Creating Sticky Content to Engage Your Audience
You have a business. You’ve defined your brand. Your brand strategy keeps you consistent with how you want your audience to experience you and your business. You show up fully aligned with your brand mission, vision, values, voice + personality. You know what you stand for, what you’re striving to grow and you understand the challenges, struggles, desires and ambitions of your audience.
You’re doing so well!
It would be absolutely terrible to create and release content that slipped right by your audience because it’s not “on-brand” or appealing. Right?
That’s why once you’ve got your brand strategy dialed in, it’s time to create “sticky” content. And yes, I did say sticky…but, don't worry, because the ingredients to creating sticky content have nothing to do with tree sap, super glue, tape or honey (which are all the sticky things I could think of off the top of my head!).
The purpose of creating sticky content is to release content that is drool-worthy and highly engaging to your audience. It’s the stuff they just can’t say no too for a reason. And more specifically, sticky content must be these 3 things…
01. STICKY CONTENT IS RELEVANT.
RELEVANT.
Relevant content is content that aligns with your brand strategy. The content you're creating and sharing must be relevant to your brand mission and aligned with what your audience is asking for.
If you've decided your brand mission is to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses by sharing bookkeeping and finance tools, then everything you share should be in alignment with giving them ideas, tips, resources and how-to’s that help fulfill this mission. That’s your primary content you’d create.
The other kinds of content you might share might expand a bit beyond finances, but it must still be relevant to your brand. Because you’re speaking to entrepreneurs and helping them grow their businesses, additional content you share could be about Entrepreneur Lifestyle or pointing them to other entrepreneurial resources (created by others) that are about Business Growth Tactics.
When you stay in your own brand strategy lane, your content becomes sticky because it creates an impact on your audience; helping them achieve a goal, gain some clarity, or move forward with confidence.
Ensuring your content is relevant also helps you focus your energy so you become known for that thing you do.
Let’s get even more granular with a specific example showing you Relevant and Not-So-Relevant Content:
If I’m a health coach teaching mom-preneurs how to create quick, healthy convenient meals for her and the kids, so she has the energy to grow her business and be present for her family…
RELEVANT content would be:
• 3 ingredient recipes
• recipes the whole family will love in 15 minutes or less
• an easy-peasy shopping list to prep for you week
I would NOT be sharing content about:
• the 8 hour pot roast that you spend all day cooking
• how to choose your brand colors & fonts for your business
• strategies for finding your dream job
02. STICKY CONTENT IS CROWD-SOURCED.
If your content is crowd-sourced it simply means the ideas you get for the content you create is coming directly from your audience.
You’re asking, listening and engaging with your audience to know exactly what things are going to help them most at this point on their journey.
Your content becomes sticky because you’re creating the precise tools your ideal clients need to move them forward and get the results they’re looking for.
This is why Facebook groups, your DMs and comments from people on your social posts and in response to your emails are golden. Pay attention to the things engaging your audience most. What conversations are they having with others in your target audience? What are the questions people are always asking you again and again and again? If they’re asking for something, are you delivering content to answer their questions?
Great ways to crowd-source besides simply paying attention and engaging in social conversations include:
• 20 minute informational calls with ideal clients
• Surveys you send out to your list
• Polls on IG Stories
And, I’m sure you can think of other ways to specifically engage your ideal clients based on what you do!
Custom content that is crowd-sourced essentially means your audience is creating it for you. Pay attention to what they want and that way when you create what they’re asking for, they’ll scoop it up!
03. STICKY CONTENT IS HIGH-VALUE.
HIGH-VALUE
You could be creating relevant content. and you could be creating content that answers a question your audience asks for…but, unless you’re creating high-value content, it won’t be super sticky (meaning your ideal clients can’t so no to it and 100% need to have it).
This is where your knowledge and expertise come in. Adding your perspective and experience to the content your audience is asking you to create IS what makes it valuable.
You don’t want to slap something together and say, well you asked for this! Your ideal clients cannot tell you HOW to create the thing they need most - that’s why they need you!
When you’re creating content, in order for it to be received well, it must provide value. Value can look completely different to different brands. While some businesses could be called to entertain their audience and make them laugh about something, other businesses might need to provide more educational materials.
Whatever it is, make sure it’s valuable in the sense that you are helping to move your audience forward by solving a problem for them or showing them how to get a quick win. Providing content that drives results and progress is high-value content…and THAT is sticky.
BONUS. THE STICKIEST CONTENT IS CUSTOM.
I almost left this point out. It’s worth it to remind you that the stickiest of all content is custom content! Create original content about a topic that is relevant to your brand, that your audience has asked for, and is high-value…from your perspective.
It’s not like other people’s content. Custom means it’s from your brain that has a unique way of thinking, perceiving and approaching your topic. You have experiences and education that are a perfect blend that set you apart. People want what you know.
Give them that in spades and that content will stick to them like glue!
THE BENEFITS OF CREATING & RELEASING STICKY CONTENT:
Creating sticky content is hugely beneficial for your brand. It helps you:
• create authority
• build excitement for what you have coming
• drive results for your audience
• develop trusted relationships between you & your audience, as well as you and other leading industry experts
Start creating!
