Updated January 11, 2023
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In 2017 If you really want to make your content stand out you need to do more than just write the odd blog post. The content marketing cat is well and truly out of the bag, with every company from Walmart to your local Bakery having their own blog – and according to Beacon Communications, eCommerce companies are no exception. So how can you stand out in a crowded market full of budding Don Drapers?
If you follow these three steps your content should be a cut above the rest:
Embrace Video
Video content is everywhere in 2017. Facebook video, Facebook Live, Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, Youtube, Vimeo and the list goes on. All of these platforms either exist solely based on video content or are currently pushing video content as hard as they can.
Instagram and Facebook, both at first heavily photograph based, have embraced the improvements of video quality offered by the newest generation of smartphones. So it’s time that small businesses do the same.
Video can be a quick and engaging way to communicate complex information. Often you can say in 30 seconds, or 1 minute, a lot more than you can with a 500-word blog post. Obviously, there is more involved in video than simply turning on the camera and shouting ‘action’. But if you can find a member of your team who is comfortable on camera then all you need is some basic editing software and you’re good to go.
Create QUALITY Content
Creating content is a constant pressure on marketers. You always need to write another blog, schedule a post, queue another tweet. But sometimes you need to take a step back from that and create something better and more detailed. You don’t need every blog post to be War and Peace, but creating some detailed, well-researched, longer form content is a good exercise for both the marketer and the customer.
By detailed and well-researched we mean creating something that is like a scholarly article. With references and footnotes. Ideally citing your own customer data or insights that you have built up during your years of experience. If your business has been running for a number of years, you are bound to have some data that will be of interest to others.
This content can be used as a resource in the future and designated as cornerstone content (something for customers to refer back to time and time again). Taking the time to create, in Rand Fishkin’s words, 10x Content can often be painful but is well worth the extra effort.
Promote Your Content with Paid Ads
Promoted content on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram all have various positives and negatives, but there is no denying that they can help get traffic to your website. You will know best which platform suits your business and where you have had successful results in the past, but paying to promote content, especially quality content, can sometimes be a good avenue to explore.
Using paid social, or PPC ads, to help push more people to your blog is a good tactic, especially if your business is new and trying to create awareness. Paid ads are affordable and highly targeted, meaning you can test different pieces of content, or tactics, without having to break the bank. Then capitalize on what works the best.
Make Your Content Stand Out
We think these three tips will help get users to engage better with your content. What tactics are you using to get more people to read your content?
Photo credit – Top: Wikipedia
