Does Your Content Need a Spring Cleaning?

Nowadays marketing is all about providing useful, relevant content. Businesses are creating it, while customers are engaging with it and sharing it. So, if you're looking to grow your business through marketing, it's time to focus on creating attention-grabbing content that is free of waffle, jargon, and self-importance. Give your content a spring clean by asking yourself these five questions.

1. Do I Have a Plan?

Content that sounds fresh and spontaneous actually takes careful planning. Firing off content because “we need an update” is a sure bet to produce lackluster content that doesn't have a clear message. Whether you are planning your next brochure or a series of social media updates, come up with a plan. Figure out how much content you need to produce and when, and factor in the time to create, edit, and make it shine.

2. Am I Making the Most of My Content Channels?

There are so many content channels out there that the choice can be dizzying. Are you Tumbling? Have you used Vine recently? Sort out which content channels are best for your business—think about a mix of social channels and other channels such as your blog and newsletter. For each channel, take the time to brainstorm work out the kind of content that works best and deliver it—consistently.

3. Am I Listening to What My Customers Want?

The focus of great content should be squarely on what the customer wants. Metrics are your friend. Which elements of your content are the most popular? Where do your customers go to engage with your content? Do they like direct mail for new products and Facebook for contests? What are your customers searching for when they visit your blog or social media profiles? Find out what they want, and create content that offers that.

4. Is My Content Boring?