20 Efficient Strategies for Content Creation
The days of direct advertising are not over yet but new marketing models bring improved ways of brand promotion. Content marketing is a growing trend now because good and helpful content can boost customer retention and turn consumers into brand advocates. Regular buyers spend more than 30% more than the newcomers, while they are also the best promoters of the brand.
Even though almost 90% of companies have a defined content marketing strategy, it is not easy for them to constantly create the high-quality content on a regular basis. That’s why we decided to give you an overview of the 20 most efficient strategies for content creation.
There are dozens of useful tips and suggestions in this field of marketing but we picked only the best for you. Let’s begin!
1. Use Tools to Get Content Ideas
To make a great online content, you need a good topic first. There are some very helpful tools to help you in that regard:
- Hubspot Blog Topic Generator: You can use it to write down 3 nouns and get 5 random headline ideas.
- Builtvisible: This tool offers a quick insight into popular content across the web on any given topic.
- Ubersuggest: Serves to detect keywords relevant for your segment/general topic.
2. Make a Case Study
An interesting case study about your business can become a trustworthy piece of content marketing. Describing your own case and sharing your team’s experience about coping with different problems and challenges can do a good job in presenting your projects. Keep in mind that it should be interesting enough for the readers. This type of content is more suitable for the B2B segment. Additionally, you can present case studies as examples of successful experiences with services or products.
3. Have a Look on Top-Performing Content
Don’t rush into new content creation without a thorough analysis. With tools such as Impactana and Buzzsumo, you can get the idea which content has a major social impact. Once you’ve found an adequate topic, you can use Coschedule Headline Analyzer to see how well your content will perform.
4. Follow the Trends
It is highly recommended to follow trends and write about the hottest topics. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an analysis of what’s happening in the industry. To help you find out about the breaking news and most notable topics, you can use the following tools:
- Smartbrief: Offers industry news digests.
- Keyhole: Explores trends in social media.
- Google Trends: Finds the most popular searches.
- Feedly: Tracks news and popular content on chosen topics.
- Talkwalker: With this tool, you can track newly-published content on chosen topics. It’s essentially a free replacement for Google Alerts.
5. Run an Analysis of All Your Existing Content
If you want to be able to generate a valuable content, you must know your business and everything around it. Therefore, you must also analyze the previously published content in order to see if there is room for additions or follow-ups on your projects. You will probably find some loopholes for topics that you haven’t covered yet.
6. Update Old Content
You can always refresh forgotten topics by adding new insights or covering them from a different angle or present them in a different way. For example, it is usually very efficient to create an infographic or video about the business developments. This way, you’ll remind the followers about the previous project and let them know that you stay up to date.
7. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is one of the most fruitful ways to generate new content proposals. It’s a classical strategy for coming up with fresh ideas. You can gather your team members, make a discussion and increase the probability of getting the top headline. Try to use the outside help, too. Invite a person within your company who isn’t closely related to your projects. This person will often come up with a different angle to the story.
8. Open Submissions
There may be customers or professionals who are willing to contribute with a guest post to your site. You can invite them to write about the specific topic or let them propose the title on their own. However, it is crucial that they make a trustworthy content in accordance with your guidelines and interests.
9. Do a Product/Service Review
Customers appreciate a reliable explanation of the product they need to purchase. And there is no one better to explain all details about the products than you alone. Therefore, you can make a product or service review to satisfy potential buyers. With this strategy for content creation, you can do the promotion of a new product but also explain how to use it.
10. “How to” Content
The “how to” topics always grab readers’ attention and boost interest in brands. Such headlines are really catchy since everybody loves lists and easy instructions on the best ways to achieve necessary results. This know-how approach will present you as an expert in the specific topic and consumers will be grateful for your help.
11. Write about Problems that Your Customers Encounter with
Your customers deal with all sorts of problems every day. Your products should make the situation easier for them but your content marketing should also offer a little help. Namely, you can write about the problems that burden your customers, which can be a good source for creating content that will be really helpful and relevant.
12. Watch the Competitors
You cannot run the business without continuous controls and scans of topics that your competitors cover. Dedicate some time to discover what topics do they write about and then you can also talk about that from a different perspective. There are some useful tools to discover their content strategy, too. You can try with tools such as Content Spy or Ahrefs Content Explorer.
13. Do an Interview with an Influencer from your Market Niche
This is a relatively easy way to craft new engaging content. However, it doesn’t mean that any kind of interview can be interesting for the readers. First of all, you need a good topic and nicely packed questions. Secondly, you need a good interviewee. You can search for one with Influencer Scout.
14. Compilation
One more way to create a meaningful content is to look for opinion leaders in your market segment and ask them to speak out on a particular topic or current problem. They can also discuss the future trends or make a prediction on your business and consumers’ needs.
15. Look at the Comments
You are trying to create an inspiring content because you need to attract more followers. That’s why you must keep an eye on their comments – it is often the best source of inspiration for content creators. Companies are trying to please the customers and there is no better way to do this than to listen to their remarks or suggestions.
16. Niche Trends to Expect
This is the strategy which you probably won’t use too often but it will be part of your marketing plans typically at the end or the beginning of each year. However, if your niche is really dynamic and changing fast, you can do such a list twice a year or on a quarterly basis.
17. Advertorials
Advertorials are very practical content solutions, especially when it comes to new releases. They serve to promote products or services but through the lens of an expert, with serious and analytical style.
18. FAQ
No matter how simple or intuitive your services or commodities may be, customers will always be asking some more or less complicated questions about it. That’s why you should respond to the questions that your readers are likely to ask. You can also have a look at Quora to see what people want to know regarding your business.
19. Get Specific
You can get specific occasionally and cover one of the existing topics by providing a more in-depth analysis. Every once in a while, try to create a studious research of the most relevant topic at the moment. It will add value to your content and make customers appreciate more your expertise on the subject.
20. Quizzes
Quizzes make an excellent way to entertain and engage your audience. At the same time, they suggest available content on your resource. This type of content is interactive, fun, and easy to make. But if you have any trouble creating a quiz, find some help in one these 28 tools.
Conclusion
Content marketing is one of the most productive marketing methods in contemporary business. That’s why three-quarters of companies increase budgets for content creation. There are numerous strategies on how to make a great content and we decided to make it easier on you. This list of top 20 content creation strategies will surely boost your online marketing!
Tags: blogging, content marketing, internet marketing, tips & tricks