They say what goes up, must come down. We happen to disagree.
You see, if you think about all the metrics you use to measure business success, the compass is always pointing toward the north. You’re striving for increased sales, better budgets, bigger profit margins, and more followers. If you put that on a map, all signs point to the magic magnetic power of that upward arrow.
It can be easy to stray from straight North when creating content. Veer too far west and you’re heading for an uphill battle with many mountains to climb. Head into the Great Plains, and your content is going to be, well, too plain. If you really start to lose your way, you may end up sliding south and losing valuable ground. Once you start going in the wrong direction, you might be tempted to aimlessly try other paths to find your way north again. After all, the days of stopping and asking for directions are long gone.
Or are they?
In this DIY-world of figure-it-out-yourself and work-when-they-want-to GPS devices, a person can feel lost with a single wrong turn. Fret not! Our WriterAccess team is on the case, guiding you back toward the road to success with a few simple checkpoints!
If your content compass needs to be recalibrated, heed our tips, and take the next turn north.
1. Fuel Your Existing Tank
If everything was evergreen, nothing on the web would be valuable. Evergreen content certainly has its place, but so do timely pieces that can be reworked from time to time.
Revisit subjects that got a lot of interest when they were first posted. Integrate those links into fresh blogs and blasts so you get some extra mileage out of great content.
2. Make Sure You Have Enough Gas to Get to the Next Stop
Reusing existing content will only take you so far. You need to have a reserve of fresh ideas that are ready to step in, should your blog start to sputter.
Nobody expects you to churn out all the ideas you need to get to your final destination, though. There are plenty of writers here who can help you along the way so you don’t need to worry about coasting to the next pump. Utilize the Pitch option on Solo jobs to ensure you and your writers are on the right page, or tell writers you’ll be looking for pitch ideas when you post Casting Calls.
Pro tip: Not every writer is willing to provide pitches. It’s best to specify your need for help with ideation upfront to ensure you find a team that meets your needs. If a writer provides a great pitch in a Casting Call application, be sure to send the job right to that person so you’ll get the content you’re expecting. If a pitch doesn’t quite fit your needs on a Solo order, let the writer know why it didn’t work so he or she can submit another idea, should the writer choose to do so. Both scenarios could turn into long-term relationships that require less work for you in the end!
3. Make a Stop at Your Content Mechanic
WriterAccess Content Strategists are your answer to being lost in the world wide web wilderness. They’ll:
- Check under your hood to make sure nothing is leaking or smoking.
- Clean your windshield so you can see where you need to go.
- Plot your map in case you’ve completely lost your way.
- Search for signs that will help other people find you along your journey.
- Recalibrate your compass, ensuring your destination is heading in a northward direction.
Put your directional resources right on your dashboard so you can find your way to the top of the map. Content Strategists are skilled reconfigurers of their clients’ content compasses, providing insight about SEO, brand awareness, consumer engagement, and everything they should care about if they want their audiences to take notice of the things that make their companies awesome.
Content Strategists repair poorly operating pieces and replace broken parts. They’ll carefully open your existing compass to see what’s making it tick (if anything). Then, they’ll go to work, intricately reviewing each tiny piece of the puzzle until your trusty device has put you back on the right path.
Ideally, your content compass will be always calibrated and have you heading in a northerly direction, but roadblocks and weird turns take place in the business world every day. Fortunately for you, WriterAccess is the answer to all of your ‘which way do I go?’ questions.
Looking for a little DIY direction? Download The Content Strategy MasterClass. Want somebody to sit in the passenger seat and help you with turn-by-turn directions? WriterAccess does that, too! Request a demo to learn how our Content Strategists can get you where you need to be!
Kristin B is interested in anything that teaches her something new or gives her a different perspective on something she already knew. She’s a self-proclaimed Learn Nerd, which means the world is her educational oyster, and she’s always seeking opportunities to learn from life’s experiences and her clients’ assignments.
