Evergreen Content Marketing: Keeping Your Content Relevant

Newbies to content marketing may not be acquainted with the definition of “evergreen content.” But for those who have been blogging for businesses since businesses started blogging, the concept is a familiar one. In fact, it is refreshingly familiar; as the rules of content creation seem to change with each passing year, evergreen content is a model that has remained steadfast.

Evergreen content is exactly what its name implies; it involves creating content that will be as relevant in six months to a year from now as it is today. In content marketing time, a lot can happen in a few months; so really, evergreen content is not so much permanent as it is stable. If a reader can find value in your content one year from now, but find it irrelevant in two to three years, you can maintain it (much like a tree) to keep it evergreen for the long haul as part of your overall content marketing strategy.

Creating evergreen content normally involves two objectives 1.) creating content that readers can revisit (and ideally share) again and again, and 2.) creating content that will always be applicable, rather than dissipating into irrelevancy in a matter of days (as much of the content we see today does). There are some formats that lend themselves to evergreen content more easily, such as:

• How-to guides and tutorials
• Lists of resources
• FAQs
• Definitions of long-standing concepts
• Definitions of industries
• Explanations of established positions on issues

These can all be considered formats that make for good opportunities to create evergreen content. Again, you can make edits and additions as needed over time in order to maintain the evergreen nature of your article.

Above, is a graphic that explains the ideal user behavior cycle for an evergreen content strategy. From this graphic, we can see how thoughtfully written, well optimized content that meets ideal user criteria can take on a life of its own and benefit from long-term sharability, well beyond the time in which the content was first published. Clearly, identifying the most important needs of a target audience is paramount for this strategy to be successful.

Evergreen content is a key component of any effective content marketing campaign. Crest Media will be glad to answer any questions you may have on marketing your business with engaging and relevant content.