With people churning out content on the web every millisecond, how do you make your content memorable and meaningful?

1. Don’t Try to Make Everybody Happy

Because guess what—you can’t. When you try to please everyone, you get watered down, tired, unfocused content people forget. You must gather and analyze intelligence on who your target audience is and what they want and need:

  • Analyze their websites.
  • Analyze keyword searches to find out how your target audience looks for things you might be selling.
  • Talk with your employees who have firsthand contact with your customers—their experiences contain a wealth of knowledge!
  • Analyze your competition.
  • Hang out with your target audience on social media and find out what makes them tick.
  • Actively gather customer feedback—invite them to be part of panels and to fill out surveys. Reward them for their time. Take this stuff seriously!
  • Use A/B testing to determine which content garners the best responses—create more of what works while tossing what doesn't.
  • Analyze all the data. Customer databases, usability testing, customer advisory boards… this data will tell you a story—if you’re paying attention.

When you dig in with the tools available to draw an accurate picture of your target customer, you can create content that speaks to their needs and desires. Your story will fit their narrative—they’ll see themselves inside your content. When you make that kind of connection, your audience remembers it—and wants more of it.

Another benefit of going deep with target audience research is that you can “geek-out” a bit in your content. Your target customer probably already has a working knowledge of lingo in your industry, so you don’t have to dumb things down for them. This also attracts a very specific target audience who will be impressed that you “get” them while competitors struggle to understand.
 

2. Be Unique and Unconventional

Duh, right? But the truth is, people remember things that stick out. As humans, our brains latch on to differences in our environments that may indicate a need to act, protect ourselves, increase our chances of success, etc. Those are the things we remember. So find your unique and showcase it boldly.

Caveat: We don’t mean being different for the sake of being different. That approach can turn people off if your content is gimmicky without a point. You have to play up how your uniqueness genuinely brings something new, valuable and different to your target market. Here are some questions to get you thinking about how to accentuate your uniqueness in a genuine, memorable way:

  • Are there current practices or habits in your industry that everybody accepts—but that are actually stupid or outdated (and you have a better, smarter, faster solution)?
  • Are there “taboo” subjects in your market that nobody talks about, but that really need to be aired out?
  • Are there things others in your industry consider “impossible” or too difficult to achieve? Achieve them—and show your work.
  • Do you have a completely new and different way of solving a problem that simply isn’t out there yet? Preach it!

Remember that “Will it Blend?” series of videos showcasing the power of a lesser-known blender brand? You probably do because they did something nobody else ever considered: grinding expensive gadgets into powder to prove their blender was super powerful. Shocking, cheesy and a little weird, it’s something that people remember. It boosted brand awareness for a previously little-known brand, it got attention and may have contributed to a nearly 700% increase in sales.
 

3. Use Psychology to Grab and Hold Attention

Understand what kind of input tattoos itself onto your audience’s brains vs. what slides off into oblivion.

  • Emotions—Evoke joy, outrage, surprise, humor—even sadness. Emotions cement memories.
  • Contrast—Contrasting images and colors attract the brain and convey instant meaning if used well.
  • Colors—Read our article on how color triggers emotion and memory to drive conversions!
  • Uniqueness—Use images and content that stick out. Remember the "Will it Blend?" example? Focus a lot of attention on what makes you different from everyone else in your field.
  • Tell a Story—Use real stories that evoke emotions. In fact, use real people and customers to tell those stories. people remember them better than bland feature lists.

Talk with your Optuno web development team today for more ideas on making your content memorable!