A lady jolts awake at the hours of darkness, 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 ability 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 Inventive with Content material Advertising?
As a content material marketer for a B2B tech firm, I understand how burnout feels and the way arduous 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.
In case you share this sentiment, we’re not the one ones. Actually, 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 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 Enhance Creativity in Your Content material Advertising
For now, let’s overlook about website positioning, analytics, firm targets, and deadlines. As an alternative, let’s concentrate on other 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 faculty of thought applies to your organization’s model.
You is perhaps considering, “Clearly! I’m a marketer. It’s my job to reside and breathe our model.” Even should you clearly perceive your merchandise, firm values, and goal persona(s), doing a intestine examine 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 crew 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 business.
However with no 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. Actually, the definition of creativity is solely “the usage of creativeness or unique 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 recent and thrilling. Or, possibly your crew simply wants richer documentation and model requirements, so everyone seems to be rowing in the identical route.
2. Experiment with Totally different Media
Nearly each firm with a content material advertising and marketing operate covers a number of core areas. The commonest embody an lively weblog, social media, long-form belongings (like eBooks and whitepapers), electronic mail newsletters, and buyer case research.
Don’t get us unsuitable: You want a majority of these belongings. They’re the bread and butter of content material advertising and marketing. However creativity is about bringing novel concepts to the desk. Slicing-edge thought management is one technique to stand out. However are you able to go even additional?
Along with occupied with the “what,” take into consideration the “how.” How will you use completely different media to current content material in a approach that few others are leveraging? It’s 2023, and there are such a lot of methods we are able to relay info 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 hearken to, multimedia content material can relay extra digestible content material extra effectively. Actually, it’s estimated that one minute of video is price 1.8 million phrases.
Interactive content material: Quizzes, embedded shows, dynamic charts, and graphics
Content material customers need one factor: Worth. In case you can reply a query they’ve or resolve an issue, you’ll earn their loyalty. Partaking, customized, and interactive content material is an effective way to try this.
Interactive content material, like a quiz that tells you the place your group might greatest 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 once you want them. If you really feel caught, lean on the ability of a very good brainstorming method. 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 heart 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 era technique or an eBook about rising cybersecurity dangers. From there, the spokes are items of content material that develop upon concepts throughout the core asset, resembling 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 sturdy, inventive core thought. It additionally retains readers in your website longer, as every bit can hyperlink to 1 one other, or all items can roll off from a core pillar web page. It’s a wonderful alternative for prospects interested by a particular subject to do a deep dive into your model.
A hub-and-spoke brainstorming session virtually at all times yields wonderful outcomes on your crew. It permits you to create a listing of associated concepts and use solely the very best ones. Maybe one thought you thought can be nice is a lifeless finish. Nonetheless, one other thought takes off and permits you to develop content material that includes distinctive views in supporting items, resembling interviews with inside stakeholders.
Put Your Most Inventive Foot Ahead
The nice, large 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 gorgeous, wealthy story that captivates your readers and immerses them in your merchandise, your group, and your core values.
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