There are some that would have you believe that today’s world in which everyone’s a content producer pushing out 140-character tweets, Instagram selfies and instant Vine videos is responsible for creating an industry characterized by mediocrity and lacking in imagination.  But that couldn’t be further than the truth.

In fact, those of us in the content and marketing spaces are not less creative; we’re just working to be more creative at a faster pace.

“We’re in a content marketing arms race,” explained Scott Smith, VP, Content Marketing, Cramer-Kasselt, during a recent Social Media Week Chicago presentation. “It’s not about trying to reach everyone at the most efficient cost.  It’s not about impressions, or page views.  It’s about quality over quantity and having real conversations with individuals.”

To do that requires that brands tap into their unique culture to do more than just tell a story; they must tell their story in a way that connects with their audiences.

The whole point behind creating content, especially in social media channels, is to connect with people.  Thanks to reams of data, brands can effectively talk to individuals.  To do that effectively requires that brands understand the reader comes first when developing content.

Before launching any kind of content marketing program, brands need to answer some key questions:

• Who is our audience and who isn’t?
• What do we want readers to do?
• What do readers want from us? Can we provide it?
• What assets do we have—people, places, things?
• How do they talk about us when they think we’re not listening Are we listening?
• What do we have to offer that no one else does?

Armed with this critical information, brands will be better prepared to create really great content that accomplishes three basic goals:

• Builds trust with users through usefulness
• Drives measurable consumer action
• Satisfies a brand’s business needs

Too often brands get hung up on having to create really intellectual content based on research or data.  That’s important content to have but it doesn’t always have to be so cerebral.  Sometimes it just needs to be entertaining and memorable.

There’s really no excuse for brands not to be able to engage readers with quality content as they have so many sources of content at their disposal.  Some common sources of content to consider include:

• How We Got Our Start

Share the story of your brand’s history and the milestones it hit along the way.

• Ideas that Didn’t Make the Cut

New product or service ideas that were nixed can be interesting fodder for brand stories.

• The “Why” behind Business Decisions

Consumers can gain real insights into a brand by learning about the drivers behind key business decisions.

• Key Challenges and How We Overcame Them

Honesty and authenticity are critical to creating engaging brand content.  Consumers appreciate hearing about challenges facing a brand and, more importantly, how they worked to overcome them.

• Our Culture and Mission

Stories that exemplify your culture and mission can go a long way in humanizing your brand.

• New Product Uses
  Think out-of-the-box and offer consumers ideas for new uses for your products.
• Your Causes

Stories about the causes your brand is committed to help to define what you stand for.

• Requests for Feedback

Don’t forget to engage consumers by asking for their feedback, questions or comments about your brand.  Follow up with content that responds to that feedback or provides updates.

Creating compelling, quality content is not only helps keep brand engaged with their audiences, but it’s also good news for search engines.  Nick Papagiannis, VP, Search Director, Cramer-Kasselt stressed that “Content should be beneficial to your customer, reflective of the brand, and optimized for Google.”

Content that is truly search friendly is optimized for the technology environment, includes the right keywords in the right places and is adequately promoted.  Links to new content via social channels is one way to effectively rank higher in the search engines while engaging your audiences.

However, even Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team, has cautioned, “Never sacrifice the quality of your copy for the sake of search engines.” The reader always comes first.

There are a number of brands today that are maximizing the benefits of a great content strategy.  Sephora, for example, has been successful in creating engaging video and Tumblr content. It’s clear Sephora’s strategy is to create memorable, shareable content rather than focus on direct lead generation.  The brand has a long-term perspective rather than seeking an immediate return.  The strategy is working well for Sephora which boasted a 400% increase in iPad traffic to the brand’s website in 2012 and a 300% increase in shipments via mobile in 2012.

Panera Bread is another brand that generates a variety of content which focuses on creating human connections with its customers.  The brand’s website includes a number of “feel good” stories about the role Panera Bread plays in local communities.  The popular restaurant chain also highlights the history of its products in an engaging way.

For AMEX Open, a website dedicated to small business networking, content is all about usefulness and creating one-on-one conversations with customers. Backed by 200 expert contributors, the brand’s strategy focuses on delivering content that small business professionals need, providing a forum for them to exchange advice and helping them to make smart decisions.

Are you truly focused on telling YOUR story, or just pushing out content in the hopes of garnering another like or share? Before you hit that publish button, make sure what you’re sharing is advancing your brand story in a personal way that truly connects with your audiences.