“Content is king” has been one of the most over-used phrases in marketing meetings going on for a decade now. With marketing trends having notoriously short shelf lives, the continued focus on content has been, if nothing else, impressive. The longevity makes sense, even before the digital switch, content marketing has been a reliable way to build an audience. Is that finally going to be over?
Here at Chorus, we think not. Like any good strategy, some businesses will always thoughtlessly copy campaigns and expect them to work without putting in the effort. Instead of realising that what worked shockingly effectively for one brand may not be directly translatable, we have heard too many pass the blame to the strategy itself being ‘over’. It isn’t. We just need to be a little more creative in where we take the content marketing trend next.
Constant content
With the never-ending push for more content, more growth, more immediacy, everything is starting to become a little oversaturated. Brands have increased their output by around a whopping 800%, but strangely enough, organic social media shares are currently decreasing.
It could take a lifetime to click through what’s shared on the internet in a single day. So, don’t waste time and energy shouting into a void. Take that time to instead create a proper content marketing plan, researching what your target market is reading and when. One well-placed and researched article is worth 10 listicles uploaded with no thought spared for SEO.
About SEO
As long as Google holds the search monopoly, it is worth bearing their algorithms in mind. For a more in-depth look into this, we’d recommend Google’s Digital Garage (good overview into SEO topics, if a little overly self-promotional).
If you’d rather not get into that right now, the main takeaway is that quality, not content, is king. Original pieces, spell-checked, with links that work are some basic aims to stop your work being tossed to the bottom of the search ranks. It’s also worth identifying key search terms, and making sure your article has a strong one as a centre-point.
Don’t make content marketing your only strategy
Any good marketing strategy is multi-faceted. Good content isn’t just for search engines clicks. If you have a good social media campaign, people are more likely to click links to your content. If you have good content, people are more likely to follow your social media and click links in the future.
Have a plan that considers all the pathways potential customers could take to your website, and what will keep them from clicking off once they’re there. Take a few risks on new marketing trends, but don’t forget that the oldies are goodies. We think content marketing has proved itself enough to be sticking around a little longer.
Thinking of refreshing your marketing strategy? We’ve been researching what’s really working, and here at Chorus we’re always looking for brands we can adapt the latest and greatest techniques for!