Content Is Still King

Way back in 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay called Content Is King. More than two decades later, this little piece by Gates is widely considered one of the most prophetic predictions on Internet marketing ever made. Not only is content still King, it is getting more and more important each year. In fact, no modern company can survive online without a savvy content marketing strategy.

While some companies enjoy incredible results from investing in content marketing, there are still way too many that are still floundering on the shoreline, unable to really capture the traffic and client-base that should be the natural reward for hosting high quality content on a business website. So what are the crucial differences? How can you ensure that your content marketing is going to pay off? What does a really effective content marketing plan consist of? Read on as we take a deep dive into content marketing 101 and show you how to rise to top of your industry by investing in cream of the crop content.

Not All Content is Created Equal

After Gates put content at the top of many online businesses' priority lists, content marketing became an industry in and of itself. Companies hired writers and other content producers to create copy around highly searched phrases and topics, which allowed websites to pull higher search engine rankings are gain visibility without paying for advertising clicks. While this strategy paid off for many companies, truthfully many of the actual content pages were badly written and/or not very informative. Created to attract search engines and not necessarily engage readers, this kind of content performs well at first but can actually backfire down the road.

First of all, if an Internet user does click on a result because it ranks high but then discovers that the content is of low quality, they may remember that when the same site comes up again and choose another competitor. Secondly, Google frequently updates the automated criteria, called algorithms, used to rank its results and tries to promote higher quality and more relevant content over just search phrase-stuffed SEO articles.

What that means is that employing low end content may hurt your business in the long run, even if you see some boosted visits and views in the short term. A much better strategy is to go with a high quality content marketing agency from the get-go. After all, your website is the public face of your company, and good content lets clients know that a good product or service is being offered.

What Are the Hallmarks of Quality Content?

Have you ever bookmarked a page because it contained info or links to info that you simply had never seen organized or presented so well before and you wanted to make sure you could get back to it again in the future? That is good content. Quality content goes way beyond just using SEO optimized search phrases to attract search engines and offers real people real info and resources that they find valuable.

For businesses, quality content is the ultimate competitive edge. It builds trust in your clients, empowers them, informs then and brings them back for more. And, it sells your product or services.

Here are five qualities that well written content should have:

1. Originality: Good content is original, it's not simply copied from another source. It provides a fresh and unique perspective on the topic, even if the topic has tons of info about it already on the web.

2. Action Oriented: Good content gives people tools that help them to take problem solving actions. Sometimes this is buying from you or hiring you, but often it is just educational. Good content gives people new ways to handle their affairs, and that's exactly what they are searching for.

3. Authority: The content on your website should help establish you as an authority in your field. As such, it needs to be as good or better than the content already published on sites devoted to the topic. For example, if you are a psychologist that specializes in couples therapy, your content should not simply link out to publications like Psychology Today, it should explore the subject in depth, show off your knowledge and unique approach, and use larger organizations only to support your points.

4. Accuracy: With all the information floating around the Internet, it's sometimes easy to pick up and repeat false stats or claims. Good content has been fact checked. It contains references to all numbers and statistics that come from scientific/academic studies and well regarded websites.

5. Updates: Good content is also up-to-date. It incorporates the latest finding in any field and includes new stories that expand on the theme or story. Updated content lets clients know that you run a living, breathing operation that is striving to be a resource to the public.

In a nutshell, good content is what people want. It is that page on digital cameras where you learned which kind is perfect for your uses. That interview with a company's CEO that helped you understand why buying their stocks is a good bet. That beach guide to Jamaica that allowed you to plan your family trip even though you had never been there before. Quality content gives you something. Quality content is just that, quality content.

A Content Marketing Plan that Works

There is no one-size-fits-all content marketing plan. Each is as unique as the business or organization that is behind it. What every company needs though is a content plan that incorporates high quality content into an overall vision for their website and marketing strategy. A content architecture that is well planned out, deeply researched and then crafted by writers that understand both the subject matter and the audience. Content should greet your clients, introduce them to your operation, answer their questions, satisfy their doubts and sell your products and services. It should shine with your identity, spotlight your strengths and passion, and connect you with users at a personal level.

Content is still King, and that is simply not going to change anytime soon. So use it to your best advantage.