Although the phrase ‘Content is King’ is used widely across the industry, it fails to reflect the decidedly more nuanced picture that both marketing professionals and businesses are faced with every day.
Content is, of course, important. It is likely that it forms an integral part of your overall marketing strategy precisely because both your audience and search engines value it so highly. It is also important, however, to make sure that you haven’t fallen into the trap of creating content simply for the sake of it.
Pursuing a strategy which requires a specific number of blog posts every month might not be delivering the most value for your business and so it is important, as we enter a new year, to consider your position and whether you are making strides towards reaching your goals.
Make 2018 the year to evaluate your distribution methods
Ensuring you are doing the most with content you spend time creating is hugely important to secure a solid return on your investment. The good news is that existing content is very easy to repurpose and so here are 3 content distribution methods to consider utilising throughout the next twelve months.
E-books
The e-book creation process used to be so complex that outsourcing to an experienced design firm was necessary to create a final product that looked professional and functioned seamlessly. Now however, technology has streamlined the process and made it possible for every business to utilise the benefits of e-books.
Blog posts make ideal e-book content, which means that you don’t need to invest time establishing a new content creation strategy for an entirely new medium. As with blog content, be sure to include relevant keywords and social media buttons to make your e-book easily shareable.
Boost shares through infographics
Transforming the key pieces of information from long-form blog content into an easily digestible infographic is an excellent way to reach and engage with a slightly different audience. It is crucial to aim for the shareability factor here as, ideally, you want this image to gain some serious traction across social media. Make sure to optimise this image as well to put you in the best position to rank well in key image search results within your niche.
Enticing email
Claiming your space within the inboxes of your audience is one of the best ways to ensure that your business remains fresh in their minds.
You might decide to send out an email specifically to promote a particular piece of content, in which case, creating an intriguing subject line is crucial. Alternatively, if you are already sending out more general emails, promoting your content is still something you can do in the signature of every email you send. Here, you might opt for a direct ‘Explore our latest blog content here’ message, or go for something deliberately more intriguing like ‘Have you ever wondered how to…?’.
Securing a solid return on your investment when it comes to content is becoming more important, as marketplaces become more competitive and businesses more creative. Therefore, taking the time now to plan how you’re going to make sure your content goes further in 2018 might be one of the best business investments you will make all year.