When you’re building a business you’re working on a long-term project that all going well will grow and ensure an income for you (and employees) for many years to come. If you’re creating content as part of that marketing in some industries it makes more sense to incorporate a lot of what’s known as ‘evergreen content’ as part of your strategy because done properly this content will be as perfectly shareable and of interest to your audience in the months and years ahead as it is now.
What exactly is ‘evergreen content’? It’s content that remains relevant maybe even for years, because the details aren’t reliant on the latest update to a product or service, nor are they specific to an event or particular period in time.
Within the marketing and social media world, the platforms we work with are forever changing as they compete to keep up with trends and competitors in an industry that thrives on innovation. If for example, I wrote a post here about how the latest Facebook update suggested you should opt for one particular type of post over another, I could well wake up tomorrow to the news that they’ve shifted direction or introduced a new feature that everybody will just want to try leaving my post appearing out of date.
A fairly recent example of this would be an update from the head of Instagram who just weeks ago suggested that the platform was no longer just for sharing photos. What then if I had a blog post or podcast on the benefits of creating themed graphics or having professional photos taken to make an impression on your Instagram, wouldn’t the post seem dated when the network itself is telling you video is the way forward?
It would be remiss of me to say that all content should be evergreen, in many instances that just doesn’t make sense. For example if you’re a car dealer and there’s a new model out every few months, the content created to accompany it will naturally focus on the new features and just why you want this over the previous model – and that will continue indefinitely. You might also have changes to regulations or tax for example. this type of information will always be subject to change as necessary as opposed to writing for the long term.
However, if I write a post such as ’10 Blog Content Ideas For Your Business’ as I did in June, the details here will be as relevant in 2023 as they are today so people who stumble across my blog months and years into the future will find the information to be as relevant as it is now.
What then is the type of content you can consider for the longterm?
Lists – many people (myself included) love lists, if I see ’10 ways to do x…’ it’s going to grab my attention far quicker than an article that’s possibly packed with information and a lot more detail, my time is precious and a list or bullet points tells me what I need to know in an easy to read format.
How To Guides – these might not have the lifespan of some other content as they are more specific and depend on the industry you’re in. ‘How To Set Up Your Profile On Microsoft Teams’ for example will remain relevant for as long as Microsoft leave the system unchanged. ‘How To Use Your Time More Productively’ on the other hand might be an article that lasts for years if you keep it simple with time-saving tricks that aren’t dependent on a platform that may change.
Testimonials – when a customer leaves you a wonderful review you can share it as many times as you like over the years, the only issue you may have with this type of content is when the testimonial is for a product or service that is discontinued or it references an employee who has left your business.
Frequently asked questions – some questions won’t date, an example from my business would be the SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) which is various sources suggested originated in the 1950s/1960s and remains as relevant in 2021 as it did all those decades ago. If I did a blog post covering ‘What Is A SWOT Analytis?’ it will still be valid in five years time. However, if I had written post answering a question on how best to ‘Set Up Your Social Media Profiles For Success’ back in 2015 would it be of interest to somebody looking into TikTok or Reels as is the norm for 2021?
Best practice – when the rules aren’t always obvious in an area you’re not too familiar with, you might write a guide to highlight the ideal. When it comes to marketing for example if you’re stuck for content for a blog or a newsletter you might be tempted to ‘borrow’ some ideas from another website. As somebody working in the marketing field however I’m all too aware of just why you never borrow from others so I might write a post on ‘Best Practice For Creating Content’ which covers the do’s and don’ts that will outlast all updates from any search engine. If I was the owner of a carpet business, I might write an article on ‘Best Practices For Keeping Your New Carpet’ that might touch on how often it should be hoovered or what sort of products you might use.
Stories – some stories won’t date such as how a product or industry came about, they may be added to over time but where there’s something that interests people the story will stay relevant. Where you’re a potential customer for the business you might just be interested to read over the years or decades to understand more about where you plan to spend your money.
Each of us knows what’s relevant to our own business or industry, we know what our customers ask about and what we find ourselves covering over and over again. In situations where you’ve got employees in different departments, it’s worth checking in with them for input also when it comes to creating content for the long term, you might just be surprised at what accounts can suggest will take a lot of stress off their email queries in the form of a frequently asked question or what customer service get queries on which could be added to your how to guides.
If you’re not comfortable with creating content for your business or you need advice on how to get started, at The Marketing Shop we’ve worked with businesses across an extensive range of industries, both B2B and B2C, and nothing has ever left us stumped yet!! We create blog content, we design graphics and video content that wows, we know how to develop the right strategy for your business and, we can of course train you to make an impression that lasts too.
Get in touch with debbie@themarketingshop.ie to arrange a complimentary consultation so you can start creating content that lasts a lot longer than your advertising budget.
Debbie Ringwood is a Marketing Specialist with over 20 years of experience in B2B and B2C Marketing. She is a Graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and the Digital Marketing Institute. She is a Canva Community Canvassador, Linkedin Certified Marketing Insider and META Certified Community Manager..
Debbie supports, coaches, and trains businesses in Marketing, Social Media, Canva & WordPress along with her team, working with businesses at different stages of their journey.