Understanding Audience Preferences
Thereâs a difference between knowing your audience and truly grasping what they want. The way I see it, i suspect on the surface, yes, itâs easy to talk about personas and demographics, but itâs not always that straightforward, is it.
People arenât static - their moods and interests can shift as quickly as a meme goes viral. Understanding how people consume content can be fairly unpredictable. There are times when youâll see tons of engagement for one post and then.
Nothing on another. In some ways, itâs rather like playing whack-a-mole. Sometimes youâll hit the right spot and sometimes youâll miss completely.
But that isnât to say itâs an entirely random process. Knowing what your audience wants means thinking beyond simple likes and shares - that means really reading between the lines in terms of which visuals or headlines got more clicks or comments, or even checking out how many times someone has revisited a post or video. What youâre looking for is to spot certain patterns in your content that resonates with your audience.
That might mean reworking your entire strategy or just doing a few minor tweaks here and there to test if something will work even better than before. And if you donât see anything immediately, well that doesnât mean theyâre not interested at all. People can scroll through hours of content without clicking on a thing, but that doesnât mean theyâre not paying attention. Itâs important to remember: oftentimes the biggest thing stopping us from getting more engagement is us being too afraid to try new things based on what we think people might want - or not want to see online.
Well, keeping an open mind could mean opening up possibilities for even more engagement later on.
Analyzing Content Performance Metrics
A good rule of thumb is to remember that every insight is useful, even the ones that are hard to digest. Data can be hard to see, especially if it forces you to acknowledge patterns and behaviours that might not be aligned with your strategy.
Content performance metrics are a snapshot of the people who take action on your website or content platforms. They can supposedly often mean different things depending on how your user interacts with them. If your bounce rates are sort of high, you could either be targeting the wrong people or putting out the wrong message.
So while analysing these numbers can feel tedious and slow, they form the foundation of your next steps for the brand. User data is typically a straightforward way to see if what you're putting out works or not. But it can apparently also showcase how what you're putting out isn't working for a specific set of users who interact with you. Sort of.
It gives you a direction for experimentation - a sort of assurance about what content refresh tactics will be helpful, so you don't end up getting too risky and losing engagement altogether. These numbers exist as an objective pillar within content creation strategies and remind you that sometimes it's best not to stray too far from what works. If content refresh tactics show a significant change in these metrics (for good), then you've found something worth pursuing.
Creative Visual Enhancements
It has become so easy to gloss over media nowadays. I think itâs because thereâs just so much of it, and weâve become so used to the aesthetic standards for things like image quality, video production, and even typography. Sometimes, you donât even have to remember what you see because youâre going to see the same thing in a slightly different way in 2 minutes.
Let me tell you why thatâs happened. Weâve all sort of stopped trying to be creative for creativityâs sake. Everything is about maximising engagement and visibility right now, and while thatâs done wonders for businesses and brands, I think itâs also put a damper on peopleâs unique perspectives on things like visual presentation.
So every time you look at something new, it seems oddly familiar - if not formulaic - and your brain goes âNope. Seen this before.
Bye. â And that means whatever money or effort someone put into making the content just went down the drain. So if youâre making some of your own, do something creative every once in a while. More or less.
That could mean making an animated version of your logo, using vibrant accent colours for some highlights, or even adding subtle interactive elements to static visuals to keep people coming back. It seems like motion graphics are great for this too, but only if they fit what your brand is about. Itâs important to be careful with this though, because different kinds of visual flourishes can mean completely different things from person to person.
The best thing you can do is quite a bit show them around, gather feedback from people who care about your brand or topic as much as you do, and run with what makes sense the most for everyone involved. I think this is one of those rare situations where considering everybody elseâs opinion is actually a good thing.
Incorporating User-Generated Content
You might have noticed how user-generated content has changed the way people see brands and interact with them. Think about how the world of reviews works - whether it's a restaurant or a piece of clothing, having someone you trust (or someone just like you) advocate for it can pretty much really shape how you see that brand. It seems like and that's why ugc is so powerful.
What's great about this type of content is the fact that it is authentic and honest, making it easier for people to relate to it. As a result, audiences are more likely to engage with your content, while also fostering a sense of community and loyalty. While brands might have some control over what gets posted by their audience and what doesn't (think - the recent comment section wars and 'people deleting comments' situations), at the end of the day, your audience is going to say what they want to say.
It seems like this is quite a bit exactly why creating platforms where ugc is encouraged can help brands in more ways than one. Of course, on one hand there are things like testimonials, reviews and more that help other users see if a product or service is right for them but it goes beyond that. More or less. Think - hashtags, trend-following Reels and TikToks, mentions in stories and posts and even things like contests or giveaways that encourage your audience to create content themselves.
The more people share their authentic selves (while engaging with your brand), the more likely you are to be perceived as one that can be trusted. In turn, not only do you get access to feedback in real time but you're also able to share this content far and wide (with due credit), not just giving your audiences a chance to feel valued by being featured but also helping you grow through this dynamic approach to engaging with your audience.
Leveraging Social Media Trends
Itâs easy to keep an audience engaged when weâre part of a larger movement. Joining a trend, or starting one, puts you at the centre of a party that people want to be a part of. The current state of social media encourages brands and creators to jump on trending topics for a boost in engagement and visibility. Some trends are more like micro-movements, with deep underlying ideas and themes, while others are memes or funny things that went viral on their own.
Thereâs really no telling what might go viral but it pays to remember that trends are about more than jumping on a viral train for likes. The quality of your engagement depends on the quality of your content. If you rely solely on trends, you might make a short-term impact but it wonât always translate into long-term engagement or loyalty.
If you participate in every trend that comes up, there will be little room left for your brand identity to shine through. The best way to use trending topics is by finding the ones that are relevant to your audience and brand identity. Hop on the ones that will allow you to engage your audience in interesting ways.
Thereâs no one way to do this because different platforms require different approaches so it helps to remember where your audience lives and how they interact with you there. Sort of.
Regularly Updating SEO Strategies
Iâve noticed something a bit odd about SEO strategies and fashion - neither ever seems to sit still. Whatâs trending now might be next monthâs tired news, or even worse, a total flop. Updating your SEO approach can feel endless and draining - like a treadmill you just have to keep running on.
But thereâs something reassuring about constant change. You can tweak your campaigns, or in the case of SEO, keywords and tags with every new season, collaboration, or release. And it isnât just Google that will reward you for this - people reading want their content to be relevant too. You must keep updating your posts so readers feel as if the information is often accurate and recent.
If it feels like a lot (and sometimes it does for me), there are tools available to help you monitor the ebb and flow of search engine popularity. Most are rather quite affordable too. If you need some inspiration, use these tools to look at whatâs hot in other countries as well. I think the key here is not viewing updates as dreadful chores but adopting a mindset where change equals betterment.
This helps you stay ahead of your competition by creating an attractive blog for search engines and readers alike; especially those who are interested in fashion journalism as an industry.