You know the feeling.
You start the month with every intention of creating some kick-ass consistent content to boost our search engine rankings and position yourself as an industry leader. Then suddenly...a few meetings, a couple of office emergencies and suddenly the month is coming to an end...
...total of kick-ass blog posts completed = zero.
But don't be hard on yourself.
On the surface, consistently pushing out content doesn't seem all that crucial to business success. Of course, we know great content helps us get better search engine rankings, which means more and better quality traffic. We know that it will help us position ourselves as thought leaders. But we can just do it next month, right?
Wrong.
Smart marketers emphasise that content creation is a key element of their marketing strategy.
So, want to know how they get the job done? Here are the successful habits they use:
1. Develop content pillars
Creating content pillars makes your job easy when it comes to content creation.
The concept is pretty simple. Content pillars are key subjects with your niche and specialism. For example, content pillars for a marketing agency may include:
Content Marketing
Copy Writing
Graphic Design
Social Media
Influencer Marketing
These pillars drive content and can be broken down in smaller, specialist areas to build one, more comprehensive piece of content. Using content pillars makes it super easy for us to find content which is both relevant and will naturally hit our target keywords.
2. Create a content plan
You can use your content pillars you can create a simple and easy to follow content plan. Your plan will act as a go-to guide and will help you keep on track with consistent content creation.
Focus on making your plan as detailed as possible, as this will make creating consistent content significantly easier. This may include all relevant elements such as content titles/concepts, draft deadlines, publish date, keywords, author and editor.
You can also use the plan to allocate content responsibility, allowing you to motivate and hold responsible those who are part of the plan.
3. Gather feedback
A lack of direction is one of the biggest single causes for failing at creating consistent content. Feedback is a simple and effective way to build a clear picture of what is working and in turn how the plan may need to be adjusted to reach an ultimate goal.
Both qualitative and qualitative feedback can be useful in this case.
Qualitative feedback can be gathered from analytical tools such as Google Analytics or social analytics, showing which pieces of content are receiving the most traffic, clicks and other engagement. Qualitative feedback can be gathered from talking to those who digest the content and reviewing comments both on the blog post and via social media.
Acting on feedback can be as simple as doubling down on what is working and getting rid of what isn't.
4. Outsource
At the end of the day, content creation is a huge time-eater. So, it can be great idea to partner with a professional agency or freelancer to help you generate high-quality content over time.
Doing this takes the hassle off your plate and ensures that your content plan is executed to a high quality in an agreed time frame. Doing this can actually be a much more cost-effective method than you think.
For example, a highly professional content creator may charge as little as £90 for around 1000 words of quality content. This is usually well worth the cost when it frees up a considerable amount of your time.
5. Treat yourself as a client
Creating consistent content can be tricky due to that fact that other 'more important' work gets in the way, especially when that work is needed to keep your customers happy. This is why outsourcing can be a good way to ensure that your content receives the care and attention you need.
However, if you decide to keep content creation in house, it can be a good idea to create a system of accountability. For example, the company owner or marketing manager maybe become the 'client' and the marketing executive the 'writer', with the client having regular check-ins to monitor progress.
If one person is responsible for content creation, it can be easy to fail in creating consistently.
6. Make it fun
Creating great content should be as fun and engaging as reading it. With this in mind, it is always a good idea to have someone write it who is truly interested in the subject matter. This may mean that different specialists within the business are responsible for different pieces of content with one central editor.
Passion and expertise ALWAYS make for better content....or at least if it is edited properly.
Consistent content creation can be a hassle and a huge time investment. However, the rewards can be huge. By adopting the habits we have outlined in this article, you will position yourself to get more done and see greater success from your content creation.