Positioning the right message at the right time to the ideal audience is the key to getting a handle on timely content
When it comes to content management, what does “timely” really mean? Does it mean releasing content in accordance with a strict content calendar or does it permit some flexibility as to when you post specific articles or blogs?
Can it be in response to current events or should it be tied to your own product releases and business goals? If you’re focused on growing your business and maximizing traffic to your site, you should create a content calendar that blends both evergreen content – articles that are essentially always relevant – with timely releases that capitalize on another trending topic.
Here are five ways to create and manage timely content to drive greater numbers to your site:
- Create, create, create: Time is often the enemy of any successful business or marketing professional. To combat the lack of extra time, ensure that you stockpile as much high-quality content as possible to effectively gear up for any last minute opportunities to post articles that are more time-sensitive. Don’t set a calendar date to publish an article on the 1st of the month, and then schedule it to be completed just a day or two ahead of time. Barring any extreme cases, content should be in-house a few weeks in advance. In short, you want to build a content library.
- What is currently trending? Timeliness means paying attention to what is happening in the world. While your evergreen content can soldier on, managing timely content is all about pairing your content releases in perfect harmony with relevant current events. This often seems like an easy thing to do, but it is something that many content marketers fail to manage appropriately. There are many tools available today to help keep an eye on trending topics. Keep tabs on the world through LinkedIn’s search filters, Twitter’s hashtag analytics, and social listening tools like SproutSocial, Brandwatch, Klear, BRAND24, and others. You’ll be able to research topics and conversations that are actively engaging your target market to more easily tailor your content releases.
- Create last minute works: Even though we just finished telling you to create ahead of time, you will likely have to create some content at the last minute to adequately respond to timely events. For example, we know that the Super Bowl happens every year, but we don’t know who the teams are going to. Don’t wait to create a Super Bowl-themed piece of content. Just know that you’ll have to tailor it to align with the contending teams. If you know your audience well enough and have writers who can create compelling content in short order, you’ll be well-positioned to respond in a timely manner to current events.
- Newsjacking: This tactic was popularized in recent years by an author named David Meerman Scott. In his book, he talks about the philosophy of using current news events to draw attention to your story or your brand. Using the previous Super Bowl example, release content that ties into a player’s backstory or some side story from the team that can pairs well with your business’ mission. For example, if you sell fertilizer or farm equipment, talk about the communities in which you operate and tie in a player from one of the competing teams that hails from that area. You’ve taken advantage of a recent news article or current event, without making it all about you.
- Interface with the public: One way to create timely content that can attract new site visitors is by actively interfacing with your audience. This is an effective tactic, but one that takes a lot of time. If questions are posed over social media, answer them! If you can use this opportunity to answer questions, deliver rebuttals, and expand on key points in the conversation – all in a classy manner – you’ll likely gain followers.
Creating timely content involves more than just clicking “post” at the right time. It requires preparation and forethought. Just like Mark Twain once said, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Preparation will equal proper execution when the time is right.
