative to communicate with your target audience. This isn’t a “spray and pray” approach – just putting the message out and hoping the right people receive it. Strategic content development tactics are crucial to creating conversions.

There are some vital factors that can help your content reach, engage, and eventually convert the correct people.

Here are three questions to ask your content development team that will help guide them to an effective messaging strategy:

Are We Using Suitable Mediums?

It’s unlikely that your target audience uses every social media platform, reads every magazine, watches every television station, and subscribes to every email list. Furthermore, it would be unrealistic (and very expensive) to use all of these mediums as a part of your marketing strategy. Instead, it’s essential to align your efforts with the activity of your target audience and effectively utilize those channels.

Audit your target audience and conduct research to determine which messaging strategies will effectively reach the bulk of these individuals. Survey Monkey offers a free, online way to do this. However, you can also poll people in person (if you have a brick-and-mortar presence) or use polling on social media. These are just a few of the options available to you. This preliminary research will help you create a strong presence that is more effective and efficient than trying to do it all.

Does The Content Resonate With Our Audience?

You have mere milliseconds to grab a user’s attention as they scroll through their email or social media app on their device or flip through a magazine. Are you stopping your target audience in their tracks and making them want to read on or view more? Whether it’s video, image, or simply text, the content should be eye-catching and provoking enough to capture the attention of your intended viewer; otherwise, your efforts will go unnoticed, and your audience will not receive your message.

Grabbing attention doesn’t mean you have to use flashy tactics that are off-brand, simply make note of what your audience is responding best to, and tweak future content based on findings. A/B testing different variables is a simple, strategic way to gather this data. For example, measure video performance versus static imagery, test multiple headlines and track performance of images that include people against ones that don’t. There are many different ways to narrow in on the content that best resonates with your audience.

Beyond capturing attention, your content should be memorable and make users want to take action. By aligning your brand voice and company values with those of your target audience, you’ll create a deeper connection with your audience.

For example, suppose you are a restaurant targeting millennials. In that case, you’ll want to promote money-saving specials and focus on the overall experience, two things that align with how millennials make their purchasing decisions. On the other hand, if you are a sports car brand targeting retirement-aged individuals, you’ll want to promote the activities and hobbies they love and focus on how this purchase would enhance their life in retirement. If your target audience is passionate about the same things you’re featuring, chances are you’ll stand out from your competitors.

Are These Efforts Producing Results?

And probably the most critical question of all, “what’s the ROI?” If your content isn’t producing results that are helping you achieve your goals, there’s no point in putting in the effort.

Measuring ROI is where tracking and measuring the performance of all marketing tactics comes into play. Some things may be harder to track than others, but at the end of the day, if you’re leading a horse to water, you have to know if it’s drinking. It’s nice to know 1,000 people visited your website – but – did they take the action you wanted? Did they sign up for your newsletter, contact you, buy something? That’s what really matters.

Tools such as Google Analytics’ conversion metrics, unique phone numbers for call tracking, vanity URLs, and many others can tell you if your efforts produce the desired results.

It’s important to measure every effort and A/B test different factors against each other. By doing this, you can continue to strengthen your marketing strategy as time goes on and ensure your content development team is working towards the same goals and objectives.

Need help finding the answers to these questions? Or maybe you don’t have a content development team to ask. That’s where we can help! The PTE team has 15+ years of experience developing well-rounded marketing strategies and producing content that converts. Start reaching your customers in a way that matters.