If there’s anything worse than no content marketing, it’s bad content marketing—the kind of content marketing that puts your readers to sleep. Are you guilty of this big-time marketing mistake? Do your articles and blog posts send even you snoozing? Do your eyes glaze over when you look at your own mailings? If so, this post is for you.

Here are three keys to making your content marketing interesting!

1. Know Your Audience

You don’t market baby food to an empty-nester, so don’t pitch your product to people who don’t want it. Marketing 101 says you have to know your audience. Why does your product matter? Who is the person your marketing efforts should target? What does he or she like, dislike, want, hate, find interesting, etc.? Conduct research informally on social media, formally through focus groups, and even professionally with a marketing firm. Do everything you can to know what your audience wants and then give it to them. This ensures you won’t turn them away.

2. Offer Something of Value

Understanding the difference between fluff content and valuable content isn’t rocket science. Just ask yourself: What am I actually offering my readers? Will someone come away from this pamphlet, tutorial video, or white paper with new knowledge or understanding? To get the wheels in your mind turning about the many ways content can offer something meaningful, check out these examples:

• Statistics: What would you say if statistics showed that boring email newsletters had only a 10% open rate while interesting ones were more like 85%? Let’s face it: Numbers are powerful. Whether they’re presented in a case study or an attractive infographic, statistics sell. So when you’re writing content, look for ways to work relevant facts and statistics into it.
• Discounts & Coupons: Incentives may seem gimmicky, but they work. Readers are interested in discounts, bonuses, and new promotions.
• Breaking News: Newspapers and websites fight to be the first to break a story. People always want to be the first to read the new and surprising, so use your content marketing to make announcements, launch new initiatives, and excite your clients with hot-off-the press info.
• Useful Information: If you sell boating equipment, think of related topics your boating audience would find useful—safety tips, photos of area lakes, stories of families on weekend getaways. If you sell house insurance, create content for homeowners about DIY projects, changing mortgage rates, and tips for adding value to their homes. Find your audience’s interests and write to them.

3. Tell a Story

From childhood through old age, people love stories. Find a way to share content in a narrative arc, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and you draw in your readers. ”Designing a story is not easy work,” says legendary storyteller and host of “This American Life” Ira Glass. “But more often than not, it’s worth it.”

Your Thoughts

The three tips in this post are just a few of the secrets to improving your content marketing. What other strategies work to avoid being boring and create interest? What have you tried with success? What have you tried and regretted?