What makes a good content strategy?
How many times have you asked Google a question today? Maybe you questioned why your phone’s hot after only half an hour’s use. Perhaps you weren’t sure how to put up your new tent, and it was starting to rain. Possibly you were suddenly curious to know who was number one in the charts on your birthday*. We all ask Google billions of questions every day – over 3.5 billion, actually. I just googled it.
But Google has to get the answers from somewhere too, which is why a good content strategy is essential for our clients. If your website is providing the answers to potential customer’s questions, the higher up the google list you go and the more website traffic you get.
But providing the solution is only part of the strategy – getting your customer to return to your website takes a deeper connection. And once a connection is made, they may skip Google altogether.
Solutions + storytelling = great content
A longstanding client of TCC’s is Canon Australia, and we work closely with the company to create a content strategy that is:
- Solutions-based
- Customer-centric
- Full of good stories
Canon doesn’t just sell cameras; among other products, it sells essential office equipment and software solutions to businesses, educational institutions and charitable organisations.
Canon’s content strategy is to write articles for its clients that give answers on a practical level, but also inspire them to make innovative changes.
For example, a paper-based business could be grappling with how to digitise their workflow with minimal disruption. Canon not only provides the solution but also tells the story of companies who have successfully made the switch, hoping to inspire clients to do the same.
Another set of articles explain the best way to deal with data breaches – hot topics that can seem overwhelming for resource-poor businesses. Canon gives a step by step guide on how to navigate a data breach, encouraging transparency and suggesting how to prevent breaches in the future. Canon actively tries to create positive change within its client’s culture.
Come on in – the content’s lovely
The tone of the articles is vital too – they’re are warm, positive, reassuring and energetic. The aim is to empower clients rather than scare them, to welcome them in instead of excluding them with technical language. In this way, Canon forge an emotional bond with the reader rather than give a list of instructions. It’s this approach that keeps readers coming back for more.
Canon speaks to its clients through relevant content, providing solutions in a positive, clear way and creating an emotional connection with storytelling. It uses case studies of other businesses to explore challenges and solutions, but also to show how other people have experienced the same issues. It’s essential to show clients that they’re not alone in their experience.
The aim with any good content strategy is for your customers to skip Google altogether and come straight to you for the answers. If you can establish trust through content with your customer, they won’t need to search anywhere else – they’ll have everything they need.
If you would like advice on how to get your customers to skip Google through great content, drop us a line.
*Barbara Streisand, ‘Woman In Love’, in case you were wondering.