CONTENT MARKETING IN 2016 – OVERCOMING CONTENT MUNDANITY
Content marketing is undoubtedly the SEO buzzword of the last 5 years. It has revolutionised the way we conduct SEO and has put the focus firmly back to where it should be – delivering users and audiences exceptional content that they actually want to read.
It’s fantastic that we have moved on from what were, ultimately, spammy techniques.
However, we also seem to now have opened up a new can of worms. Every company out there is creating more and more content. In fact there is now so much competition in this field that trying to be unique or original has become a huge uphill struggle for some.
The problem is that writing a simple article on any topic can be done by anyone. At the same time some topics seem to have limited scope for content that doesn’t repeat itself or leave the reader looking for a mallet to hit themselves on the head with.
If you want to stand out from the crowd then you have to work even harder. Especially if you want to secure top tier placements without spending a fortune on “editorial costs”.
So What Are We To Do To Overcome Content Mundanity?
Start at home
Our clients websites at Go Mungo SEO already have built in audiences. We conduct content audits on every new site we start working with and ALWAYS find areas for improvement.
- Landing pages
Landing pages are still being massively underused. We want landing pages aimed at every stage of our sales funnel. We want landing pages for people looking into our products, landing pages for people just about to buy our product, landing pages for people looking for support and tutorials – in short we want every aspect of our potential interactions with customers to be catered for On our own website! Our website should be the best resource available in whatever field our products and services operate – so more content, more utility and a greater focus on customers rather than sales!
- Back to blogging
Blogs seem to fall in and out of favour. But for 2016 Blogging is Back Big Time! We’ve been working with companies to develop blogging strategies over the last year and every single client has seen a marked increase in rankings and user engagement. So blog regularly and give your customers great insight into your products, services and all the information in your sector whether it is flower arranging or financial planning!
Be The Expert
If you’re going to create exceptional content you need to have an exceptional writing team. We always get experts in the field to write industry news or blog posts. If we can’t find an expert we create one – one person dedicated to writing content for a client. They don’t start out as experts but after a few months you have someone that knows your industry inside out and can deliver the most relevant content for target audiences.
Social Media is A Core Focus
The social media space has become fiercely competitive with every company trying to compete for your attention. However there are some great techniques to establish yourself in this field and ensure that you stay on top of the social game.
- Competitions
If you don’t have as many followers as you would like then start running competitions. We’ve seen competitions get thousands of likes in a few days! Offer something worth having; that ties in with your own business – all the people who want to win the product and don’t will be interested in buying your products!
- Less is more
With so much competition in the social sphere we don’t want to overexpose our audience. Daily Facebook posts just aren’t great unless you are sharing something very funny. Tweets every hour will rapidly diminish your follower base. So make sure everything you share is fantastic – and make sure you engage directly with your audience.
Think Outside The Box
When it comes to new content, articles might be your bread and butter but the really exciting stuff happens when you start to think outside the box. We are seeing more and more great content campaigns whether it is the infamous “Will it Blend” YouTube channel or Red Bulls constant extreme sports coverage.
- Try to plan content pieces that twist or reimagine your brand in a funny or new light. If you sell nails build some crazy nail art every month. If you sell financial products create a free accounting program that any of your customers will find useful.
Make something exceptional
When you are thinking about content this year try and think how you can make the absolute best version of what you are planning. Rather than creating a 500 word article on visiting Paris why not create a completely free 100 page eBook on visiting Paris? Rather than creating an article on common investing mistakes why not make a game that appeals to a wider audience.
This content is not only more engaging, but it's also better for SEO. Great, informative content naturally attracts links from other websites. So get out there and create it! If you need help, contact us at our SEO agency in London to talk about your content needs.
