Build an Audience for Content Marketing

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If you build it, will they come?

If you’re super lucky, they will. Most marketers, however, are faced with a challenge that is familiar to publishers and broadcasters: audience development. This means connecting eyeballs with content.

One thing that publishers and broadcasters have going for them is that enterprises engaged in content marketing are only beginning to realize that audience development is an integral part of content strategy.

There are six essential components of audience development. The first four are internal and research-focused, based on figuring out who the intended audience is, what types of content serve the audience members’ needs, and where (and in what formats) content ought to be produced. When it comes to audience development, keep the classic four “w”s in mind: who, what, when, and where.

The second tier of audience development is amplification. Content marketing, by definition, lives on owned media channels (i.e., in places owned and/or controlled by the brand). Often, content needs a bit of a bump to attract attention.

Research and development

Definition Defining an audience is the first and most critical step. Rarely, if ever, is the intended audience “everyone,” even if you’re selling toothpaste and nearly everyone has teeth. Who’s the buyer? The influencer? The decider? Campaigns may be focused to one or more of these identified groups. Rule No. 1 of audience development: Know who you’re addressing with the content.

Please read the rest of this post on iMedia, where it originally published. 

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