How to Produce Memorable Content

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How memorable is your content?

From the moment we wake up in the morning until the moment we go back to sleep at night, we are constantly exposed to content and information. What is going to make your content stand out among the rest and get more attention? And if you are able to do this, how can you get them to stay and continue absorbing more of your content? 

Keep reading this blog to learn some tactics for producing content that is memorable and will have a lasting impression on your audience.

It is hard to achieve having the perfect headline, but this should be your goal with every piece of content that you write up. A headline can be great at capturing attention and bringing in the readers, but it can also turn them away if it does not appear interesting enough.  

When crafting your next headline follow these tips!

1. Create a sense of urgency or use FOMO, the fear of missing out to your advantage. This will make the viewer feel as if they have to check out your content immediately or else they are going to be left out. An example of an urgent headline could be “Don’t miss this chance to discover the latest trends in content marketing!”
2. Include a benefit that they will receive from reading and interacting with your content. One example of this is “Discover how to drive your engagement by perfecting your content headlines!” The benefit here would be an increase in engagement. 
3. Provoke action, such as downloading, clicking, contacting, or learning more. For example “Download this guide to learn how to make your content memorable.” This provides a call to action and will inspire them to do more with your content. 
4. Using numbers in your headline is another great tip! An example could be “5 content marketing tools to help you craft a better headline.” This tells the reader what to expect and provides a more specific answer. If they are looking for how to improve their headlines, now they know this content will provide 5 specific ways to do so. 
5. Focus on the length of your headline. Too long and your audience will scroll right past it, but it needs to clear and depict what the rest of your content is about. In order for the whole headline to be shown on Google’s search listings, it should not exceed 60 characters (this includes spaces and punctuation). 
6. Create an emotional response by being thoughtful with which words you use. For example, if someone is looking for impactful content, maybe include the terms “mind-blowing” or “inspiring” in your headline. If you want to promote trust using a word like “proven” will create a sense of credibility and trustworthiness. If something is proven, it must be true, and you must know what you're talking about. 
7. Create multiple headlines before finalizing. Coming up with different options will allow you to see which one works best with your goals, your brand, and the rest of your content. It is important not to be lazy when it comes to forming headlines, as your best one could be one of the last ones you wrote down. 
8.  Use online tools to help you perfect your headlines. CoSchedule's headline analyzer, for example, is a tool that rates your headline on the factors mentioned above and provides feedback and suggestions on how to make it better. Tools like this are helpful, but they do not know your brand or content as well as you do. 

Craft an impactful introduction

The introduction is key! If people don’t like the introduction, especially the first few sentences, they most likely will not keep reading the rest. If the article seems to not deliver what was promised in the headline, meta description, social media posts, or newsletters, then they will be disappointed and abandon your content. If they make it past the first few sentences and the rest of your introduction, then you must have sparked their interest. 

Readers are prone to scanning content before taking the time to read it, which is why not only must the introduction be top-notch, but you also need to have effective subheadings. If people see subheadings that fascinate them, then they are more likely to read as well.  

Here are some ways to create attention-grabbing intros:

1. Start with a question to provoke your reader’s imagination. They will think of themselves or their company in this situation and this can hook them in. Some question starters could be:
   • Have you ever wondered…,
   • Is it just me, or is…,
   • What would you do if...
2. Offer a tempting teaser to make them curious about what will come next. One example of this is “many marketers wonder why their blogs aren’t getting sky-high rankings on Google. The answer is much stranger than you’d think.” This will leave the reader questioning “why is it strange?” And lead them to read more. 
3. Share recent statistics to spark interest. Be careful not to use too many statistics, however, or else the effect might wear off on your audience. When selecting which statistic to include, make sure it:
   • Is relevant and connects to the content
   • Is from recent research and not outdated
   • Is from a credible and trusted source
   • Is unique or something the reader might not have heard before 
4. Go against the grain and create a statement that challenges your reader’s point of view. This will introduce new wisdom and a new way of thinking for them. Controversy can sometimes help to attract a reader, but be careful on the topic, as some topics are too controversial to do this with.
5.  Be empathetic, as your reader will appreciate knowing that their feelings are understood. An example of how to empathize with your reader’s challenges is “We’ve all been a little stuck on… but we can move past that”.

be original   

There are 4.4 million blogs published every day. How can marketers expect to always produce brand new content? Many things have already been done. On the other hand, you can create content with unique themes, different research, and unique and personal ideas. If you have content that is different from your competitors you are more likely to be viewed more highly by your readers. They are bored of the same content and want something new, so that is what you have to give to them. 

Confidence is very important when it comes to content creation! Write in your own tone of voice that represents your brand. Do not try to copy your competitors, but focus on your own guidelines, styles, and ideas. 

If you have a unique take on a topic, go for it and try new things, as these are what will make you stand out. 

include great visual content

Including visuals in your content can make or break the memorability of such content. Photos, illustrations, videos, and graphs, for example, provide representations and clear connections to the content, allowing the reader to visualize it. Follow this list of dos and don’ts when it comes to crafting effective visual content. 

Dos

1. Include interactive elements to increase engagement. 
2. Use relevant images to enhance the story from beginning to end. They can provide explanations, lighten up areas, break up the text, and add color which can make the content more visually appealing.  
3. Represent your audience through your use of visuals. It should resonate with your target audience and make them feel connected.  

Don'ts

1. Use common, boring stock images. If you use visuals that your audience has seen a billion times before, they will be bored of it and bored of your content as well. It won’t be memorable. 
2. Choosing style over substance is another harmful decision when it comes to visuals. If the visual is distracting and does not boost the content’s message, then your content will not be memorable. 
3.  Use visuals that are not compatible with all devices. If it is not optimized for mobile devices, some readers will not experience your content the way it was intended.

include interactive elements

Interactive elements not only increase engagement but also stimulate the reader’s senses and recollection. Without providing some type of entertainment in your content, your audience could get bored and leave your content.

The stimulation from the content triggers the reader’s attention and also enhances their ability to remember. By having the reader interact and participate in the content, they feel more connected to the content, rather than a passive consumer of it. 

For B2B content, the best interactive content types to use are interactive quizzes, questionnaires, solution finders, and checklists. Calculators that provide a benefit are also great elements to include. Another element is a map with geolocation data, which adds an interactive storytelling feature to your content. Providing these elements in your content gives your reader something to do other than reading.  

When incorporating interactive elements into your content keep your customer persona in mind. Everything should be suited to your target audience. You need to make sure they will respond to it, that they will be able to view it on any device, and is it something that interests them.

encourage your audience to think for themselves

You want your audience to do more than just read and absorb your content. They need to engage with it in a meaningful way so they will have a positive, and long-lasting memory of the information.

The interactive elements mentioned above, like the quizzes, for example, allow your readers to think for themselves and have individual experiences. Open-ended questions are another way to kindle thought and imagination among the readers. 

make them feel something 

In order to create memorable content and a meaningful connection between your content and your reader, you need to make them feel something while they interact with your content. 

To do this, try putting yourself in your audience’s shoes. What type of content or message would spark a reaction or interest, what would make them want to share it with their friends, and what could make them happy and laugh or really enjoy the content? Once you think of these things, try to match your content to them.

This will make your content more valuable in their minds and will help boost conversions. In fact, in a study by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, it was proven that out of 1,400 successful ad campaigns, content with emotional messages performed twice as well as content with rational messages. 

learning from your analytics

Studying your analytics will be helpful to keep your content on track. You will know which content was the most popular and effective, which visuals the audience liked the most, and which interactive elements your audience engaged with the most. This will help you when creating your next content.

To learn more about creating memorable B2B content, reach out to Thinkdm2.

Sources: Foleon.com