From the outside, technology content marketing seems easy. After all, this is the industry of endless innovation, right? There is always something new to write about.
As the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) found, today’s successful tech blogs are highly specialized. The general innovations outside of that specialty either do not apply or may only be used as an ancillary point if a blog is to stay relevant to its core audience.
The older that a content marketing stream becomes, the more this problem rears its ugly head. How should a content marketer keep content fresh in a highly segmented industry that demands details and depth that may require repetition?
What’s New With Technology Writing?
Content as an asset is becoming more important than ever within the tech industry. According to Michele Linn, VP of Content for CMI, content marketers naturally spend the majority of their time creating content. This trend may change in the very near future; there is now a gentle pull towards content management at the center of many technology writing tips.
When combined with a good content creation process, content management considers distribution, reusability, and longevity up front. The best tech marketers are basically future-proofing their content as they write it, ensuring its viability long after its initial publication. Take a look at some of the content from Kara Swisher, David Pogue, or Walt Mossberg for great examples of tech content that gets its point across today and remains relevant, exciting, and even “spinnable” tomorrow.
Collaborating for More Content
Have you expanded the reach of your content into every one of your department’s nooks and crannies? If every idea that your content marketers use originates from your immediate staff, then you risk running out of content before you should. Every department is another frontline that you can utilize for another perspective on old subjects and new perspectives on topics that your marketing department may have overlooked.
Adobe is one example of a company that has upheld the value of cross-team collaboration to expand content marketing ideas. Their team works with IT, product managers, the operations department, and even service teams and frontline administration employees. This concept of collaborative content marketing can also be used as an opportunity to stroke the egos of executives who may be looking to throw their opinion into the mix. (Only half-kidding here.)
Using Programmatic to Enhance Content Marketing
Many of the newest technology content marketing news items contain some sort of description of or homage to programmatic. At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive; the entire point of content marketing is to personalize the relationship between blogger and audience, right?
Yes and no.
Properly branded content is the reason we’re here in the first place. Branding in the technology industry usually requires specialization, which reduces the amount of topic areas considered viable or relevant within a blog. However, no one said anything about expanding the audience that the blog reaches in an automated way. As long as the content itself retains originality, there is no problem with increasing the number of people who see it. This not only improves reach, but viability and reusability as well. Highly visible content may inspire counter-arguments and new perspectives. One-off blogs may turn into a blog series if the topic catches with an expert group or starts an online discussion.
Content marketers should consider programmatic platforms when writing. Knowing exactly how an article will be published may help drive content to be more precise. Knowing that the article will be published at a greater scale may inspire technology writers to include topics that can be expanded upon more than they could be within a niche audience.
Most importantly, programmatic platforms help with the workflow of content. Hearkening back to the tips about content management above, the right automated distribution platform can consolidate and simplify the workflow process while expanding an audience. Forget putting all of your content eggs in one basket–your writers now have a broader choice of who to write for, and they know that the content will reach those people. This makes analysis more precise. Writers know that if the content doesn’t hit the mark, the fault lies with them, not in the distribution of the material.
Building a content management stream that retains its excitement after months or years is definitely doable. Writers, however, must expand their notion of what they do. Collaboration with other departments for ideas is key. Considering where the content will go during the writing process will help with the longevity of the writing as well. Most importantly, understanding that content is meant to be read well after its initial publication, even in the technology industry, will help writers future-proof their material and utilize content more fully.
About the author
Chris D has ghostwritten over 100,000 blog posts, press releases and marketing pieces for companies as varied as NuShape, Wolf Real Estate Professionals, Digital Pop Marketing, Mobilozophy and AuctionServices.com. Chris services clients through copy for print, direct mail, interactive media and broadcast.
