What’s the main thing digital marketers focusing on content marketing would like to achieve?
Easy. It’s getting their content read, liked, shared and spread throughout the digital landscape by targeted readers and audiences.
However, you need to be realistic about it. That kind of perfect scenario will only take place if you have great content – if you have epic content. These are the kind of content internet users truly value: because they get the information they need, are entertained deeply, or were compelled to take action that would make a difference in their lives.
Epic contents are game changers – and more and more digital marketer are getting to know this for a fact.
The 2014 Benchmark Study from the Content Marketing Institute highlighted that up to 73% of B2B marketers have realized the importance of content and are taking active steps to produce more content this year and the next.
With that reality at hand, expect that the content marketing – or the whole digital marketing arena for that matter – will be more competitive than ever before. You will need epic content to rise above the competition and capture your targeted audiences. Those who have successfully done so reaped the rewards from taking action in creating epic content. A good article from Corbett Barr describes how people took action and wrote epic content got the marketing results they want, including the following:
- Epic Content attracts deeper engagement and 10x more traffic
- Epic Content generates 83% more traffic
- Epic Content generates doubled readership in just 2 weeks
- Epic Content attracts over 200k page views in 7 months
- Epic Content results in hundreds of shares and thousands of visitors
All these took place because of epic content – and the following tips will teach you how to create one on your own.
1. Incorporate Your Own Brand Theme and Template
An article that is technically well-written because of choice of words, sentence structure, grammar and other similar aspects, may not elicit the same kind of interest and response that you would expect. Many would not even remember what brand or website that particular content represents. What you need is to spice it up with other elements like a branded theme and some interesting content templates that work.
One way to create a branded theme is to integrate items or topics of interests with information that people would like to know more about. A content provider on financial literacy topics for example could make them more fun and interesting by carefully integrating or weaving his interests on fitness and health. Writing epic content this way could make them more interesting but be careful in considering if such styles of content presentation will be appropriate for your targeted audiences.
2. Moderate Number of Words is Better
Studies show that longer posts are actually better in generating engagement and epic posts are usually written with at least 2,000 words. These studies include the SEO Ranking Factors and Rank Correlations 2014 from Searchmetrics which highlighted the correlation between ranking and the number of words in the content’s text. The number of words also indicate a good correlation between these numbers and the ranking of website in search results.
3. All-Time Favorite Content Elements
Epic content writing goes beyond merely building blocks of text that tell a story or provide information. Epic content integrate all-time favorite elements that catches the reader’s eye during the first few moments of going through your content. These elements will make readers continue reading beyond the first few lines. These include:
- Integration with an Eye Candy
Reading through hundreds or thousands of words can be quite taxing, which can get readers bored, lost interest and abandon reading altogether. Eye candies include great graphics, awesome photos, and though-provoking videos that can break blocks of text and attract targeted readers attention. These will be discussed in greater detail in later sections.
- Use of Bullet Points
Bullet points are an easy-to-understand system of presenting data that provide targeted readers with insights on what your website can offer and if these items are relevant to their needs.
- Use of Quotations
Quotes from real people are great tools for driving certain concepts and keypoints nailed to the head. Although quotes come from another person and you are just technically borrowing it, the use of quotes further increases the authority of your site or your brand.
4. Leverage Seasonal and Other Recurring Events
Events that occur year after year without fail can be used as leverage for creating epic content. These include holidays and other special days people want to read about before, during, and a few days after the event. Although the events themselves are not new, you can present or focus on fresh information and other key elements that will attract your targeted readers’ attention.
Current events and other breaking news stories are tidbits of information targeted audiences would love to partake in. You can monitor trending news stories for the juiciest news items that the application will provide, allowing you to choose what you can expound more on your epic content.
5. Be Spicy. Be Edgy. Be Controversial.
Epic content is not your ordinary fluff and other keyword-drenched stuff traditional SEO and content marketing are used to doing. Epic content is not afraid to challenge traditional beliefs and would go against the flow to prove its key points right. Epic content puts its audiences on the edge and may even generate controversy or outrage – for it is through such types of content that gets your brand at the focus of attention. Getting attention generates a following, and following breeds loyalty.
6. Grab Attention with Electrifying Headlines
There is an overly abundance of content flooding the virtual waves. Add to this the natural attribute of humans for having short or limited attention spans, and it would be doubly difficult to overcome the squalls and grab the attention of your targeted audiences. An epic content however can overcome these walls and catch their targeted audiences’ eye with one surefire ingredient – curiosity.
People who gets intrigued and have their curiosity effectively tickled will surely want to know more and digest more of your content. The catalyst however is to generate curiosity through electrifying headlines. There are many ways great headlines that grab targeted audiences’ attention can be written and executed. Resources are available and these can be shared later in future posts, but learning how to create electrifying headlines is an essential element in creating epic content.
7. Apply the 6-1-2 Formula
Learn Blog Tips posted this great article on “The Ultimate Guide to Creating Epic Content” and one striking tip shared is the 6-1-2 formula for creating epic content. In summary, the formula states that to create a great epic content, you material should have:
- SIX sub headings or enough to cover the length of your article, with each subheading using alternatives for your main keywords.
- ONE topic to focus on, with more specific information about the topic expounded within the content, and….
- TWO actionable tips that readers can execute after reading and digesting your epic content.
8. Provide an Ultimate Solution to a Problem
A lot of people suffer from various kinds of problems, from mundane to life threatening, and many go the Internet to seek help in providing for an ultimate solution to their particular problem. If your content can empathize with the pain these people suffer, whatever the nature is, and provide tips and suggestions that can help provide a solution to the problem – it can gain the right to be called epic.
The first step is to first identify a problem or find some form of discontent that several internet users can identify with and are actually experiencing in their lives. Epic content is developed by looking for information that can provide solutions to the discontent and ultimately the problem. The best kinds are those derived from real life experience, particularly examples that can actually show how they personally managed to overcome the problem – and let people learn how to achieve the same.
9. Enhance Your Content with Videos, Images and Links
It will be hard for ordinary text content to achieve epic levels without the enhancements awesome images, incredible videos and relevant links can bring. Images and videos add value to the text content and explain concepts in visual form that are much more understood by targeted audiences. Studies show that posts can generate up to 180 percent more engagement if they are enhanced by the addition of videos, pictures or picture galleries.
The SEO Ranking Factors and Rank Correlations 2014 from Searchmetrics highlighted that higher rankings can be achieved by posts with more number of images or pictures. Just make sure that you don’t just include random images that are not even relevant to the message your content is saying. Don’t add image just for the sake of increasing the number of images but to enhance your text content for better appreciation by your targeted audiences – and make them epic.
10. Give Importance to Mobile Users
Mobile internet is huge and more and more users are joining the fun, ushered in the proliferation of various kinds of mobile devices and Internet-enabled gadgets. Epic content takes this into consideration and is configured for optimum viewing with mobile devices – in terms of text content, visual enhancements and ease of social bookmarking and sharing.
If you want your brand remembered by your targeted audiences, then you must have a good number of Epic content proliferated in various sectors of the online world. Just like the great legends and epics of old that survived the ravages of time and still loved by millions around the world, epic content can bring your brand to such levels – and have your name etched in virtual epic glory for years to come.