Content creation is at the heart of inbound marketing, but are you getting the most out of your articles? While there is a time and place for articles that cover a fad or newsworthy topic, they tend to be short-lived. Posts like “What You Need to Know About Google’s Algorithm Update” only have a lifespan of a few weeks at most. While evergreen content can last months if not many years.
What is Evergreen Content?
Unlike news articles that are more topical in nature. Evergreen content is timeless. It stays relevant and interesting with your audience for long periods of time.
When creating evergreen content, you will want to assess what is currently out there on that topic. If it is a popular topic you want to make sure yours stand out. This can be done by making the most comprehensive article on the topic or by taking a new spin on the topic.
Why is Evergreen Content Important?
Creating evergreen content is efficient. It continues to drive traffic and referrals to your site long after it was published. You can continue to share in social for years to come and people will continue to search for it.
How-to Guides
People are always looking for help. How many times have you asked Google “How do I…?” By breaking down a common question you can educate your audience and provide value to them. Or maybe you are doing something for the first time and decided to document your procedure.
Primary research
Conducting your own research? Trying to find out if emotional headlines actually work or if gifs generate more engagement? Document your findings and share them with the world. Primary research means you conducted the research, and therefore the information is exclusive to your brand.
Listicle
Listicles are very popular, have been popularized by sites like Buzzfeed. In short, a listicle is any content that presented in list form, much like this article.
Pro-Con List
Maybe you want to compare the merits of a piece of software, hiring an internal agency or choosing an outside agency, or just maybe the pros and cons of a pro-con list. Whatever your angle pro-con lists can provide a holistic view of a situation.
Case Studies
Did you do awesome work, and want to brag about it? Then creating a case study might be for you. Case studies allow you to tell a story about your work and share you insights with potential clients.
Checklists
Checklist are a great method of presenting a lot of information in a short and concise way. They are especially great for documenting procedures or best practices.
Resources
From tips to freebies, resources bring immediate value to your audience. They serve to aggregate the best information and tools on a topic.
Glossary
Most industries have a constantly changing list of acronyms and buzzwords that can be tough to keep up on. Creating a glossary will serve as a reference guide for you niche, making you site a favorite to check back on.
Best (or Worst) Practices
From tracking outbound links to growing your Snapchat audience best practice articles outline the west way to achieve an objective.
History
Does a topic in your niche have an interesting history? Try documenting it. Tell how YouTube started as a dating site and become one of the top mediums or disturbing original content.
Commonly Asked Questions
Do you get the same questioned asked over and over again? Great! That means it is a topic highly relevant to your audience and would make evergreen content. Check out Buffer’s 10 of Social Media Marketing’s Most Frequently Asked Questions for inspiration.
Interviews
Interviews are a great way to create exclusive content. Interviewing your employees and industry thought leads can make for very interesting content.
Reviews
Have some favorite books or productivity tools? Reviews are a great way to share you take a particular topic, event, or software.
Evergreen Content Needs Groomed
Just like evergreen trees need to watered and taken care of, so does your content. Without proper maintenance, it will die. Tools change, processes become more efficient, features are added, and new information emerges and your content should reflect that. From time to time take a moment to update content that is becoming dated. This will keep it fresh and provide the most value to your audience.
Content ≠ Written Words
Often people assume that content means written words. While blogs, white papers, and ebooks are very popular forms of content, there is more to content than just writing. Infographics, videos, and animations are just a few other ways to make great content and work with most types of content. Consider making a how-to infographic, a pro-con list on Snapchat stories, or tell the history of a subject through animations. Choose the medium that works best for you. Some people are excellent writers, while others are great speakers, or maybe you prefer visual storytelling. Whatever your strength use it to your advantage.
They are many different ways to create evergreen content and inevitably they will overlap. You will end up creating a how-to guide that is part checklist and best practices, and there is nothing wrong with that. They key to creating great content that will be timeless is by focusing on your audience and by creating highly relevant content. Also, remember from time to time to maintain your content by updating parts that becoming dated or obsolete, this will ensure maximum longevity.
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