Category: Content Marketing

The Power Play: Why Investing in Social Media Boosts is Essential for Content Marketers in 2024

These days, the importance of social media cannot be overstated. With billions of active users across various platforms, social media has become the epicenter of brand visibility, engagement and conversion. However, amidst the noise and competition, organic reach alone may not suffice to achieve your marketing objectives. Enter social media boosts—a strategic investment that can propel your content marketing efforts to new heights in 2024 and beyond.

Here’s why paying for social media boosts is not just a good idea but an essential component of your marketing arsenal:

  1. Amplified Reach and Visibility: In an era of algorithmic complexities and saturated news feeds, organic reach on social media has witnessed a steady decline. Paying for social media boosts allows you to amplify the reach of your content, ensuring that it’s seen by a wider and more targeted audience. With advanced targeting options, including demographics, interests and behaviors, you can precisely hone in on your ideal audience segments, maximizing the impact of your content.
  2. Enhanced Engagement and Interaction: Engagement metrics—likes, comments, shares—are the lifeblood of social media success. By investing in social media boosts, you not only expand your reach but also stimulate greater engagement and interaction with your content. As your boosted posts appear prominently in users’ feeds, they are more likely to elicit likes, comments and shares, fostering a sense of community and conversation around your brand.
  3. Strategic Content Promotion: Quality content deserves to be seen and appreciated. Social media boosts empower content marketers to strategically promote their best-performing content, whether it’s a compelling blog post, an informative video, or a product announcement. By allocating budget to boost top-performing posts, you ensure that your most valuable content receives the visibility and attention it deserves, driving traffic to your website and fostering brand awareness.
  4. Data-Driven Optimization: One of the most compelling advantages of social media boosts is the wealth of data and insights they provide. By closely monitoring the performance of your boosted posts, you gain invaluable insights into audience behavior, preferences and engagement patterns. Armed with actionable data, you can refine your targeting parameters, optimize your content strategy and make informed decisions to maximize your return on investment.
  5. Competitive Edge in a Crowded Landscape: The social media landscape is fiercely competitive, with brands vying for attention and mindshare. In such a crowded ecosystem, paying for social media boosts can provide you with a competitive edge, allowing you to cut through the noise and stand out in users’ feeds. By investing strategically in boosting your content, you position your brand front and center, elevating your visibility and relevance in the eyes of your target audience.

In conclusion, paying for social media boosts is not just a good idea—it’s a strategic imperative for content marketers looking to thrive in 2024’s dynamic digital landscape. With unparalleled reach, engagement opportunities, data-driven insights and a competitive edge, social media boosts offer a powerful mechanism to amplify your brand’s presence and drive tangible results. So, embrace the power of social media boosts and unlock the full potential of your content marketing efforts.

Unveiling the PR and Marketing Trends Shaping 2024

As 2023 draws to a close, we’d like to take a step back and look forward into what the new year will bring for companies looking to market their businesses to potential customers. It seems that change happens faster with every year that passes, and 2024 will be no different. Today, let’s unravel the curtain on three cutting-edge trends and a bonus tip that are propelling savvy marketers into the limelight of 2024. From the power of micro-influencers to the art of crafting 3D stories with data, we’re diving deep into the strategies that will make companies the true champions of the marketing game. 

Trend Alert #1: Micro-Influencers Rule the Scene 

Gone are the days of mega influencers dominating the spotlight. In 2024, marketers will be tapping into the power of micro-influencers—real people with real influence in niche communities. These folks have established themselves as experts in their respective areas with years of quality thought leadership content. Authenticity is the name of the game, and micro-influencers bring that personal touch that resonates with their dedicated followers.

Trend Alert #2: Storytelling in 3D—Data-Driven and Dazzling 

In 2024, storytelling isn’t just about words; it’s about data-driven narratives that paint a vivid picture. In the new year, marketers will be leveraging analytics to craft compelling stories that captivate audiences. Imagine infographics, interactive charts, and dynamic visuals—all telling a story that sparks engagement and leaves a lasting impression. Interactive content is going to be a big player. People love engaging with content rather than just passively consuming it. Think polls, quizzes, and AR experiences—they’re the real MVPs.

Trend Alert #3: Community-Centric Campaigns 

Marketers are shifting their focus toward creating meaningful connections. Whether it’s through local events, online forums, or social media groups, fostering a sense of community around a brand is becoming the secret sauce for success.

Bonus Tip: The Rise of Virtual Experiences 

In a world where digital is king, marketers are mastering the art of virtual experiences. From virtual product launches to interactive webinars, creating immersive online experiences is the new norm. It’s not just about showcasing a product; it’s about giving your audience an unforgettable digital journey.

So, there you have it—three trends and a bonus tip that marketing professionals are riding into 2024. We hope you can use these tips to make the very best of the new year. But if you need a helping hand, don’t be afraid to reach out!

How to Interview a SME

Rob dives into 5 tips on how to properly interview a subject matter expert (SME)

As a content writer, a large amount of my time is spent talking with various subject matter experts, or SMEs, about their matters of expertise- and then writing a story based on my findings “by” the aforementioned SME for publication. Often referred to as “ghostwriting,” it’s a cornerstone of the marketing communications world. And rightly so. 

SMEs are often high-ranking members of their organizations, filling job functions that demand the majority of their time. They have great and valuable insight to offer potential customers, but often times, simply not enough time to compose their thoughts into content that can be used for marketing purposes. 

This situation is all too common in the world of content marketing. If you haven’t found yourself in something similar before, you’re likely the exception to the norm. But chances are, as a content marketer, you will have the opportunity to conduct many different SME interviews in your career. Following are five tips I have used over the years to help ensure I have a productive and successful interview every time that lets me craft a compelling piece of content. 

5 Tips for How to Interview a SME

(We couldn’t help ourselves)

Arrive Early to the Interview

I always try to give myself at least 5 minutes before the interview begins to settle in and prepare myself. As I said before, SMEs are often very busy people. You’re depending on their knowledge and cooperation to complete your work, so respecting their time is in your best interest. 

Prepare Your Questions

Before the interview begins, I prepare by thoroughly researching the topic and putting together some basic questions to loosely guide the interview. These help to make sure we touch on all necessary topics. My interview always begins by having the SME confirm that I have their correct job title and spelling of their name (forgetting this step could make things awkward down the road). 

Record the Interview (If Possible)

If you have the ability to create an audio recording of your interview, and if you have your SME’s permission to do so, it would be an excellent backup to your notes. Many SMEs you come across throughout your career could be fast-talkers, or perhaps English could be their second (or third) language. You might conduct your interview on the phone with a poor connection, or near a busy and loud work environment. Often, interviews are conducted on a tight schedule without much time to ask the SME to repeat themselves. Either way, few interviews ever happen under perfect conditions, and having a backup audio recording to refer to when your notes have holes could make all the difference. 

Let Them Talk

This is a simple, yet often overlooked tip. Obviously, SMEs know the subject you’re there to discuss with them (this is where the “E” in their acronym comes from). But sometimes, we as writers prepare so much for the story (visualizing the points that we’ll make along the way to create a successful piece of content) that we rush along to the next question when we feel the source has provided a sufficient answer. Don’t do this. If your time with the SME allows, let them talk until they feel they’ve fully covered a point. Listen for opportunities to ask follow-up questions. If they reference an anecdote, be sure to ask them to tell this story and capture it as best you can. It might provide a great example to help bring one of your points home.

Bring Backup

It’s a luxury that most working situations can’t afford. But if you’re able to, bring a member of your team to help with capturing notes (perhaps a junior level or intern who could benefit from the experience). To heads are better than one. And this might also help ease your stress over missing any important tidbits, letting you focus more on the story being told. 

Do You Have Additional Tips on How to Interview a SME?

Hopefully these tips help you on your future SME interviews. Do you have any additional tips for conducting a successful interview? If so, let us know!

Why Taylor Swift is a Marketing Mastermind and What Businesses Can Learn

Taylor Swift has taken the globe by storm. Her recent Eras Tour broke Ticketmaster, shut down every city it’s been to (in a good way) and is expected to be the highest grossing tour of all time, with the Federal Reserve just crediting her tour with boosting the United States economy by nearly $5 billion. Generational talents come and go in the music industry, but Taylor has solidified herself among the greats by matching fandoms with the likes of legendary acts like The Beatles and Elvis. Whether you identify as a “Swiftie” or not, you cannot deny the power this young woman has on her fanbase and the loyalty she receives in return.

Full disclosure – I love Taylor Swift, like really love her, and there hasn’t been a joy or sorrow in my life that hasn’t been eloquently captured by one of her songs. And while she’s my number one artist on Spotify, I can’t help but commend the levels of marketing success and brand loyalty she has been able to achieve. From building trust and storytelling to social media mastery, Taylor and her team have nailed the art of marketing and here’s what brands can learn from them.

Pay attention to your audience:

Better yet, be obsessed with your audience. Most brands perform an audience analysis to sweep over their marketing campaign with a broad, tried and tested marketing strategy, but Taylor goes a step farther. Taylor is constantly watching and interacting with her fans online, so much so they’ve even coined a name for it called “taylurking.” This not only allows her to learn about her audience in the traditional sense, but also teaches her why her audience loves her; giving her material to capitalize on. Paying attention to her audience also creates a bond that every Swiftie can attest to… Taylor makes each fan feel special. Whether it’s a lyric, a nicely placed comment on a fan post, or a surprise gift to a dedicated fan, Taylor is constantly interacting with her audience to provide unique experiences. This builds a strong sense of community and trust within her audience that leads to unshakable brand loyalty. Engaging with your audience is a great way to establish brand loyalty, which is the ultimate marketing and brand achievement.

Use social media for good (and a little bit of evil):

Any brand worth anything is harnessing the power of social media. It’s a great way to connect with your audience and is the leading avenue for advertising. But Taylor’s social media strategy is a little more mysterious than a well-placed ad on Instagram. She focuses on the “Endgame” by creating a sense of urgency in every post. She is known for leaving clues about upcoming events in her posts, creating a sense of urgency that frankly leaves fans racing and drooling over every post. While most brands may not have the bandwidth to plan posts out for the next year (or three), keeping your audience on their toes and creating urgency is a great way to increase engagement and hopefully sales.

Be authentic and purpose driven:

This section is two-fold. The first being the younger generations that grew up with technology can see through a phony marketing campaign in seconds. Just check out our blog on Captivating Generation Z: Unleashing the Power of Authentic Content Marketing. Brands want to connect with their true audience and the only way to find that is to be your true self. Secondly, focus on a greater good outside of your brand. Taylor is the epitome of female empowerment and uses her voice to push for changes within her industry (and society in general). She has found her political voice and avidly supports the LGBTQIA+ community. Taylor using her platform for a greater good is not uncommon among artists, but she ensures every cause she supports aligns with who she is and what she believes. This means her philanthropic causes don’t feel forced or like a publicity stunt. They feel genuine to her and her brand, further adding to her authenticity. While we don’t recommend that every brand involves itself in politics, aligning your brand with an organization, charity or even standing for something that you believe in is a great way to build authenticity in the eyes of your audience.

Harness the power of partnerships:

One of the reasons Taylor has dominated the music industry is because she has rebranded and transformed through genres from country to pop, rock and even folk. There are many reasons she executed this so successfully, but a major reason was through partnerships. Taylor has written songs with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton, Kendrick Lamar, Bon Iver, Future and more. This has allowed her to tap into fan bases that expand far beyond her traditional audience. Businesses can take advantage of partnerships in the same way through various charities, organizations, brands and influencers. While brands should stay true to their main audience, reaching outside your target demographic is a great way to grow your business.

Taylor has many superpowers ranging from songwriting to innovating, but her marketing prowess should be included in this list. Her ability to authentically connect with her audience through social media and partnerships is something out of our wildest dreams. While breaking Billboard records has become a common Tuesday for Taylor, her real genius may not lie with her lyrical mastery, but rather her marketing “mastermind”.

If you need help crafting a marketing strategy to speak to your fans, don’t be afraid to reach out to us! https://okeeffepr.com/blog/

Captivating Generation Z: Unleashing the Power of Authentic Content Marketing

In today’s rapidly evolving world, understanding and effectively marketing to Generation Z has become a crucial task for businesses. Born between the late 90s and early 2000s, including myself, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with readily accessible technology. Because our earliest memories include iPods, Gen Z is highly skilled at instantly recognizing traditional marketing tactics. Although they have their place, the standard, classic methods don’t quite work the same for this modern generation. 

The Gen Z Experience

Gen Z has grown up amidst a constant barrage of advertising, so we possess the exclusive ability to quickly discern when something is merely a sales pitch; we prefer an authentic, humane connection instead. Gen Z is unique because we value both education and entertainment and remain loyal to those we trust. We have high ethical expectations, and our consuming habits reflect that. 

Understanding Gen Z’s Preferences

To effectively market to Gen Z, it is essential to identify what is appreciated and disapproved of in a brand. Authenticity reigns supreme: we are unimpressed by perfectly polished content that lacks a genuine touch. Rather, we gravitate toward attention-grabbing material that resonates with our experiences and emotions. Gen Z appreciates companies that take a stand on societal issues, foster inclusivity and raise awareness. Additionally, user-generated content– as simple as existing reviews– holds significant value as it provides a sincere perspective on products or services.

Implementation Strategies

To captivate Gen Z, businesses must adopt a different approach than ever before. Here are some effective strategies for content marketing to this generation:

1) Prioritize Entertainment and Education: Emphasize the entertainment or educational value of your content, rather than focusing on selling. A great example of this is Duolingo, a game-style language learning app that gained popularity by prioritizing captivating, funny and creative content. Although these videos themselves didn’t sell anything, they connected with young people and produced incredible brand recognition, therefore indirectly supporting their climb to the top of all educational apps. 

2) Create Conversations: Engage with users by fostering conversations around topics they care about. This way, you can promote your brand transparently and authentically. For Gen Z, the comment section of any post has the potential to be even more compelling than the video itself. Reacting to comments as any average person, creating polls, asking questions, etc. is essential to promoting realness within your content.

3) Meaningful Influencer Partnerships: Forge partnerships with influencers who are relevant to your target audience. Gone are the days where any influencer can promote any product and people will listen; now, influencers generate positive reactions when they talk about products that relate to their usual content. Gen Z will detect if a product is out of the ordinary for an influencer to be promoting… and they will call you out on it. However, collaborating with influencers who share Gen Z’s interests and values– done the right way– can significantly enhance brand exposure and credibility.

4) Platform-Specific Approaches: Understanding the purpose and preferences of each social media platform is essential: Instagram for informational posts, Snapchat for casual moments, TikTok for trends, fun or educational videos, Twitter for news, and LinkedIn for professional and career content. Tailor your marketing efforts accordingly to maximize impact.

Marketing to Generation Z requires a thoughtful and authentic approach that aligns with our preferences and values. By prioritizing entertainment or education over sales, creating interesting content, fostering conversations, and establishing meaningful connections, you can capture the attention and loyalty of Gen Z. When you succeed in capturing the hearts of Gen Z, a powerful relationship can be formed, leading to long-term success in this dynamic industry. 

How to Produce Compelling Content that Connects to Readers

Content marketing is a powerful tool that can help you generate leads, build brand authority and increase sales. The key to creating effective content that drives results is knowing your audience: what they want, what they need, how they like to consume information and so on. You also need to understand what makes them tick. 

To help you create content that will make a difference, we’ve prepared the following tips. 

Make sure you know who you’re talking to.

It’s not just about getting the words right, but knowing how to say them.

A great way to get started is by writing a one-sentence summary of what you want the listener to know and remember. This is called an elevator pitch, because it’s the kind of thing you’d say when someone asks about your business during an elevator ride. You’ve only got a few seconds, so you only say what matters. 

Once you’ve got a one-sentence summary, break it down into its component parts. What are the three most important things that your customer should know about your business? Then write those down in a way that’s clear and concise (no more than 50 words). This is called an elevator speech.

Next, write the speech. Start by writing down the three most important things that your customer should know about your business in 50 words or less. If you have one or more customers, write a script based on what they care about and need to hear from you.

Know what they want and need.

Once you’ve got a clear picture of who your audience is, it’s time to figure out what they want and need.

This is where things get interesting–and tricky. You can ask people directly (via surveys or interviews), but if you don’t have access to an existing customer base, you may need some creative thinking skills here. Try doing some research on social media and forums where members of your target market hang out; look at what kinds of questions they ask and how others respond; pay attention to trends in the industry; consider their demographics (age range, gender). If possible, try talking with someone who fits into this category so that you can get an insider’s perspective on what drives them–but don’t forget that everyone has different needs based on their life situation!

Get to know the competition.

Once you’ve decided on your topic, it’s time to get to know the competition. The first step is understanding what they are doing well and not so well–and then, how you can do it better.

For starters, look at their keywords: what words are they targeting? How many links do they have pointing back to them? What kind of content strategy do they follow (infographics vs long-form articles vs short blog posts)? And finally, how much traffic does this site receive per month in comparison with yours?

Find out what your readers are looking for.

Let’s take a moment to consider the difference between what your readers want and need. It’s important to understand this distinction because, as we’ll see later on in this guide, knowing what your readers want will help you produce content that connects with them.

But first things first: it’s time to learn how to find out what your readers are looking for!

Speak to your readers’ pain points and their aspirations.

In order to connect with your readers, you need to know them. What are their pain points? How can you help them with those problems? Are there any aspirations that they have but don’t know how to achieve?

Your content should speak directly to these issues–the more specific, the better. If someone has a problem with their back and Googles “back pain,” for example, then an article titled “How To Get Rid Of Back Pain For Good” will be much more effective than one titled “The Best Methods For Treating Your Lower Back”.

You don’t have to know everything about marketing, but you should be able to understand your audience

Understanding what your readers are looking for and who they are will help you create content that resonates with them.

If you want to produce compelling content that connects with readers and drives sales, then knowing where else your competition is going above and beyond for their readers will help set yourself apart from the crowd.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot of ground here: from understanding your audience to writing compelling content that connects with readers. And while it may seem like there are a lot of steps involved in creating great content, the truth is that these tips aren’t difficult to implement. All you need is an open mind and some time on your hands!And if you ever find yourself in a pickle, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

A Beginner’s Guide to Content Marketing

Many business leaders make the mistake of relying solely on advertising and/ or direct sales to secure leads. These tried-and-true methods certainly have their place, but if they’re your company’s only form of customer outreach, then you could be leaving a lot on the table. 

Today there are new channels and media to not only distribute your message, but engage and interact with potential customers, all while building relationships and establishing your brand. And while it’s a bit more work up front, content marketing comes at a fraction of the traditional cost for running ads or hiring additional salespeople. 

Defining content marketing

What is content marketing? Well, it’s a form of marketing in which you create, publish and distribute content to attract, engage, and retain customers. Content is everything from blog posts to white papers and eBooks to videos—basically anything that helps people learn about your company.

The term “content” has become so overused that sometimes it seems like every company is doing some kind of “content marketing.” But the truth is that there are only a few types of companies who can actually benefit from this strategy. First off, if your customers don’t already know who you are or why they should use your product or service (which will be addressed later), then chances are good that they won’t care about what kind of content you’re creating for them. You must have some brand visibility before even considering investing in content creation and distribution. So if no one knows who you are yet…it might be better left alone until later when things change for the better (and hopefully sooner). If this is the case, some traditional PR might be the more logical first step. 

What are the goals of content marketing?

In addition to the obvious ones—to build your brand and generate leads, grow your business and increase sales—you might be surprised to learn how content marketing can help you differentiate yourself from competitors.

It’s a fact that people trust recommendations much more than advertising. So if you want to stand out from other brands, consider creating helpful or entertaining content that gets shared by fans on social media. This way, customers can see that other people are getting value out of what you’re selling (and hopefully share it with their friends).

How to develop a content marketing strategy

To develop a content marketing strategy, you must first understand your buyer’s journey. This is the process that leads people who have never heard of you to become customers for life. Buyers’ journeys can be broken down into three main steps:

  • Awareness (What do they know about me?)
  • Consideration (Are they interested in using my services or products?)
  • Conversion/Purchase

Content marketing tactics

When executing a content marketing strategy, businesses often rely on a mix of written, graphical and video media to disseminate their messaging. These typically include:  

  • Blog posts
  • E-newsletters
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Social media posts

Measurement and evaluation

It’s not enough to just create great content. You have to track how it performs, and use that data to improve your strategy as you go along.

Measurement is key to success with content marketing, but what exactly do you measure?

The answer depends on your goals and objectives, but some basic metrics are useful for tracking the performance of all types of content:

  • Traffic: How much attention did your latest blog post or video get? How many visitors came from social media channels? This is a good place to start if you’re looking at overall performance of a piece of content—it’ll give you an idea of whether people are clicking through and reading/watching what they’re supposed to be reading/watching. Short-term traffic spikes can also be useful indicators that something went viral within the target audience (or outside it).
  • Conversions: Did any readers take action after consuming your latest blog post or video? If so, did they visit another page on your website after reading/watching it—and how many times did they return over the next few weeks or months? This metric is closely tied into SEM (search engine marketing) strategies like AdWords advertising campaigns because it shows how successful paid ads were at driving traffic toward certain pages on your site. You might also see conversions if someone filled out a form asking for more information about services offered by your company; this could lead directly into further engagement down the road (e-mail newsletters and other forms of direct marketing).

Resources for content marketers

Content marketing is a skill that can be learned and refined, but it helps to have some guidance along the way. Here are some useful resources for content marketers:

  • [The Content Strategist](http://thecontentstrategist.com/)
  • [Copyblogger](https://www.copyblogger.com/) – blog by Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger Media
  • [Contently](https://contently.com/) – choose this if you’re looking for an agency/service provider

Developing your own content marketing strategy

You’re probably wondering: “What are some of the most important things I can do to develop a content marketing strategy and execute on it?”

Well, let us tell you. Content marketing is a way for companies to build trust with customers, generate leads and establish themselves as an authority in their industry. It is not just writing blog posts or creating videos. It’s not just creating infographics or social media posts either!

It’s all of these things and more—a comprehensive strategy that encompasses any type of digital asset that builds relevance between your business and its target audience over time through consistent delivery of valuable information (e.g., case studies).

Conclusion

Content marketing is a powerful tool, and we hope you’re well on your way to mastering it. It can be difficult to get started with content marketing, but if you follow the steps above and use the resources we provided, you’ll be off to a great start. And if you need a hand, don’t be afraid to reach out!

The importance of quality content for your website

Content is an important part of any website. It helps build trust with your customers, attracts search engine traffic and generates business. But not all content is created equal. The quality of the content on your website matters because it can affect both your search rankings and how well your site converts visitors into paying customers. In this post, we’ll explain why quality content is so important and how you can start writing better copy for your own site today!

Provide something useful

Make sure you’re providing something useful for your customers to digest. You can accomplish this by answering common questions, providing tips, or sharing stories and anecdotes. You can also share information about your products or services that will be helpful to the reader.

Write quality content

Good content is the lifeblood of your website. People are looking for information, and if you’re providing it, you’ll be top of mind. Writing good quality content is no easy task: there are so many pitfalls that can undo even the most meticulous writer’s work! That’s why we’ve created this handy list of tips to help you ensure that your copywriting never suffers from these common errors again.

Why is quality content important?

  • Quality content will help you rank in search engines
  • It will help your customers find you
  • Quality content is a good way to build trust with your customers, which is important for conversions
  • You’ll generate more leads if you have high-quality content on your website

How do I get started?

The first step to creating great content is knowing what your audience wants.

There are plenty of keyword research tools out there, but one of the best is [Google Keyword Planner](http://www.seomoz.org/google-keyword-planner). With this tool you can see which keywords people use when searching for products like yours or services that are similar to yours and how often they’re searched (the number of searches per month).

If you want to write about topics that other sites haven’t covered yet, one way to do so would be by looking at popular keywords for related content and then asking yourself whether there’s something different about what you want to say about it from other websites’ perspectives. For example: if someone has already written an article on “how dogs behave” on eHow’s website, maybe instead of writing another article on the same topic (which would probably get lost in search results), you could write an article titled “How Dogs Communicate Nonverbally.” This way, not only will people who are interested in learning more about dog behavior have access to more information than ever before but also those who love dogs might appreciate learning some new things as well!

What elements should I consider?

In order to better understand how to write effective content, it is important to understand the elements that can make a piece of content more engaging. These elements are:

  • Use of keywords
  • Images and videos
  • Lists
  • Headings and subheadings (h1-h6)
  • Bullet points
  • Bold text for emphasis
  • Italicized text for emphasis
  • Links/internal links/backlinks

Quality content helps build trust with your customers, attracts search engine traffic and generates business.

If you are looking for the best return on your investment, quality content is the way to go. It helps create trust with your customers and increases their confidence in you as a company. In addition, it attracts more organic traffic from search engine results pages (SERPs) so that people who are interested in what you offer will find you. The more traffic from search engines, the better chance of converting those visitors into customers or leads!

Conclusion

If you’re not sure where to begin with quality content, we recommend starting with your keyword research. By identifying the topics that are important to your audience and writing about them in a way that is engaging for both readers and search engines alike, you can create an online presence that will help bring in more business than ever before.

How to Breathe New Life Into Old Content

Content marketing is a great way to engage new prospects. But, constantly churning out marketing content is unrealistic. Leveraging old content, however, is free.

You spent a lot of time and effort to create your messaging, which you dutifully employed in your marketing. It’s all over your website and social media. You used it in email distribution to your network and perhaps even in a blog or white paper. That’s great, but do you realize fresh content doesn’t age well? Within weeks, the search bots have moved on, your customers have seen it, perhaps read it and moved on, and a prospect probably had no reason to read it to begin with. Why? Because a customer or prospect views content from a singular perspective: what’s in it for me?

Content marketing is one of the most important ways to attract a prospect to engage with your brand. Sadly, unless you have a dedicated team who understands the true purpose of content, and with a mandate to continually churn out fresh content and gain followers, simply distributing your elevator speech will not suffice. It’s expensive and time-consuming to build new creative. So, the odds are that at some point you’ll find yourself trying to figure out how to create marketing content on a budget. 

The 3 Rs of Creating Marketing Content on a Budget

Any marketing department with a content campaign running typically follows these steps:

  • Build a piece of content (white paper, video, infographic, etc.) that speaks to your audience with useful and meaningful solutions to their issues.
  • Add the content piece to your website.
  • Push the content piece out via your social channels.
  • Send the content piece out via email to your distribution list.

Then you quickly move on to the next piece of content or campaign for the rinse and repeat cycle.

It costs a whole lot to create new content, and it’s far more economical to pull historic content off the shelf to give it a new lease on life. An easy way to think about how to accomplish this is with the “3 R’s” of content creation – Repurpose, Reposition and Reuse.

Repurpose

Let’s say the content piece is from last year. It’s a topic that’s worked and still has legs. However, your audience has seen this particular piece. It might be time to re-purpose the content. With this strategy, you take one piece of content and turn it into a bunch of other pieces using the same core content. Turn a single white paper into one or more blog posts, a slide deck, and a podcast. The expanded variety of media will engage with a new set of prospects, who may not have been interested in reading long-form content. To capture potential leads, direct visitors to the original white paper as a call to action in the introduction of the repurposed content.

Reposition 

Sometimes just changing up how the white paper is positioned with a few small edits to the body copy and a new headline will create something that looks and feels new. What has happened within your industry since the original white paper was published? Is there a new, fresh twist that can be included? This is probably the simplest way to breathe some life into an older piece.

Reuse

You’ve already shared this content. The whole world has already seen it, so why do they want it again? While I’d love to think that everybody reads each email, dives into every blog post, and absorbs all the points of the original content, it just doesn’t work that way. Your customers and prospects only care about your content if it is meaningful when they need it, and their needs don’t always align with your marketing calendar. What wasn’t of interest six months ago, could be the answer to their current problem. Hit re-send to the people that didn’t open the email or click on the original link. In addition, think of all the contacts you’ve added to your database since you first published the piece. They don’t know it’s repurposed. Remember, there is a lot of content out there. Your visitors are pummeled with messages every day. Use these strategies and engage people that have shown some level of interest and that will find it useful and relevant.

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50 Years of Content, Fact-Finding and The Internet

Dan reflects on 50 years of the internet and discusses how it has changed storytelling and news over the years.

Two amazing things happened this year that have caused me to reflect heavily on my life and career as a public relations professional, content marketer and storyteller. I turned 50, and the Internet turned 50. Why then do I just keep getting grayer and grayer every year while the Internet appears to get more and more colorful by the day?

Reflecting on 50 Years of the Internet

My self-reflection kicked off Saturday night, October 26, at an annual event held by The Mercantile Library, a historic library in downtown Cincinnati that promotes history, reading, enrichment and community engagement. The event was the Library’s 32nd annual Niehoff Lecture, which featured Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward (one of the two Washington Post journalists who broke the Watergate story on June 19, 1972). As the guest of my good friend and fellow former journalist Carolyn Pione Micheli, I had the great fortune to meet Mr. Woodward. That evening, a dream I never thought would come true was realized.

Back to the Beginning

Growing up, I remember studying about Watergate, which led to Richard Nixon’s resignation from office. Of course, I also was mesmerized as I watched Robert Redford portray Woodward on the silver screen in 1976’s All the President’s Men. I knew that Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s reporting was at the center of this national scandal, and as I grew older and began pursuing an education and career in journalism, I came to better appreciate the process the two journalists pursued to uncover the facts, apart from rumor and partisan politics. I was inspired to pursue and then obtain a degree in print Journalism.

I emphasize “print” for a reason. Because as I was making my way as a newspaper and magazine reporter, editor and eventually public relations consultant, a game-changing technology was slowly percolating within the halls of academia and government that in the mid-90s would begin to turn the world of journalism on its head. On October 29, 1969, just a few months after I entered the world, the Internet was born. And just three days after I met a bona fide living legend of journalism, the Internet celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The irony of these two occurrences happening around me within days of each other is staggering. The person who epitomizes investigative print journalism in its most ethical and objective form stands contrasted in my mind against the very platform that enables so many to share information in its most raw and unverified form, causing chaotic firestorms of misinformation and rhetoric on a daily basis.

Amidst the chaos, I believe we must look hard for meaning. Since the beginning of human existence, information has been communicated and shared as stories. Over the eons, the vehicles by which that information was shared has evolved and advanced with one consistent objective at play—to communicate facts. Yet, today, the facts are relegated to a supporting role in telling stories, and those trusted to convey the news that we trust to inform our decisions are…well…you and me. We no longer depend on newspapers and magazines or the once modern mediums of television and radio to deliver our news. We seek it out on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, on blogs and subscription news feeds, and of course the websites belonging to those news outlets that used to only exist in print and on our air waves. And each one of these outlets and platforms is competing for clicks, impressions and unique users. The rush was always on to break a story, but never until the facts were collected and verified. Today, we’re simply in a rush to be first, as he or she who gets the most visits wins.

What Does the Future Look Like?

No telling what the future looks like, especially as technology continues to advance. My hope is that we can find a compromise between our voracious appetites for information and minute-by-minute updates to that information and the ability of professional storytellers to once again be afforded the time and resources to tell their stories with all of the facts in tow. Until that time, we must embrace one of the many pros the Internet affords us today—the ability to research for ourselves the facts, and the boundless ways in which we can tell our stories.

Looking back on this past year, especially with respect to these recent milestones I’ve just shared, I see 2019 as neither the end to my first 50 years nor a new beginning. Rather, it’s like the fold in the newspaper I still read every morning. In Journalism school, having a story appear on the front page was never enough. It had to appear “above the fold.” That was the money shot, because…in theory…that story always got read first. The funny thing is that it didn’t really matter where a story landed on the front page, because it was only the beginning, and often was only a couple of paragraphs in length. You still had to open the paper to get to the meat of the story and digest all of the details. That’s where you decided your opinion of the story and those in it.

After 50 Years of the Internet — What Now?

For my next 50 years, I will continue to follow Mr. Woodward’s example of doing the hard work, resisting the urge to be first, and focusing on getting it right…whatever “it” happens to be in my case. I’ll use the Internet as a resource for achieving my objective, not as the objective. I’ll search for the truth, and do my best to encourage those around me to do the same. And as a storyteller, I’ll strive to shed light on all sides of those stories, and hopefully encourage those after me to do the same.