THINK

For years now content marketing has been the talk of the town so to speak, and 2014 is in many ways no different. Content is still king, and a content marketing strategy is essential for doing well in Google Search. Having said that, we are noting some significant differences in what makes for a successful content marketing strategy in 2014.

Competition and Quality Content

To begin let’s understand one thing. There is more content being produced now than ever before, “Depending on what study you read, the amount of available web-based content (the supply) is doubling every 9 to 24 months. Unimaginable, really.” (Mark Schaefer) This kind of exponential growth has been going on for some time, meaning that the cost of entering the market successfully is increasing.

With all the content marketing competition out there, the term, “quality content” takes on new meaning. New meaning because it’s harder than ever to achieve this all important metric. No longer can a company expect to stand out, and attract new customers, with a simple 500 word article written in a few minutes. There is simply too much content out there for this strategy to work any longer.

Provide Authentic Expertise and Resources

To put it simply, your readers won’t be impressed with the same old content you wrote last year. In 2014 your potential customers are looking to be wowed by your expertise, they are looking for you to be authentic and they are looking for a resource they can’t get elsewhere.

Increasingly customer relationships are a valuable commodity. According to Ted Rubin, a leading social marketing strategist, “relationships are the new currency.” Relationships are built on trust, and trust is founded on authenticity. The upshot here is that being authentic, that is genuine and honest, makes you (and your brand) more accessible. One very good way of showcasing your authenticity is through the content you write. People will quickly see the difference between an authentic piece and one which isn’t, because people’s BS meters are very sensitive.

Next up we have expertise, and not the kind of expertise that says, “hey I’m an expert listen to me.” Leave that kind of talk to your social following. Don’t say you are an expert, show it. A genuine expert will be known from a fraud quickly, so be sure you know what you’re talking about. Providing links is a good way of showing proof of expertise. That is to say, back up your content with solid links.

The last piece we’ll cover here is the difference between writing an article and providing a resource. Articles are a dime a dozen these days so what you now need to provide is something more. Enter the resource. The major difference between an article and a resource is in value to the reader. An article may be interesting to read, but has it informed, educated and brought a new level of value to the reader’s life? Resources go further and resources provide authority links to supplement and support the content.

Providing the Resource

To help you with your content marketing efforts here is a list from a recent Moz study of the top 10 content tools:

1. Google Trends
2. Google Alerts
3. Google Insights for Search (now merged with Trends)
4. Google+ Trending (now found in Google+ Explore)
5. Reddit
6. Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
7. Moz Fresh Web Explorer
8. Disqus
9. MyBlogGuest
10. TOPSY

Content marketing is changing, and to stay ahead of the curve you’ll need to up your game. We sincerely hope that you’ve found this content helpful, and we’d love to hear from you. We’re very active on Google+ and are looking forward to hearing from you!