Three Essential Things to Make Good and Fresh Content

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Every marketer needs to test and optimize their content and messaging regularly to get the best results. Here are three simple, yet powerful themes that all content marketers need to keep in mind.

1. Innovation

The term “innovation” gets a lot different approach, but a fresh, new twist on familiar ideas is still a fitting definition. However, the problem doesn’t lie on the usage of the term “innovation”. It’s more the effort in trying to justify where it is applied.

You don’t need the marketing armies and obscene budgets of brands like Nike, Coke and Red Bull to strive for innovation. On the other hand, you do need to try harder and break out of the herd mentality with content to stand apart and make jaws drop.

One example: The WaterIsLife.com campaign using video, Twitter and other social channels to hijack the hashtag #FirstWorldProblems and alter the conversation from whiny tweets to attention for a serious global issue.

Is creating truly inspired content difficult? Usually. Persistence is the key. If you’re persistent and aren’t banking on overnight success every time, you will see the results.

2. Emotion

We talk a lot about storytelling where content marketing is concerned. But how often do you like to read the same story over and over?

Playing positive emotions is the key.

When you tap into positive emotion, like the RainForest Alliance did with its clever and funny Follow the Frog video (1.4M views), it’s the modern equivalent of rallying the townspeople with pitchforks and torches to go get Frankenstein. Well, we are lazier now, so we click, like, retweet and share.

3. Engaging

One important thing to remember is that social media works best when it’s focused on helping people solve problems in their lives (both work and personal), not just pushing products and services. While this isn’t revolutionary, the problem is, that idea is often forgotten or misplaced.

Social media aren’t meant to be the world’s shortest press release. How often do you care about every little thing a company does? If people like your page, follow you on Twitter, get your email updates, and even flat out love your company, they all still need a break sometimes. Combine being helpful with not oversharing, like be there when we need you, and be memorable enough that your audiences think of you first even without daily reminders.

The common thing with these three themes is that outstanding content marketing really isn’t all about budgets or bandwidth, but the approach and how well you’re putting people first, with a creative twist. Start get cracking on that, and cut down on all of the crap.