There are two types of bloggers…those who write what they want to, and those who write what their target readers want to read.
There are two simple but critical lessons in that statement.
- If you write for everyone, you will reach no one.
- If your topic doesn’t address your target readers’ specific need, they won’t read it.
Take a step back and follow these three easy steps to find EFFECTIVE topics for your content marketing:
Step 1: Start with a clearly defined target audience. Not just who you currently reach, but who you want to reach. Keep it narrow enough so you can illustrate to your readers that you truly understand their needs.
Step 2: Then brainstorm a list of problems or concerns that your target market likely has.
Step 3: Next to each problem, list topic ideas that will help them solve those problems.
It’s a simple paradigm shift, but one that many bloggers and content developers forget. Just because you want to talk about something doesn’t mean that it will solve a problem for your target reader. If you stray off topic too often, then you dilute the value of your own brand.