These five handy tips on boosting your content skills will transform you into a strategic content creator.

1. TIPSFOR CREATING
BETTER CONTENT

2. Marketers now spend $44 billion a year on content marketing,
according to a study by the Custom Content Council and
ContentWise. With so much money being invested in content
creation, it pays for marketers to become experts on the topic.
Use these five tips to boost your skill as a strategic content creator.
5 Tips for Creating Better Content
2© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Before creating a single piece of content, craft a strategy around
your particular areas of expertise. Any content you produce should
focus on segments of the market where your brand is an authority.
TIP #1
Determine Your Brand’s Specialty
3© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Understand what drives your audience and makes them tick.
What are their big interests? What is important to them?
Your content should be a combination of what the audience
wants to hear and what your brand wants to tell.
TIP #2
Know Your Audience
4© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. It’s important for consumers to view your content
as unbranded. By providing them with enough entertainment
value to build social equity, you will be in a better position
to successfully land their business.
TIP #3
Entertain First
5© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Ask consumers to create their own content for you. Hold photo
contests on Instagram, incentivize people to create their own Vines,
post the first line of a joke on Twitter and ask users to write
the punchline — and tie it all back to your brand. This tactic
will make consumers feel like they’re shaping your brand’s image.
TIP #4
Crowdsource
6© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Give your consumers an opportunity to interact with your company
face-to-face by holding brand-specific events, complete with
giveaways related to key promotions. For a digital tie-in, livestream
the event or post related photos/videos to your social channels.
TIP #5
Go Offline
7© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. 8© Copyright 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Information for this slideshow has been curated from the following sources:
Driving Business Through Content Market
http://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/ib-driving-business-content-marketing
Hot Content Marketing Baked Fresh Daily
http://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/ana-2015-jan-hot-content-marketing
At Nearly $44 Billion, New Survey Shows Rise in Content Marketing Budget
http://blog.customcontentcouncil.com/at-nearly-44-billion-new-survey-shows-rise-in-content-marketing-budget
KPMG: Transforming Communications with Content
http://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/er-moc-dec14e-kpmg
SOURCES