A lady jolts awake at midnight, 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 check. Airplane crash survivors on a distant island grapple with their new circumstances.
Every sentence is the beginning of a brand-new story. And by some means, in a single sentence, these tales have the ability to seize our consideration and spark our curiosity—one thing content material entrepreneurs purpose 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 purpose 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.
In the event 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 greatest work in the event that they’re burnt out. And in case your content material doesn’t stand out out of your competitors, it gained’t flip your prospects’ heads. Content material high quality is a significant component for potential patrons evaluating manufacturers with comparable merchandise. Research present that poor-quality content material decreases the chance 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 in advertising belongings.
3 methods to embrace artistic content material advertising
For now, let’s neglect about website positioning, analytics, firm objectives, and deadlines. As a substitute, 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 very best type of information. The identical college of thought applies to your organization’s model.
You is likely to be pondering, “Clearly! I’m a marketer. It’s my job to reside and breathe our model.” Even in case you clearly perceive your merchandise, firm values, and goal persona(s), doing a intestine verify in your model is crucial. Even veteran staff and model creators have to ask themselves, “Is that this consultant of who we’re?” at occasions.
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 may’t produce artistic content material with out one key ingredient: Consistency.
Your model wants to face for one thing, and your artistic content material must make noise in your trade.
However and not using a constant model underlying all of your content material, your most sensible concepts will confuse your viewers.
“Creativity” doesn’t imply each weblog put up 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 carry new concepts to the desk to current a artistic however unified new entrance? A re-vamp may assist make your content material really feel extra contemporary and thrilling. Or, perhaps your group simply wants richer documentation and model requirements, so everyone seems to be rowing in the identical course.
2. Experiment with completely different media
Nearly each firm with a content material advertising perform covers just a few core areas. The commonest embrace an energetic weblog, social media, long-form belongings (like eBooks and whitepapers), electronic mail newsletters, and buyer case research.
Don’t get us unsuitable: You want most of these belongings. They’re the bread and butter of content material advertising. However creativity in advertising is about bringing novel concepts to the desk. Reducing-edge thought management is one approach to stand out. However are you able to go even additional?
Along with interested by the “what,” take into consideration the “how.” How are you going to use completely different media to current artistic content material in a manner 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 value 1.8 million phrases.
Interactive content material: Quizzes, embedded shows, dynamic charts, and graphics
Content material shoppers need one factor: Worth. In the event you can reply a query they’ve or resolve an issue, you’ll earn their loyalty. Participating, customized, and interactive artistic content material is an effective way to do this.
Interactive content material, like a quiz that tells you the place your group may greatest profit from AI, additionally encourages prospects to share their views with their networks.
3. Strive a hub-and-spoke content material technique
You may’t generate artistic content material with out killer concepts. Sadly, generally these concepts don’t come to you once you want them. Once you really feel caught, lean on the ability of brainstorming approach. The hub-and-spoke technique is one in all 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 is able to be a bigger content material asset, like a video course on lead era technique or an eBook about rising cybersecurity dangers. From there, the spokes are items of artistic content material that broaden upon concepts inside the core asset, resembling quick video clips on social media, a weblog put up, or an infographic.
Hubs and spokes are nice for creating an enormous splash marketing campaign from one robust, artistic core concept. It additionally retains readers in your web site longer, as each bit can hyperlink to at least one one other, or all items can roll off from a core pillar web page. It’s a wonderful alternative for prospects all for a particular matter to do a deep dive into your model.
A hub-and-spoke brainstorming session virtually at all times yields wonderful outcomes in your group. It lets you create an inventory of associated concepts and use solely the most effective ones. Maybe one concept you thought can be nice is a lifeless finish. Nonetheless, one other concept takes off and lets you develop artistic content material that includes distinctive views in supporting items, resembling interviews with inner stakeholders.
Put your most artistic foot ahead
The nice, huge 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 lovely, wealthy story that captivates your readers and immerses them in your merchandise, your group, and your core values.
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