The blogging and content creation worlds are going through a bit of a crisis nowadays, and it doesn’t seem like this crisis is going to subside anytime soon. We’re talking, of course, about the unprecedented rate of content saturation in the online realm. Every single day, thousands upon thousands of new pieces of content are published in order to feed the search engine algorithms and gain the SEO nudge needed to position a brand higher up the SERPs.
Needless to say, this is making it extremely difficult for quality brands to engage with their demographic, as global audiences are constantly bombarded by content of every kind. This also means that you need to go the extra mile to produce stellar content on a regular basis in order to stand out from the crowd, boost brand awareness, and reach the hearts and minds of your audience. In turn, higher conversions will ensue. Let’s break down the best content marketing strategies to achieve these goals.
Get in on the trending topics
Many underperforming content strategies are guilty of a common error: their content simply isn’t that relevant. It’s easy to think that the topics you deem important for your audience are going to engage them, but without verifiable data and industry insights, you simply can’t know. What usually ends up happening is brands failing to capitalize on the prevailing content trends in the industry by not covering the trending topics. For better or worse, you need to talk about what everyone else is, only do it better.
In order to become relevant to your customers, first do your research and find out what the online world is buzzing about. Discover the most lucrative topics, and then craft clickable headlines to grab their attention. Source quality, relevant images to go with your post, and then move on to content creation itself. It should go without saying that the quality of your content needs to be up there with the leaders in the industry in order to spark engagement.
Voice your opinion and start a conversation
In a sea of faceless companies that refrain from stating any opinion that might jeopardize their position, you want to be the brand with a distinct set of values, and you want to make your values known to the world. You need to voice your opinion and stand for something meaningful, your brand needs to boast character and charisma. You cannot hope to spark an emotional reaction or incentivize engagement without it.
It’s not enough to pose a question, because people might not care. The key is to voice your opinion along with the post in a single sentence, and motivate people to join the discussion with a follow-up question. Be careful to practice proper communication etiquette, though. Refrain from taking an extreme stance on sensitive subjects and always use politically correct language. If unsure, it’s better to say nothing at all.
Use content to achieve a specific goal
Amazing content is not worth much all on its own – it needs to serve a higher purpose. The content you create needs to lead to somewhere, it needs to achieve a goal. Usually, this goal is to convert visitors into paying customers, which is something you can only achieve by combining stellar content with calls to action. After all, you’re building momentum with storytelling, and closing the deal with your landing pages.
This is why strategic CTA implementation has become one of the fundamental content marketing tips that experienced digital marketers give to clients and entrepreneurs who think that content alone will drive sales, as emphasized by OMG digital marketing company. When your articles, infographics, videos, and other content forms (more on that in a second) lead to a specific landing page that offers value and a clear solution to a problem, you have a much higher chance of closing a deal. With that said, craft every piece of content with a specific goal in mind.
Diversify your content offering
Digital content comes in numerous forms, and even though written content is excellent at feeding the SEO machine and building website authority, it’s important to note that other content types play a vital role as well when it comes to engagement. Remember that humans are visual creatures primarily, and that there is nothing quite like a colorful infographic or a branded video to grab their attention, especially on social media.
To drive engagement even higher, you can transform your long-form articles and blog posts into striking images and infographics that are easy to digest. This will also help you repurpose excellent material for specific social media formats, such as Instagram. Likewise, turn your written content into videos and podcasts. Use videos to improve engagement on the spot, but use long-form podcasts to incentivize your audience to listen to you on their commute or while they’re relaxing and cooking dinner after a long workday.
Bigger, better, more relevant
Finally, there really is a need for your content to be better than everyone else’s. Not necessarily different as Google doesn’t really penalize duplication, but better in every sense of the word. If you want your content to rise above the rest and reach the top of the SERPs, it needs to show Google that it’s more relevant to the consumer.
You can achieve this by using the skyscraper method. Research the top content in your industry, analyze it, and create something even better – that’s the magic recipe. That said, this will require a lot of time and effort, as you will need to delve deeper into the subject matter, create longer content forms, and resolve more problems than other content on the web. Even so, the end result will be well-worth the effort, as you will have established yourself as the leading source of information in the industry.
Final thoughts
Engaging with digital audiences is becoming more difficult with each passing year, which is why you need to up your content marketing game to keep people interested, and to separate your brand from the competition. Let these strategies help you create a solid engagement plan that will put your brand on the map.