How To Make Content More Engaging

Last week, Content Marketing Institute asked What Does Engaging Content Mean to You?  This week CMI asks How To Make Content More Engaging.

The resulting post titled 10 Ways to Make Content More Engaging captures perspectives from 12 prominent content marketers:

Shelly Bowen (@shelbow)
Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
Barbra Gago (@barbragago)
Doug Kessler (@dougkessler)
Patsi Krakoff (@Patsiblogsquad)
Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)
Lisa Petrilli (@LisaPetrilli)
Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)
CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore) --- me!

Notice how often 'human' comes up.

Here's my response:

Making content more engaging requires truly understanding your audience and the world they live in.

Can you “walk in your readers’ shoes” to better understand them? Can you identify individual reader and buyer personas so you can customize the recommendations and wisdom you offer in your content? Do you know what terms they use to refer to your product or service? How is your product or service relevant to them given where they are in the buying cycle?

Making content more engaging requires careful, thoughtful and active listening so you can anticipate needs and questions and uncover patterns. The more you do so, the better you can craft uniquely engaging perspectives.

Don’t forget to check your ego and company- or product-centric notions at the door so you remain open to engaging with your readers.

What's you take on how to make content more engaging? I'd love to hear your response.