Chris Young
In a digital age where approximately 4.6 billion pieces of content are produced daily, standing out in the cacophony of information noise is a Herculean task.
The silver lining for marketers is that most of the new pieces of “content” are so-called euphemistically, and fall into the “adult entertainment” category. As such, marketers mustn’t regard these pieces of “content” as threats vying for the same customer group (hopefully). However, there are still hundreds of millions of pieces of content produced daily which run the gamut of cringeworthy to beautifully useful. As such, quality content is no longer a mere assembly of well-crafted words; it is a bridge that attaches businesses to their target audience in meaningful, memorable ways.
Much of the content produced is a dime a dozen, and therefore truly worthwhile content must resonate deeply, engage authentically, and inspire action to cut through the clutter. For marketers, crafting such transformative content involves an intricate blend of storytelling, data-driven insights, and an unerring focus on the needs and aspirations of the audience. Marketers who can get this right position themselves and their companies for high profits and, even beyond that, an engaging (dare we say fun and enjoyable?) line of work.
Quality content is symphonic in nature; it harmonizes relevance, accuracy, originality, and engagement to construct an impactful narrative that adds value to the consumer. Each of these parameters serves as a pillar that elevates content from the mundane to the magnificent.
1. Relevance: In 2019, a study by the Content Marketing Institute revealed that 90% of the most successful B2B content marketers prioritize the audience's informational needs over their company's promotional messages.1 Relevant content addresses the specific pain points, needs, and aspirations of your target audience and, most importantly, addresses something they are interested in. When these interests can be addressed in engaging ways and from a standpoint of novelty, relevance is all but guaranteed.
2. Accuracy: “Fake news” has often been used as a dismissive way to reject unwanted information. However, truly fake (and therefore wrong) information does exist. Artificial Intelligence photos, lopsided statistics, and the occasional bold-faced lie frequently rear their ugly heads in mass-produced content. Most people realize when someone is attempting to pull the wool over their eyes… and they don’t really appreciate it. Above all else, marketers must build and maintain trust by disseminating true information. Inaccurate content is caustic and corrosive; however, true and accurate content is a balm for the wearily hyperactive “bullshit detector.”
3. Originality: Original content is your brand's signature in a world of imitations. A BuzzSumo study found that 75% of articles get fewer than 39 shares on social media, largely because they rehash the same ideas and largely in the same way.2 Originality and your brand’s voice can be your differentiator, helping your content to stand out and be remembered.
4. Engagement: According to HubSpot, compelling content generates 94% more views.3 Engagement is the parameter that transforms passive viewers into active participants. High-quality content invites your audience to take action—whether that’s sharing, commenting, or initiating a purchase.
Quality content doesn't just captivate; it converts. With 91% of consumers saying they would buy from a company that gained their trust.4 As you consistently deliver value through your content, you build trustworthiness that, in turn, fuels customer loyalty and brand advocacy. Quality content establishes your brand as a reliable source of information.
Moreover, quality content is the fuel that powers Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated, rewarding content that offers genuine value over keyword-stuffed, low-quality articles. Quality content isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for any brand looking to make a lasting impression in the digital ecosystem. It elevates brand visibility, fosters trust, and enhances SEO ranking, acting as a powerful catalyst for business growth.
The cornerstone of quality content is its ability to provide tangible value to the reader and address a problem that they’re dealing with. This could be done through education, information, or entertainment. A valuable piece does more than fill space; it solves a problem, answers a question, or sparks joyful contemplation.
Originality is another non-negotiable facet. Your readers and viewers are smart–don’t ever assume otherwise–and they have content olfactory senses and know when something smells rotten. To capture and sustain a reader's attention, particularly in an age of low tolerance for re-hashed content, the content produced must be gripping. Incorporating elements like infographics or interactive videos can transform passive consumption into an engaging experience, enriching the reader’s interaction with the material.
The technical aspects of content creation can't be ignored and act as the turbo-charger for your content. Sure, your content might lurch its way off the start line, but integrating techniques–namely SEO–can boost the content’s effectiveness. The strategic integration of keywords helps search engines understand the relevance of your content, while compelling meta-descriptions attract more clicks from search engine results pages. Furthermore, link-building—especially from high-authority domains—enhances your content's trustworthiness and boosts its SEO ranking, and nobody wants to link to low-brow or mediocre types of content.
Quality content must, therefore, blend value, originality, interactivity, and search engine optimization, crafted to serve both the reader and the broader business objectives.
Content crafting must start with knowing your audience. Fundamentally, content is a transaction where you give your readers or viewers information that they need, and they in turn give you their attention. Having a good handle on their preferences, problems, and preferred solutions will act as a True North when creating your content.
With your reader or viewer in mind, consider other content that has been produced and the solutions that they are proposing for the same consumer. Take time to understand what has already been created and where their arguments and assumptions fundamentally fall short. Then, in your own content, address these in a unique way. One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating data that supports the point you’re making; you get bonus points if the data are primary (generated by you). Having primary data will earn you backlinks and recognition from consumers and industry partners as a source of authority.
Finally, this content must be presented in a way that’s delightful to the consumer which can span the spectrum from “fast food” content to “gourmet”--both are pleasant to consume. “Fast food” content can be created in the form of short videos or 180-character social media posts. On the other hand, they can be seven course high-gastronomy meals with proprietary data and a research paper-like level of analysis.
In today's digital landscape, the internet is awash in content—blogs, articles, videos, social media posts, and more—making it increasingly challenging for any single piece to gain traction. It’s important to note that out of the hundreds of millions of pieces created every day, you’re only, in theory, competing with one piece of content–the next best piece. The one that sits a tier above you on the hierarchy of quality.
With this in mind, it’s possible to create an iterative process where your content and the next best piece are analyzed. For every piece of content that’s created, it’s good to have a debrief to identify at least one thing that can be improved in the next piece. In a similar manner, it's good to analyze any content of superior quality compared to the content you’re producing to understand what the competition is doing and how you can incorporate that into your content.
Choosing quality and prioritizing incremental improvement is an investment in long-term success. A well-researched, meticulously crafted piece of content has staying power; it's likely to be shared more often, have a longer shelf-life, and, most importantly, convert more effectively. Consistently producing quality content establishes your brand as an authority in your field, earning you trust and loyalty that bulk content can rarely achieve. Over time, this leads to better SEO rankings, higher engagement rates, and more robust customer relationships. So rather than adopting a 'more is better' approach, focus on delivering 'better is more.' This is how your content can truly make an impact, ensuring both resonance with your audience and tangible results for your business.
With the advent of viable artificial intelligence, AI-generated content is becoming more and more prevalent, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It provides a shortcut to decent writing; however, it’s not the end-all be-all. AI produces generic content, exactly the type that is low-effort and easily replicated by masses of people. It also relies on information that already exists and therefore cannot produce thought leadership and, while informative, fails to delight the reader.
AI, in our experience, excels at producing outlines and even basic paragraphs that can help eliminate writer's block and inspire the next sentence. However, human writers and editors are necessary to take generic AI content and transform it into something uniquely insightful with a unique voice. AI should also be fact checked. Even though it is getting better, AI can routinely produce false content as if it were gospel truth and this directly violates the imperative to create quality content since, by definition, quality content does not contain false information. Whenever using AI to help with content creation, substantial editing and fact checking is absolutely necessary.
Once you’ve produced and published your content, the final step is evaluating the performance of your content which is crucial for understanding what resonates with your audience. This step is different from the debriefs in that it looks outward towards the public reception of your content rather than a subjective assessment of what was done right and what wasn’t. These two, however, can and should work in consort.
Evaluating basic metrics like comments, shares, and likes can offer immediate insights into how your content is being received. A high level of engagement, particularly in the form of comments and shares, is generally indicative of content that has struck a chord, either by being highly informative, relatable, or emotionally resonant. These metrics can serve as a springboard for future content planning, helping you identify successful formats, themes, or topics that could be revisited or expanded upon. Quality content has a way of creating an upward spiral–once a piece goes “viral,” it’s easy to branch off and create similar pieces of content, creating an endless cycle.
For a more granular approach to measuring content quality, we recommend diving into analytics tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These platforms can offer a wealth of data, from user dwell time to bounce rates to conversion metrics, which provide a more comprehensive picture of content performance. For example, high dwell time paired with low bounce rates usually indicates that the content is not only attracting visitors but keeping them engaged—two key indicators of quality. Such metrics should guide ongoing refinements to your content strategy, ensuring it is agile, data-driven, and aligned with audience needs. Whether you're seeing unexpected spikes in traffic or discovering that certain pieces are not delivering the desired impact, the key is to adapt and refine by embracing analytical insights.
Content creation is one of the best ways to show goodwill towards your prospects and customers by treating their problems seriously and giving them practical answers. Companies that prioritize content creation are sending a clear message to their consumers–we value and care about you. This stands in stark contrast to many other advertising methods that make no attempt to provide value first, and even make the viewer feel like the product. As these types of advertisements have become ubiquitous, the only path forward for businesses is to create a first step that adds value rather than sequestering it.
For help in the areas of content creation and other digital marketing strategies, Be More Digital can partner with your company to manage or enhance your current digital marketing efforts. Our team of experts has combined decades of experience in generating revenue through SEO, PPC, and other tactics. Get in touch with our customer success team for a complimentary proposal or take a look at our case studies for more information about our success stories and how we can help your company grow
1https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/research-b2b-audience/
2https://buzzsumo.com/blog/50-of-content-gets-8-shares-or-less-why-content-fails-and-how-to-fix-it/
3https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-infographic
4https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/trust-new-business-currency.html
.png)
