Spring is finally here (well, for some of us), and it’s a great time to focus on your backyard or porch garden. It’s also the perfect time to attend to to your “content garden.” Web copy, print collateral, blogs, PR, social media, and even TV or radio commercials all need care and attention to thrive.
Of course, content needs are unique, whether you’re an entrepreneur in Portland, Oregon, or a marketing manager in Manhattan. Some content requires daily attention, while other content just needs weekly updates. In keeping with the garden theme, I came up with three types of plants that require varying degrees of attentiveness: snakes, jades, and roses. What category does your content fall under?
The Snake Plant
I have a snake plant in my office (it’s the featured image). I chose this plant because my wife and mother-in-law (both experienced gardeners) assured me it was un-killable. In the spring and summer, I just have to water it every other week. Too much water actually rots the plant, so it does just fine sitting with minimal attention.
I don’t recommend treating your content like a snake plant. If you update your blog infrequently, then you may just need an occasional web content rewrite to update your service offerings. You should just take the “blog” button off your website and just refresh your content quarterly, especially if clients don’t find you through search engines.
The Jade
Jades are succulent plants, and they need lots of sunlight in the spring/summer and not too much water. Jades reward your diligence by growing into lovely plants. However, if you don’t give them enough access to sunlight in the spring and summer, they won’t survive. Over-watering to compensate for a lack of sunlight will also kill them. Checking on a jade every week in the spring and summer ensures a healthy and happy houseplant.
If your content is like a jade, then you probably don’t need to broadcast a constant stream of news about your business. A once-a-month blog post would be perfect for you, with a flowering of brochures, e-mail updates, and regularly updated product or service offerings on your website.
Roses
Roses need lots of sunlight, water, pruning, and TLC in general. Roses also require a lot of effort, especially in the summer. If you prune and give your roses plenty of light, you will be the envy of your neighborhood. If you neglect roses … your driveway or back porch will be littered with hard-to-cut branches, blackened leaves, and mushed bulbs.
If your business orbits the technology sphere, then you need to blog every day to keep up-to-date on changes. CNet and ArsTechnica are like roses; they update hourly. If you rarely update (or check) your blog and social media accounts, you will have the online equivalent of a neglected rose garden … spam, trolls, and unhappy customers.
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Most of my web content clients like weekly blog posts, because it keeps their audiences engaged, and search engines (like Google) love engagement. If you have yet to develop a content strategy, think of your favorite flower, tree, or plant, and see what type of strategy works for you.
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Tell me about your favorite flower, plant, or tree in the comments below!
Image credits:
Featured image info:
This image by Mahesh Raj Mohan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
