Google Ads audience features will undergo three changes in the near future
Keep that Content Coming!
One surprising thing about companies using content marketing is that they often don’t do it very effectively. Some use a scattergun approach, while others release a glut of content once a week or even once a fortnight, then they wonder why they lose readers.
Consistency is key
It seems that producing consistent good-quality content is the biggest barrier, followed closely by not knowing how to space it all out so that readers always have something new to engage them.
If you have a few good ideas for content, then that’s half the battle won, but if you don’t know how to layer them, then you’ll have some problems with your campaigns.
You need a plan
Think of your content plan as a set of levels – at the top, you have your big pieces, which come out once a week, maybe; then some medium-sized articles twice or three times a week, then smaller bite-sized content that you can deliver once or twice a day.
This means you can’t just focus on your big campaigns, because then you may have six or thirteen days of virtual tumbleweed. No-one’s going to keep coming back to you to see the same old stuff – not after the second or third time, anyway. It really doesn’t matter how awesome your fortnightly think-piece-from-world-renowned-expert is if it’s the first thing your readers keep seeing. They need variety; your big think-pieces from your WRE’s should be a highlight, not the only game in town.
It doesn’t have to be hard work
Those think-pieces and the bigger articles you write yourself are hard work, right? No-one can produce those day-in, day-out. Well, no-one’s asking you to. You bring out the big guns once a week and the rest of the time you fill your digital space with smaller guns. This doesn’t mean lower quality, though; just shorter; sometimes, you can even be cheeky and let your readers do some of it for you…
Think of your smaller chunks of content – listicles, embedded videos and so on – as the glue that keeps your readers with you.
So, what can you use as this glue?
There’s lots of different formats and ideas you can use. Start off with:
A double interview
The two people could be big fans, or even someone from your team and a competitor. It could be a debate or even a love-in. You write a short intro about why they’re talking, then just tidy up their answers!
A vox-pop
Get out and about in the town with a camera and a notebook and ask random people for their opinions on an industry news item or, well, anything.
A day in my life
Choose a team member and get them to write a brief outline of their day (two-hour slots are best).
A video or diagrammed tutorial
These are really handy as people tend to come back to them several times, so they’ll pick up on anything you’ve added in the meantime.
About the author
PAUL SMITH - For over 20 years I have worked with businesses, enterprises and brands in Australia, NZ, UK and US to drive digital marketing growth using organic and paid traffic strategies. No fluff or BS, just straight-forward return on investment.
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