Here are three things that brands can learn from magazines:
- Define your target audience.
Magazines have a defined target audience and sharp understanding of the demographics and psychographics of their readers. Both editorial and advertising content are curated to align with readers’ preferences, ensuring high relevancy to their target audience.
Brands are seldom so defined in their approach, typically adopting a catch-all approach with a broad target audience. The misconception of casting the net wide stems from the hope of appealing to audiences of all ages, but in reality, results in generic content that lacks the necessary relevance or depth to appeal to any particular demographic.
- Find your voice.
Magazines are viewed as the trend setters and taste makers within their industry. They review gadgets, critique celebrity fashion, shell out beauty tips, and earmark the next big thing. They are the voice of authority on what’s hot or what’s not. They don’t get there by mirroring someone else. They get there by having a distinct personality and opinion.
Brands need to find their voices and offer a point of view in order to differentiate themselves amidst the noise. More often than not, brands recycle content from the Internet offering little or no perspective. There’s no reason for a reader to follow your brand to get content that is freely available elsewhere.
There’s still a place for content curation, but marketers should layer curated content with a unique point of view on why that piece of content matters to followers.
- Know your niche.
For brands to produce content of value, a niche needs to be identified. Between your brand proposition and target audience needs, there will be a niche where your brand can credibly add value to consumers. Identify it and build your content strategy around it.
With the abundance of available digital content, people are more discerning about the content they consume. In this digital age of rapid change, brands will continue to compete for consumers’ mindshare while navigating the volatile landscape of content channels and distribution.
However, some truths still hold true: Content is king. More than half the battle is won if a brand has quality content production down pat. Experienced content creators are better poised to move fluidly across distribution platforms, be it print, web, or mobile.
