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What is the Intent Behind a Content Piece?

by Shrishti Jhamnani
4 replies
If you were to look into the intent behind creating any piece of content, what would be the different categories? So far I have 3 broad categories, help people learn, sell a product or service, and attract talent. Can you think of any other intent categories?
#content #content marketing #intent #piece
  • Profile picture of the author Sven300
    These categories are not bad but they seem a bit artificial.

    You could add, for example, to entertain, or to promote a cause, etc.

    But anyway, in my opinion, any communication is mainly a sale: the goal is to sell your ideas, your personality or your expertise, to sell a brand, a company, a product, a service, a cause, a political party, etc.

    Even when you invite friends to dinner, you are selling something (a meal) and you hope to be paid back with pleasure.
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  • Profile picture of the author SamNuku
    Content intent should always be about the customers ones wanting. If you focus on the idea client then it'll cover all 3 categories you bring up.

    See if the ideal customer is dry, single, & loaded.

    There'd be no point in writing an article thats witty, family driven, & entry level (broke people).

    See what i'm saying? Find your ideal customer FIRST. That'll answer your questions in terms of all that you need to know.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shrishti Jhamnani
      Originally Posted by SamNuku View Post

      Content intent should always be about the customers ones wanting. If you focus on the idea client then it'll cover all 3 categories you bring up.

      See if the ideal customer is dry, single, & loaded.

      There'd be no point in writing an article thats witty, family driven, & entry level (broke people).

      See what i'm saying? Find your ideal customer FIRST. That'll answer your questions in terms of all that you need to know.
      Yes, I can do that, but at times the customers are totally different from each other. So, thn how to make a content suitable to masses

      Thanks
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        The point made was that you should not make your content suitable to the masses. When you do that, you get fewer, not more, of whatever you're after.

        You want to attract the largest number of people who're going to buy not the largest number of people who'll read your content.

        But that's not the same as making your content suitable for the masses. It's making your content suitable for the largest number of the subgroup you've selected to work with.

        Your original question:
        The intent behind a piece of content:
        first part: communicate an idea/feeling
        second part: communicate that idea/feeling to someone in particular
        third part: why communicate that idea/feeling to someone in particular

        Your response to the previous posts seems to skip over the 2nd part, thinking there's only part 1 and part 3.

        Part 3 can be broken into many sub-parts:
        entertain/amuse
        sell/persuade
        inform/criticize
        show-off
        build credibility
        re-enforce/remind.

        But you get none of the above right if you skip part 2.

        I want to sell $20k decks. My piece of content has to be addressing people who can afford 20k decks.

        I want to let people know that there are people who pay $20k decks. My content has to address people who do knot know that there are people who pay $20k for a deck. There's no point of informing the people who've just bought a deck for $20k or more that there are people who pay $20k or more for a deck.

        If I want to entertain 8-12 years old using $20k decks as examples/main points, I'm going to create the content differently than when I wanted to get people to pay me $20k to build them a deck or when I wanted broke 60 year or older people that there's tremendous waste and unfairness in the world, specifically, there are people who deduct their $20k decks on their taxes while the broke 60-year-old or older can't buy a pill that's going to make them live 10 years longer, etc.

        See what I mean?


        Originally Posted by Shrishti Jhamnani View Post

        Yes, I can do that, but at times the customers are totally different from each other. So, thn how to make a content suitable to masses

        Thanks
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