4 People You Need As Your Online Audience

An online audience is of course necessary for a content strategy to work, and content marketers have two separate audience acquisition responsibilities: building the audience and keeping it engaged.

While some well known brands have no problem spreading awareness and building an audience, startups and lesser known companies can struggle with this.

Marketing consultant Michael Silverman, in a Content Marketing Institute post, says working with other professionals is sometimes necessary to build an online audience before the launch of a new venture.

Taking the creation of the review site Viewpoints as a case study, Silverman identifies four different kinds of people that should be part of an audience for a successful marketing campaign:

• Online advocates

“First and foremost, seek out people who already play an active role online in conversations of interest to your community.”

• Industry voices

“Get in touch with prolific voices in your industry and ask them to participate in the early stages of your community. You may not think you have a chance at prominent bloggers, journalists, and independent professionals, but you never know until you ask.”

• Other professionals

“Even if they aren’t necessarily prolific in your industry, there are plenty of professionals out there looking to build their personal brands. Knowledgeable interaction ensures high-quality content.”

• Freelancers

“Freelance writers and community professionals are trained in researching the topics that matter most to their audiences and delivering high-quality content around those topics. “

Silverman says that personality types are also a crucial factor to building a healthy community. People who tend to be “combative, profane, or obscene people usually don’t make positive advocates for your community,” he says.

Developing a strong audience of the right people to engage with the content and spread it to others is the most important aspect of an effective content marketing strategy.

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