A girl jolts awake at nighttime, awoken by a thud from downstairs. A wizard, who’s been coaching within the magical arts since he was a boy, is about to face his first nice take a look at. Aircraft crash survivors on a distant island grapple with their new circumstances.
Every sentence is the beginning of a brand-new story. And one way or the other, in a single sentence, these tales have the facility to seize our consideration and spark our curiosity—one thing content material entrepreneurs intention for with each piece they create.
So, what’s the important thing to efficiently capturing curiosity in business audiences? Creativity.
How Can We Get Artistic with Content material Advertising?
As a content material marketer for a B2B tech firm, I understand how burnout feels and the way laborious it’s to generate new concepts. There’s round the clock stress to create new content material—whether or not the objective of that content material is to recruit for an occasion on social media or promote a brand new product on the weblog. Typically, I really feel extra like a content material machine than a content material strategist.
When you share this sentiment, we’re not the one ones. In reality, analysis finds that 61 p.c of creators are experiencing burnout.
Entrepreneurs can’t produce their finest work in the event that they’re burnt out. And in case your content material doesn’t stand out out of your competitors, it received’t flip your prospects’ heads. Content material high quality is a significant factor for potential consumers evaluating manufacturers with related merchandise. Research present that poor-quality content material decreases the likelihood of a sale by 40 p.c.
Your model’s content material wants to seize consideration, or your prospects will go elsewhere. How do you make that occur? With extra creativity.
3 Methods to Improve Creativity in Your Content material Advertising
For now, let’s overlook about search engine marketing, analytics, firm targets, and deadlines. As an alternative, let’s concentrate on alternative ways to spark creativity with content material to gauge curiosity and engagement.
1. Develop a Deep Understanding of Your Model
The traditional Greek aphorism “Know thyself” suggests that is the best type of information. The identical college of thought applies to your organization’s model.
You could be considering, “Clearly! I’m a marketer. It’s my job to dwell and breathe our model.” Even if you happen to clearly perceive your merchandise, firm values, and goal persona(s), doing a intestine verify in your model is important. Even veteran workers and model creators have to ask themselves, “Is that this consultant of who we’re?” at instances.
Does everybody in your group share the identical understanding? If not, it’s time to make sure everyone seems to be on the identical web page. You’ll be able to’t produce inventive content material with out one key ingredient: Consistency.
Your model wants to face for one thing, and your content material must make noise in your trade.
However with out a constant model underlying all of your content material, your most sensible concepts will confuse your viewers.
“Creativity” doesn’t imply each weblog publish or whitepaper you write is drastically completely different from the one earlier than it. In reality, the definition of creativity is solely “using creativeness or authentic concepts.”
Is now the time to redefine your model or convey new concepts to the desk to current a inventive however unified new entrance? A re-vamp might assist make your content material really feel extra contemporary and thrilling. Or, possibly your group simply wants richer documentation and model requirements, so everyone seems to be rowing in the identical route.
2. Experiment with Totally different Media
Virtually each firm with a content material advertising operate covers a number of core areas. The most typical embody an energetic weblog, social media, long-form property (like eBooks and whitepapers), e mail newsletters, and buyer case research.
Don’t get us mistaken: You want these kinds of property. They’re the bread and butter of content material advertising. However creativity is about bringing novel concepts to the desk. Reducing-edge thought management is one solution to stand out. However are you able to go even additional?
Along with fascinated with the “what,” take into consideration the “how.” How are you going to use completely different media to current content material in a means that few others are leveraging? It’s 2023, and there are such a lot of methods we are able to relay data from one particular person to a different. For instance:
Multimedia content material: Movies, infographics, podcast
An estimated 3.63 billion individuals worldwide will watch digital video content material in 2023. But solely 12 p.c of entrepreneurs really feel like they’re utilizing video to its full potential. There’s an enormous alternative right here. Whether or not utilizing visuals to assist inform a narrative or creating content material that prospects can take heed to, multimedia content material can relay extra digestible content material extra effectively. In reality, it’s estimated that one minute of video is price 1.8 million phrases.
Interactive content material: Quizzes, embedded displays, dynamic charts, and graphics
Content material customers need one factor: Worth. When you can reply a query they’ve or remedy an issue, you’ll earn their loyalty. Partaking, customized, and interactive content material is an effective way to do this.
Interactive content material, like a quiz that tells you the place your group might finest profit from AI, additionally encourages prospects to share their views with their networks.
3. Strive a Hub-and-Spoke Content material Technique
You’ll be able to’t generate inventive content material with out killer concepts. Sadly, generally these concepts don’t come to you whenever you want them. Whenever you really feel caught, lean on the facility of an excellent brainstorming method. The hub-and-spoke technique is considered one of our favorites.
What’s hub and spoke?
Image a bicycle tire with a hub within the middle and a myriad of spokes branching out of it. The hub-and-spoke content material technique comes from that visible.
When devising a hub-and-spoke technique, you want one core content material piece from which all different items will derive. Sometimes, this may be a bigger content material asset, like a video course on lead technology technique or an eBook about rising cybersecurity dangers. From there, the spokes are items of content material that broaden upon concepts inside the core asset, comparable to quick video clips on social media, a weblog publish, or an infographic.
Hubs and spokes are nice for creating a giant splash marketing campaign from one robust, inventive core concept. It additionally retains readers in your web site longer, as every bit can hyperlink to at least one one other, or all items can roll off from a core pillar web page. It’s a superb alternative for prospects curious about a selected matter to do a deep dive into your model.
A hub-and-spoke brainstorming session nearly at all times yields wonderful outcomes on your group. It lets you create a listing of associated concepts and use solely the very best ones. Maybe one concept you thought can be nice is a lifeless finish. Nonetheless, one other concept takes off and lets you develop content material that includes distinctive views in supporting items, comparable to interviews with inner stakeholders.
Put Your Most Artistic Foot Ahead
The nice, massive world of content material is your oyster!
By creating content material that prioritizes creativity, you can also make each piece of content material you produce a fantastic, wealthy story that captivates your readers and immerses them in your merchandise, your group, and your core values.
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