Annoying, intrusive, creepy, overtly self-serving…

Do any of these describe how you feel when you’re marketed to by your bank or health insurance provider?

So many brands have fallen into this MORE and ME trap.

More: Meaning more content marketing more of the time.

Me: Meaning we make this about us, serve our interests and push our customers down our customer lifecycle.

People can sense self-interest and if you’re already asking them to give more than you’re giving in return, they will almost instantaneously tune out.

Earning attention in the click economy.

You need to cut through the noise and earn meaningful interactions with your customers. Humanizing your approach to content marketing will entice short-term response to stimulus, capture sustained attention and produce consistent results over time.

Here’s how:

Develop a strategy that serves your customers more than it serves your self-interests, bringing balance to the give and take of your relationship.

Research what is meaningful to your targeted cohort and plot how your content can earn their attention and trust.

Entice action with a potent hook. You have less than a second to capture sustained attention. Don’t cut corners, and focus your resources on making that split-second matter.

Impress with succinct, vivid, meaningful and intuitive content. If the content is not compelling and professionally developed, you risk future clicks.

Keep your word. Have a defined voice (e.g., approachable, straight-talking, empowering, present/available, not salesy but informative) and consistently hold up your side of the relationship.

Measure and monetize your impact with ROI and ROR. Every click and every second spent with your content should be monetized.