Good content has what we call "a long tail" – particularly when it’s on a digital platform. It lingers out in cyberspace waiting to be found by consumers – when it's done well.
So much is said about keywords and meta data that people can get tied up in finding the right words – instead of the right message. After all, there’s not much point of people finding an article about your business if they don’t read it, or don’t act on it (and buy your product).
I had the pleasure of working with brand expert Zoe Sabados and her client, property developer Central Element to create some online content recently. An article I wrote targeted at empty nesters and promoting the company's new development in Cammeray, for the WYZA website resulted in an amazing 1400 click-throughs in just 24 hours for Central Element. But this is only the beginning... Most accepted wisdom about online content nowadays is that you will see a large initial spike in click-throughs with EDM-led promotion, but carefully crafted content will continue to bring engagement for months, even years, later. After all, content is not only king, it's for forever when it's online.
I have worked on campaigns for companies that have resulted in viral content that continues to bring in 300-400 new hits a day. It really is the gift that keeps on giving. However, sometimes the success of this content has only become apparently months – even years – after the first date of publishing. And then there is no stopping it.
Virality takes time. It takes hundreds and thousands of search engines to stumble upon your content and then for real people (not bots) to stay on that page long enough it for it to register on Google (or whoever) as an article that might be worth sharing, or highlighting.
This is why quality content is the key to real engagement, not just keywords.