Over the years, SEO has changed dramatically — and content marketing has shifted right along with it. Algorithms have gotten a lot smarter, and tactics that once proved infallible can now get you banned from search engines. Keyword stuffing has gone the way of the dinosaur, spun content is a giant red flag, and buying links is risky business.
So, what’s next? What works now?
Contrary to the naysayers, digital marketing and SEO are still vital promotional avenues — and content marketing remains one of the most effective techniques. You just need to tweak a few things.
So today, we’re exploring seven simple strategies to transform your content marketing campaign for 2022.
Content Marketing Isn’t Dead, Just Different
SEO and algorithm changes have some people insisting that content marketing is over. But they’re wrong. It’s not dead — just different. Quality matters more than ever, and developing the right content that resonates with your target market may take a little more time to nail down.
7 Tips for Developing a Profitable Content Marketing Plan
Seven content marketing tweaks can align your digital marketing efforts with the latest generation of algorithms.
Become a Thought Leader
In days of old, content quantity was of paramount importance. Businesses with healthy digital marketing budgets produced dozens of blog posts a day. They didn’t care if most of it went unread. The goal was to please search bots that, at the time, rewarded quantity. To get the job done, web content writers simply summarized news reports.
But that technique doesn’t work as well anymore. These days, you need to say something interesting or engaging to attract eyeballs, links, and algorithmic approval. As such, it’s more important to be a “thought leader” than a copycat.
To put it another way, opinions and unique perspectives get more play than drab articles that don’t provide any value. So instead of repeating what others have already said, think of novel takes. Or find new ways to say old things.
However, remember that not everyone has the same tastes or needs. So while content you produce should speak to your business niche, think about the different demographics you want to attract and what type of content they’d like.
Could you do something fun that ties your business into current entertainment trends? What about posting some trivia quizzes? Would your potential clients find a free e-book guide helpful? Think outside of the box and test options.
Quality Matters
Algorithms have come a long way, baby! Just like children, they started in pre-school. And these days, they’re working on their post-doctoral theses. At this point, it’s fair to say that many algorithms are smarter than the average human!
Resultantly, quality now matters. You can no longer get away with publishing subpar content that’s barely decipherable.
But decipherable is a word we should focus on for a second because search algorithms aren’t just concerned with grammar and writing quality. They also prefer pieces with high readability scores.
What does that mean?
Readability is a metric that evaluates how easy something is to understand. Generally speaking, academic papers are low on the readability scale; on the opposite end are children’s books, which score high.
Most people assume that newspapers and other popular media outlets have college-level readability — but that’s not the case. To wit:
- The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are written at a 12th-grade reading level.
- Romance novels are written at a 5th-grade reading level.
- The Sun, the most-read newspaper in the world, and USA Today, the most-read newspaper in the United States, are written at about a 9th-grade reading level.
In other words, fancy wording doesn’t necessarily translate into effective, SEO-friendly content. Instead, the objective is to be clear and concise. After all, the goal of search bots is to deliver content it thinks will prove most helpful to users — and overly academic prose doesn’t fit the bill.
Forget About the News
In the not too distant past, content marketers would pump out a lot of summary news articles. It was an easy way to feed the bots, as the frequency was a primary metric in past-era algorithms.
But all that repetitive news started gumming up the digital pipelines — and who needs seven million articles about the same thing? To solve the problem, algorithms started prioritizing the big media outlets for news items.
Frequency and consistency still matter. A site that publishes a quality piece once a week will reap more benefits than one that haphazardly posts. However, you no longer need to stuff your blog with breaking news within hours of it hitting because the search engines favor the “big guns” when it comes to event reporting. So unless you have the resources to compete with the world’s largest media outlets, focus your energies on creating unique content.
Offering an opinion about a significant news event works, but summaries are a waste of time.
Be Trendy, Self-Aware, and Funny
It’s a tall order — but it works!
Now, we’re not suggesting you chase trends. But if one happens to hit that complements your business focus — hop on the train! It also doesn’t hurt to be self-aware, humorous, and, what we like to call, “politely irreverent.” Corporations like Denny’s, Netflix, and Wendy’s have leveraged this approach to capture the millennial market — and it works.
However — and this is a big “however” — don’t cross the line! Stick to relatively anodyne subjects. The nation is weathering a highly divisive stage, and folks have never been more siloed due to personalized media. The last thing you want to do is alienate half your potential client base by wading into politics, religion, or the indoor-vs-outdoor cat-parenting war!
Get Specific
In these digitally saturated days, getting specific helps a lot.
Dig into your demographic data. Who, exactly, is using your products and services? Where do they live? How old are they? What types of social media accounts do they follow? Instead of vaguely defining your target as people between the ages of 30 and 50 who make over $100,000 a year, drill down. So, using our example, a business would do well to develop specific content for the following niches within the income range:
- Stay-at-home moms who are into wellness and luxury
- Professional mothers who rely on an army of domestic workers to get the job done
- Stay-at-home dads who love the outdoors
- Working couples who employ nannies, cleaning services, and cooks
- High-income widows and divorcees that love to travel
Personalization matters. People respond better to content that speaks directly to them. Feed the people what they want and watch your traffic increase!
Diversify
Don’t stick to the rivers and lakes that you already know. Don’t neglect them, but also branch out.
For example, social media can be intimidating, but give it a shot. Believe it or not, you don’t need hundreds of followers to make it work. Heck, we’ve seen social media accounts with a mere one or two fans perform well for a platform. Also, don’t stress about “going viral” all the time. The more you think about it, the less likely it will happen. Besides, a mass influx of eyeballs isn’t always a great thing.
In addition to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, seek out niche boards that are popular among your target demographics. And don’t neglect streaming services like YouTube and Twitch! Vlogs are the new blog posts.
Don’t Panic
When things change, a lot of people panic. But there’s really no need. Yes, the digital marketing landscape has shifted, but the basic principles still apply. Publishing quality, engaging content works. Sure, it may take a tad longer to see results; and yes, producing content that speaks to your target demographics requires a bit more skill.
But think of it this way: people aren’t on their phones 24-7 looking at nothing! Content still reigns supreme.
Content Marketing FAQ
Below is a collection of answers to content marketing questions that we frequently field.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the process of promoting a business via online articles, videos, infographics, and other types of posts. Generally speaking, content marketing is one of the most cost-effective advertising tools — still.
What are examples of content marketing?
Content marketing examples abound. Basically, anything posted by a business is a piece of content. Common types include:
- Landing pages
- Blog articles
- Social media posts
- Infographics
- Videos
What are the basics of content marketing?
What constitutes the basics of content marketing is situationally dependent. What works for, say, a restaurant in a big city may not be the answer for a rural law firm. But overall, content marketing involves publishing pieces to attract clients and customers.
How do you do content marketing?
Content marketing differs from industry to industry. But all effective digital promotional campaigns involve posting quality, valuable, engaging pieces — preferably at regular intervals — that promote your business and speak to your audience.
Connect With a Content Marketing Team
Don’t believe the hype: content marketing is alive, well, and remains one of the most cost-effective ways to attract new clients. It’s just matured and takes a more skilled hand.
If you’re ready to elevate your digital marketing game, let’s talk. The number one reason people choose to do their own marketing is the cost. They think hiring professionals will break the bank. But that’s not the case. More often than not, the return on investment is high.
So let’s talk about your situation and determine the best path to a more profitable future.