A well-known food editor was recently asked how she perceived her value as a renowned food critic, when, with the click of a mouse, anyone could go to Yelp or CitySearch to access aggregated restaurant reviews from every Tom, Dick, and Harry (along with two hundred of their closest friends). She admitted that the sheer amount of user-generated content now available made her job more challenging, but also proved to be beneficial by causing overall writing quality to go up. Why? Because in the highly competitive world of food writing, each person strives to stand out and be considered the true “expert” in the field.
Whether you’re writing about Michelin-rated restaurants or the benefits of software, you’re competing for consumer eyeballs. As content providers, how do we position ourselves as experts in increasingly competitive industries, especially when the idea of “thought leadership” can be as fleeting and temporary as your latest Twitter update? What’s more, can we learn to employ user-generated content (positive or negative) and content from other experts in our quest to stand out in the crowd? Let’s explore a few ways to accomplish this.
You are your own brand, so find an authoritative voice and stick to it.
Content creators are brand creators. Sure you’ve got something to say, but what leaves an indelible mark on readers’ minds is more often how we say something. This is your chance to not only say something that matters, but to also say it in a way that only your company could. Click through the pages on your Web site and see if you’re speaking to your audience in a way that’s both accessible and authoritative. Moreover, make sure this tone remains consistent from page to page. Even if you switched copywriters halfway through your last redesign, good marketing writers should be able to emulate a single writing style throughout a site.
Your parents always said it was important to share. And so it goes with great content. While the concept of viral marketing has evolved dramatically over the past ten years or so, the underlying sentiment is the same. As we forward to a friend, retweet, post to our Wall, and essentially do everything short of stopping random strangers on the street to tell them about what we think is funny, cool, and useful that we’ve just seen online, we can’t keep our mouths (or keyboards) shut, and social media just gave us the biggest megaphone of all. To take advantage of this, we should make it our objective to tailor content to fit this new way of spreading the news. It’s now all about 140 characters, online videos, and blog posts, but the idea is the same. People still crave content that’s informative, engaging, and digestible, and now that it’s become even easier to share, it’s in our best interest to comply with their needs.
Third-party opinions matter—and increase your own credibility . It’s not about who you know it’s about…well, who are we kidding—it still is about who you know. More importantly, it’s about how you share great information from other experts out there in a way that’s engaging, useful, and increases your own credibility. Let’s face it, becoming an “expert” necessarily requires other people to think that you’re one, and this credibility is built up over time, not to mention with many people weighing in on the matter. So while you’re refining your own thoughts and ideas, find other thought leaders in your space, get to know them and the content they produce, and start quoting the real memorable nuggets of information that will not only make you look like a fan of theirs, but a rock star in your own right. Just be sure to give credit where credit’s due, of course.
Find inspiration—even in your biggest critics. If you incorporate community content into your site, you know that managing negative feedback is still an everyday challenge. While different businesses choose to moderate and manage less-than-stellar comments in their own ways, it’s important to realize that this negativity can be also transformed into fodder for your next piece of online content. Has a user complained about your online customer service? Apologize directly, and start blogging about the challenges of meeting customer needs on the Web—and what you intend to do about it. Most users will appreciate your personal response to their comments, and you can transform what was once a discrete complaint or comment into a larger topic of discussion on which others can add their two cents (while giving you a soapbox to provide your own expert opinions). Not only will you establish yourself and your company as responsive listeners, but you will also have the undivided attention of your community members for at least a few minutes out of their day (which is all we really wanted in the first place, right?)
Establish expertise through increasingly relevant and engaging content. One of the biggest challenges online content providers face is the ability to stay relevant and “sticky” for readers. Part of this is accomplished by just providing content with value, but we can also do our best to create pieces designed with repeat visits in mind. The next time you’re tasked with creating new content for your Web site, try to envision if there’s a way to get more bang for your buck. Instead of producing one, long video that’s bound to lose viewers that just don’t have 45 minutes to spend with you at a time, create a three-part series that will keep people coming back for more. This type of content helps emphasize your expertise in a specific area, and also gives you the opportunity to stay top of mind with them through follow-up emails, etc. And be sure to use data about repeat visitors to better optimize their content every time they return. Pay attention to not only the type of content certain visitors are most attracted to, but also the pages they visited on your site. When you use targeted content to stay relevant and address your audiences’ needs, you make a strong case for yourself as both a good listener and a resident expert.
Author:
Jennifer Agustin
About CrownPeak
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