Content Creator Success
Our thoughts on being successful as a freelance writer, content creator, or independent contractor.
Being a full time content creator is hard work. If you imagine that content creators sit around all day in their pajamas binging on Netflix, think again. Whether you’re a freelance writer, an independent contractor, or run your own content platform - content creation is hard work!
Most Businesses Fail Within the First Five Years
It’s a sad fact of life, but statistics show over and over again that most startups fail within the first five years. The main reason cited: lack of capital. But a lack of capital always points to deeper issues: high costs, not enough new business, lack of repeat customers, and so on.
Our business is content creation. And, we’ve been successful at it for over 15 years. This October, Seven Oaks Consulting celebrates this milestone with a series of posts, articles, and more sharing the lessons that we - the entire freelance team - have learned from our combined years of providing freelance services.
In this post, I asked each of our contributors to share their thoughts. Everyone participates differently as a freelancer with Seven Oaks Consulting. Some are marketing analysts (Katie), editors (Kathleen), executive assistants (Atricia), or web designers (Zachary). The majority of our team, however, consists of freelance writers. Whether that’s your interest or other independent contractor or freelance work, we hope that these thoughts inspire and motivate you so that you too can celebrate 15 years of successful freelancing!
Successful Content Creators and Freelancers: Thoughts from the Team
Aditi Chordia (Freelance Writer)
I have been freelancing for over two years and writing for 4+ years. I don’t see myself as successful yet; I have a long way to get there, but what I learned in the last couple of years is that as long as you’re working on your skill, honing and sharpening it, and chasing projects that make you grow as a writer, the more ‘success’ or ‘value’ you can attach to yourself as a freelance writer. To be a successful freelancer also means to be a good entrepreneur. Set up solid systems and processes for onboarding new clients, hiring subcontractors, accounting, project management, client communication, etc. Lastly, don’t be afraid to burn some cash in the beginning. Whether it’s to run ads, get a website done, hire subcontractors, or pay for tools, you will have to risk spending money for long-term gains.
Atricia Doyle-Plummer (Virtual Assistant)
Although I am not a content creator, I’ve been a full-time freelancer for about 1 year and 9 months. I’ve learned that as a freelancer, it’s always good to be open to learning new skills as well as improving on the ones you have to offer to clients. Always ensure that you communicate with your client so they can be up to date on the progress of their project. Always ensure that you understand what the client wants you to do before you agree to take on a project. It’s also good to be organized so you can ensure that you are completing the client's work on time. Do not be afraid to network and surround yourself with like-minded people who are in a similar field or are on the same mission as you. In the same way, Amazon, Aliexpress, eBay, and other large companies promote their business daily, don’t be afraid to promote yours.
Christopher Iwundu (Freelance Writer)
I have been a freelance content creator for about 5 years. I would say that continually improving your craft and building a network are critical to success. Freelancing is not a solo journey. The people in your network will help your journey through motivation, collaborations, information exchange, outsourcing etc. Also, freelancing can be a full-time job and is overwhelming. You’ll end up handling marketing, accounting, client management etc. Set up processes and systems to help better manage your business while keeping you healthy mentally. Furthermore, build a personal brand. It can be having a personal website or building on LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other platform of interest. Discover where your ideal clients are and build there. Finally, always ensure project details are clearly communicated and documented (a brief) before starting on the project and always revisit the brief to ensure you’re on track.
Katie DeVries (Marketing Analyst)
As an independent contractor, I believe it takes self-motivation, discipline, and setting boundaries in order to be successful. I’m also a strong advocate for overcommunication - rather than assume, it’s always best to kindly confirm what task is being requested. You’ll never regret double checking but chances are, if the final product doesn’t land correctly due to miscommunication, you’ll always regret asking a few additional clarifying questions. And lastly, it takes time to build trust between co-workers—regardless of whether it’s remote or in person—and part of building that foundation is being responsive, completing tasks on time, and having the willingness and patience to learn as you go.
Kathleen Marshall (Editor)
I’ve been freelancing since 1996, and in that time I have found that to be a successful freelancer, you need to continually sharpen your skills and have no fear of learn new ones. The marketplace is constantly changing; things you specialize in now may be less relevant in a few years. And being irrelevant as a writer is a death sentence. Flexibility is vital, and isn’t just limited to your skillset. You also need a degree of flexibility with your clients. Don’t be a doormat, but be open to new things and new types of clients. Twenty-five years ago, I never would have dreamed of working with the types of clients I have now, and they continually challenge me to keep growing.
Jodee Redmond (Freelance Writer)
I’ve been freelancing for more than 20 years. I’m not an “arteeste.” My job is to give my clients what they want. I check my ego at the door when I’m at work. That doesn’t mean that I’m a pushover, though.
There are no “big” clients or “small” clients. All of them are created equal. I give each assignment I’m given my best effort. If the topic doesn’t seem interesting at first, I find something interesting about it so the reader will be able to find something interesting in the content, too.
Laura LaFrenier (Freelance Writer)
I have been a freelance long-form content writer and short-form copywriter for over two years now. I do not consider myself to be an expert by any means and I am always looking for ways to improve my craft. Networking is an important step for any freelancer or solopreneur, as it allows you to connect with and learn from others with similar interests and ambitions. Freelancing is never one-size-fits-all, and it is important to do what you feel is best for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things and always make a continuous effort to work on your personal growth.
Lucy Klaus (Freelance Writer)
I am new as a content creator and writer but I enjoying the challenge. I draw on my years of experience to write about topics that mean something to me. The best part is being able to write when I feel inspired. That is the key to success, writing from experience and inspiration.
Sharon Wu (Freelance Writer)
After freelance writing for 8 years, I’ve learned the importance of clear and timely communication between all parties for a successful partnership. A writer is only as good as the client makes her - the client must equip their talent with what they need to produce stellar content so they aren’t in the dark wondering how to meet expectations. I also discovered that it’s much easier to become an expert in something when you niche down. When I first started, I would take on any and every writing job thrown at me. This ranged from blog articles, to website content, to social media copy, to product descriptions. After dabbling in all of these, I found that I excel in and enjoy blog writing. Crafting long-form articles comes more naturally to me. So, I decided to grow my freelance writing business capitalizing on this.
Zachary Keys (Web Designer)
I have been a freelancer for 4 years. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to accept and welcome critiques. In order to improve and get the job done right, I’ve had to learn to take a step back from my work and encourage criticism from clients to help fine-tune projects and accomplish goals. Another thing that has helped me is using tools to keep track of communication and projects. Since a majority of the work is remote, it is important to stay in touch with clients and team members and I had to adapt and start using different tools in order to do so. The last lesson that I’ve learned is to network! I’ve been able to grow as a freelancer through referrals and connections and it is important to always priorotize each client to keep up good relations.
What Do You Think It Takes to Be Successful?
What qualities do you think it takes to be a successful content creator, freelance writer, or independent contractor?
The Dangers of Article Spinners and AI Content Generation
There are many dangers of article spinners that the average small business owner may not realize.
Article spinners are artificial intelligence or AI platforms that imitate the techniques of human copywriters. Instead of creating fresh content, article spinners copy work from another source. They change words, sentences, paragraphs and even a whole article with synonyms and similar phrases to make it look like another person’s work is technically a new copy. For instance, a sentence like this, "I was extremely exhausted at the end of the day,” could be interpreted by an article spinner as, “I was very depleted by the day’s end.”
Dangers of article spinners - Bots Can't Write
From the above example, it’s clear that the quality of article spinners doesn’t compare to well-written human copy. These AI-based tools produce work that doesn’t read naturally due to poorly constructed sentences and lots of grammatical errors. But that doesn’t stop content creators from using the multiple rewrites from article spinners to try and build as many backlinks as possible and outrank their competition in SERPs.
Reduced Visitor Conversion Rates
Article spinners look like the perfect shortcut for people who'd rather not put in the work and develop unique content for their websites. But these AI software tools create low-quality articles that are often unreadable. With such poor quality, spun content can increase the bounce rate on a website and reduce conversion rates.
Spinners Are Automated Plagiarism
Using article spinners is like duplicating another person’s material, which is unethical.
Free article spinners heavily plagiarize original content. That’s because these tools pull existing work rather than creating content from scratch. Plagiarism is a serious red flag in copywriting. Once your audience discovers you duplicate content, their trust in you and your brand quickly goes down the drain. And so do promising leads for your business. Worse still, it’ll only be a matter of time before Google catches up with you.
Google penalties for duplicate content include burying your search rankings. Given that most internet searches happen on Google, it’ll be hard, if not impossible, for customers and prospects to find your business online. And with your sudden online disappearance, consumers looking to purchase the goods or services you provide won’t hesitate to go to the competition.
Why Article Spinners Can Never Replace Actual Content Writers
Understandably, there’s been concerns that AI will fully replace human writers at some point. AI can do incredible things, such as mimic copywriting skills and churn out content fast. However, it can’t master the art of emotional storytelling. Article spinners are simply unable to create conversational, funny, engaging, and relatable content. These, among other limitations of artificial spinners, make them less effective than real copywriters and gives humans a huge edge.
Given all the dangers of article spinners mentioned in this article series, what's your take on AI content writing and AI writers?
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Why Article Spinners Will Never Replace Writers
AI-generated content is increasing in popularity, as more companies are now using article spinners to create content faster and in a shorter amount of time. This number is bound to grow, as per Statista, and the global AI software market will reach $126 billion by 2025.
Various software programs in the market can help you create content quickly; some can even rewrite or paraphrase text, such as article spinning tools.
Are Article Spinners Useful For Content Marketing?
An article spinner is a software tool that rewrites or paraphrases the input text while keeping the original meaning intact. This results in a distinct article with the same meaning as the existing text.
While article spinners can be helpful to ramp up content production and meet the continuous demands, they don’t come close to the original, research-backed, and comprehensive pieces that are written by a demonstrated expert.
Here are three reasons why article spinners will never replace creative content writers.
Article Spinning Tools aren't creative
Creativity is inherent to us. It comes from our experiences, memories, and emotions and cannot be replicated and automated by software. Content written by humans has the power to inspire, motivation, and entertain, which is difficult for AI.
At best, the automated software programs can take a chunk of text and convert it into a semi-coherent and legible piece of writing. Still, they cannot duplicate the way writers process the language and come up with ideas or words that strike resonance.
Article spinners Cannot Write A Lengthy, Coherent Piece Of Text
Article spinners can do a decent job producing short-form pieces, but they cannot create cohesive, engaging, and meaningful long-form articles that are often used in content marketing strategies.
A good long-form strategy involves neck-deep research, laying the groundwork, composing sub-sections, and ensuring structural flow in the article. AI struggles to connect the dots and often does not have the required knowledge on various topics to build a solid, valuable piece of writing.
Definition: Article Spinner
An article spinner is software that paraphrases or rewrites the original text often by substituting synonyms for words.
Article Spinning Tools Cannot Add Variety
Sometimes short sentences work better. Sometimes longer sentences establish a better flow and rhythm to keep the readers hooked. The automated rewriting tools cannot vary the sentence length or change the flow to make the article engaging.
Of course, you can program style guides and tone into AI tools, but for that, too, you need a professional writer.
AI Cannot Replace Marketing Writers
While AI has come far and is now integrated into all spheres of our lives, it still has a long way to go in replacing the originality and creativity of experienced writers.
Rather than looking at AI as a replacement, it’s more useful to look at it as a guide or aide that can help marketing writers to research faster, structure sections based on SEO suggestions, and automate repetitive tasks in content marketing as and when required. But the actual job of writing should be left to the experts in the field.
More free marketing education resources
A Creative Content Writer Is Irreplaceable
Nothing can replace a creative content writer, a marketing writer who hand-crafts unique content.
In a world where we are used to shortcuts, it’s no surprise that article spinners exist. While they can save users time writing fresh content from scratch, they don’t come without drawbacks. Even with innovative technology coming out in efforts to make life easier, creative copywriters are here to stay for the long haul.
How Do Article Spinners Work?
An article spinner repurposes existing content without paraphrasing. For example, you may have an article for your company blog that you want to publish on other mediums to increase traffic to your website. Using an article spinner to recreate a similar piece is an inexpensive way to achieve this. If not done right, though, it can get you into big trouble.
Search engines punish websites with cross-published identical content. The problem is, most businesses don’t want to spend time rewriting articles. They want a shortcut - and an article spinner is just that.
Article Spinners Ruin SEO Efforts
Though made to be time savers, article spinners come with a host of problems. They produce low-quality content that is difficult to understand. The whole point of search engine marketing is to provide quality content with which visitors can engage. Article spinners do the exact opposite. Low-quality spun articles will not hold a viewer’s attention, resulting in increased bounce rates.
The Verdict: You Need a Creative Content Writer
Marketing writers are here to stay, no matter the AI-driven technology. Creative, relevant content is irreplaceable because:
Every Brand Is Unique
Article spinners don’t take personality into consideration when refreshing articles. In contrast, a skilled copywriter produces content that is natural and conversational, rather than robotic and monotone. This is crucial for search engine optimization. A well-written article encourages an audience to interact. In turn, businesses reap the benefit of more organic traffic and sales. Establish authority and get on Google’s good side by sharing made-from-scratch content.
Quality Content Drives Better Leads
Word of mouth has been one of the most effective ways of marketing. When people like what they see, they’ll spread the word to their network. Similarly, top-notch content marketing encourages high-quality clients and sales. If visitors find your article easy to understand and packed with value, they may share it on their social channels. These shares are powerful because they could reach prospective clients.
According to a study by BrightEdge Research, 65% of online experiences start with a search engine. This is impressive, considering HubSpot reported an average of 2 trillion Google searches each year! It has been proven that going the extra mile to make sure your content is unlike any other pays off.
Invest in the Best Content You Can - Because It Pays Off in ROI
In life, you get what you pay for. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Poorly written content is more detrimental to your brand than having no content at all. Instead of spinning content with software, hire a marketing writer to create authentic content. It goes a long way in sparking discussion and building a community!
At Seven Oaks Consulting, we curate top-notch content that will boost your search engine ranking and drive new traffic to your website. Our team of creative content writers offers unique, search engine optimized B2B content. Contact us to learn more about our copywriting services!
MOre Content Marketing Resources for You
Digital Content Strategy Hacks
Your digital content strategy doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. One of the most persistent fallacies in content marketing is the belief that a website always needs a ‘steady stream of new content’ in order to educate, inspire, and motivate customers to take action via a content marketing campaign.
While it is true that frequent website updates appeals to Google’s search engine algorithm, that does not mean continually searching for new ideas and creating brand-new, from scratch content each time you wish to publish. To create a digital content strategy, you need one solid idea that supports your marketing goals and appeals to your target market.
Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle Your Best Ideas
Reuse, repurpose, and recycle applies to content marketing as well as to thrifty living. Here’s how “thrifty content marketing” can transform your approach – and significantly reduce your workload.
One Idea Can Generate Multiple Marketing Pieces for a digital content strategy
Most ideas can generate more than one content marketing piece. In fact, one idea can usually generate at least four or five.
One large topic often has multiple smaller topics hidden within it like gems in a mine waiting to be picked apart from the rock.
Let’s take a recent topic I that came my way through my bank’s weekly email to their business customers: How to Boost Business Credit. The original article published by the bankfocused on the steps a small business could take to improve its credit rating and, by extension, borrow more to fuel business growth. It was a well-written 500–700-word article, but that was it – it was one article.
It could easily have been seven different content marketing projects, each appealing to the same audience but shared through multiple marketing channels.
As a small business banking customer, it’s easy for me to slip into the mindset of their target market. This makes it an idea sample to show you what I mean by one idea fueling multiple content pieces to achieve the client’s objectives.
One Idea – SEVEN Content Marketing Pieces
Using the method my team at Seven Oaks Consulting and I use with our B2B content marketing clients, one idea can be spun into multiple content marketing pieces for a digital content strategy. One idea can be used to generate multiple content pieces along the content marketing continuum, helping to generate awareness, support customer education, and nurture the connection into a lead for business credit.
The Seven Oaks Consulting Content Marketing Process
We consider the persona, or target market, for the client’s services, asking ourselves, “Where do they go for content? Which social media platforms do they visit? How do they prefer to consume information: video, audio, or text?”
Next, we look at the tactics available to the client. Some client have multiple touchpoints established with their target market: a blog, a website, social media channels, emails. We leverage these touchpoints and may suggest additional ones for content amplification.
For the content creation process, the bank has several steps to generate a lead for its credit (loans) services:
- Education
- Awareness
- Motivation
Education comes first because most small business owners desire to learn more about the entire credit process. And, because credit is a complex and often new subject for business owners, the educational phase is crucial to the lead process. The bank wants their potential loan applicants to understand the process well before they apply for the loan. This helps the bank by saving time with customers and helps customers find the right credit source.
Awareness moves people from education (this is what business credit is all about) to “Bank XYZ offers such services.” It is moving people from the understanding of the topic into understand that Bank XYZ offers the service.
Lastly, motivation comes into the picture – motivating customers to take action and apply with Bank XYZ for credit and loans.
From our one idea, I’ve generated seven content types:
- Microblogging/social posts
- Multiple blog posts – small business credit, credit cards for small businesses, how businesses can check their credit rating, how credit ratings for businesses are calculated, what can help or hurt your credit rating etc.
- Infographics showcasing any of the ideas from the blog posts
- Case studies showing how the bank’s consultants helped small businesses improve their credit, fight credit fraud, or obtain credit
- A video of a bank manager explaining how the bank makes their credit decisions, key concepts in small business credit, etc.
- A gated white paper or longer position paper on small business credit: what businesses need to know/do
- Newsletter content based on the blog posts
Of course, the actual content deliverables depend on the desired budget, staff availability, and timeframe. Perhaps the bank wants to create all the pieces with their own marketing team. The list of suggested content pieces must be pared down to encompass the team’s strengths and bandwidth. Also, if the bank managers aren’t comfortable going on camera, the seventh idea needs to be adapted or changed. And of course, if clients don’t wish to be identified in a case study, that can limit the ability to create them.
These 7 content types can now be divided into each phase of the content marketing process:
Education
- Blog Posts
- White Paper
- Infographics
Awareness
- Social Media Posts
- Case Studies
- Videos
Action
- Social Media Posts
- Emails
Come up with one topic per month or quarter, then work it to the best of your ability. It will generate more momentum through repetition of concept and ideas. This momentum typically outweighs whatever organic SEO boost a site gets from adding unique ideas by building content clusters. Linking among similar topics on the site boosts organic SEO better than generating dozens of new ideas in the same amount of time.
With this method, executed by professionals such as my team at Seven Oaks Consulting, you can accomplish the following marketing goals:
- Build and sustain organic SEO traffic
- Build awareness for your company as an expert in a topic
- Educate potential customers
- Nurture customer relationships
- Augment and support paid lead generation campaigns
- Generate leads
Content marketing takes considerable time and effort to do right. Generating fresh ideas is one of the most challenging aspects of the content marketing process. But who says you need to have a fresh idea every day, month, or week? One idea can generate multiple creative concepts that supports marketing goals and sustains the lead generation pipeline for many B2B businesses.
More Content Marketing Resources for You
5 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Started
Ever since I can remember, it has always been my dream to become a writer. I knew I wanted to be a writer with a purpose, but I was unsure how to make that dream a reality. My lack of experience as a professional writer made becoming a freelance copywriter seem out of reach at first.
Although I was hesitant, I finally built up the courage to dip my toes into the proverbial waters. Surprisingly, the initial experience was warm and inviting, and I quickly gained self-confidence and began to acquire real-world experience as a writer with a purpose.
Here I will share with you five things I wish I had known when I first started on my journey as a freelance copywriter. I hope it will inspire others to find the courage to take that first leap.
Networking Isn't Only For Established Professionals
For an introvert like myself, the idea of networking is intimidating, and it can feel like being the new kid at school all over again. The good news is that it isn't all that bad once you decide to put yourself out there.
Fortunately, social media platforms help facilitate the seemingly painful process. For me, LinkedIn has been indispensable for establishing contacts within the world of copywriting and developing my portfolio.
Social media platforms geared towards professional development can help you discover other writers in your particular field of interest - giving you access to mentorship to help you along your journey and find your niche as a copywriter.
Be Aware of Imposter Syndrome - Don't Let It Hold You Back
What exactly is imposter syndrome? I was unfamiliar with the term until recently. Imposter syndrome is experiencing perpetual self-doubt despite personal qualifications such as education, work experience, or other accomplishments and can lead to an unhealthy degree of perfectionism.
While you should never stop striving for self-improvement, the idea of perfection can also be detrimental to your creativity. From my personal experience, imposter syndrome is real, and anyone can fall victim. Being aware of the warning signs can help you avoid this harmful thought process. Don't be afraid to celebrate your achievements and demonstrate your talents!
Copywriting Isn't Only About Marketing Trends
To be honest, I first thought copywriting was a rigid field that revolved around trends in marketing to boost profits by creating generic content based solely on numerical data. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise.
I discovered that I could combine my copywriting skills with my desire to serve a greater purpose by creating socially-conscious and purpose-driven content. As a freelance copywriter, you can select to work with clients and companies aligned with your values, allowing you to make a tangible difference by reaching your desired target audiences. My work at Seven Oaks Consulting has proven to be an excellent outlet for crafting genuine content that allows me to combine the art of marketing with my passion for writing with a purpose.
Don't Be Afraid to Explore Different Markets
Copywriting can range from developing easily understood technical manuals to compelling content that inspires a particular call to action. Some popular markets include small business development, health & wellness, travel & leisure, and the financial sector, to name only a few. Finding your true passion is key to being a successful and effective copywriter, no matter your chosen niche. Copywriting is a creative art form, and having a genuine passion for your work will make a tremendous difference in your quality of writing and your ability to connect with your readers. The world of copywriting is vast and exciting, so don't be afraid to explore and try new things!
Copywriting Isn't as Competitive as You May Think
While a certain level of competition is healthy and can push you to improve yourself, no one wants to work in a cut-throat environment. I feared that the world of copywriting would be overly competitive and that you had to know the right people to be successful, particularly in a specialized niche.
Based on my recent experience, the professional writing community is welcoming and supportive. Once I started to practice my networking skills, I quickly established my presence as a novice yet ambitious copywriter who was eager to gain real-world experience. Finding a mentor was instrumental in developing my "voice" as a writer and building my self-confidence.
For me, the world of copywriting has opened doors that I didn't even know existed. Although this realization can seem overwhelming at first, it can be empowering as well. As a freelance copywriter, you have the power to evoke strong emotion in your readers and inspire real-world action in your community.
9 New Year's Resolutions for Content Marketers
Happy (almost) New Year! Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I'm actually not a big fan myself of resolutions. I always feel that every day is a fresh start. We each get 24 hours with which to make progress on all fronts of our lives - spiritual, physical, mental, personal, business, you name it.
But I know that New Year's Resolutions are an important tradition for many. In that light, I've put together the marketing manager's spin on them.
If you do nothing at all in 2022 but follow these resolutions, I can almost guarantee you a happy, prosperous, and business-filled year. Happy New Year!
9 New Year's Resolutions for Marketing Managers
Repeat after me: In 2022, I resolve to....
- Prioritize marketing over other business tasks: It's so easy to tackle everything BUT your marketing! Yes, I own a marketing agency, but before founding Seven Oaks Consulting, I founded and ran an e-commerce business. And I can say from experience that often everything but marketing took priority in my day: answering customer emails, sourcing new products, shipping orders, and more. But the longer you put off marketing tasks, the greater the risk of being forgotten by your customers. With so much competing for customer attention online and off these days, it is essential to make marketing a priority. Resolve to do at least one marketing activity each day to promote your business!
- Keep abreast of updates in my field: Whether that means listening to a podcast each week or reading emails from your favorite blogger, make it a point to learn something new each week about your chosen business field or your specific marketing discipline.
- Focus on a few tactics to do well: Some businesses try every marketing tactic under the sun, using a "throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks" marketing method. The result is usually an uneven hodgepodge of marketing tactics. Each method might work, but without the energy, enthusiasm, consistency, time, and measurement behind each, it's impossible to know. Instead of trying everything and seeing what works, focus on one or two marketing tactics you believe will work and try them for several months (or even a full year).
- Measure the results: Not all marketing methods are easily quantified, but most can be quantified in some way. Whenever you can, measure your marketing activities and use the data to support marketing decisions.
- Avoid one-size-fits-all marketing: Just because everyone is on TikTok (or Instagram, or running Google AdWords campaigns, or mailing postcards out) doesn't mean that it's right for your business. Always check the demographics to see if your target audience is reading, listening, or responding to a particular channel before investing in marketing activities there. Your audience may love Facebook and hate Twitter, or may be hard to attract using Google Ads but respond well to content marketing. No two businesses have - or should have - the exact same marketing strategy.
- Keep your eyes open: Keep your eyes open and start a 'swipe file', or a sample file, or marketing materials that strike your fancy. While you cannot and should not copy anyone else's marketing materials directly, use this file as inspiration to discover what you like about the marketing activity and why.
- Ask for professional help when needed: Don't try to DIY all aspects of your marketing. You can't. I've been a marketing manager for over 30 years and even I don't DIY everything anymore. Besides not having the time anymore to fuss with certain things, I know that my skills lend themselves better to some forms of content marketing (writing) and less to others (video). It's much smarter to invest my time in what I know I can do well and pay someone to do things I don't do well so that the overall end product - the marketing deliverable - is fantastic than to try to save a dime and DIY the entire campaign.
- Invest in professional development: Early in 2021, I made what turned out to be a fantastic decision for my business. I invested in my own professional development. I joined a blogging course and weekly mastermind group. And while my blog did not turn into a money making machine, it did teach me a lot about various SEO skills I lacked and helped me to focus on what produced revenue. It was a great experience and one I recommend to anyone able to invest in professional development whether it is a recorded course or a weekly meeting with a coach.
- Plan, but be flexible: Resolve to create and follow a marketing plan but remain flexible enough to "go with the flow" should the occasion warrant it. My plans evolved in 2021 but my initial focus remained the same: to build Seven Oaks Consulting into the agency of choice for expert, unique and creative content marketing solutions. This focus, combined with a flexible approach to achieving my goals, enabled me to achieve the goals I set for myself at the start of 2021. Planning, flexibility, and regular check-ins with yourself are the best way that I know of to achieve your goals, too.
2021 was a wild ride, and 2022 is also starting off a bit rocky with so many problems worldwide, including the continuing global pandemic. Through it all, one thing remains: we all wish for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
So here's to your new year, and may your New Year's resolutions yield abundant results. Happy new Year!
13 Benefits of Content Marketing
These 13 eye-opening benefits of content marketing will convince even the most hardened skeptic that content marketing works wonders to generate leads and cultivate loyal audiences.
But What Is Content Marketing...?
If you’re a business owner, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of content marketing.
Maybe you’ve been told it will help you dominate search engine result pages (SERPs) and generate leads.
Or you’ve heard that it’s a form of inbound marketing that will help you attract, engage, and convert prospects by delivering the value they’re actively seeking.
No matter what you’ve heard, one thing is certain – there are many ways that content marketing can benefit your business.
Content Marketing isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a digital marketing channel you MUST adopt if you want to thrive in today’s digital marketing landscape.
It’s an effective and practical digital marketing strategy you should adopt to attract and convert quality leads into paying customers.
Here we’ll discuss 13 powerful and eye-opening benefits of content marketing you should know before hiring a content marketer.
Understanding these benefits will help you understand why content marketing is vital for your business.
But first...
Does Content Marketing Really Work?
Short answer: More than you can imagine.
Quick Fact: By prioritizing blogging (an aspect of content marketing), marketers are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI. In fact, marketers who blog generate 67% more leads than marketers who don’t. (HubSpot 2019)
HubSpot highlights that 70% of marketers actively invested in content marketing in 2020. This supports SemRush data indicating that 78% of companies have a team of one to three content specialists.
Investment in content marketing wouldn’t be this high if the strategy didn’t work.
To further explain why content marketing works, a Databox 2019 survey found that 70% of companies generated more sales through SEO content marketing than through PPC (Paid advertising).
This content marketing case study is a practical example of how content marketing works for businesses.
With the right content marketing services, the website was indexed by Google, acquiring 859 unique visitors in the first month. Within three months, that number grew to 2,490 visitors, and then more than doubled to 5,370 within six months’ time.
It’s clear that content marketing works. Now let’s explore the primary benefits of content marketing for your business.
Benefits of Content Marketing
Content Marketing Boosts Your SEO and Generates Quality Traffic
Content marketing helps your business rank high in the search engines and generates traffic from people hungry for your product or service.
If you’re looking for the best way to drive website traffic, look no further than content marketing.
To do this, starting with a content marketing strategy is highly recommended.
And here’s why.
Not all traffic is quality traffic.
With a good content marketing strategy, you’ll produce strategic content that answers search queries and gets quality, easy-to-convert traffic.
Attracting high-quality traffic is one of the benefits of a content marketing strategy that you don’t often hear about.
Don’t just focus on boosting your SEO and attracting traffic with content marketing. Focus on generating qualified traffic that will easily convert.
Once you’ve started generating high-quality traffic, what’s next?
Content Marketing Drives More High-Quality Sales
Here’s a question for you:
Would you prefer to chase your client or would you rather have them seek you out?
Undeniably, the latter is your answer.
With content marketing, your potential customers will seek you out.
And here’s why.
Because unlike other lead generation strategies out there, content marketing gives instead of asking for something.
Does it seem crazy that giving something away can drive sales without even asking for them?
Consider this: According to Content Marketing Institute data, content marketing, among all other benefits, has six times the power of conventional marketing for converting people into leads and then converting those leads into customers.
With content marketing, you’re giving out information that benefits your ideal customers without asking them to buy anything.
The truth is, today’s consumers shy away from sites that always preach ‘buy now’ and ‘shop now,’ without offering value.
Advertisements are everywhere these days, and it keeps getting harder and harder to run away from them.
Stand out by offering something that your potential customers will value.
Effective content marketing will generate qualified leads who are happy to buy from you and recommend your business to others.
Quality Content Builds Your "E-A-T"
In February 2019, a Google whitepaper confirmed that EAT is very important to ranking.
According to Google, ‘our ranking system does not identify the intent or factual accuracy of any given piece of content. However, it is specifically designed to identify sites with high indicia of Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (EAT).’
What Google wants from websites:
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trustworthiness
Effective content marketing meets these Google requirements. But that’s not all it does.
Besides ranking, EAT websites gain customers’ trust, and convert more than websites not utilizing effective content marketing.
When you publish content about your customers’ everyday challenges, it shows that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Forbes, for instance, is known as an authority in the business, investment, technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership domains.
You can see them in the top SERPs for different queries, as well as being mentioned when someone is looking for authority information in those niches.
They didn’t get there by chance. They got there through well-planned content marketing.
When you establish yourself as an industry thought leader through content marketing, people will trust you and buy your product/services.
Content Marketing Puts Your Business On Your Customers’ Minds
When you have a robust content marketing strategy and write informative articles that rank well in search engines, your website will get thousands of visits per month.
This works like magic, especially when you adopt storytelling in your content writing.
Imagine your content ranking number one for a keyword that gets 50,000+ monthly searches. That’s your business in front of 50,000+ pairs of eyes every month!
Anything can indeed build awareness, but content marketing builds awareness and gains customer trust – icing on the cake.
Content Marketing Helps You Move Buyers Through the Buyer’s Journey Faster
To purchase a product, buyers move through a series of steps called the buyer’s journey.
The steps in the buyer’s journey are:
- Awareness - When the buyer first notices they want something and comes into contact with your brand.
- Engagement - When the buyer takes a more active role with your brand, contacting sales, or requesting a quote.
- Conversion - When the buyer spends money with your business, purchasing your product or service.
- Advocacy - When the buyer becomes loyal to your brand.
Every consumer goes through this process, but how quickly they convert largely depends on the quality of your content.
With effective content marketing, you can engage consumers at each step of the buyer’s journey and facilitate lead conversion.
Content Marketing Continues to Generate Traffic For the Long Run
This is one of the standout benefits of content marketing.
Content formats like blogs, ebooks, infographics, and many more continue to generate traffic long after they’re published.
This is unlike many marketing strategies where traffic and lead generation stop when you stop your marketing efforts.
How is this possible?
Your content assets compound to boost your authority in search engines and increase your organic website traffic over time.
This works very well when you use blogging as a content marketing tool.
Note that you need to focus on creating evergreen content to exploit this compounding effect of content marketing.
Some examples of evergreen content include:
- Case studies and data
- How-to guides
- Listicles
- Encyclopedic content
- Industry glossaries
- And so much more
Content Marketing Helps You Showcase Your Brand Personality
Brand personality is a set of human characteristics that customers attribute to a particular brand based on the brand’s consistency in reflecting those traits. It’s something the customers enjoy and can relate to, and it helps them identify with a brand.
Infusing personality into your brand is one of the most powerful benefits of content marketing.
It gives your brand a human touch and shows it’s not just another business on the Internet.
While some businesses’ branding stops at logo and color palette, successful brands reach deep into their values to give their customers an extraordinary brand experience.
Through content marketing, they reflect who they are, what drives them, how they’re different, their values and personality, and their unique promise to their customers.
When done well, content marketing helps you build a wonderful community and make customers part of your content creation.
Enhanced Accessibility and Open Channels of Communication
Efficient content marketing opens diverse channels for your customers to know and contact you.
Providing your audience with the content they need to solve their pain points will increase their loyalty and level of connection to your brand.
When they start to rely on you as their primary source of information, they’ll feel freer to reach out to you, ask their questions, and, of course, buy your products.
A good content marketing strategy includes content formats and distribution channels that will amplify your marketing and put your business in front of your potential customers.
When customers can access and contact you anywhere – social media, contact form, email - they build trust in you.
Your business becomes more than business as usual when customers connect with you on a more personal level.
More Quality Content; More Reasons to Stick Around
You can’t overestimate the power of quality, informative content.
Your content is an important asset that creates a positive experience for your potential customers and keeps them coming back for more.
Readers’ attention spans are short when reading content online.
But if you leverage content marketing the right way short attention spans won’t be a problem for you.
The more quality, engaging content you publish, the more visitors will spend time on your website.
Would you like your visitors to spend more time on your website? Consider this…
In today’s fast-paced content marketing domain, creating quality, engaging content isn’t the only important task.
You need to add extra spice to reap more benefits of content marketing, by utilizing methods to keep your readers on your website longer.
One good way to achieve this high dwell time is by adopting the topic cluster strategy, which keeps your visitors on your website and improves your SEO.
Content Marketing Is Cost-Effective
Content marketing is more cost-effective in the long run.
It costs 62% less and generates more than three times the leads than most outbound marketing tactics.
Do you know why?
Content marketing is typically easier to start and has almost six times the conversion rates of other marketing strategies because today’s customers prefer content that provides value.
There may be upfront costs involved in content marketing, but they’re one-off costs for content that will keep generating results.
Content published on your website will continue to climb higher on SERPs, earning you continual traffic and leads without extra cost.
It Works For Any Business or Industry
Now you’re probably wondering, “This is great, but will content marketing work for my business or industry?”
The straightforward answer: Content marketing works for every industry and business, no matter the size, structure, or product.
Maybe you’ve tried before and didn’t see results. Or maybe you’ve seen others leverage content marketing without results.
If that’s the case, it was done wrong.
The key to reaping content marketing benefits is developing the right content marketing strategy that works for your particular business.
Fuels Your Social Media and PR Marketing Efforts
Content marketing often goes together with social media and PR marketing because content powers these other marketing channels.
The more quality content you create, the more material you’ll have to power your own social media and PR marketing.
This is one of the top reasons why content is important in marketing.
With a good social media presence, you’ll reach and engage more new leads while also fostering your relationship with existing customers.
Statista 2019 reports that 3.6 billion people were using social media globally, and the number is projected to rise to almost 4.41 billion by 2025.
And guess what?
Your customers are already on social media.
Once customers identify that you share useful and valuable content, they’ll seek you out and follow you on social media.
The more content you have, the stronger you become on social media. This increases your ability to attract, engage, and convert leads.
Less Invasive Than Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing involves approaching people and trying to sell to them.
But let’s face it, nobody likes being sold to.
It can be annoying.
More and more people are opting out of situations where they’re sold to.
Blockthrough reports that 527 million people used mobile browsers that blocked ads by default in 2019 – a 64% increase from the last edition of the report.
This number is expected to continue increasing as people lean more towards companies that provide value over companies that sell to them.
Rather than investing thousands of dollars in advertising, switch to content marketing. It costs less and yields more.
Why Is Content Marketing Important?
Because everyone loves content.
People love quality content that gives value, and search engines like making the content available to them.
In a series of interviews, publications, and algorithm updates, Google has emphasized the importance of quality content.
In fact, search engines are obsessed with providing their users with high-quality content.
If you can help them achieve this by continuously publishing valuable content, they’ll reward you with better rankings and keep sending traffic to your website.
You could call it autopilot marketing.
In addition, continuously publishing high-quality content helps you attract references and quality backlinks from high-authority websites.
This boosts search engines’ trust in your business website and sends an unending stream of leads your way.
These authority websites won’t cite you if you produce generic, low-quality content.
Furthermore, the more content you produce, the more keywords are added to your keyword arsenal. This gives you more authority in search engines and earns you more trust amongst potential customers.
Another great reason why content marketing is important is that content powers other marketing strategies.
Whether you’re doing print marketing, email marketing, or any other form of digital marketing, you need content.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
Why not develop a complete marketing strategy built on content marketing?
Then you can enjoy the core benefits of content marketing and also have all of your marketing bases covered.
Is Content Marketing Worth It? A Recap of the Benefits of Content Marketing
Yes, it's worth it. Here's why.
Yes, it's worth it. Here's why.
To put things in perspective, here is a recap of the benefits content marketing can bring to your business.
- Content marketing boosts your SEO and generates quality traffic
- Content marketing drives more high-quality sales
- Quality content builds your EAT
- Content marketing puts your business on your customers’ minds
- Content marketing helps you move buyers through the Buyer’s Journey faster
- Content marketing continues to generate traffic for the long run
- Content marketing helps you showcase your brand personality
- Enhanced accessibility and open channels of communication
- More quality content; more reasons to stick around
- Content marketing is cost-effective
- It works for any business or industry
- Fuels your social media and PR marketing efforts
- Less invasive than traditional marketing
You see, it’s not a question of whether content marketing is worth it.
It’s a question of when you’re going to enjoy the full benefits of content marketing.
We highly recommend you start with a content marketing strategy built on your business goals. That way, you know you’re generating results relevant to your particular business growth.
Not sure where to start? Reach out to us to discuss your business goals and how we can help you with content marketing that converts.
The 5 Best Content Marketing Books
I started thinking about the 5 best content marketing books this weekend while I was canning green beans.
Here I was, sitting at my kitchen table snapping green beans and listening to Joe Pulizzi's Content Inc. marketing podcast on Spotify and thinking about how much I'd gotten out of his book. Snap-snap went the end of the green bean as Joe and Ann Hadley talked about content marketing. Suddenly, it dawned on me: I should write about my favorite content marketing books!
Joe's book is, of course, tops on my list. It's the best book on on content marketing I've come across and that's no coincidence. You may know Joe's name since he was the founder of the Content Marketing Institute. At a time when few of us knew what content marketing is or how powerful it could be, Joe was busy starting an institute, a conference, and a training system for would-be content marketers. Now, through his company The Tilt, he continues to spread she mission and mindset of content marketing.
There books aren't your typical list. For one thing, there's a book decidedly about writing sales copy on the list, and as content marketing managers are so fond of telling people, sales copy isn't content marketing. But the book belongs on this list because of the enormous influence it has had on my marketing writing as well as on my team's writing. Often when new writers start at Seven Oaks Consulting, I ask them what content marketing or writing books they like. Nine times out of ten, if Bob Bly's Copywriter's Handbook is mentioned, they'll be a great fit for us.
Without further ado, I present to you Jeanne Grunert's unofficial list of the 5 best content marketing books. And yes, these are Amazon affiliate links. I will make a small commission on any books you buy after clicking on a link. It doesn't affect your price. Thank you. Commercial over.
Best Content Marketing Books
If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
This book is one of the best books about writing, period. Brenda Ueland taught fiction writing for many years. She helped her students break free from the inhibitions that lead to stale, boring writing. We could all use some of her advice especially when writing on topics we may find less interesting.
The Copywriter's Handbook by Bob Bly
I intentionally included Bly's classic on writing marketing and sales copy for a reason even though content marketers are adamant that content writing isn't sales writing. They are correct, of course, but all of us do at some point or another need to know how to write compelling sales copy. There's no matter teacher than this primer from Bob Bly. I bought this book decades ago when I first dreamed of freelancing and I still read it periodically to refresh my memory on all things writing for business.
5 Chairs, 5 Choices by Louise Evans
I am not exaggerating when I say that Louise Evan's book, 5 Chairs 5 Choices changed my life. Actually, it was her TedTalk on YouTube that first began my journey into communication styles. Her method of identifying various mental mindsets during conversations is essential reading for content marketers who are serious about understanding their customers. Whenever I sit down to write, I think about the five chairs and wonder whether my customers are seeing my content through jackal, giraffe, meerkat, dolphin, or what. Check out the Tedx Talk. You'll thank me later.
Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi
Serious about your content marketing? Trying to make it as a content marketing entrepreneur? Or just want to cut to what's important in the content marketing journey? Whether you are a seasoned content marketer or a beginner at content marketing, this is a must-read book. It will teach you the basics and set your mind buzzing with the possibilities of advanced content marketing. Joe Pulizzi makes content marketing accessible and easy to understand for all.
Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall
At the heart of great content marketing is the ability to tell a compelling story. That's one reason why I love content marketing - as a novelist, I can use my fiction writing skills to craft great content for my clients. Understanding the hero's journey, the concept of a villain when writing industrial copy, all of this I learned from Kindra Hall's approach to storytelling. Kindra's book will help you better understand the idea of stories as part of business writing and especially in content marketing.
What Are Your Favorite Content Marketing Books?
I've shared my 5 favorite content marketing books. Now, what are yours? Drop me a note and let me know your favorites. I'd love to add more great reads to my business book collection.
Why Long Form Content Is Great for SEO
When it comes to content marketing, it seems that every marketer under the sun has their own opinion about what works and what doesn’t. Some say that posting frequent short content pieces, such as blog posts, works the best. Others swear that long-form content, or articles and blog posts over 2,000 words, works the best. Who is right?
Long Form Copy Produces Better Organic Traffic
A firm called SERPIQ analyzed the search engine results position (SERP) for more than 20,000 keywords and discovered something very interesting. It seems that the length of the content had a direct correlation on a web page’s search engine results position.
Here’s a summary of their findings:
- All of the top 10 positions were dominated by posts with 2,000 or more words.
- The average word count for the top position was 2,416 words.
- Most posts averaged around 2,200 - 2,400 words.
Our Take on Long Form Copy
From my own research, I’ve concluded a few interesting facts about long-form content. I write a popular home and garden blog, Home Garden Joy, and include a “free gardening guide” section filled with long-form posts on topics gardeners want to learn about. The section is new, but growing. My goal is to add one long-form content piece each month.
Last month, I added a long-form piece on composting - How to Make Compost. I haven’t done much to promote it except send a special email out to my subscriber list to announce it and announce it via Twitter and Facebook. I decided to schedule some automated posts via HootSuite to share the link during peak traffic times on Twitter.
Almost immediately, a popular gardening website aggregator picked up on the link and included a blurb and link to my long-form content prominently on their website. Several shares on social media also increased visibility for the new guide. At last count, my site’s inbound links increased from 42 to 63. Not all are going to this content page, but I think the increase is partially due to the long-form content.
What Makes Longer Articles Appealing?
What makes long-form content so appealing? Long-form content appeals to website visitors seeking more than a cursory look at a topic. If the content is well-researched, it adds value and depth to the information, and makes your blog, website or article worthy of bookmarking or sharing.
By its very nature, long-form content also requires site visitors to spend more time on your website, another clue for search engines to use to gauge the value of your site. Longer, well-written and intriguing content naturally holds visitors’ attention longer, and if you include thoughtful links to related content on your site, you’ve also increased the time spend on your site even more.
Long-form content is great for really diving deeply into a topic. Some topics don’t lend themselves to long form content; others, however, naturally need more room to develop the thesis and explore the many nuances around the topic. Anytime you dive deeply into a topic, you’re adding value to the reader’s experience, which develops your relationship with the end-user and creates a favorable brand impression.