We spend all our time creating content – whether written, spoken, or drawn – with the goal that people will notice it and appreciate it.
We also spend all our time trying different methods to accomplish that goal – utilizing or ignoring metrics, employing growth hacks, or staying away from them.
But let’s just take a step back for a second.
This is all too much – people are over-complicating a very simple issue. The goal of all this work is to make stuff that people like, and enjoy ourselves in the process. That’s it.
It’s funny when you think about content marketing in these, the simplest of terms. Once you strip away all the industry jargon, you’re left with a community of people trying to make awesome things for important people. So, what can we learn from examples of awesome content?
The content we create is precious to us, and we obviously want other people to extract the same value from it. So why don’t we spend more time making our content truly awesome to consume?
Here are some ways to do that.
1. Awesome content is crafted with the audience in mind
Obviously, if you want a piece of content to resonate – if you want that content to be truly awesome to consume – you have to think about the people for which you’re creating.
Content marketing leaders have indicated, time and time again, that the best way to create the most resonant content is to create with the audience in the back of your mind.That means listening to your audience, engaging with it to determine their interests, and listening to feedback on the pieces of content that you produce.
A great way to create audience-oriented content is by discovering industry trends and making content based on the trends you find. Producing content on topics that people are searching for keeps your work up to date and credible in the eyes of viewers, and also helps group your content under search terms that are being used most.
We know that our audience (hey, that’s you!) needs to be able to create content that will cut through the noise, grab the attention of prospects, and leave a lasting impression. That’s what awesome content does, so we wrote this piece to help you do that.
Awesome content is really important for inbound and outbound marketing strategies. Check out this video below that talks about how awesome content supports both inbound and outbound strategies for business growth.
2. Awesome content is crafted with the creator in mind
Once the audience is covered, it’s time to think of yourself. How can a blog post, a podcast, or a white paper be awesome if you don’t really believe everything you’re saying?
Have you slogged through a blog post that you didn’t want to write, didn’t really care about, and didn’t care if other people cared about it?
You write the words and you mull over some details, but the passion isn’t there. The creative drive isn’t there. You just write it for the sake of writing it – whether you needed to maintain a schedule or just needed a filler piece of content – and it doesn’t have much value for anyone involved.
Content that’s awesome to consume has to be awesome to write, first and foremost. If you don’t care about the subject matter, either find someone who does or change the topic of the post. Because if it is written haphazardly or without attention to detail, no one will extract any value from it.
Content that’s awesome to consume has to be awesome to write.
One of my favorite feelings at work is the one I get when I spend tons of time, both in the office and at home, perfecting a blog post that I really care about. After a while, I get the feeling that this piece of content is like my baby – I want it to look perfect, flow nicely, and read easily. I’ll spend as much time as possible to make sure that happens.
Being passionate is important – writing exclusively about things for which you don’t feel strongly is senseless. If it was awesome for you to write, it will likely be awesome for your audience to read.
3. Awesome content goes off the beaten path
Personally, I find the most value in content that presents new ideas, new concepts, or new lines of reasoning with which I wasn’t familiar before.
My favorite writers are the ones that are creative enough to think outside the box, and brave enough to present those ideas to the public regardless of the reaction it might receive. Fresh content is far more enticing to readers than something they’ve read a thousand times, stay up to date on the latest trends and always keep your content new and exciting.
Teach me something new, and I’ll immediately appreciate it more than an articulate post that I feel like I’ve read 1000 times.
4. Awesome content can come from other people
It’s okay to admit that sometimes, you’re not the authority on a given subject. You, a content marketer, might not be the best person to write a blog post about quantum chemistry.
In that case, it is more than acceptable to find someone who is qualified to write on that subject, and seek their help in crafting your content. It’s good to get a new voice on your blog every once in awhile – it lightens your workload, gives someone else a chance to express themselves, and gives the reader exposure to a different voice with different opinions.
Even brainstorming new ideas with a group, or interviewing someone you admire could aide in the generation and development of awesome content!
5. Awesome content is relevant
As mentioned before, awesome content is created with the reader in mind. As obvious as it sounds, relevant content is not as common as it should be because too many companies create the content they want and not what their audience needs.
Refining the simpler aspects of your content can make a huge difference in your results. Perfecting details such as navigation and organization will keep your audience from getting frustrated and will keep them engaged in your content.
Another important factor that makes all the difference in your content is keywords. Using specific, trending keywords will help with SERP rankings and you can even use “long-tail keywords”, which are longer more specific keywords that generally rank higher.
6. Awesome Content Incorporates Awesome Media
Media does a lot of great things for your content, specifically when it comes to rank. Including images, videos, and graphics in your content both pushes it higher in SERP rankings, and holds the attention of your audience.
One tactic that could be useful in this department is the “name recognition” strategy. Name recognition refers to the combination of a popular entertainment subject and the topic of your content. This results in unique, eye-catching content with a theme that resonates with your audience.
Example: How Characters from “The Office” can Teach Us about Repurposing Content
Incorporating media and entertainment sources that are recognizable and enjoyable will leave a lasting impression on them and can also increase the amount of shares your content gets.
Basic Characteristics of Effective Content:
Make Your Content Awesome
To wrap up, you can make your content awesome to consume by thinking about your audience, thinking about yourself, taking the road less traveled, and seeking out help from others when applicable.
It’ll require a little more work to get this done, sure. But more than anything, making your content awesome to consume requires a shift in your creative mindset. Start thinking of your content strategy in different terms – think about making the stuff you create awesome – and the other blocks will fall into place.
If you are ready to get your own awesome content on your site, check out our Content Builder Service. Set up a quick consultation, and I’ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today–and generate more traffic and leads for your business.
If you’re looking for some additional tips to making awesome content, check out this infographic:
This is, dare I say it, AWESOME post! I like how the post is so meta (an awesome post talking about how to write awesome posts) and it delivers in a big way. Also, great content is all about communicating your ideas and thoughts in the clearest possible way that is highly targeted to your specific audience. No tracking tools, advanced data, and analytics will truly replace this kind of content.
Also, hope you don’t mind that I linked the post on my blog: https://christopherjanb.com/blog/write-wednesday-vol-4 I curate the best content marketing, blogging, and freelance writing posts for the week, and I included yours!
Keep up the great work and have a good day!