In an ever-changing world, it’s really important to show that you’ve got your finger on the pulse and that you know what’s going on. You can do this by publishing timely content: time-sensitive articles, social posts and videos that reflect an ongoing news story or seasonal event.
So what are the benefits of this approach and how could it boost your business?
Responding to recent or continuing events and trends can help you establish yourself as an authoritative commentator in your field. Publishing timely content gives you a chance to bolster your credentials as a thought leader, so potential customers, business partners and media outlets might turn to you for your take on what’s happening.
By taking part in a wider conversation, you can demonstrate that you understand your audience, what they’re talking about and the challenges they may be facing at any given time. For example, a major news story may have an impact on your target audience, so it’s worth giving your take on what’s happened and offering practical advice where you can. Look at how the cost of living crisis has prompted firms in many different sectors to offer tips on budgeting or share cheap, but nourishing, meal ideas. Or how the pandemic led to brands talking about mental health or getting the most out of working from home.
Alternatively, a random news story may have resonated and cut through to the wider public, so it may be appropriate to allude to it, perhaps in a humorous, satirical way.
And of course, people may search online to prepare for big national events or occasions such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. In that case, you may be in a position to help, offer useful advice or answer questions that they’re asking.
What’s on the minds of your target audience right now? What are they talking about? What do they care about? If you find out the answers to these questions, you can be part of the discussion and add genuine value to your customers and clients.
If you’re commenting on a trending topic, you can get your brand right in front of people who are actively seeking out content on that subject at that time. Since Google looks for up-to-date, relevant content featuring well-chosen keywords, your article could rank highly on search engine results pages, and if you’re sharing it on your social media channels, you could get more likes, shares and comments than you might do normally.
If a website has visible signs that it hasn’t been updated for some time, such as a website copyright notice with the wrong year, potential clients and customers may be put off getting in touch, and might even wonder if you’re still trading. Publishing timely content is an easy way to show existing customers and prospects that you are open for business right now and actively working to keep your client base informed and up to date.
You want your website to be consistently useful to existing and prospective customers - so they can check it on any date and still get the information that they’re looking for. One way of doing that is by publishing evergreen content - information that’s relevant to you and your audience at any time.
By contrast, timely content has a much shorter shelf life, and may not be useful or of interest in a few weeks or even days. But it’s still valuable as it performs a very different function to evergreen content, by letting you show that you’re in touch with current events, able to react speedily to recent developments and are keeping an eye out for issues that matter to your customers.With that in mind, it’s well worth incorporating a mixture of both timely and evergreen content into your content marketing strategy, so you can cover both bases.
If you want to find out more about content marketing and how it could benefit your business, get in touch with us here at Karman Digital.
We’re specialists in crafting timely, relevant content on behalf of our clients whenever they need it, so they can better engage with their customers and help them stay informed.