Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Email Updates

Recent Posts

What is Evergreen Content? Tips to Create Long-Lasting Content

If you are a business owner, chances are you have heard the term "evergreen content" when talking about marketing. But what is evergreen content? And why is it essential to boost SEO?

Read on to explore the value of evergreen content and how to curate the perfect strategies with it!

What Is Evergreen Content And How to Maintain Evergreen Content Status

 

CTAs for Email

Summary


logo-2 What is Evergreen Content

Evergreen content is a type of content that remains usable and relevant “forever”. It is not time-sensitive and can be read regardless of the year, season, much like the evergreen trees they are named after. Companies create evergreen content because it will continue to provide value even as the years pass, and requires little to no effort to maintain. Examples include:

  • Tutorials
  • Definitions
  • Introductions to certain topics
  • FAQs
In contrast, time-sensitive content will only be relevant for a limited period of time. This type of content is great for getting a lot of traffic but only when published at the right time, and becomes less valuable as time goes on. For example, sales, seasonal promotions, and news stories are all time-sensitive.    

 

 

logo-2 What is Evergreen Marketing

Evergreen content marketing is a marketing strategy that relies on the reusability of content. A company may choose to market a line of hair care products by creating a tutorial on how to care for one’s hair or the common ingredients found in shampoo and conditioner. While the information may change hundreds of years down the line, it will remain useful and relevant for a very long time.   

 

Expert Tips on Writing and Understanding Evergreen Content

Creating an evergreen content marketing strategy can be an involved process, particularly for newcomers. Hence, here are a few fail-safe tips and tricks on writing and developing evergreen content:

Step #1: Think Like a Beginner 

No matter the subject or the niche, there’s always someone new looking to learn more about the topic you may specialize in. Content specifically designed for beginners will remain valuable for a long time. These include beginner guides, intro classes, concept definitions, FAQs, and other similar content that breaks down complex topics.

Step #2: Break Down Your Content 

You don’t constantly have to reinvent the wheel, in fact, sometimes it’s best to explore content that can be derived from existing content. For example, you may already have an article titled "How to draw a self-portrait." You can take the information in this article and revisit it from a different angle, such as, "How to choose the best material for self-portraits." That enables you to produce more content, all the while making it relevant to future times. 

This tactic has a secondary effect: creating multiple links between similar pages of content will help build your SEO profile. The more internal links and the more people click through them, the higher the value of your pages. 

Step #3: Remove Time-Related Words

Yesterday, tomorrow, October 3rd, recently, etc., are all time-sensitive words that you should avoid in making evergreen content. These words can “date” an article, making it appear older or irrelevant as time goes on. 

Imagine reading an article that mentions an "upcoming event" that took place three years ago. Would you still feel like the content is relevant to your current situation? Most people immediately skip when they read dated content. 

Step #4: Avoid Industry Jargon at All Costs

This tip ties in perfectly with the first one, think like a beginner. As a beginner, there is no way you can comprehend complex industry terms like filter funnels, landing pages, impressions, and targeting, etc. The most effective evergreen content is low-level, awareness stage content. So try to keep out highly technical words and phrases so as not to alienate your audience. 

However, there is an exception to this rule. If you are writing a blog or article that explains commonly used phrases, then industry jargon would be acceptable to include. 

Step #5: Try Not to Write on Popular Trends 

Trends fade over time. Vine was a tremendously popular video hosting social media platform back in 2013. Today, more than half the younger generations do not even know of its existence. Companies that wrote about anything Vine-related (particularly about what a massive opportunity it is for businesses) look horribly outdated today. The same could be said with writing about TikTok trends. Who knows where the app will be in a decade?

Step #6: Run Keyword Research

Evergreen content is not a silver bullet to your content strategy. Don’t expect to write a piece of evergreen content and expect it to go viral. You still have to conduct research into what your readers are looking for. 

Curate your piece of evergreen content around the keyword that has the highest search volume. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid topics with low search volume, only that you should keep this in mind as you choose what to write about. 

Step #7: Make Sure to Have a Consistent Search Intent 

Search intent is an essential part of understanding evergreen content. A person may type in a certain keyword but in reality, expect a different result from what the search engine provides. For example, a person may type in “Canada” and expect a variety of results, from information about Canada, to plane tickets to Canada, to Canadian-branded products. 

When brainstorming evergreen content, consider the various stages your customers may be in when they type in a certain keyword. Their intent may be informational (“I want to know”), transactional (“I want to buy”), or navigational (“I want to do/go”).

Step #8: Reuse and Recycle

You don’t always have to write about new topics. In fact, reusing content is a simple yet effective way to get more mileage out of your existing work. 

Here's what you can do:

  • Monitor the rankings and see which post is performing well,
  • Pick out the successful evergreen articles in terms of traffic or engagement
  • Repurpose the message in a new blog, updating it for the current year or with new developments in mind
  • You can also use the content from one format and translate it into another. For example, a how-to article can convert to a video tutorial or a podcast may be transcribed into a blog post. 

Step #9: Write Using a Friendly, Brand-appropriate Tone

Remember that evergreen content is designed to exist for a long time. While elements such as your brand’s logo and visual identity may change, your brand’s tone will likely stay the same. Consider how you want your content to be perceived by people in the future, and avoid sounding outdated or bitter about new developments.

Various online platforms can help you write in a consistent and friendly manner. One such example is "Grammarly." This step is essential because positive-sounding posts get the most engagement. After all, no one likes reading an article that sounds harsh or overly strict! 

Step #10: Watch out for Spelling or Grammar Errors

Regardless of whether you’re writing evergreen or time-sensitive content, spelling or grammar are simple enough to follow and won’t change drastically in the near future. A single typo can throw off the reputation and professionalism of your whole brand, driving customers away from your products and services. Take the additional time to look over your work and make sure everything is spelled correctly and follow proper grammar.

CTA_SET_SOCIALLYIN-04

How to Maintain Your Content's Evergreen Status

Picture this: you have successfully created the best content that is evergreen. You just finished publishing it. Now what? Well, the journey has just begun! Now, you have to maintain it. Here's are the three fundamental steps the world's best marketers take:

Step #1: Support and Promote Your Content

A single guide on its own will not be enough to make an impact on your brand, whether socially or through SEO. It’s important to build upon the foundation of evergreen content. With supporting pieces, sometimes called “spokes”. These pieces can link back to your main “pillar” or “hub” post, driving up its authority and traffic. 

You also need to promote your posts. Evergreen content still needs to be marketed like any other piece of content. That means blasting it out via newsletters, on social media, or through direct referrals.

Step #2: Making Changes with Time 

When's the last time you updated your content? When breaking down what is evergreen content, we talked about relevancy. And how do you make content relevant? 

It does not matter how many hours and hard work you put into creating evergreen content. Sometimes, your piece can still become outdated. Industries change all the time and what may have been true two years ago may be completely different or irrelevant today. 

Try to keep checking back into your content from time to time. Make the changes to any dated part as you go. Don't be afraid to tweak anything you think has no relevance anymore!

Step #3: Tracking Your Rankings

Experts at SociallyIn believe that rankings are directly proportional to your content’s success. That means that the higher your content ranks, the higher your status. The minute you notice your rankings drop, it's time to begin editing!

There are countless online tools (both free and premium) available for small businesses to track their rankings. Some of the best rank tracker software according to SociallyIn's professionals are as follows:

  • SEMrush -- this software is many digital marketers' first choice. It is considered to be a complete SEO toolkit for beginners and specialists alike.
  • MonsterInsights -- this tool is a plugin that allows brands to set up Google Analytics in their WordPress blogs.
  • AHREFS -- brands use this tool to connect their website and import their projects to the Rank Tracker feature.

With these tools in your arsenal, you have to stay vigilant. Monitor the rankings on a regular basis and you are good to go!

The Best Evergreen Content Examples

The best way to understand evergreen content is to look at examples. Following are some of the best examples of evergreen pieces that will explain what is evergreen content and yield benefits for a significant period of time:

Example #1: How-to Guides

How-to guides are an excellent way to gauge just about anyone's attention, as humans have an inherent need to learn new skills and concepts. 

The following are some examples of evergreen how-to guides:

  • How to improve your business using a certain product,
  • How to do a certain activity more easily or efficiently
  • How to get started in a particular industry 

Consider how your brand may create a how-to guide tailored for your audience. What kind of information are they looking for?

Example #2: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There's a reason why Quora is such a popular social media site today. People have a tendency to formulate their searches as questions (for example, “What is Evergreen Content?” is a popular term!). That’s why brands develop FAQs on their website: it helps cover commonly searched questions while building their SEO profile. 

Collect some of the most common questions asked on your website comments, product comments, social media profiles, and through your customer support department. Compile all of these questions into a single page. You will be surprised at how well this FAQ page will perform in traffic, and how little you will need to maintain it!

Example #3: Historical Pieces

No, we’re not talking about adding high-school history into your strategy. Rather, evergreen articles that detail the history of an event are relevant to content because no matter how much time passes, it remains the same. People love discovering how their favorite things came into being!

Here are some of the best example topics:

  • The history and founding of your brand
  • The history of your product and its modifications, such as the evolution of the iPhone throughout the years
  • The work or project history of certain people currently at your company

Historical content also demonstrates a long-lasting reputation of certain brands and products. It’s the opportunity to show off how something changed over the years and the philosophy behind its founding.

Why Brands Need an Expert to Create Evergreen Content

Now that you know all about evergreen content marketing, you can see the true value behind starting immediately. But as a business leader, you must be tied up in several other initiatives. 

The answer is simple: hire professionals! There is no better way to go about this situation than to enlist expert help. Hiring experts, such as the Sociallyin team, will allow you to better develop your content strategy without sacrificing time and energy. Get in touch with SociallyIn today to get started. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is evergreen content on social media?

Evergreen content is any timeless post published on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and other social media channels.

These posts will continue getting likes, shares, comments, views, etc., due to their evergreen statuses, such as video tutorials, memes, and guides.

However, social media moves fast and updates almost every second. It is a lot more difficult to create evergreen content on social media as it continually gets buried by newer content. 

How often should I post evergreen content?

There isn’t a set schedule or formula for posting evergreen content. It only matters that you post frequently. Your evergreen content should be something that is posted in addition to more time-sensitive content. Creating a balanced mix between evergreen and time-sensitive content is a great strategy for building an audience and creating longevity. 

How do you write evergreen content for social media sites?

The following are some of the many ways to use evergreen subjects on social media platforms:

  • Testimonials and reviews have an evergreen status. Ask your customers to leave product or service reviews at the end.
  • FAQs -- provide a query box to your clients so that they may ask questions. Publish the answers to their burning questions on your blog.
  • Come up with insightful quotes and post them in picture format. Everybody loves a memorable, shareable quote!
  • Instagram's "Ask Me a Question" story feature is a great place to start. Ask your audience about their favorite topics and pieces of content from the past, they will give you ideas for future posts!
  • Share tips and tricks on specific topics. Who doesn't want to improve their habits or processes? 

Evergreen content can take shape in many different ways. Consider what kind of content your audience will continue to engage with over time.

Why does evergreen content work?

Evergreen content never loses its value. As a result, it remains relevant to later generations if written well. This, in turn, can help you rank more highly on search engines.

Creating evergreen posts is a foolproof social media marketing strategy to:

  • Reel in a lot of traffic
  • Generate profitable leads
  • Develop a reputation as a thought leader

Hopefully, by now, you fully understand what is evergreen content. If you are tired of churning out content daily, it's time for you to utilize evergreen content. The long-term value far outweighs the initial investment.

CTA_SET_SOCIALLYIN-09

 

Keith Kakadia

I am a native of New Orleans, LA with a passion for social media marketing, entrepreneurship, and making new connections. I enjoy the opportunity to work with amazing individuals and brands everyday.

Your Comments :

Categories

see all

From Facebook