Human Connection: The Backbone of Content Marketing

The damn point in 10 words max: The battle for audience engagement is won through human connection.

A whopping 97% of companies utilize content marketing.

Why…because it works!

In today’s busy world, consumers prefer to engage and learn about businesses through content. It is the number one strategy used to build trust, develop relationships, and improve conversions.

The ever-growing popularity of content marketing has created a boom in new technologies and channels designed to enhance connection with consumers. But businesses can quickly become overwhelmed and lose sight of what’s important.

And in the world of content marketing, nothing is more important than human connection.

People crave authentic, meaningful interactions. They want to feel seen, understood and valued. So, when it comes to the battle of consumer engagement, businesses that cultivate human connection through their content will win every time.

Why human connection will ALWAYS drive engagement 

One of the definitions in Webster’s Dictionary of the word engagement is…

“Emotional involvement or commitment.”

Let’s break that down in the context of content marketing.

1. For a consumer to engage with your business, there needs to be a level of emotion involved.
2. The words involvement and commitment suggest that a sense of attachment and belonging is necessary for engagement.

The very essence of what drives engagement is deeply rooted in the human experience. We are emotional beings with an evolutionary need to seek belonging and connection.

Technology and trends may come and go, but our biological desire for human connection will always be the key to engagement.

How to cultivate human connection through content 

Spoiler alert… it’s not through ChatGPT or keyword stuffing!

Generic and auto-generated content does not engage consumers.

In fact, just for fun, I asked ChatGPT to write an empathetic sentence about human connection. The answer was…

“As a language model, I don’t have feelings and emotions.”

Enough said!

As an actual human being with feelings and emotions, I recommend following these four guidelines to create content that connects with the human on the other side of the screen.

Understand your audience 

Marketers talk a lot about knowing your audience but in the great words of Charles Kettering…

“There is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.”

Human connection requires you to dig beneath the demographics and learn about your audiences’:

• Pain points
• Motivations
• Challenges
• Behaviors
• Dreams
• Fears

Empathy is one of the pillars of human connection. By truly understanding your audience, you can empathize, see the world through their eyes and create content that makes them feel seen, heard, and valued.

Craft content that fills a need 

Consumers are contending with a lot of digital noise. They want to read content that resonates with their unique experience. So, this is where businesses that understand their audience really shine.

When you have a deeper emotional understanding of your consumers, you are able to provide content that serves their needs, desires, and challenges.

Harnessing the power of empathy through content establishes a sense of trust that a business genuinely cares about the consumer and is invested in helping them.

Use your humanity 

Our stories are the key to connection. If businesses want to break through the digital noise and cultivate engagement, they have to speak and sound like a human instead of a business.

Voice and tone in the context of marketing are often used interchangeably. But they are, in fact, two different concepts that work together to humanize your brand.

Voice is like your business’s personality. It’s a consistent representation of who you are and what you stand for. Whereas tone is how you express and communicate that personality, it’s less about what you say and more about how you say it. Tone is nuanced and needs to be adjusted to suit the content you’re creating and the people reading it.

Think about your audience and how they want to be spoken to.

What do you want them to feel when they read your content?

Tap into your own stories to evoke those feelings and create an emotional connection.

Be authentic 

In a world full of paid influencers, sponsored posts, and viral marketing strategies, consumers are craving authenticity more than ever. Your audience can spot a blatant sales pitch a mile away.

Have you ever heard of the “show, don’t tell” writing technique?

The technique is credited to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, who once said…

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

It’s thought that the concept alludes to the importance of respecting the reader and allowing them to connect through experience rather than being told explicitly.

But what does this have to do with authenticity and content marketing?

Content that shows the value of what you do and the benefits of your product or service encourages a more authentic connection than focusing on the hard sell. Consumers do not like being told what to do and prefer to make decisions through their own evaluations.

Respecting the reader and providing quality content that allows them to connect through experience can infuse authenticity into your content and build trust and loyalty.

Human beings first, consumers second 

At the end of the day, regardless of the technology and channels you use to reach your audience, your content strategy should pivot on one fact…

You are a human seeking a connection and engagement with other humans.

It’s easy to get swept up in the figures and lose sight of the fact that consumers are human beings first. We are driven by human connection, and businesses that choose to harness the power of connection through content will set themselves apart from the crowd.

After all, the digital noise is real, and competition between companies is fierce. The product or service you offer may not be unique, but what you say and how you say it can absolutely differentiate your business.

In the battle for audience engagement, content that cultivates human connection wins hands down!

Hiring a Copywriter? How to Prepare.

The damn point in 10 words max: Before hiring a copywriter, know your brand, market, and goals.

Let’s be honest, content is hard. Whether you’re revamping your website, need a landing page, or are building an email campaign, knowing the right thing to say and how to say it in a way that resonates with your audience and search engines is challenging. A copywriter can be the solution to your problems. 

A common misconception, however, is that you’ll find an experienced, clever, professional, copywriting connoisseur and then walk away as they work their magic. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. A copywriter is only as good as the information you’ve provided them. 

That’s why it’s important to come armed with everything they need to know from the beginning. Here’s the list: 

Your target market.

Who is your customer? 

Don’t have built-out personas? It’s okay! Create one. 

Are they a Type A 30-something that wakes up early to go to the gym and values time with friends above all else? Or a new mom balancing a full-time job, parenting, and life? 

Start by identifying their biggest problem–what ultimately leads them to you–and how your brand is their solution. 

Let’s take the examples into consideration. A customer who is always on the go and values time is likely going to respond better to short, straightforward copy whereas the new mom balancing more things than she can count may appreciate a more empathetic tone that gently leads to your solution.  

Your brand.

A great way to easily convey your brand is by giving it a personality. If I were describing Em Dash Blogging as a person, for example, it would be as follows: 

Em Dash Blogging (let’s call her Em) is a type A personality. She’s a perfectionist and a people pleaser. Her worst fear is not living up to your expectations. She goes running every day and thrives on routine. Em is an over-sharer, she talks… a lot, and prioritizes relationships above most things. She values transparency and honesty. She takes her work home with her. Em sincerely wants you to be successful. 

From this description, a writer knows that the copy should be engaging, conversational, friendly, and approachable. Technical terms don’t work here and certainly nothing salesy. Instead, they would focus on the personal side of the business and building trusting relationships. 

If they are a good copywriter they’ll ask themselves many times, does this sound like Em? Would Em say this? 

The goal for the user.

What do you want your potential customers to know about your brand the moment they land on your website? And what do you want them to do? These are two of our leading questions for every new web copy client. 

Is the goal to set up a call? Maybe it’s to collect their email or have them purchase a product. 

With this information, a copywriter will be able to structure the content in a way that guides the user to take the action you want. It helps orient your customers while saving them time since they know exactly what to do next.

Examples.

Share your website crush. What’s a Goldilocks site that has just the right amount of text, hits all the right style notes, and captures the optimal mood and tone? It doesn’t have to be in your industry, just your website #goals. -Sveta, Creative Director at Em Dash Blogging

Examples can give a copywriter a ton of insight as to what you’re looking for. Would you prefer short phrases as opposed to longer, descriptive sentences? Do you want to offer a lot of information on each page or keep it minimal? 

If there isn’t a website that immediately comes to mind, try looking at Pinterest. Take screenshots of anything that piques your interest and share it with your writer highlighting what you like about it and why. 

Helpful feedback.

For any copywriter, the goal is that you love the first draft. After all, they likely poured their heart into your project. There are still pieces of my soul left in a pharmaceutical analytics project I completed years ago. Like a horcrux*–a little piece of me will always live in an article about the misconception of drug prices. But I digress… 

In reality, there will probably be a few iterations. Remember, you know your brand better than most and it may take a few tweaks to get it right. Here are some ways to make that process go faster. 

Take time to thoroughly review all of it with your team. 

Have each decision-maker on the team give feedback and then decide if you’re all on the same page. This helps save a lot of time on the back end. Even better – choose one team member as the point person who will make all the comments and suggestions. 

Be as specific as possible. 

A simple, “I don’t like it” or “not correct” doesn’t give the writer context. What made you not like it? What might make it better? 

Positivity goes a long way. 

We’re writers so we can take criticism. It’s a requirement of the job. But it doesn’t mean you have to be nasty. When giving feedback, kindness goes a long way. 

Instead of–”This isn’t what we discussed.” 

Try– “I really like this but can we include XYZ?” 

Your writer will understand that they might have missed something without feeling demoralized. To be frank, the outcome will likely be the same, so why not make the experience better for everyone? 

Set up a call, if needed. 

Sometimes email, Slack, and comments through Google docs just can’t get the job done. If your copy isn’t hitting the mark, set up a quick call. There might be a misunderstanding somewhere that can easily get resolved. 

Need help?

This is the part where I’m supposed to shamelessly plug Em Dash Blogging and our incredible copywriting skills. I’m supposed to tell you how our onboarding is set up to make the process easier on you and how we leave horcruxes* in every project we touch. 

I’m supposed to pull you down the funnel by suggesting you check out our portfolio or schedule a time to connect with me. 

But I hate being too obvious and salesy. So I won’t. 

*Horcrux**- an object containing part of a wizard’s soul hidden by himself to gain immortality. 

** If you didn’t know this term it’s time to reevaluate your life choices.