Why Evergreen Content Can Be Your Ticket to Sustainable Growth
Do you find this scenario familiar? You invest your time, energy, and resources into creating a piece of content, only to see its traffic dwindle within a few weeks or even days.
You ponder what might have gone wrong but struggle to pinpoint why the content isn't generating more traffic or leads. Could it be the distribution strategy? Did your search rankings take a hit?
Possibly, but the main reason for the dwindling traffic is likely your choice of topic.
As content marketers, our mission is to produce content that consistently attracts new and returning visitors to our website, providing them with ongoing engagement and valuable information. We face a choice: we can create a large amount of content that only yields modest traffic, or we can opt for a better solution—evergreen content.
What Is Evergreen Content?
Evergreen content refers to topics that remain relevant indefinitely, regardless of shifting trends or news cycles.
For example, content focused on temporary subjects or the latest fads, such as the newest iPhone operating system from Apple, only retains visitor interest until the next system is unveiled. Instead, both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers should allocate a significant portion of their content marketing resources to content that consistently draws traffic to their website due to its enduring relevance and appeal.
Examples of evergreen content articles include explanations of "the difference between SEO and PPC," historical overviews like "the history of New York City," instructional guides such as "how to cook spaghetti," informative pieces like "the top 10 financial terms every investor should know," and health-related content like "eight common symptoms of pneumonia."
The key to identifying evergreen topics lies in asking, "What questions do my clients consistently have?" From there, create evergreen articles, videos, podcasts, and other forms of content that address these perennial queries, ensuring your content is always there with the answers.
Three Compelling Reasons to Invest in Evergreen Content
At first glance, the idea of evergreen content may seem challenging, but it's well worth the effort and investment for three compelling reasons:
Evergreen content has enduring appeal.
Evergreen topics perpetually interest your audience and cater to their specific needs. Consequently, these topics have significantly longer lifespans than time-sensitive or trend-dependent industry subjects. As such, evergreen content becomes the cornerstone of your content portfolio. Continuously accumulating backlinks and driving traffic throughout its existence, it can contribute to overall company growth.
Evergreen content is versatile across marketing endeavors.
Content based on trending topics is relevant for only a specific period until the subject's relevance fades. Evergreen content, however, transcends this limitation and can be seamlessly integrated into various marketing strategies, campaigns, and corporate initiatives. For example, a video explaining how to use your product or service can serve multiple purposes, from new employee training to customer service interactions to email marketing campaigns.
Evergreen content establishes brand authority.
By focusing on short-lived topics, your brand risks constantly chasing the next big thing, instead of building lasting connections with viewers through relevant subjects. Business growth isn't immediate; it requires nurturing customer relationships and positioning your brand as an industry authority. A 2019 study by Edelman revealed that 81% of consumers require trust in a brand before making a purchase. Creating captivating, pertinent, and informative evergreen content for your audience can help you build trust and foster these relationships.
Three Quick Tips for Crafting Evergreen Content
Whether you use a content curation engine like Vestorly or produce content in-house, keep these quick tips in mind:
Assess the content's longevity before investing resources.
Nothing is more disheartening than dedicating time and effort to a topic that fails to yield desired results. Before you start writing, filming, or designing evergreen content, gauge the topic's estimated shelf life through keyword research and tools like Google Trends.
Mind the longevity of linked content and media.
If your evergreen content includes links to external sources or media, always verify that these resources won't become obsolete anytime soon. Periodically reviewing your evergreen content for broken links is also a good practice.
Regularly review and update evergreen content.
Information related to evergreen topics can evolve, from new research findings to ongoing developments. Therefore, marketers should periodically revisit their evergreen content pieces to ensure they incorporate the latest information. HubSpot's marketing statistics page serves as an excellent example of this practice in action.
It's Time to Develop an Evergreen Content Strategy for Sustainable Company Growth
Certainly, evergreen topics don't expire. However, that shouldn't be an excuse to postpone your evergreen content strategy. On the contrary, investing in evergreen content has the potential to yield a greater return on investment (ROI) over time compared to a strategy reliant on fleeting trending content.
When brainstorming evergreen topics, consider what your audience seeks to learn and the questions customers consistently ask. Create high-quality content that can be seamlessly integrated into a multitude of marketing initiatives. Always stay vigilant, continuously monitoring and updating your evergreen content to accommodate the latest updates and information.
The sooner you create quality content around an evergreen topic, the sooner you'll begin reaping the rewards.
