Why Content Marketing should always follow Audience Psychology

While the goal of content marketing is to inform and engage an audience and ultimately drive an action, the underlying psychology of why people engage with content is equally important to understand. By leveraging the principles of psychology, businesses can create more effective and persuasive content that resonates with their audience.

The three key aspects of psychology in content marketing

The first is human motivation.

People are motivated by a range of factors, including basic needs, emotions, social status, and aspirations. By tapping into these motivations, businesses can create content that is more engaging and persuasive.

For example, a business selling outdoor gear might create content that focuses on the sense of adventure and accomplishment associated with exploring the great outdoors and trailblazing.

By tapping into people’s desires for exploration and achievement, the business can create content that resonates with their audience on a deeper level.

Examples of this could include:

• Stories of modern-day trail blazers – showing “those who have” and tapping into the adventurous side of the audience and even driving their competitive desire to “do more”, “do better”.
• ‘Share yours’ series – Where the role is reversed and the audience get to be the ones telling the story. Taps into the desire to show achievement and feel accomplished.
• User-generated how to guide – where the audience are asked to supply their most practical tips for outdoor adventure.

The second is understanding the way people process information.

People are more likely to remember information that is presented in a memorable and engaging way.

By using storytelling, humour, or other creative techniques, businesses can create content that is more memorable and effective.

The third is leveraging the principles of social proof to create more effective content.

Social proof is the idea that people are more likely to believe or take action based on the actions or beliefs of others. By incorporating social proof elements such as customer testimonials or user-generated content, businesses can create content that is more persuasive and credible.

Content marketing strategies produced with the principles of psychology are ultimately more shareable and viral. People are more likely to share content that evokes one of these above desires and creates a strong emotion or is surprising or unexpected in some way.

The role of psychology in content marketing is crucial to creating content that resonates with an audience and drives action. By understanding human motivation, the way people process information, social proof, and shareability, businesses can create more effective and persuasive content that ultimately leads to greater success. By leveraging the principles of psychology in their content marketing strategies, businesses can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and drive long-term growth.