Create Evergreen Content That Drives Sales

As a marketer, it is easy to feel overwhelmed in the arena of content marketing. Search engine optimization (SEO), constant updates, and social media campaigns may seem like more work than you can accomplish. You have plenty of other tasks to complete, without constantly being at the computer.

However, content marketing doesn’t have to be so complicated.

Evergreen content can be your best friend when it comes to content marketing. Since some people will always be searching for definitions or how-to guides, evergreen content will help your content be relevant at any time. Even though it may seem like evergreen content is stagnant or that having static content doesn’t convey real value, evergreen content can consistently drive sales, as if it were right off the press.

Why Evergreen?

New marketing campaigns, search engine optimization, building social affinity, along with all of the other pressures to remain relevant on the web and in your industry, creates the temptation to constantly update and create brand new material. However, evergreen material is actually more effective in many situations, as explained in the list below. Evergreen content can be more impactful than date-oriented content, because it can be written once and enjoyed by many readers over time.

This can be a huge load off you and your team, as these posts can be re-run in the future. Since it’s still salient information, it provides value to your audience. It’s a service to your customers because it provides basic information, crucial to understanding and enjoying other content on your page.

What Types of Evergreen Content Should You Use?

Here are some examples of great evergreen content:

• Instructions: Many of Google’s 3.5 billion daily searchers look for instructions on how to accomplish a task
• Interviews: Interviews with industry experts and influencers are great because they’re timeless
• Answers: FAQ sections and glossary pages are ideal because industry terms rarely change. Be careful, though: audiences need you to be as clear and straightforward as possible. Avoid excess jargon
• History: You can provide historical content about your industry. However, it is recommended to avoid time qualifiers, such as “last year” or “recently.” Just use the actual date the subject happened
• Lists: “Top 10” and similar lists that are not time-sensitive become perennial and are easy to read, simply because they’re broken down and organized
• Definitions: Industry terms don’t normally change over time
• Resource lists: This is always great for content. This gives beginners resources to learn more. Update this periodically to be sure they haven’t been taken off the web

Rules for Evergreen Content

While using evergreen content, keep the following in mind:

• Make it comprehensive: Elaborate on your subject. How-to guides are great because they provide the reader with in-depth understanding of the subject matter. This shows that you’re the industry expert. Insert your brand-specific keywords for a fantastic SEO boost
• Make it useful: Evergreen content is wonderful, but if it doesn’t enable your audience to take action, it will whither away. Make sure your content is clear, which includes knowing your audience and avoiding unnecessary verbiage. Make your tone friendly, but full of expert advice
• Don’t forget to update: Within your evergreen content, there’s always room for change. For example, the definition of SEO won’t change, but the algorithms search engines use are always changing. However, since some of it is evergreen, you can scratch out the outdated information or provide an update at the bottom of the page. Now your page is good as new!
  • Updating gives you the chance to scan for outdated links on your page as well. As an audience member, nothing is more frustrating than dead links. Updating is also great because Google’s SEO algorithm counts content freshness
• Offer downloadable materials as incentives: Many content marketers run into the Too Long; Didn’t Read problem. With evergreen content, like your how-to guide, making it into a downloadable or printable version can help. Visuals, such as infographics or slideshows, also help make content easier for readers to digest
• Don’t bury it: Evergreen content, such as definitions, are necessary for a visitor to understand the rest of your page. Therefore, make it easily accessible. You can have a “start here” page where you have evergreen materials, and you can also re-run them on your homepage to periodically give your audience a refresher

Keeping these tips in mind, your company can lighten the load on your content and web developers. Also, having such commanding information on your site gives you a presence online as an industry expert and customers are more likely to do business with you, because you’re a trusted name in the field.