Agency Life
Bolt Bio: Megan Mertes
We drove into Cleveland thinking about the future of content marketing, and thankfully, none of us had the urge to sing "Cleveland Rocks!" from The Drew Carey Show theme song.
(GIF Source: Giphy.com)
But Content Marketing World still rocked.
Three of us from TrendyMinds listened to fervent speakers at the top of their respective content marketing games—Rand Fishkin, Ann Handley, Kristina Halvorson, Jay Baer and more all had distinct wisdom to offer.
And the best part? The wisdom was logical. It was rational. It was actionable.
Below are some actionable takeaways from Content Marketing World that might help you revamp your content marketing strategy too.
Key Takeaway: Don’t add to content overload.
We’ve all heard the mantra. Some of us say it into our mirrors every morning. “Create meaningful content.” Yes, but what does that mean?
The internet houses around 2 million new blog posts everyday. Without the right approach, trying to stand out from this content slough is akin to whispering at a metal concert. The “trick” is less trick than hard laid groundwork and persistence. Know who your audience is and where they are, set clear and realistic goals you can actually measure and prioritize quality over quantity. Pumping out twice-daily blog blasts that get zero engagement just adds to the ether.
But a thoughtfully researched, collaboratively shared, weekly post gleaned from audience insight? That adds value and drives ROI.
Key Takeaway: Think like a television executive.
Creating content is only half the battle.
On average, for every dollar television spends on content creation, it spends five on distribution. In the content marketing world, this ratio tends to be flipped: we spend about five dollars developing content for every dollar we put into making sure our audience finds it. The lesson? Keep a balance between the work—and creativity—that goes into creating quality content and sharing it with the world. Picasso didn’t hand Guernica to his mom to slap on the fridge and call it a day. As much as it defines the what and why of the content you develop, your strategy needs to demonstrate how, where and with whom you share it.
Key Takeaway: Good content should utilize a network of people.
In essence, good content is people-focused. One aside: it’s also fun when more people are involved in your content.
A standalone blog post by one author, no matter how compelling, is just one person’s perspective. Imagine what a network of people can do. Heck, imagine what one other person’s advocacy can do to amplify your content beyond your initial audience. And all it takes is for you to reach out to people in an honest, authentic manner, show them your idea for content and ask them for their thoughts or contributions. After all, people love to toot their own horns.
Key Takeaway: Don’t innovate. Improve.
Don’t be concerned with always coming up with new ideas. Instead, focus on being curious. We have good ideas already, so try to bring those to life. Narrow your focus on three things that you’ve had on the back burner. Then, make them happen or make them better.
Key Takeaway: Twitter has replaced Google+ as Google’s primary source of social results on SERPs.
Just when we thought “Last Dance” was being played through the halls of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, Rand Fishkin of Moz explained that Google may have booked their dance cards for many years to come. Twitter now dominates many real-time results in Google Mobile, often even more so than in desktop. According to Mozcast, Twitter shows up in ~6.5% of Google searches. So, what does this mean? Well, it means we better pay attention to how Twitter influences the SERPs you care about through hashtags, brand names, news events and personalized trends.
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