The soul of the digital business is its content culture – how it derives compelling and relevant content that connects and inspires people. With the fusion of search and social technologies and the yen from audiences to engage in creative ways, content is the “rockstar” of search marketing. Certainly influenced by Google’s algorithmic changes – Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird – the new evolution of content is creating messages that are artistic, engaging and inspired by what people are buzzing about and sharing.
What are people saying and who is sharing and influencing? A 2014 B2B survey from the Content Marketing Institute revealed that the top challenge of content creation is producing a diversity of content that engages. Since the audience and buyer decide how your content is relevant and worth sharing and downloading, your content must be focused on and optimized for your target end-user. Dig deeper and understand the culture of the folks you’re writing for, and create content that identifies with their nomenclature and expresses their social vibe.
A Data Canvas for Content Creation
Are keywords still key? While keywords impact search engine rank and positioning, other metrics such as queries, demographic and pages with the most traffic can help paint the whole picture. Even with the complete understanding of these metrics, it really is the fresh, natural, creative content that converts and influences people. The mindset is to craft content that delivers the insight, information and innovation that impact the consumer, creates awareness, and inspires the sacred “check-out” or reservations click.
Action Steps for Hotel Content Marketing
- Know who your audience is
- Know what the intent of their search is
- Know what content they are flocking to
- Build engaging content that caters to 1, 2 and 3
Composing with Passion and Insight
The language and aesthetic of content is truly the power of creative simplicity. You reach your audience when you say what you mean and mean what you say. Write with purpose, be succinct, pen creative and relate. Content is powerful when it sparks imagination and gets people in motion – to travel, explore, think and buy. The art of search content is balancing the analytic logic of SEO with the organic creativity of the familiar word. When you tap into that synergy and keep it authentic, playful and “real”, you transform the marketplace into your individual perception.
If you want to be immersed and influential in the culture of content, get down to your roots – who you are, who you are trying to reach and what you need to say. With search, social and content marketing super interlinked, all your content should be united and easily connect your passion and presence to the consumer, tap into their nature and style and give them what they want. Think and feel like your audience, join the conversation, and make them believers. And always lead with your write!
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Contributed by:
Robin Kessler, Content Manager
