Have you already tried content marketing but it isn’t working for you? You definitely need to try custom content. Whether you own a business and you want to increase its popularity and rank on Google or you are a blogger, quality content should be a big deal for you.
Why?
Because it is through the medium of high-quality content that you can engage with your customers and attract the news and retain the old ones. This is where Custom Content comes into the play.
The structure of the article is as follows:
- What is Custom Content
- Custom Content vs Content marketing
- Why should you invest into Custom Content?
- How to implement Custom Content
What is Custom Content ?
Some of you might be reading this word for the first time. So, what does it mean?
Custom Content is tailored content for your existing user base. It enables you to curate quality content for your audience in order to retain them and reinforce your brand’s message to them.
You might be wondering, “Wait, but isn’t that the same as Content Marketing?”
No, it isn’t. Yeah, we know it sounds similar, but allow us to make it clear to you.
Content Marketing vs. Custom Content
Content marketing and custom content are methods of customer relationships that demand distinctive and well-crafted content. No matter which approach you take, you need to invest your time or money in creating content. It’s a must if you want to have a successful marketing campaign.
You see, there are several terms in this industry which more or less points towards the same thing. It is likewise here.
A lot of people, marketers even, view terms like branded content, custom media, consumer media, content marketing, etc. as one. Or, they interchangeably use these terms.
However, that is not the case.
Custom Content is mainly aimed at your audience which you have already built using Content Marketing.
As Neil Patel has put it,
"Content Marketing is outward facing"
This means that Content marketing is aimed at those who aren’t a part of your customer base. Whereas, Custom Content is tailored content for the retention of those who already are.
Custom Content is more concerned with keeping the existing audience engaged than it is at attracting more audiences.
Now that you’re clear with the basic concept of it, let’s dig into why should you be doing it.
Also, to read more about some really great digital marketing tricks, click on link below: 10 Powerful Digital Marketing Tactics To Grow Your Business in 2020
Why should you invest into Custom Content?
1. Conquering Relevant Searches
Sometimes, people search queries related to a particular product and they give up when they can’t find answers related to it.
With custom content, you can tailor your content to the requirements of their searches and bridge the gap.
This useful blend of environment and circumstances will encourage your existing clients to stay.
A lot of companies use FAQ’s (Frequently Answered Questions) in order to solve any queries their customer might be having.
You can also use Quora for this purpose. If people have asked questions about your product or your brand, make sure you respond to them.
The way you answer the question is what will keep your audience engaged. You can either write an in-depth blog about it, create an infographic about it, or even make a video.
2. Helping Your Existing Customer Base
In order to make your business successful and be able to retain your customers, you need to constantly keep providing value to them.
Now, this doesn’t just mean through your product. You can provide value to them by helping them whenever they need it.
How?
By creating educational and informative content.
You can do so by creating how-to’s or anything as such that will prove to be informational to them.
See how Levi creates size guide which helps people in finding the perfect fit. It also provides other faq’s in the same section.
You are positioning yourself as an authority when you create resourceful guides.
Sometimes all you need to do to earn your customers’ respect is show them that you’re the leader in your niche by providing information that they require.
For example, if you own a clothing store, you could write a blog on the different styles of wearing the clothes produced by your company.
3. Customer Retention
By using content marketing you can attract new audiences. But it is through custom content that you can make the new audience stay.
It is estimated that an increase of 5 percent in customer retention can increase the profitability of a company. This makes sense when the cost of finding a new customer versus retaining an existing one is factored.
So, how can you retain new customers?
It’s quite simple, actually. By creating engaging content that provides them informational value.
- Research what they are searching about ?
- What are they curious about?
- Is there any additional feature that they want to be added to your product?
Make content tailored to their needs. Answer their questions in a post that has the power of going viral.
Custom content that shows the user/customer how better results can be achieved with the site, software, product, or tool they are already utilizing will most certainly engage them. And if they are engaged then, you’ve got them for the long run!
Custom content is a great way to increase your customer retention. Have you tried creating custom content and faced any issues, get in touch with us and we can help you out.
4. Improved online presence
Be it custom content or content marketing, both of these will attract and satisfy customers. That is the basic aim of both of the methods.
Your content becomes your brand’s identity online. This in turn helps you to establish a visible presence by helping customers with their queries.
The intent of custom content is to reduce switching of your customers to your competitors by increasing overall satisfaction.
Customer Satisfaction is the key to repeat purchase, making your customers buy again and again, referring others to your site, mentioning you on social media as well as interacting with you on your website.
It is said that nearly 81% of customers are more likely to do business with you if they had a positive experience.
A lot of people do not know the name of H&M’s founder but they continue to purchase their products. Do you get our point?
It’s all about the brand image, really. And in this digitalized era, it’s all about the brand’s online image. When you’re creating great content that’s tailored to your audience, you’re giving them an open invitation to tell others about your brand, whether they’re doing it on social media or on good old word of mouth.
Alright, now that you’ve understood why custom content is needed, let’s explore some of the ways to do it.
How to implement custom content
1. Identify the persona of your customer
This is the very first step towards making custom content.
With your existing customers in focus, map their persona to fine-tune your target audience understandings.
A persona is not just a description of your customers but the real or perceived qualities they possess.
To properly grasp the buying persona of your customers, you need to analyze what goes on in their mind while doing business with you. You need to see things from their perspective.
Why did they choose your brand over others? What advantage do they get by doing business with you and not others? Don’t let this information sit idle, use it for your custom content to form a loyal customer base.
You should include the background of the customer, demographics, goals, challenges, common objections, and biggest fears when developing a standard buyer persona that will help you deliver your custom content more efficiently.
Are you facing troubles figuring out your buyer persona. Don’t worry, we can help you build your buyer persona and grow your business.
2. Analyze and target your customer-oriented keywords
We all know the importance of organic keywords and organic searchers. When you put your focus on the right keywords, the ones that your customers are using, you can generate more leads.
Before you get started with the creation of content for custom content, it is imperative that you do a thorough research of such keywords in order to make content exactly aimed at your customers and for your customers.
But the thing here is, only using generic keywords will not work.
Tooled up with branded keywords and other search terms to answer a specific user’s question, I can create custom content that benefits immediate users and ranks highly in the search results of Google.
Let’s take this example. 
Shopify used custom content to answer one of the many queries that a new customer may have. This is the answer to the keyword “Shopify vs. WooCommerce”
3. Display your content in the most irresistible and desired format
Your content is what will set you apart from the others. It needs to be so good that it cannot be missed. It needs to have the potential of going viral.
Making great custom content will be the key to your business’s success in the long run.
What kind of content can go viral?
The one that focuses on customer questions.
As Neil Patel has said “Your content is by, but not for you”
Make sure the content you put up doesn’t promote your brand. We mean, it should. But only by giving customers valuable information.
Make sure to use the AIDA formula; Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
Customers prefer videos over written content. Others will go all out to show your infographic and post it. Ask the question, if you are confused as to what content format to make.
You can conduct a survey to know this. And it has become much easier these days. It can be done just by uploading a story on Instagram or Facebook and asking them what kind of content entertains them the most.
Once you have that information with you, consider 50% of your work to be done! All you need to do is focus on the type of content they want and add as much value as you can to them.
Final Words
Do not forget the dimension of custom content in marketing.
If your existing audience is small, the amount of time, resources, and creativity you put into producing your content will not matter if you don’t have a marketing strategy for content in place. In short, you are not going to get the full advantage.
You should, therefore, look for ways of improving your next piece of content by rewarding your existing customers.
You can hold contests or giveaways on Facebook or Instagram wherein, you can give them something for free! It could be the first two chapters of your book, a free consultation call, a webinar, etc. This will help in creating awareness for your product.
People will gladly refer others to the same blog or platform that inspired them when people are rewarded. The moment you start to reward your current customers, you’ll see your audience grow.