One of the trickiest things about content marketing is trying to figure out what to include and exclude in each piece of content you create.

We live in complex times…or what we call the “More Than” age…where no job, business or product can easily be summed up in one single video or blog post. Living in the “More Than” age can easily trick you into thinking your content never looks complete!

Begin with the EndThinking about the end result you’re trying to achieve is the best way to help you stay on track. Here are a few ways to do that…

1) Focus on your ideal customer

It’s tempting to try and talk to everyone. After all, the end goal is to get more eyeballs staring at your content, right?

Well, not exactly. What you really want are the right people looking at it. It’s way better to have 25 raving fans watching your video or reading your blog post – than even 200 lukewarm souls.

So if you’re trying to figure out whether to include or exclude a piece of information from your content marketing – or even an entire piece of content marketing – ask yourself if your ideal customer would benefit from it.

2) Evoke appropriate emotions

When creating content that moves people, you can either focus on negative emotions, like fear and frustration…or positive ones, like increased confidence and peace of mind.

Here, the idea is to think about the end-result action you’re trying to architect.

Example: if you want people to order toner cartridges, it makes sense to focus on the frustration (negative) involved in running out of toner and having to trek all the way to the closest big box office supply store on a moment’s notice.

On the other hand, if you’re selling a luxury vacation package, you definitely want your content to leave people with feelings of warm sunshine and ocean breezes.

3) Use foreshadowing

One technique employed by the world’s greatest storytellers is foreshadowing – hinting at something that’s going to come later. By gently nudging people’s thoughts in the direction of the end goal, you avoid springing it on them all at once.

Using the toner example above, if we were creating a video about that, one of the first things that would happen might be a character running out of toner and being totally frustrated at having to go out and buy more.

Then, when you hit the customer with the call to action to make a purchase at the end, it feels more like a feather…and less like a hammer.

“More Than” a great strategy

Creating your content with the end in mind is like driving cross-country with a map that clearly shows your destination. You can take different routes depending on your preferences, but as long as you have your eye on the end goal, all the little decisions along the way become much, much easier.