‘The King of LinkedIn’ Ahmad Imam explains how to create impactful content that truly resonates. 

To get ahead in today’s ultra-competitive landscape and the ever-changing nature that makes up the dynamic markets, you need to have a social media presence. 

Not just that, you need to be deliberate, intentional, and the content you produce should be strong enough to add value to people’s lives, especially your ideal target audience. Also, you need to have a voice, an opinion, a strong set of values, and stand for something that you wholeheartedly believe in.

A great influencer and content creator should also harness the power of storytelling. A humanising story that is engaging, compelling, and relatable will not only retain the attention of your audience but provide further insight into you as a human being – as opposed to a professional with an agenda. Humanising your content not only builds trust, but if your real world stories resonate, educate, entertain, or uplift in the process, your audience will feel compelled to follow your journey, in the same way we anticipate the next episode of a popular Netflix series. We want to know what happens next. 

Ahmad Imam has amassed a following of over 1.2million by producing unorthodox and disruptive content with a focus on being true to himself and undeniably real with his audience. His audience follows him because they not only trust him, but because they believe what he believes. And that is the power of successful storytelling. 

Imam reinforces that there are many ways to create powerful content that truly resonates with your target audience. In fact, done correctly, you not only earn a follower but a raving fan. Imam shares four tips that will help you connect with your audience on a much deeper level. 

1. Solve a problem for your audience. 

If you can solve a problem with free value-add content, you will not only create an impact, but you will earn yourself a follower and fan. Know your audience and target your potential clients by providing solutions to some of their biggest problems. Do your research, get clarity on your audience or client avatar, understand what questions they are asking, and then create content that specifically answers those questions. 

1. Tell a compelling story. 

As mentioned, there is no better way to communicate a message than via a story. Some examples might include; a case study of a client that has made a transformation using your products or services, a personal experience with a valuable lesson attached. Showing vulnerability in your content is not a weakness, nor will it deter your audience. Your goal is build trust and allow your audience to connect with you on a personal level. Once trust is built, only then will they explore doing business with you. Speaking of failure or adversity in your content a powerful way to articulate a message. And there is nothing more impactful than speaking your truth. 

1. Read comments from your audience to find a common theme.

Reading comments from your audience is the equivalent of having a live focus group. They will tell you their thoughts, problems, pain points, and they will also ask questions to further engage with you. Firstly, if someone takes the time and effort to leave a comment on your post, make sure you take the time to respond. It will motivate them to continue engaging with you knowing that you’re there and that you care about your audience. But that is besides the point. Your job as a creator is to listen, respond, take notes, and look for a common trend or theme. Thoughtful comments on your post could be the subject of future content pieces that hit the mark with your target audience.

1. It is never about you; it is always about them.

This is the most important tip by far, in fact, it’s more of a philosophy than a tip. If you wish to have impactful content, you must always remember that your content is never about you, it is always about them, your audience or ideal client profile. Nobody cares about your humble brags, the fact that last week you earned six digits, or that you had two scrambled eggs with a side of orange juice for breakfast. Always put yourself in their position, and if you’re not solving a problem, building trust, or passing on a valuable lesson that benefits them, at the very least, you should be educating, entertaining, or uplifting them.  

Imam adds “You don’t want to get into the habit of posting content for the sake of posting content. There is enough fluff out there already. Your content should have a purpose; it should add value; it should be impactful and deliberate; otherwise, you’re simply just adding to the white noise.