Whether you think Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to pull out all the stops or believe it’s a load of commercial baloney, there’s no way that anyone who logged on (however briefly) to their social media account this week would be able to avoid it. It got me thinking about the ways in which content marketing is actually a lot like the world of 21st century dating – as anyone who has ever painstakingly put together an online dating profile might agree. After all, isn’t online dating an exercise in marketing yourself? Allow me to elaborate…

Romeo

1. You need work on your hook

Who has the time or the inclination to trudge through a rambling profile that basically dictates the story of a person’s life? Nobody. Not when there are plenty of fish in the sea that get to the point in a succinct, smart and relevant way. You want to avoid tired, worn-out cliches, provide a bit of personality and offer something original and valuable to the person that reads it. Something to pique their interest and keeping them from heading straight to your competitors. Are we talking about content or dating right now? You decide.

2. You can’t be self-centred

Once you get messaging your newly found love interest, focusing too much on your own self-serving interests is never a good look. In the same way, content only becomes engaging if you pay careful attention to what it is your audience wants. Getting to know them – the way they think, feel and behave – is the best way to do this. Instead of focusing on the content you want to publish, you have to consider their needs in order to keep them coming back for more.

Love me

3. Tailor according to platform

If you’re going multi-channel in your dating efforts, you need to tailor your messages to suit each platform – that Tinder message probably won’t translate as well on Plenty of Fish. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t cut it; it looks slack, impersonal and won’t convey your message in quite the same light. Your content marketing will suffer in the same way if you don’t edit your tone, stye and length to be platform-appropriate. Using more than one social platform is an excellent way to reach a wider audience, just be sure you are getting the most out of your efforts.

4. Think long-term

Whether you’re dating or looking to boost the ROI for your business, long-term, loyal relationships are the ones that are likely to be the most fulfilling. Patience is power and it takes time to nurture the sort of connection that will pay off big in the end. The issue in both spheres is a tendency for people to focus on the results as opposed to the value you’re providing to the other party during the process. Sometimes it’s better to push the end-goal to the back of your mind (waiting in the wings but not centre-stage) so you can play the long-game and sweep ’em off their feet.

Proposal

5. Don’t be a faker

You know the type – they look nothing like their profile pic, they can’t play guitar and they aren’t as laid-back as they loudly proclaimed. A faker will eventually let their mask slip and reveal their true colours – in the dating world and in content marketing alike. Consumers want to buy from brands that are dependable, genuine and honest. And in this modern age of fakery where fake news clogs our social feeds and 84% of millennials stating they don’t trust traditional advertising, taking pains to demonstrate authenticity will boost your reputation and (hopefully) your bottom line.

Love you

Though we may not be able to provide much assistance if you’re unlucky in love, we can definitely help you out when it comes to your content marketing strategy. Contact M2 Bespoke today for more information.