Proliferation

Aug 12
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What Are the Different Types of Content?

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‘Content’ is one of those marketing buzzwords that gets passed around more frequently than your weekly office bulletin. And for good reason — after all, what would content marketing be without the content? But too many people working in businesses from Utah to New England don’t seem to have a good grasp on what content really is — and all the different forms it can take.

Written Content

Probably the first thing you think of when you think ‘content’ is written content. Written content can be a lot of things, from the most basic copy on your website to the most intricately detailed how-to guide.

The most common kinds of written content are:

  • Blogs
  • Articles
  • Stories
  • Lists/listicles
  • How-to guides
  • EBooks

Blogs, when updated regularly, are great for building consistent readership, and provide a forum for addressing topics that may be relevant to the target audience. Articles and stories may cover current happenings in your industry, and lists (or listicles) are a format of written content that’s easily digested and shared — perfect for content marketing.

How-to guides and eBooks are a little more elaborate, but can act as powerful methods for sharing your expertise with your target audience. Work for an adventure sports company in Utah? A comprehensive guide to outdoor activities in Utah is sure to do wonders for your company’s authority within your field — and it provides value to your target audience.

Visual Content

Visual content consists of well, visuals. Visual content is usually created in the form of photos, graphics, infographics or even memes.

Infographics are the pinnacle of visual content in the world of marketing right now. Infographics are more likely to be viewed and shared, and some research even indicates visual information is significantly more likely to be remembered later on down the line.

Your average photo or graphic can be used to liven up your blog posts or company webpages, but they can also boost engagement on social media. As any content marketing expert knows, a Facebook post or Tweet with an image attached gets significantly more engagement than a text-only post.

Finally, memes, a relatively recent phenomenon on the internet, can be used for humorous purposes — and that’s pretty much it. Don’t overuse these (or try to use them when you don’t really understand them) or they may end up devaluing your brand.

Other Media ­– Video, Podcasts, Interviews

Besides text and visuals, other media formats such as videos, podcasts and interviews can be great ways to liven up your content marketing. Consumer engagement with video has grown tremendously in the past few years, and experts don’t expect its progression to slow anytime soon.

While video is great for the audio-visual audience, podcasts are best for the audiophiles. Invite an expert or panel to join you for an interview on a particular topic, update your podcast regularly and make sure you’re getting the word out. Your audience’s morning commute from Farmington, Utah will never be the same.

Optimize Your Content for Different Platforms 

As you can see, there are many different kinds of content, and we’ve only just scratched the surface. Whether you’re a content marketing analyst for a startup in Utah or a marketing director in the Big Apple, transforming your content for all different kinds of mediums is truly powerful.

Looking for an example? Just look at this infographic and video we’ve got to go along with this post.

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Aug 08
0

Inspiring Content Writers

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

Content marketing is a vital part of any successful business plan, and it would not be possible without a good content writing team. Your content writers are master wordsmiths, but even they need a little inspiration from time to time.

By giving your content writers a creative friendly environment, you ensure the happiness of your staff and the quality of the products. From Utah to Europe, inspiration can be found in numerous ways, one only needs to look. Allow your creative team to explore and innovate in a way that sparks creativity, your content marketing quality depends on it.

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Aug 03
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How Snapchat Memories Will Change Content Marketing

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media channels today, especially among younger markets. Some content marketing agencies in Utah think it may even overthrow Facebook’s long-held supremacy on the social world.

Well, this news may add support to those opinions: Snapchat just announced changes that will allow content marketers to use the social media platform in new and, frankly, kind of awesome ways.

Snapchat Memories

Snapchat Memories is the newest feature on a social media site known for the fact that it is always evolving. Snapchat is still discovering its identity in the social world. Memories is an evolution that seems small but could drastically change content marketing.

The Snapchat blog explained Memories as a way “to create new Stories from Snaps you’ve taken, or even combine different Stories into a longer narrative.” Why is it such a big deal? Snapchat’s notoriety came from being a service that operated in real-time. Users have to post content as it happens, with no way to create content and post it after the fact. Memories changes everything.

What Content Marketers Can Do

With Memories, a content marketing company in Utah could create pictures and other content and then publish that content at a later date. Without the pressure of real-time publication, the quality of produced content will most likely grow. Content can be created and edited outside of Snapchat and then uploaded. This same Utah agency could even stitch together Snapchat Stories made of content that was originally published on other platforms.

Essentially, Memories allows for greater content sharing between Snapchat and other platforms. The possibilities for marketers to use Snapchat more extensively and efficiently are endless, but every new movement has its challenges (like Taylor Swift’s transition to pop music…haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate…)

If marketers start publishing tons of high quality content while the average Snapchat user is publishing in real time, snaps could lose the feeling of authentic interaction that makes them an effective way to reach audiences in the first place. In the end, will Memories move content marketing for better or worse? Time, and snaps, will tell.

Jul 27
0

Three Ways to Combat Writer’s Block

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Writer’s block doesn’t always mean that you have to stare at a wall for hours until an idea hits you; on the contrary, you should view writer’s block as a way to formulate new, fresh ideas. Content marketing doesn’t have to be tough — especially if you’re producing a high volume of content for clients all over Utah and beyond. But with a few simple tips, you can get out of that rut that you’ve been in for the past few hours. Here are three pointers to help you break out of your writer’s block — without throwing anything at your kitchen walls.

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Jul 20
0

The Gaga Principle: Making Your Content Stand Out

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

In the past few years, content marketing has exploded from a relatively new concept to the industry standard. Everyone from marketers in Utah to entrepreneurs on the East Coast creates content, which means it’s becoming ever more difficult to be relevant. With so much content available, how can you make your content stand out?

Take a minute and think about Lady Gaga. That’s right, Gaga. You’re thinking, “What in the world does Lady Gaga have to do with content marketing in Utah?” Well, wherever she goes, the woman stands out. Her popularity soared because she was able to find a niche audience and give them what they wanted.

Being relevant in content marketing follows this same principle — the Gaga principle, if you will. The Gaga principle states that to be relevant your content must be unique, be directed to a specific audience and be valuable to that audience.

When we say that your content should be unique, you say, “duh.” However, creating unique content is easier said than done. Writers tend to glean inspiration from others, but if you search “content marketing in Utah” and then write an article about the exact same topic as the top article on the web, you’re just saying something somebody else has said in a different way. Search the web for ideas, but instead of looking at what is out there, ask yourself, “What isn’t in these search results? What is missing?” That’s what you should write about.

The more specific your audience, the better. The most common problem when creating content is trying to appeal to multiple audiences at once. Pick one, and the more niche the audience the better. Don’t just write for adults ages 18–30. Write for adults ages 18–30 in Utah who own dogs. When this demographic searches, your content will appear instead of being lost in a sea of hundreds of pieces.

After you select a niche audience, write content that is valuable to them. The best content gives people useful information. A good rule of thumb is that the more in-depth your content is, the more valuable your content will be.

You can make your content relevant. You really can. It takes time, research and planning, but it’s worth it. By working to give a specific audience unique and valuable content, your popularity will grow. As Lady Gaga would say, you’re on the edge of glory.

Jul 18
0

Reading and Content Marketing? Yes, There’s a Link

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

It’s a fairly known fact that avid readers make avid writers; however, does reading on a regular basis contribute directly to a higher success rate for content marketers? Reading on a regular basis expands vocabulary, heightens the ability to empathize and stretches personal world-views. How do these attributes contribute directly to a successful content marketing campaign —and is there a link between the two?

 

Edward Abbey’s Unintentional Content Marketing Move
Edward Abbey’s novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, chronicled a group of environmental terror-ists/activists who traveled frequently throughout the American West (with quite a few references to Southern Utah). The novel was well-written and quickly became one of the most influential pieces of fiction to protect environmentally questionable activities.

The writer, Edward Abbey perhaps inadvertently used his voracious reading skills and witty writ-ing style to create a piece of environmentally-conscious fiction that would go on to unintention-ally became a content marketing centerpiece for political activism, specifically throughout the Southern Utah region.

 

Reading to Adapt to Different Brand Voices
Avid readers don’t just adapt the diction of whatever author they’re currently engrossed in; they also learn to embody the distinct voices, personalities and quirks of protagonists. The ability to embody a wide variety of different brand voices is the golden fleece of content marketing — and a skill set that any avid reader picked up long ago.

Reading on a regular basis — whether it’s sci-fi, fantasy, fiction, non-fiction or autobiographical — familiarizes the reader with different character and author voices, which ultimately serves greater positive purposes within the content marketing spectrum.

 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Read Everything
Here’s our advice for any current content marketing experts or wannabe content marketers: Read. Read everything you can get your hands on, whether it’s a discount, trash novel that you’ve found at a garage sale or it’s a non-fiction guide to the deserts of Southern Utah. Read-ing on a regular basis will up your content marketing game.

Jul 14
0

Key Members of a Successful Content Marketing Team

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it is safe to say that it takes an entire team to create quality content. Content marketing can be difficult to master, but when done correctly — content marketing has the power to exponentially build business. From Utah to Europe, content marketing draws in consumers and functions as the driving force behind great online business.

If your business, be it located in Utah or beyond, wishes to grow its content marketing capabilities, it need only to create the content marketing dream team.

Strategists

No content marketing campaign is complete without the help of a strategist. A strategist looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing a businesses and helps generate content pertinent to those areas.

The strategist helps the team find the best places to put content, the best topics to write on and the most effective way to reach audiences.

Writers

You won’t have content if someone does not create it, so without writers, content marketing is non-existent. Quality writing is always in style and the better the writing, the better for business. Writers must incorporate SEO and know the voice of each client individually.

Designers

In an increasingly digital world, it is important that a marketing team use designers. Designers lay the content out in a way that is easy to read and easy to find. If readers can’t navigate the content, they are not likely to continue reading, thus designers are vital.

Designers are the bridge between visual and textual information. Without them, a content marketing team would be nowhere near complete.

The prefect content marketing team does not end there, though. For each individual business, other content marketing team members can be added to create a perfect and personalized team. Whether you’re in Utah or beyond, great content is generated by a great content marketing team.

Jul 07
0

The Difference Between Content Marketing for a New Company vs. an Established Company

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Content marketing is an art and sometimes it can be tricky to discern just what your company needs in terms of content marketing. Professional content marketing firms from Utah to Europe know the ins and outs of the marketing world, and whether your company has been around for 50 years or it is just starting, a content marketing firm can help.

Though many similarities exist, there is a difference in the approach to content marketing between new and establish companies. If young Luke Skywalker does different training exercises than established master Yoda, it stands to reason that new companies should be practicing different content marketing techniques than established companies.

New Companies

New companies often have a lot to figure out, and content marketing voice is one of those things. The voice and tone selected in the early phases of content marketing follow a company throughout its lifespan. Finding an appropriate voice is vital because this voice will be a part of every aspect of the company.

After a voice has been established, it is important that a formal strategy is created and plans and budgets are made. Without written plans, your marketing strategy is merely a wish.

In the beginning, do not over-exert yourself as you begin to grow an online following, this will come with quality content and time. In your efforts to create quality content and not over-exert though, don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new.

Established Companies

With a brand image and voice already well known, the biggest trick for established companies is remaining relevant in content marketing. No matter if your company resides in Utah or beyond, it is important to keep your content evolving.

Social media now plays a large role in content marketing because it connects Utah businesses not only with Utah but also with the world. Established companies often forget that in order to survive, they must adapt. Some companies refuse to adopt social media and because of that, marketing suffers.

Both established and new companies must be willing to make changes and sacrifices when it comes to successful content marketing. No matter the age of the company, with the right attitude and a solid creative team, success is attainable.

Jun 27
0

Why Are People Cutting the Cord?

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Cord-cutting, or the move away from traditional cable TV providers, is an undeniable phenomenon. It reflects the digital revolution that’s happening everywhere from digital marketing companies to grocery stores. This move toward apps and internet streaming begs the question: Why?

Digital marketing companies believe the psychology behind the cord-cutting movement is more than the standard “fewer people are willing to pay huge amounts of money for channels they never watch” answer. The reasoning behind the shift is different for each group of cord-cutting consumers — cord-cutters, cord-reducers and cord-nevers.

Cord-Cutters

Cord-cutters are individuals that completely stop subscribing to cable and satellite TV, instead turning to internet streaming. These people fall closest to the standard answer above; they are sick of paying an average $123 a month for cable TV and have decided to do without. They tend to be people in their 30s and early 40s, young enough to catch the Netflix craze but old enough to have already been paying for their own cable subscriptions. 

Cord-Reducers 

Cord-reducers, on the other hand, tend to encompass an older demographic — people in their late 40s and upward are less likely to cut the cord completely. Instead, they reduce their cable consumption by purchasing smaller packages or select channels. This demographic is more hesitant to move completely to internet streaming, simply because their viewing habits were built solely upon the standard airwaves and cable subscriptions.

Cord-Nevers

Cord-nevers make up the largest group of cord-cutters. Technically, cord-nevers are a class of their own because they never had cords to begin with. Cable companies should fear them more than any other group; recent research shows that 2015 marked the first time the number of cord-nevers exceeded the number of other cord-cutters. The study further predicts that by 2025, 50 percent of adults under the age of 32 won’t pay for cable.

Instead of consciously rejecting cable and satellite TV subscriptions, college students and young professionals are simply bypassing them altogether. Digital marketing companies believe that growing up in the millennial-friendly world of “on demand” means that cord-nevers built their viewing habits upon internet streaming — and don’t intend to change anytime soon.