4 Ways to Produce Better Content and Stand Out From the Crowd
If you want to secure long-term success in digital marketing, there is nothing more important than content. Every year, Fortune 500 companies invest more money into their content operations; the average Fortune 500 company spends between 26 to 50% of its marketing budget on content.
Customers have higher expectations today. They demand more education from the companies that they buy from. According to Demand Metric , 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content.
As you would expect, this has pushed many companies toward publishing their own content. Most start small, with a short blog post per week. Quickly, these companies realize that to compete with the big boys, you need to go the extra mile.
If you want to produce better content, start following these simple rules:
Find opportunities to produce long-form content
The average piece of content that ranks number one in Google is about 1,900 words long, according to Backlinko —that’s a lot of writing. Producing longer content allows you to cover topics completely; it helps you to stand out from the crowd and drives home the importance of the topic that you are covering.
Another benefit of producing long-form content is that you are producing content in a way that jives with current internet trends. The average user only reads 20% of each page. Many readers go into a piece of content looking for a specific piece of information, and can’t be bothered to read the whole thing.
Long-form content gives you the opportunity to include lots of pictures, statistics, and additional headlines. This means that the content is extremely skimmable, providing audiences with lots of value for minimal effort on their part. These are the things that will capture your page-skimming audience and get them to read more.
Long-form content doesn’t always have to be how-to guides and e-books, either. One example of a different kind of useful long-form content page is the unemployment benefits page we created for my company Eligibility.com. At more than 10,000 words in total, this page is a definitive resource for all information relating to unemployment benefits that provides value for the reader while at the same time featuring a simple form to help capture leads.
Create original content
It can’t be said enough. Too many companies try to emulate the content that their competition is publishing—it’s not always a bad strategy. A competitor’s piece of high-performing content shows that there is a demand in the marketplace for that information. But that doesn’t mean that you should be emulating everything that they do.
The real value in an organization’s content comes from their own original thoughts, opinions, and data. There is no company in the world that is exactly like yours. No one has the same experiences. Use that to your advantage.
When most people hear the term “original content,” they think of an original article, even if the subject and stats have been published hundreds of times. Creating original content doesn’t mean rewriting a popular article from your own perspective. Instead, focus on creating something completely original.
To create original content, use the resources that are available exclusively to you. No one else can tell your story, and that gives you interesting ways to revisit popular topics. Does your customer data tell you something interesting about your industry? Do people within your company have unique experiences that would shed light on trending topics? Can you use original content to better explain your product?
Focus less on what your competition is doing and look more toward your own strengths and experiences when creating content. It’s the best way to offer something that no one else can.
Quotes, interviews, and expert opinions
People want information that is verifiably true. They want to be reading a source that takes its time to vet information and develop independent sources. Any doubt in their mind will send them running for the hills.
The easiest way to bolster any content that you create is to reach out to industry influencers and experts for opinions and interviews. Additionally, you can scour the web for existing interviews and lift (and attribute to the source) previously published quotes.
Social proof is real. Using a recognized industry name to back the assertions you make in your content holds real power. It pushes users to view your brand as a trusted source of information.
Reach out to experts and influencers when you publish new content. They are usually busy people, but you’d be surprised how many are willing to take a few seconds and give their thoughts.
Custom images and visual themes
A lengthy piece of content should have a consistent theme both visually and in writing style. If you want to take your content to the next level and impress your audience, create custom graphics and images with each piece of content. Use the data at your disposal to create visual representations. Throughout the images, use the same themes and colors. Make each piece of content a complete package.
According to a study from BlogPros , the content that averages the most shares on social media contains an image every 350 words or so. Half of your audience will acquire more information visually than they will in written form, so make sure that you are going out of your way to use both methods to explain complicated topics. Image creation is a simple way to inject originality into every piece of content.
The future of the company-customer relationship lies in content. Being able to educate your audience and become a trusted source of information puts you in a very advantageous position. However, the market is getting more crowded. More Fortune 500 companies with huge budgets are producing content. If you want to compete as a small- to mid-sized business, you’ll need to step your game up. Following these tips will put you in a position to earn the trust of your audience and grow your traffic.
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