controversy

If you’ve spent any time in content marketing, you’ve probably already seen this phenomenon: most of the content out there is simply a copy of something else. While this might seem odd, in an industry that’s so focused on individuality, relevance, and value, it’s true. Much of the written material in our niche has gone stale. Instead of being groundbreaking, it’s repetitive. Instead of being fresh and exciting, all it does is place a slightly new spin on an old topic. Copycat content doesn’t do anything to further the industry, and some would argue that content marketing is stagnating because of it. Today, more than 90% of B2B companies use content marketing in their digital strategies. But while many of these cloned blogs are produced to populate platforms with content at a high quality level, others are written by wannabe, beginning bloggers who think it’s easy to model after industry leaders and become one. Fortunately, being a dull content marketer doesn’t have to be your fate – just so long as you know how to avoid it. Today, we’re talking about the power of contrarian content marketing and how you can use authenticity, strategy and controversy to be a standout marketer. Keep reading! [bctt tweet=”If you’ve spent any time in content marketing, you’ve probably already seen this phenomenon: most of the content out there is simply a copy of something else. Learn @JuliaEMcCoy’s tips for standing out as a contrarian content marketer ?” username=”ExpWriters”] Diving Into Contrarian Content Marketing: The Secret of Controversial Content Contrarian simply means having a controversial or standout opinion. From Dictionary.com: The adjective sense fits what we’re talking about today: going against current practice. Quick, answer this question: True or false: Creating controversial content is the last thing you want to do as a marketer. While you might be inclined to stay safe and believe the answer is true, you’d be surprised to learn it’s false. Today, people don’t talk about things that are old and familiar. If you create another “10 Shocking Ways to do the Thing Everyone Already Knows How To Do” post, you’re not going to break the internet. Nobody is going to go to their grave with the name of your blog post on their lips unless you develop a real knack for identifying controversial, interesting, legitimately useful topics your customers love. Today, controversial content causes customers to sit up and take notice. When people are piqued emotionally by something, whether it makes them feel awe-struck, angry, happy, or inspired, they’re much more willing to share it with their friends, initiate conversations around it on social media, and comment on it, which leads to a greater discussion around your topic. This isn’t just speculation. In fact, there’s been lots of research done on the power of emotional content to start conversations. According to a 2014 Buffer study, there’s a significant correlation between the number of views a blog post gets, and the number of positive feelings (like interest, trust, anticipation, and joy) it evokes. You don’t have to create purely positive content to reap these benefits, though. The same study shows emotionally complex content and surprising material both earn the same results. Here are just a few benefits of controversial content: 1. More Traffic. People love being surprised, and controversial content can draw in far more views than a run-of-the-mill post. What’s more, once you create a surprising post, people will come back again and again to read it, boosting your views even further. 2. More Links. Surprising material goes viral, so it’s in your best interest to create it. When people link to your material and share it with their friends, they’ll start conversations and build a community around your content. 3. Shares. Be they on social or in an email, people will share controversial content at a higher rate than boring content. This can drive more traffic back to your site and increase the number of conversions you earn. 4. Comments. Comments are one thing virtually all bloggers want and few get. Because controversial content becomes a hotbed for comments, it’s a great way to start a dialogue around a new or unfamiliar topic and keep it fresh. What does a content marketing strategy look like that includes contrarian content marketing? Let’s delve in. Contrarian Content Marketing: 3-Step Recipe for an Anything-but-Ordinary Content Presence In the world of content marketing, being ordinary is one of the worst things that can happen to a marketer. [bctt tweet=”In the world of content marketing, being ordinary is one of the worst things that can happen to a marketer. @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] In addition to annoying your readers, being ordinary makes it exceedingly easy to get lost in the sea of other voices, shifting from a place of prominence and notice to a prison of solitude and minimal traffic. Luckily, creating truly unique content is possible, you just need to follow a formula. Our content marketing has brought in over 98% of our clients and sales. Here’s what we do to stand out in content marketing. (For the full version, see our case study.) 1. Creating A Ton of Consistent, In-Depth, Long-Form Content Consistency wins – and long-form, in-depth content wins. In addition to the fact that long-form content ranks better than short-form content, it’s also harder to create, which means few people are doing it. If you want to zig while everyone else zags, dedicate yourself to writing super-exclusive guides or crafting five word compilations that will remain valuable long past their publish date. Trust me, it’s worth the extra work. We do it all the time – and results happen. More on this subject: An Argument for Long-Form Content And by “a ton,” I mean a ton. Here’s what our content publishing schedule looks like, per our case study – volume is around 40-45 unique posts a month: 2. Building Effective, Highly-Engaged Communities Today, even the best content is only as good as the community you’re building day by day and sharing it with. The more you share your content and engage with real people on your social platforms, and the harder you work to create communities, … Read more