I recently attended a webinar by Content Marketing Institute that covered trends for 2016. They began speaking about the debate between quality and quantity and my ears perked up. The answer may seem obvious. Of course we want great, quality content. But when up against the expectation of mass quantity, quality can only go so far. It’s important to stop and focus on content that matters, not just content for content’s sake.
Here’s why: content marketing isn’t such a novel idea anymore. Everyone has a Facebook page, LinkedIn profile and company-hosted blog that pushes new content for multiple purposes: SEO, lead generation or thought leadership. Content helps drive all of these initiatives. But if you’re trying to post nine times each week is anything you’re saying going to be new? Fresh? Different? And your content creators? They have to be exhausted.
I run into this problem often, which is why I kept this quote from the presentation:
“Produce the minimum amount of content to produce the maximum results.”
This isn’t to say that you should throw out your recurring content calendars now. Don’t do that. But look at how results are being driven from the expectations you’ve set for yourself. If quantity is getting in the way of quality, it may be time to stop, have a meeting, and reassess your strategy. The goal isn’t to throw loads of content on the Internet and hope someone clicks it. Instead, provide useful content that makes a customer seek you out, inquire more into your expertise, and willingly engage in developing a relationship with you.
Here at Red Mallard we’re employing this method with our clients. It looks like moving toward long-form pieces that dive into the daily needs of the audience. Or looking at what competitors are writing about and pushing beyond the standard fare. This approach has been more fun for everyone, though the process can feel longer, and even a challenge at times; still, the final pieces are remarkably better. They’re more purposeful. And we feel great knowing that we aren’t just delivering a promised metric to our clients, but something that generates true value to the reader.
Some tactical ways of going about this are to think of new ways to address a topic beyond just 500 written words. Maybe a video or infographic would better resonate with the audience. Or consider how your brand can speak to customers about related needs in their life that are indirectly associated with your services. For example, say you’re a service professional who encourages green services. Don’t just focus on green tips related to your industry. Cover all kinds of green living topics. Take your vision for sustainable practices and think bigger—write about that.
How are your content efforts going when it comes to the debate between quantity vs. quality?
Do you agree that quality wins? We’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you’re stumped when it comes to finding great topics to write about, give us a call. Our content strategy sessions are a great way to tap into your brand’s potential for content marketing success.
There are 5 questions we ask before creating a content strategy for all our clients. We’ll give them to you for free now!
