Content Marketing: Self Expression and a Brief History

It can be hard sometimes to remember what life was like before the internet. Some of you reading this may not have even been around for those “prehistoric” days. When we think of content creation our minds go to videos and creators on social media platforms, but there was a time when content creation was something else. Content creation at is core is the ultimate form of self-expression. Before the internet self-expression was embodied through photography, written and spoken word. In reality, content creation goes all the way back to the 1800’s. Some argue that it may even go back to Ben Franklin in 1732 when he created Poor Richard’s Almanac to promote his printing business. No one really knows exactly what moment content creation began, but in the 1900’s it started to take hold. Printing presses made content creation main stream. Michelin Guide was printed in 1900 and Jell-O release a recipe book in 1904. These types of content would reign until the conception of the internet.

The internet began in the 1960’s as a result of the Cold War. it was started as a means for government to share information between researchers even if under attack and was called Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). The official birthday of the web is considered to be January 1, 1983 after much development and transition to widespread infrastructure. We cannot get into the entirety of the history of the internet because that information could fill a novel. It was in the 90’s that blogging, then called online diaries, became popular. This was the first recorded digital content creation of our time. Shortly after, in 1997, social media platforms are constructed. The first one was called Six Degrees and would be followed by the famed Myspace in 2003. We remember when Myspace first came out and you better believe we decked it out with our favorite songs, back drops and thoughts. This was the first of its kind and was the parent site of those we know today: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. These all become mainstream in the 2000’s. Younger generations would probably find it strange that we’ve actually had our Facebook accounts since the very launch back in 2004. YouTube was founded shortly after in 2005 that created opportunities for vloggers and video editors. Thusly, the era of the digital content creation was spawn.

The first digital content creator and/or social media influencer was a person named Jeffree Star in 2003. He was known for his controversial opinions and unique fashion style on his Myspace profile. The formation of Myspace was the first time that people began to realize that they could create content as a representation of who they are. This took off like wildfire and not long after, influencers started popping up everywhere around 2009. This new era of self-expression through means of digital content was something that almost all of us would embrace. Some more than others. It was an outlet for creativity. A place for us to get thoughts out of our heads and help others in similar fields. It’s creative freedom. Content is what we do. We believe in user-generated content as a means to connect authentically. The future will be ruled by self-expression, and we’re here for it.

Friday Feature

This week our feature is an entrepreneur of Hazel Coffee Co., Hailey Polidori. Her coffee shop is an all mobile coffee bar in Austin, TX. Their mission is to bring creatives and community together. They serve locally roasted beans and offer bookings for events. You can request a quote by clicking the link on their website. Not only does she own this cutting-edge coffee shop, she is a content creator, a photographer and YouTuber. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Hailey and hope to do it again in the future.

Friday Feature

This week we turn to one of our furry friends. Our feature this week is of Max the dog from Vancouver, Canada. This fun-loving pup goes on all types of adventures and is absolutely adorable. We previously worked with his owners to license a piece of content during the COVID pandemic where his owner used him for leg presses while the gyms were closed. Captioned with “Only got to do 2 reps of my 40lb leg presses before my makeshift weight gave up.” What a fun way to get creative with your workouts! Big shout out to them for helping make one of our campaigns fun and exciting!

Friday Feature

This week our spotlight goes out to a fitness trainer, Kari who specializes in women’s weight lifting. Also known as @thedonuttrainer, this Canadian woman is a certified personal trainer and gym owner in Sarnia, ON. It was a pleasure working with this creator on one of our previous campaigns. Her social media account focuses on fitness, nutrition and weight lifting. She posts often about nutrition information, workouts and fitness tips. Give her a follow for healthy lifestyle info and proper workout techniques.

Content Creation

We’re a content agency. We love good, quality content. This is a given. We’ve written about content creation in the past but directed it toward the creators. This article will focus on why quality content is important for brands. First, if the content is helpful and insightful, customers will trust you and begin to view you as an expert in your field, according to Forbes. Second, ROI is very high for quality content. 88% of marketers are happy with their return on investment of content. Third, SEO will increase with the right key words to promote your brands website. Lastly, it helps your brand get new leads, especially if the content has a CTA placement. We could go on with a million reasons why good content marketing helps your business grow but we know you get the point by now. Let’s look at how your brand can go about having a good content marketing strategy.

All the same rules for creators apply for brands, except now you have a specific audience to keep in mind. This is where creating a buyer persona comes in handy. A buyer persona is created through research to make a clear picture of the person you want to market to. Think of them as a created character for a story that represents your whole group of target market audience. Here’s a handy tool to help you get started from HubSpot if you’re unsure of where to start with this. Second, your strategy should include goal setting. Use the SMART method to determine them. Now, you have to keep the buyer’s journey in mind. Where are they in their buying process? Is it awareness of the problem? Are they considering a solution (the consideration stage)? Or… are they in the decision-making stage where they’re aware of the solution and ready to solve? You want to make sure that you have content for each stage of your buyer’s journey. The format of the content must also be considered. Is it easy for your audience to view, read, etc.? This brings us to the last topic: the different types of content.

There are many different types of content to consider when creating. There’s content just like the one you are reading: a blog. There are social media posts and stories. Infographics with short bursts of information or GIF’s. Video content is king in today’s world but podcasts are also on the rise. Lastly, there are webinars/seminars for your viewers as well. Which type of content you choose will be brand specific. While all brands will benefit from social media posts and stories, it may not make sense for them to conduct webinars. The type of content that your brand chooses will also determine the style. Blogs and podcasts tend to be conversational whereas webinars and seminars are in more formal setting.

Whatever way you shake it, a quality content creation marketing strategy is key for your brand. Honestly, creating content is super fun, so with the right creative minds behind the work you cannot fail. Collaboration within your company when creating content will ensure its success. Having multiple sets of creative eyes and minds on each piece will make sure that what your team comes up with will be the absolute best through great communication and teamwork.

Evergreen Content

We just wrote about topical content, which touched on evergreen content slightly. So, what is evergreen content? If topical content is on current events or things that are trending, then evergreen content is just the opposite. It’s really stated in the name, evergreen. Like the evergreen trees, evergreen content lives over the long periods of time and is not time sensitive. If topical to evergreen content creation ratio is 1:4, then what are some key reasons to create so much more evergreen content over topical content? Well, first it will continually drive traffic to your sites, it will improve your SEO and position your brand as an industry leader. Some common examples of evergreen content are tips, FAQ’s, tutorials/guides, testimonials/case studies, check lists, common mistakes to avoid, resources for your industry (books, podcasts, experts), definitions of terms and phrases, history of your industry, etc. These things don’t go out of style or change very often. Pretty sure you get the idea by now. So now, let’s get into the nitty gritty with the pros and cons of evergreen content.

PROS:

1.     Brand authority: just as topical content can do, it also will increase your brand’s authority by showing that it cares about your audience through content that lasts over time and isn’t fleeting.

2.     SEO increase: if the evergreen content is on your website it will increase its SEO over time. This is something that topical content cannot do because it is short-lived and although it may also stay on your site, it will not increase traffic once that topic has gone out of style, so to speak. Evergreen content is relevant long after trends come and go and therefore, will improve your SEO in the long run.

3.     Ideal for entry level: evergreen content is fairly easy to produce for how-to guides, resources etc. It can require little time to write, create and get out into the world.

4.     Stands the test of time: like the evergreen tree, hence the name, this type of content stays relevant for long periods of time. You can add small changes to it, if needed over time, to keep it up to date with the newest information periodically.

CONS:

1.     You can run out of ideas: unlike topical content that stays fresh all the time, evergreen content is something that lasts. This can make it difficult to come up with new ideas down the road.

2.     Success will be slower: topical content creates short drives in traffic due to the trending nature of it whereas, evergreen content traffic is slow and steady. But remember, who won the race, the tortious or the hare? This will require a little patience from your brand in the beginning.

3.     Expert content is often too narrow: if writing advanced content, a few things can happen here. 1. It’s perfect for advanced and intermediate. 2. It’s too basic and not advanced enough. 3. It’s too advanced. No one, not even the advanced audience understands. This is a tight window of getting the porridge just right, so to speak. So, content creators must be careful here. While evergreen content is great for beginner audiences, it can be tough to cater to the advanced group.

Now, you can see how evergreen content is crucial to your brand’s success over the long haul. As we said in our previous article on topical content a mix of both is necessary to creating both short- and long-term interests. Both have a place in your marketing and advertising strategies. Very few brands operate solely on one type of content and omit the other, even news channels. If you set a schedule for topical refreshes in your evergreen content strategy and consider doing so every week. No matter what type of content you are creating you now have a quick go to guide on how to mix up your topical and evergreen content strategies. Happy creating!

Content Marketing: The Why, The How and The Where

What in the world is content marketing exactly? What makes it different than traditional marketing? Well, “it’s a strategic approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience” (Content Marketing Institute). Think of it this way. It’s much less spammy than traditional ads and doesn’t really pitch your product or services. Instead, it presents your audience with content that helps them solve their issues through the use of videos, blogs, social media, infographics, etc. with the intention of stimulating interest. But why is this type of marketing more prevalent now than it was 20 years ago? Well, for one thing, the internet has changed the market drastically since the 90’s, but another reason is that people cannot stand pop up advertising anymore on the web. Today, over 200 million people have installed pop-up blockers that, in turn, reduces the number of eyes on paid advertisements online, according to The Content Marketing Institute. Content marketing gets your brand out there without having to produce online pop-up ads. Here are some other key reasons why content marketing is on top today.

1.     Higher website traffic. Content marketing leaders get 7.8x’s more site traffic than non-leaders (Neil Patel)

2.     Increased Brand Recall. 56% of marketers believe that personalized content promotes higher engagement rates (IMB Digital Experience Survey) High-quality content that is relevant will increase the amount of time that consumers spend on their sites. Thusly, increasing engagement as well.

3.     Cost effective! Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and generates 3x’s as many leads (Demand Metric)

4.     Higher conversion rates. It’s nearly 6x’s higher than traditional marketing, according to Julia McCoy.

Now that it is obvious why content marketing has taken a seat in the front row, let’s talk about where your content marketing strategy fits into your business plan. Try to think of content marketing as something that sits alongside your other tactics, not separate from them. Therefore, there is no place that content marketing does not fit in. Some examples of what I mean are social media, inbound marketing, outbound marketing, pay-per-click, PR and even SEO.  All of these strategies should include high-quality content marketing that is relevant for your audience.

We’re sure you’re starting to understand why and where content marketing fits in, so let’s now talk about how to develop your content marketing strategy. According to The Content Marketing Institute there are 3 key questions to ask yourself before you begin.

1.     Who will be viewing the content?

2.     What benefits does the content give the viewers?

3.     What content experience can we consistently deliver?

Once you have the answers to these questions, it’s time to set your SMART goals and determine Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). For your goals, are you trying to increase brand awareness or boost engagement? There are so many goals to choose from so your brand will need to determine the main reason why you’re creating this content. This will also determine what KPI’s will be important to track based on the initial goals of the content. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement, then a good KPI would be looking at the engagement numbers for the campaign. Now that you’ve set your goals & KPI’s, it’s time to decide what type of content to create. What does your audience need from you and what problem are you trying to solve for them? After you have determined this, you must decide where you want your content to go: social media, print, etc. Most importantly, what is the budget for this content marketing campaign? This can alter what you create. For example, if your budget is smaller, then you may consider using a user generated content ad to save money while still getting a great connection with your audience. Once this has all been determined it is time create, distribute and track the analytics. Some things to look out for in a good campaign are:

1.     It receives a lot of engagement

2.     It provides worth within the framework of your field

3.     You haven’t lost your brand voice

With an effective content marketing campaign, you can increase your conversation rates through building lasting relationships with your customers. Providing value with something other than just your service or products will create a sense of trust with your audience and will engage them with your brand. Also, using this inbound way of marketing are much more effective as a more organic way to gain new customers. And let’s face it, natural is always better!