5 Types of Value Your Content Can Give Readers
Content can be a powerful tool, when leveraged correctly. It can also offer tremendous value to your audience, transforming a bland page of text into a thoughtful, insightful, funny, or inspiring experience.
No small amount of the content we see is empty and lacking purpose. Meaning that it’s content for the sake of content, pointless filler text that does more harm than good. Or worse, it’s so bloated with SEO phrases and keywords that it’s unreadable. While those keywords may have your website show up in the search results, if the content isn’t valuable or readable, people will click away. So here’s the hard truth: the trick to convincing people to read your content is to make it worthwhile reading. In other words, it has to offer them value.
There are many ways your content can provide value to your audience, and it’s easier than you think to ensure that value is present! For now, let’s explore a few types of value and how they can shape your content strategy.
Your content can Educate
Educational content is one of the easiest ways you can offer your readers value, and it is not to be underestimated.
To frame it simply, your readers have questions. These questions are what they type into Google, and your content can hold the answers they need. That’s offering value.
Guides, blog articles, social posts, free downloadable resources…all of these can be full of content created to educate your audience. That audience isn’t just potential customers either. It can be students hungry for information about your industry, the general public, and even your competitors. In this regard, the educational value your content provides does more than create opportunities to learn; it establishes you as an industry leader and expert.
Your content can Inspire
Inspiration prompts action. Content that inspires people can be difficult to pull off, but if you succeed, that inspiration will live within people, and they may return seeking more. Why? Because they will remember how your content made them feel. Those small moments where your content can motivate someone, can maybe even turn their attitude in a more positive direction, are so valuable – and certainly not to be dismissed.
To offer people inspirational value often requires you to be vulnerable and honest in your content. The stories that we find most inspiring are those we can see glimpses of ourselves in. Share your story, even the low moments or those where things weren’t going to plan.
Your content can Compel
Your content can compel people to act, even if they have little desire or motivation to do so.
Revisit your high school English classes for a moment – specifically, the lessons on writing persuasive essays. The entire purpose of these essays is to compel the reader to accept your argument, even if they don’t like it. The same theory can be applied to your content. For example, a fitness blogger can prompt readers to improve their daily exercise regime or a green energy company can encourage people to make changes for sustainability through compelling content.
It may not seem like it, but this is a form of value. It’s a little more heavy-handed than inspirational content, but it gets the job done by provoking action. Depending on your industry or content strategy, this may be a desirable way to give value.
Your content can Inform
Content that informs is closely related to content that educates, but there is a slight difference between the two.
Content that informs is a more surface-level approach that offers a quick glimpse at a topic, whereas content that educates takes a deeper, more explanatory look. A comparison would be a short story on the evening news versus a full-length documentary or a social post versus a blog article. Both styles of content offer value. The type of value simply depends on how deeply you want to explore a topic.
Creating this type of content can be more approachable for those with busy schedules. It’s also a great way to take a broad look at a topic without focusing too much on one area – like this article you’re reading right now.
Your content can Entertain
Not all content has to be serious or business-like. It can be fun. It can bring laughter and joy. Content that entertains is often content that will be shared and revisited. That’s not to say that your socials should be flooded with memes, but if it suits, a more light-hearted approach to content can be a good move.
Content that offers entertainment value can be one of the more difficult ones to nail. But, it can be worth investing in refining that style. Generally speaking, people tend to return to content sources they enjoy or find entertaining. If you can create a blend of content that entertains while educating, for example, your content becomes an incredible, approachable resource for people.
Content is a powerful tool for businesses that want to connect with their audiences. However, no matter what form it takes, that content has to offer some form of value to build those connections. Depending on your brand’s personality, industry, audience, and content strategy, you can pick and choose what values will work best.
Want to learn more about how your content can offer value? Get in touch with our team today at info@brokat.studio or fill out our contact form.
