With the rise of content strategists and creators, there’s no doubt a fair share of favouritism is going a round in terms of what industries are seemingly more ‘marketable’ than others. There’s also a pretty long list of those that some strategists or creators would rather not touch, and not because writing about these topics are “boring”, but more because they definitely take a whole lot more work and outside-the-box thinking. And unfortunately, not a whole lot of people are willing to go the extra mile to create that kind of innovative approach (unlike us, obviously).
But that’s also where they’ll fall behind with their own personal and professional success. Being able to see these kinds of industries as a challenge, and not a hindrance or burden, is the key to a solid content creator. And it all starts with the ability to think differently – inventively. Marketing these days is made to be somewhat automatic. We rely on automated software and tools to help us power up our campaigns – which is so unbelievably helpful. But these same resources can’t do the human thinking for us, and when it comes to content, it’s easy to see whether that level of thinking has been really tapped into. This is especially true when it comes to industries, products and services that seen a little more on the ‘dull’ side.
The first step to creating killer content for less exciting sectors is to think of it differently. Entirely differently. Scratch out what you thought you knew about generating material for this field and revamp your whole knowledge set. Why? Because in this post, I’m going to show you how you can fill the gap for your business, if you’ve long been lagging behind because of stigmas around the industry you’re in.
Maybe you’re a pioneer of a new type of screw that will take infrastructure to the next level in Australia. Maybe you’re a supplier of scaffolding solutions and hand rails. No matter what kind of field you work in, you can always own it…
It’s time to change the way you think about boring content topics
If you pop onto Google, Quora or Reddit, you’ll quickly see posts from those asking how they can create content for their ‘boring brand’. The reason I’m even writing this is because of how many of these I’m seeing floating around. It’s a real dilemma. Plenty of these questions are also being posed by painters, tradesmen or financial services providers – all of which have plenty of opportunities to tap into. They just need to be uncovered.
A common question lately. This one was found on Quora.
When it comes to creating a plan of attack for this though, there are two bits of news – the good and the bad. Firstly, the good news is that you can create content without really doing anything extraordinary; it just takes a different mindset.
Secondly, the bad news is that you will need to think beyond just simple content and SEO marketing agency. You’ll have to rely pretty heavily on strategic components and outreach. But that’s where the fun stuff is anyway.
What it all comes down to is locating those you think will share your content, who will link it and who will read it. And you can apply this mode of thinking to your entire strategy. Because instead of creating content that’s driven for SEO and simple exposure, you’ll have to go a little beyond that and think about the influencers in your space. That’s where your opportunity lies as a business that isn’t in an all that thrilling industry.
When businesses don’t choose to take this approach, and they consistently churn out content that’s not being read or engaged with, they start to scratch their heads. But when you look at what’s being published, you can easily identify where they went wrong:
- They didn’t have the clarity needed through a solid strategy;
- There’s a lack of goals – be it conversions, traffic or to build links;
- They are still stuck in the mindset that viral content is the only way to go.
Image source: Neil Patel
I just want to touch on the last point a little further. It’s still all too common to see brands of all walks of life create content and expect it to just go viral. They expect it will be trending, just because the ‘Publish now’ button was hit. Even content strategists are still missing out on the opportunities within amplification tactics, which is where the real fuel behind exposure comes from.
This is where PR and outreach opportunities will blast your brand far past competitors who are still stuck with the ‘viral content’ approach. Trust me, you’ll end up in a far better place if you avoid that train of thought. Chances are, you’ll never be trending for your industry, but you can become a thought leader to a level that drives you unbelievable amounts of conversions and engagements. And that’s ultimately what you really want. Not the vanity result of being viral for an hour or so.
Content is stagnant without amplification
The other important aspect of marketing your type of business is that you need to remember (like I’ve said above) that content should never come without some kind of amplification tactic. Don’t expect to write up a brilliant article on your website and have the traffic come charging in. It won’t happen.
Instead, you’ll need to let the world know of your amazing piece, and show them why it’s going to solve their problems. And even if that ‘world’ is just your little demographic of influencers in your field – you’ll end up with far more leads and opportunities than if you sat around waiting for action to happen.
So what kind of amplification is there?
Outreach and sponsored content will be your biggest bet here. When we talk about outreach, we’re referring to appearing on high authority blogs, publications, websites and channels where there is a huge following of your target audience. Instead of trying to create your own audience on a site that doesn’t have that level of influence, you utilise those that already have these follows and pull effect.
Use tools like Buzzsumo to find influencers in your field.
Beyond that, you can also use content amplification platforms like Outbrain and Taboola to utilise pay-per-click tactics to land your content on the biggest news publications. While it’s great for traffic, though, it’s important that these methods don’t always translate into conversions. You’ll need a solid way of capturing those leads when they come through, if you choose this route (something we can do for you). However, it’s probably one of the most cost-effective ways to power up your amplification efforts, so it’s always worth considering this path.
Getting started
It’s a whole other blog post for another day to go through the nitty-gritty of how to use outreach to market your ‘boring’ business. But it’s also a powerful weapon. At Content Marketing Agency, we have a network of established publications and influencers we partner with to help our clients with trickier products land eyes on their brand.
If you’d like to find out how we can help you with content marketing, get in touch with us on 1300 662 225.