Feel like your content is stale? Having trouble keeping your website or social media up-to-date? Here are 5 handy tips that will boost you above the competition:
1. DEVELOP A SCHEDULE
Okay, okay. This sounds totally boring and tedious, but it is THE number one thing you can do when it comes to creating fresh content. Set aside a chunk of time every day (whether it’s a half hour in the morning, a few minutes during lunch, or whatever) and dedicate that time to freshening up your content. Surf the web, create a list of handy articles you find, and post them to your website or social media platforms. Try to dedicate at least one day per week to creating your OWN content in the form of a blog post or newsletter.
Look to steps 2-5 for great content creation shortcuts.
2. SUBSCRIBE TO GOOGLE ALERTS
Get daily (or weekly) alerts delivered to your inbox about the subjects that matter most to YOU. Do you care about fashion, photography, ice skating? Does your business revolve around career coaching? Diversity training? Security systems? Subscribe to GOOGLE ALERTS and find interesting new content to share with your audience.
Alternatively, use your favorite RSS FEED READER to get updates from your favorite websites.
3. CROSS-POLLINATE
If you’re attempting to keep up your website, multiple social media platforms, AND a blog, it can all feel a little overwhelming at times. That’s where cross-pollination comes into play. You can link many of your platforms together so that your content is disseminated across multiple areas. For instance, you can schedule an automatic tweet/Facebook post/LinkedIn update when you publish a blog post. You can also put a Twitter or Facebook feed on your website so that any site visitors can easily see your recent activity (and the website will always seem fresh). You can link your Instagram account to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. so that your snazzy photo will be shared across all your social platforms.
With cross-pollination, you can ease the burden of trying to be everywhere at once. Focus on what you love and let your content spread through your linked accounts.
4. POST EVERGREEN CONTENT
What is evergreen content? That’s the stuff that stays fresh and relevant, no matter the original posting date. Maybe you’re a construction company and you’ve written a blog post about winterizing your home–THAT’S evergreen. It will be relevant year after year for homeowners.
Take advantage of that longevity. Feel free to repost evergreen items every once in a while to your audience.
What’s NOT evergreen? Promotions, holiday greetings, event reminders…anything that will become irrelevant after a given time period.
5. DON’T GET HUNG UP ON #TRENDS
It can feel like a social media rat race when you try to tweet or post about whatever topic is trending at the moment. Unless you love being on the daily pulse (or truly have something to say about a hot issue), don’t work yourself into a frenzy trying to keep up with the latest trending topic. Instead, focus on your business and your personal area of expertise. Concentrate on what’s relevant in your industry and what will REMAIN relevant to your audience in the foreseeable future.
Keep in mind: your contention creation is NOT about you. It’s about your audience. Do them a service by relaying quality advice, tips, or professional opinions. Give them information that they can use. Make yourself (and your company) a value resource to them, and they’ll keep coming back.
BONUS TIP: HIRE HELP
If you’re up to your ears with work, don’t be afraid to hire help. While we encourage you to at least ATTEMPT to create your own content for a while (this helps you develop a genuine voice and build an understanding of your audience), we understand that not everyone has the time or inclination. Hire an expert (or several) to either get you going or maintain the content creation work that you’ve already started. Companies like CLICK CLACK WRITING specialize in content creation for businesses. Other companies like TENA.CIOUS specialize in social media marketing and can help set you up with a comprehensive social media strategy. Whatever your needs may be, there are companies out there that can help. By hiring outside help, you can get back to the work you REALLY love.
Good luck with creating fresh, interesting content! If you need further help, please don’t hesitate to REACH OUT TO US today.
–Kate & the Click Clack Team
