It’s time to pep up your content, but how? From trying new formats to taking fresh approaches to articles, there are plenty of ways to give your content more oomph. Most importantly, it’s time to think outside the box. Here are some ideas to get you started...
1. Curate content
More and more people are beginning to curate content, which isn’t as daft as it sounds. Good content creators know that sometimes, the best content is written by other people, and it’s their job to showcase it. Not sure what this means? Here’s a blog post that explains it all. Or look at how The Marginalian curates content from the world's best writers and thinkers. Genius!
2. Change your format
Visuals are a great way to spruce up your content. Whether you’re using slides or creating GIFs, adding a visual element to your content is always a good idea. Don’t stop there though – try your hand at anything new, from infographics to audio clips of your latest podcast, as long as it deviates from the usual staple diet of text and images.
3. Go behind the scenes
If your company, brand or online presence could do with a more loyal following, you can’t go wrong with some juicy behind-the-scenes content. Tweet a picture of you designing your latest product, or write a blog post about your snazzy new office space, like those legends at TED. Transparency is a great way to increase brand affinity and show the world who your business really is. And that human element is what today’s savvy customers are looking for.
4. Try something deeper
Forget the list articles for now. Buzzfeed is doing the ol “10 reasons why” format perfectly well, but does their content serve any greater purpose? The winning algorithm for great content includes a preference for useful, unique articles that deliver deeper value. These qualities can be achieved by providing genuine opinions and thought leadership or by giving your visitors extremely informative, useful answers to their burning questions. The bottom line? Dare to delve deeply into issues instead of the whistle-stop tour method, and your users will soon come back for more.
5. Use SEO knowledge the right way
If your web offering consists of dozens of search engine optimised articles and not much else, it’s time for a rethink. This kind of content might have pleased search engines a few years ago, but it doesn’t wash with Google any more. Instead of taking a keyword at its face value, use it as a springboard for further analysis. What’s the intent behind it? What else might the user who searches that key phrase be looking for? This brilliant article from Moz explains what that means.
If you need help creating content that makes people come back to your brand again and again, I can help. Get in touch for a chat today.