Producing content that people value requires businesses to understand their customers’ content preferences and concerns. These differ according to customers’ intent, demographic indicators such as age, and other factors, states a report from D.C.-based Clutch, which added:

Nearly half of business audiences (42%), for example, consume business content to stay informed about industry trends.

In addition, baby boomers prefer reviews (31%) and product descriptions (29%). Millennials, on the other hand, prefer blogs and articles (30%).

To generate content marketing that customers with different preferences will value, your business should incorporate the following approaches into its content marketing strategy.

1. Produce content that directly addresses consumer issues and preferences: Use customer outreach and keyword research to identify your customers’ issues and concerns. These insights can inform content topics.
2. Demonstrate your expertise by answering your “core question”: Choose the one “core question” that your business can answer with authority, and format your content strategy to support that topic.
3. Optimize your content to rank in search engines with SEO: Eighty-seven percent (87%) of people use search engines to find and engage with business content. Investing in SEO services allows your company to compete for the top results for relevant search terms and queries.

Clutch surveyed 384 consumers of online business content to identify the connection between content marketing and customer purchasing behavior.

Access the full report here.