5 Creative Tactics to Make Your Content More Original Draft
There is a lot of online content. Over 600 million blogs currently exist online, contributing to an oversaturated content world. You must invest in your content strategy to create original, quality content to stand out. This factor will make or break your success — it's what readers today expect and demand.
Data shows that around 60% of people read blogs at least once a week, which is why unique, well-crafted content is everything. People are bombarded with content, so they'll likely return when they find a source they enjoy and trust. If you can continuously engage and educate your readers, you can build a loyal following that may convert into paying customers.
As we head into 2023, here is what to consider when aiming to craft top-notch content your audience will want to read. Use the following tactics to create content that is more original and engaging.
1. Hyper-Focus on What Your Audience Needs
Often, readers seek content that will help them learn something or solve a problem. In other cases, content is created solely for entertainment purposes. Either way, the content needs to meet the exceptions and needs of the intended readers. When creating a list of topics, go to the source. What does your audience want to know?
Depending on your industry, it may be easy to find online forums or groups on social media that relate to what it is you offer. For example, if you're selling cybersecurity software, head to a related forum to see what questions people are asking. What are their challenges? Use this insight to create content that addresses the unique wants and needs of those you're targeting.
Creating original, targeted content becomes much more straightforward when you are focused on your audience, industry, and brand. The goal is to publish content tailored to your audience while focusing on who you are as a brand. Remember, if you're trying to target everyone, you'll target no one.
Consider these tips to drive your content marketing strategy:
- Identify your audience, conduct market research, and invest in personalization. The more you understand your audience, the easier it is to personalize campaigns, messages, and sales funnels.
- Present your message as a solution. If you identify your customers' pain points, write content that provides them with the answers they seek. Although you can weave your brand's offerings within the content, it's vital to keep your content relatable. Don't be afraid to use stories to trigger emotion. This tactic can make you more memorable and transparent, leading to greater trust.
2. Stay on Top of Trends to Inject Your Perspective
It's crucial to stay relevant, which is why you'll want to focus on industry trends. How is your industry evolving, and what does that mean for your audience? As current trends and events unfold, use these topics as an opportunity to spread awareness about your brand. How does your brand relate to the latest trends, and how can you use such topics to build stronger connections with your audience?
The key is to stay true to your brand tone, ensuring the content is as unique and engaging as possible.
In addition to researching industry-related trends, you should remain mindful of content marketing trends. For example, conducting A/B testing on your most popular blog posts and pillar pages is more important than ever. Alter your call-to-action (CTA) and see if that influences conversion rates. From hyper-personalization to interactive content, there's plenty to consider. Staying on top of these trends will help you stretch your marketing budget further.
Dive deeper: Content Marketing Statistics: 2023 Trends & Predictions
3. Repurpose Old Content
Who said you need to start from scratch? Why not repurpose some of your top-performing pieces if you have an extensive library of blog posts, white papers, case studies, etc.? There are several ways you can approach this tactic.
- The first option is to rewrite dated blog posts. For example, if you wrote an article on the top ten tech trends in 2015 that was well-received among your readers, why not rewrite it for 2023 and beyond? This option is more so refreshing content, which can help you save time while focusing on a topic you know will do well.
- The second option is to alter content to turn it into a new medium. For example, why not repurpose some of your most popular podcasts into blog posts for those who prefer to read — and vice versa? You could also take a popular how-to article and expand on it to create a downloadable ebook.
As you sift through past content, pay attention to any potential gaps. Do you now offer something that you didn't before? Are you lacking content that drives awareness about your latest product or service? For example, if you're a dentist, you may have published a ton of content on oral health but have not written anything about your latest venture — laser dentistry.
Read more: 4 Ways to Repurpose Your Evergreen Content
4. Open Up Your Mind to Ideas From Everywhere
As you and your team have likely experienced, creativity can't be forced. While plenty of brainstorming and SEO tools can help guide you toward potential topics, the best ideas often come to you when you least expect them. Keep an open mind when meeting new people, learning new things, or receiving suggestions. Write down potential ideas to see if anything comes of them.
As your content needs grow, it may be time to consider content development outside your internal team. Not only can this be a wise move to reduce manual labor and boost your ROI, but it's also a way to consistently publish fresh content. For example, professional freelance writers can help you develop new topics or see old ones from a new perspective. In this case, invest in new material or content tune-ups — hiring external writers to improve readability, SEO potential, and the overall impact of the original content.
You can provide a general topic idea and then fill in a brief to provide any and all details. As American educator Stephen Convey said, "We accomplish all that we do through delegation — either to time or to other people." This statement applies significantly to business, especially concerning content creation. Outsource your ideas and SEO research so that professional writers can create an original piece while you focus on larger-picture goals.
Read more about conducting SEO research:
5. Prioritize Research
The best, most original blogs take an idea, create a unique outline, and then back up all major points with relevant, interesting research. When you speak from experience and back up your knowledge with supportive data, that can be a winning combination — especially when written in a storytelling format.
If you have the resources to do so, you can even take this tactic to the next level by investing in your own original research. There are several options for you to conduct research, all of which can help you stand out and get more shares and clicks, including the following:
- Surveys — Use survey software like Survey Gizmo to create a clear, neutral survey. Questions should be simple and unbiased. Once complete, promote it on your social media channels, website, email newsletter, etc.
- Run experiments — Start with a hypothesis, focusing on something you suspect your audience would care about. Then, experiment using various testing methods. Again, A/B testing is an effective option. Once you have the results, publish them. This data can be presented in a blog post, video, or infographic.
- Analyze your data — How consumers use your product or service creates data. Use that data to your advantage to create research-focused content your audience will want to read.
Don't Settle — Invest in Quality Content This Year
One of the most important things you can do to ensure optimal results this year is to invest in your content marketing strategy. Many content marketers increase their marketing budgets yearly to generate brand awareness, build credibility, and educate their audience. You could easily be left behind if you don't prioritize original, high-quality content.
If you need help getting started, end-to-end content solutions, like Scripted, are available. This platform offers options for businesses of all sizes, including turnkey solutions for large enterprises. From start to finish, the process is completed within Scripted's all-in-one platform, ensuring a seamless experience, regardless of the stage you require assistance with.
For example, you can gain assistance and support with any of the following:
- Content Strategy and Ideation
- Content Creation & Workflow
- Publishing and Promotion
- Performance and Optimization
How hands-on you want to be is up to you. Having the option to be heavily or barely involved makes Scripted a flexible and supportive content marketing solution.
Ready to get started? Search for writers by topic to enjoy time-savings and reduced costs, all while receiving original content written at the highest standard. Sign-up for a 30-day free trial today!
