Content strategy is the roadmap for your company’s marketing plan. Content strategy has deep roots in every aspect of your online presence, from the structure of your website to which keywords you’re targeting. Take your ideal clients into account when designing your website. What kind of information are they searching for? How can you structure your website to help solve their problems? What keywords are they typing into a search engine to find this information? How can you incorporate those words into your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy as well as create content around those key terms? A content strategy will help you generate leads by helping you discover what type of content you should share, how often, and who to share it with.
Why does my business need a content strategy?
Creating a strong content strategy is crucial for success in the age of digital marketing. People type hundreds of thousands of questions into search engines every day, and you want to pop up as the solution to their problems. By producing high-quality content, you’ll attract the right type of traffic to your site which will hopefully become leads and then customers. Remember: Never go into battle without a plan. Just because your company is producing content doesn’t mean that it’s the right type of content for your organization. Each piece of content can be crafted to define your brand.
Recommended Reading: Content Strategy That Converts: The Marketing Funnel
What types of content should I create?
Think of your content strategy as your company’s wardrobe. It needs to be composed of timeless staples as well as trendy statement pieces. Just like your closet, your main focus should be on the timeless pieces (also known as “evergreen” content), with some of the season’s hottest pieces sprinkled in (i.e. “ephemeral” content) for a pop of personality.
Evergreen Content
Evergreen content can be subdivided into two categories: timeless and sustainable. Revisit your content strategy “closet”. Timeless content is like a little black dress or a well-fitted suit. These pieces are tried and true, standing the test of time. Sustainable content includes classic pieces that should be revisited from time to time and updated to the current standards. For example, think of jeans. Denim never goes out of style but every few years the wash and cut trends change. Some great examples of evergreen content are:
- How-to guides
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- Tutorials
- Industry resources
- Testimonials
- Lists
- Glossary of industry terms
- Videos
- Graphics
The beauty of evergreen content is that it’s very low maintenance and has a snowball effect. Once in a blue moon, you may peek your head in to update some facts or statistics. You worked hard to create your content, so be sure to reshare content. Social media is the perfect vessel to share evergreen content. Because the information is timeless, people will share it again and again.
When sharing evergreen content, don’t neglect your own website. Create a featured blog section so that evergreen content doesn’t get buried beneath newer blog posts. Over time, you’ll internally link to this content in other blogs, which will help increase the page authority. The higher the page authority, the higher your ranking will be in search engines like Google.
When planning your evergreen content, we recommend that you refrain from writing for experts by including technical language. Most of the people looking for your content are beginners, and you want to generate top-level content for them to drive them down the path to conversion. You may have noticed that a lot of content you’d like to create has already been covered in great detail. Try attacking it from a unique perspective. If you’re in a niche market, evergreen content is especially valuable to you.
Ephemeral Content
The Internet moves at a breakneck pace, and your marketing strategy needs to be able to keep up with it. That’s where ephemeral marketing comes into play. Ephemeral marketing happens in the blink of an eye. One day you’re relevant, and the next day you’re not. This type of marketing can take on many forms, and while we don’t want you to be afraid of this method, you should proceed with caution. Within an instant, your marketing message may appear outdated and put a lot of pressure on your marketing team to update your content.
When used successfully, ephemeral marketing gives your content strategy some edge and personality. Ever dream of your 15 minutes of fame? Ephemeral marketing can get you there. At the time of this blog’s writing, the 2016 Presidential Election is a hot topic. Writing a blog post about this topic will bring in a lot of traffic now because it’s a trending topic, but soon keyword volume will start dying off. Here are two good examples of ephemeral marketing:
- Pop culture references: While these add personality to your marketing at the time, it may leave people scratching their heads in a year. Do you remember the left shark at the 2015 Super Bowl or the blue and gold dress controversy?
- Technology: When you think of Snapchat, does your mind wander to teenagers taking selfies? You’d be surprised that this social media app is making a big splash in the marketing world. Here are some great examples of how big companies are using Snapchat for ephemeral marketing.
We recommend that you follow the 80/20 rule when designing your content strategy. About 80% of your content should be timeless, evergreen pieces, with some (remaining 20%) ephemeral thrown in to create some buzz.
