Buzzsumo Director Steve Rayson published a post last month that set the tone for content marketing. (Pun intended.)
This Post, The Future Is More Content, examined the debate about which content strategy is best: producing high-quality content or producing large volumes of potentially lower-quality material.
It is of more excellent value to the reader.
Backlinks are available in more significant numbers, which increases the chances that they will rank high in search engine result pages (SERPs).
It is shared and linked more often.
There are many reasons to produce a large volume of content:
Reports indicate more leads from creating more content
Website traffic increases when there is more content
Rayson acknowledged in this lengthy and thorough Post that Rayson’s quality over quantity argument might have a fatal flaw. The numbers don’t add up. This was a shocking revelation for those in the “quality content is more important than high volume” camp. Although there is still enough data and feedback from users to keep me in the center for a while,
He showed data to his readers that clearly showed the increasing rate of content creation. This is thanks to the growth in literacy rates worldwide and increased internet access.
He also demonstrated that the quality of content is increasing, so this is not a content tsunami.
How does all this add up? How is it possible to create exponentially more content each year while improving the quality of our content? Content marketers have the same 24-hour workday.
He explained it by looking at what Jeff Bezos did for The Washington Post to help surpass The New York Times’ web visitors at the close of 2015.
The Washington Post published 1,200 articles per day under Bezos’s direction.
However, this content is:
Data backing. Bezos employed data scientists to analyze high-traction content. The Post has learned how to generate more viral headlines from this information.
Partially automated. Bandito software allows The Post to publish multiple headlines, photos, and story treatments using a data-driven algorithm.
Long-tail content strategies support this strategy. Long-tail content is content that caters to specific niches rather than broader audiences.
What should a marketing manager do? What content should you produce to achieve the best results?
Find Your Goal
Your objective should be aligning your content marketing strategies with your primary goal.
Stick with more frequent, high-quality content if you are looking to build authority and credibility.
High-quality, more frequent content is better if you aim to rise to the top of SERPs.
A high-volume approach is a smart choice if you are looking to increase website traffic.
If your primary goal is to increase the volume and quality of leads, it makes sense to increase the volume of your content.
Content Planning (No Matter How Big)
If I were a marketing manager in a medium-sized business that deals with website traffic and lead volume and read the Post by Steve Rayson, I would be tempted to start hiring writers from Fiverr and creating massive quantities of lower-quality content.
Let me stop you there.
You don’t have to follow Bezos’s strategy or create much content. There’s still time for thoughtful planning.
Let’s go through this step-by-step before you rethink your entire content marketing strategy to publish new content daily.
Get Your Team TogetherThese people will be your minimum.
Content writers. (Remember that quality is essential. Budget for the best writers that you can afford. You will be able to increase your company’s credibility and authority.
Editors will ensure the content is not contaminated by spelling and grammar errors.
To protect your reputation, fact-checkers are a good idea. Editors may sometimes be fact-checkers. But don’t assume. You should make sure that this person is responsible.
Designers can design blog graphics and e-books. They will make your content look more appealing while maintaining your brand’s style.
Create a Content Plan For Each Buyer Persona
Every buyer has different needs at each stage of their Buyer’s Journey. Certain content types are better suited to meet specific needs.
Take each buyer individually, and draw a map of what they require during the Awareness, Consideration, and Decision stages.