What should I post or tweet?

We have been “pushing” information for more than 150 years in the United States. Through newspapers, magazines, radio and television, we have been inundated with what other people think we want to know about their products and service.Today you have to have a compelling “pull” mentality. You must be in constant search for what your audience(s) want in the way of information and then set about providing it.

Do the researchFor what is your audience searching? What do they want? Take some time to do the hard work of research. This is where hiring a firm can work to your advantage. Some have already done industry specific research and you can tap into their expertise to your advantage.

If you are doing the research yourself, here are a few channels to consider:

• Google Analytics: insights into what drives traffic to your website.
• Adwords: A deeper look into actual search terms.
• Google Trends: To give you insights into trending keyword themes.

What are they sayingBy using Google Alerts, Twitter Search or other tools you can actually see the chatter. Your job is to then build your content around that for which they are already looking.

Defining and discovering your audience can feel like quite a challenge, but with research and persistence, you will find your target.