In today’s age of accessible information, there’s really no such thing as bad content. That is to say, the meat of the content is not the problem itself, it’s just that there are certain elements that are not present, things that could have otherwise made it more complete – in other words, holistic.
It’s important that your content delivers a complete package for it to be able to compel readers to view your business as a source of quality insight, as well as for them to think about doing business with you. For your content to achieve that level of completeness, it should be:
Educational
After reading your post, watching your video, or interacting with your surveys, polls and other engagements, your audience must be able to say that they have learned something, not only about facts and figures, but also about concepts, realities, commentaries and reactions. The worst thing they could ask themselves after spending time with your content is “What was that all about?”
Empowering
Content should be actionable. This does not only pertain to your prospects being motivated to summon enough trust and allow your business to be part of theirs. Empowerment should also be endowed in a way that they begin to realize things they couldn’t have envisioned before, and that they become willing to take more risks than they’ve ever imagined. Your content should be able to provide them that inspiration.
Entertaining
Okay, so you don’t have a lot of facts to share or figures to analyze. But you have a great story to tell. That alone, should be enough to spark interest, if you know how to present it effectively. Entertainment in content is knowing how to touch a reader’s soft spots and leaving an impression after the experience. Wouldn’t you want your reader to enjoy your content and comment something like “That was fun”?
Encompassing
Once you’ve secured that the previous elements are present in your content, now it’s time to do a reality check: is your content relevant? Sometimes, no matter how educational, empowering, or entertaining a piece is, it still wouldn’t satisfy people because of its lack of applicability to their current situations. They must be able to absorb your message in the context that is relevant to them at the present time, and that’s the only way they could regard your content as “significant”. That element will seal the deal and compel your readers to proceed to the next level.