Overcoming Content Shock

Consistently producing engaging content is a core element of most marketing strategies, but will it be sustainable over the long term?According to some digital marketing experts, the glut of content online might be weakening the power of inbound marketing efforts. Social media expert Mark Schaefer labeled this phenomenon â€Å"content shock† and the concerns he raised have caused quite a bit of discussion. What Is Content Shock? Content shock is the idea that the amount of content people are able to consume has more or less peaked while the amount of content being produced keeps growing rapidly. Schaefer’s theory suggests that once we are at a certain level of saturation, publishing new content will be almost pointless. However, it’s important not to confuse the idea of content shock with information overload.More information is usually a good thing and tends to help create better content that rises to the top.Content shock refers more specifically to saturation, or density, of content in a particular niche or industry more than the actual amount. More and More Content Just how much content is being produced?According to one study, over 4.6 billion pieces are created each day. Another analysis estimates that the amount of information available online doubles every two years. Looking at these numbers, it’s easy to see that having high quality content and a good strategy to reach your audience is essential. Making Your Content Stand Out in the Crowd While content saturation might make it more challenging to get results from your efforts, it definitely does not mean you should give up.Here are two strategies that can help you beat content shock: Persona-driven content A lot of content is fairly generic, written to reach the widest possible audience.The problem with this is that it ends up not being particularly useful to anyone.But you can avoid this pitfall by crafting content that’s based on targeted customer personas. Social media optimization (SMO) The idea of SMO has been around for quite some time, but it gained significant traction after the release of Google’s Hummingbird algorithm change.Since Hummingbird utilizes social sharing to help determine ranking, it is more important than ever to optimize your content for social media.SMO tactics can include: Adding social share buttons to your blog Asking for shares, likes or comments Using eye-catching images in your social media content Building relationships with influencers Content Marketing is Not Dead! Although the heyday of content marketing isn’t over, content shock has raised the bar for marketers. With more and more content being produced these days, the challenge of getting your audience’s attention is even harder. But, there are still powerful ways to stand out. Most importantly, make sure your content is as personalized as possible for your customers.