Generating content is one of the more time consuming aspects of social media management. Make your life easier by creating evergreen content. Truly “evergreen” content is anything that stays relevant year over year, building your story for as long as your business is around. Read on to take the guesswork out of creating evergreen content for your company’s digital presence…
1. Content Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Evergreen Videos
- Make sure there are no references to the date or year. In fact the less references that will date your clip the better!
- Talk loud, but don’t dress loud. Wear something neutral on camera. Fashion changes, and so do seasons. Go neutral and you will be able to use the content year round.
- Look around the background of where you are filming for any seasonal identifiers or dates to avoid Christmas trees on camera during June.
- Avoid current pop culture references. If you make a Yanny or Laurel joke, it screams May 2018 (looks like this one won’t be great evergreen content afterall – 🙁 ).
2. Content Ideas for Evergreen Videos
- Make a video explaining who you are and what you do. A succinct introduction including members of your team is a great way to show your company’s personality. Our team at SEOversite, did precisely that in this quick little video. Since the video was created it has been used in award applications, presentations, and spliced up on our social media feeds – also, if you haven’t noticed, we used it in the keys to content newsletter – 🙂 .
- Make a video demonstrating how to use one of your products. If you are anything like us, you immediately head to YouTube to watch an instructional video before attempting furniture assembly, but we also watch videos of products and services in action before we reach out to purchase or add to our shopping cart. Video product descriptions and demonstrations are far more impactful than photos and written instructions. Not only will it be practical the second you’ve finished making it, it can be additionally be repurposed until the service or product changes.
- Capitalize and utilize happy customers with a testimonial video. Nothing says “this is why you should buy from us” like a testimonial from a “raving fan” (note to yourself: purchase the book Raving Fans). While Google and Facebook reviews are great, taking out your iPhone to record your happy customer’s story brings that review to a whole new level. Sales is a transference of feeling so an elated customer is your best advocate. It’s no longer anonymous words, but a real person’s opinion of your business which has impact and power while being evergreen.
- Film answers to Frequently Asked Questions. It will help set expectations with customers and show off your expertise. Even better, you can repurpose the questions and answers in a number of ways.
3. Creative Ideas for Utilizing Evergreen Content
- Spread it out over time. While it may be tempting to share to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and your old MySpace account all at once, pause for a beat. Once your content is out there, it’s unlikely your followership will care to see it again anytime soon. We recommend spacing out your evergreen content across different feeds a few months or so apart. As long as it’s truly evergreen, it will be just as relevant this month as it is a few fortnights down the road.
- Repurpose content and brainstorm. What might have begun as an excellent Instagram post could later serve as the basis for an email blast. You could spend $500 on a nice 2-minute long video for a boosted post on Facebook, that also may sit on your web page, and later can be broken down into twenty 6-second advertisements on Twitter. Collect 100 written newsletters and publish them as an e-book clients can download for free on your website in return for submitting their information. Post your recent video announcing a new product on Instragram right away, but save it to your YouTube channel and pay to boost the post so it achieves thousands of spins, plus place it in your waiting or show room television loop for clients to watch as they are inside your business. Or transcribe a quote from a testimonial or FAQ to create a static post, using the same information, but repurposed to appear fresh. You can even use the outtakes from filming the video on one feed to show your personalities (we do this ALL the time here at iScreamSocialMedia as we have LOTS of outtakes…). Think outside the box for how to use your evergreen content and have team meetings to brainstorm more ideas.
The options are nearly limitless when you are working with evergreen content. If these tips still feel a little bit too daunting to implement on your own time, iScreamSocialMedia has you covered. To learn about how we can build a lasting social presence for your brand, email us at GetTheScoop@iScreamSocialMedia.com.