The need for compelling content, whether on a company website or social media profile, is no longer a Monday through Friday, 9-5 demand. Instead, we are operating on a 24-hour cycle, where consumers constantly crave new information. Blog posts get stale within a day, and social media profiles require several updates throughout the week. This places a heavy demand on business professionals and brands to stay creative. Many people refer to this demand as “feeding the content beast.” In order to feed the content monster properly, an individual should keep these tips in mind:
Create an editorial calendar
For busy professionals, it is often hard to come up with a blog post or amusing tweet on the spot. This can lead the platforms to become outdated, or may cause the person to fire off a less-than-interesting Facebook status. In order to avoid this issue, it’s advisable to develop an editorial calendar. This allows a person to plan out the blog posts, web content, Facebook status updates, and other items that they’re going to create over the next few months ahead of time. The person then has time to think carefully, thus ensuring that everything they’re posting has meaning and significance for readers.
Many people also find that looking at an editorial calendar allows them to come up with content that is relevant for holidays and important events within that business. For example, the individual can look ahead, note that Father’s Day is coming up, and then build some dad-related posts. If the person sees that the business’s 10th anniversary is approaching, they can devise a clever way to celebrate the milestone with customers. This is much more effective than looking outside and tweeting about the rainstorm that’s taking place.
Create writing guidelines
For those who have several different writers controlling the company website, blog, and social media pages, it is best to come up with some writing guidelines that each person should abide by. When the controls are passed between different people, the brand identity can start to become confused. Perhaps one person tweets in a very formal tone, while the other uses slang and jokes. Over time, consumers may feel unsure about how to define that brand. Creating guidelines allows for uniformity across the board. All people in control of the brand voice should be aware of these guidelines, and should keep them in mind whenever they write a tweet, blog post, or other company-related item.
Have someone manage it
When duties are passed between a number of different employees, it’s easy for details to slip through the cracks. Perhaps staff member John thinks Sam is handling the Twitter feed, but Sam thinks it’s John’s responsibility. As a result, neither individual is posting and the Twitter account is becoming stale. To avoid this type of situation, it is best to have a social media or web content manager. He or she can ensure that the material stays fresh and that plenty of interaction is happening with clients on these various platforms.
Don’t be afraid to repurpose
In this 24-hour content cycle, it’s often difficult to come up with completely new ideas every day of the year. In order to avoid writer’s block, a person should not feel afraid to repurpose content. Perhaps you did a popular blog post three months ago; you can bring that same post back, but expand upon it or revisit some of the ideas. The content will still be fresh, but it prevents you from having to start from scratch. Reinventing the wheel each time is not always the best way to handle content creation.
Though the task of constantly creating content can feel daunting, having a plan makes it easier to come up with great material that will keep your customers engaged and coming back for more.
The team at Grammar Chic specializes in a variety of professional writing and editing services. For more information about how we can help you, visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter @GrammarChicInc for the latest in writing and editing tips and to give a “like” to our Facebook page. Text GRAMMARCHIC to 22828 for a special offer.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.