Authority Intensive

Image credit: Copyblogger If you are always all ears when it comes to receiving and filtering fresh news on traffic, conversions, content and design, chances are that you have already heard about Copyblogger’s May 2014 live training content event. Copyblogger succeeded in gathering some of the most prominent thought leaders of the moment under the same roof during its first-ever content event, called Authority Intensive. According to the host, this event was all about content marketing strategies and smart implementation methods, coupled with networking and great parties. Copyblogger’s 2014 Authority Intensive: The Who, the What and the Why Factors Several respectable influencers, including Seth Godin, Darren Rowse from Problogger, TopRank’s CEO Lee Odden, Brian Gardner, Bill Erickson, Ann Handley and Pam Wilson discussed the latest trends in design, marketing and content creation, highlighted the most important challenges in this department and provided key tips enabling the audience to identify and overcome them. All speakers managed to send a crystal clear message in the content event: in order to survive and become noticeable on overly competitive digital markets, all brands should strive to differentiate themselves by using powerful, inspiring, properly optimized content as their ambassadors. Thought leaders shared more than a few tips and helped marketers and content creators follow a bright guiding star and avoid dangerous pitfalls associated with predefined templates, lack of creativity and motivation, fluff and a counterproductive “me too” approach. According to Lee Odden, you can be the best answer wherever your clients may be looking, so why opt for a tiresome monologue when you can start a meaningful conversation with your prospects? Are We Witnessing the Decline of Vapid Content? All the speakers have agreed upon one aspect: vapid content is not helping companies evolve. On the other hand, low-quality web writing can actually stop business owners from attaining their boldest goals. After all, we all know that what lasts doesn’t come easy and comes easy won’t last. This rule also applies to content creation. This is precisely why marketers and content creators should intensify their efforts to think outside the box, resonate with their audiences and deliver content and strategies that are actually one-of-a-kind, people-oriented and designed to create a powerful positive impact on a certain segment of public. Cheap, de-humanized, irrelevant, overly optimized web writing is not doing us any favors and has a very short lifespan, so it represents a misguided investment. As more and more users are craving for premium web content, chances are that superficially crafted articles and blog posts without a real substance will soon become a thing of the past. 5 Free Content Lessons From Thought Leaders At Copyblogger’s Content Event In what content and marketing strategies are concerned, in order to find your own voice you should follow in the footsteps of those who have already managed to build their own empire. Here are 5 extremely valuable lessons that the speakers from this recent event have taught us: 1) Fluff Is Not Your Meal Ticket. As tempting as it may seem to create and post web content just because everybody else is doing it, don’t fall into this trap. It is useless to churn out frequency in an attempt to boost website traffic. According to Darren Rowse, speaker at the content event, this is not how it works. A plentitude of posts delivered religiously won’t help you make a name for yourself, unless you are actually providing real value to your readers. Is your content sharing fresh ideas, educating your public or solving pressing problems? If your answer is no, now would be a good time to come up with a brighter plan based on premium on-site content and blog posts with a reasonable frequency. 2) Every Single Content Piece Should Be Considered an Essential Component of a Balanced Ecosystem. In order to succeed, you must count on a solid plan. An editorial calendar paired with the highest dosage of creativity, tons of accurate, recent information and a pinch of inspiration are the main ingredients that you should mix to come up with a series of interesting, on-point, awe-inspiring blog posts that have to make sense not only as individual pieces, but also as a cohesive whole. According to Ann Handley, every single piece that you write should be a part of a well-balanced ecosystem that is powerful enough to withstand any series of changes. 3) Content Should Be Presented in a Meaningful Visual Manner. During multiple sessions, several speakers including Pam Wilson, Bill Erickson and Brian Gardner have accentuated the fact that content based solely on text is outdated and considerably less effective than its innovative counterparts reflecting a combination of text and video and audio elements, which ensure a superior design experience for all users. It seems that content creators and marketers who still embrace and promote poorly designed content will no longer be able to get away with it. 5) Write for People, NOT for Sake of Creating Content. Content is king, and still it still needs to be validated by a vast audience. After all, what would a king be without his people? This is the main reason why content should be built around the common needs, questions and concerns of a carefully delimitated public. In the absence of fresh ideas and a proper segmentation, content becomes a bent arrow that keeps missing its target. At the end of the day, all the thought leaders who agreed to attend Copyblogger’s content event have proven once again that they’re good at what they’re doing and even better at giving expert advice. They have predicted the fall of cheap, vapid web writing and encouraged the audience to put the user first on any occasion, while also anticipating the gradual ascension of on-point content that takes the reader on an exciting journey.