Keystone Content

Keystone Content

Mar 09, 2023

A great way to stand out and solidify your place in your market is by creating cornerstone content. Cornerstone content is content that is evergreen, in-depth and provides valuable information and insights to your audience.

It is designed to attract and retain customers, establish your business as a thought leader in your industry, and support your overall marketing efforts.

The rise of the internet and social media has made it easier than ever for businesses to reach their target audience. However, it has also made it more challenging to stand out in the crowded digital landscape. Businesses are now facing more competition than ever before, so it’s important to find new ways to differentiate yourself.

Cornerstone content is a powerful tool that you can use to achieve this goal. By creating valuable and informative content, you can set yourself apart and demonstrate to your target audience that you have something valuable to offer. In addition, you’ll show them that you are willing to go the extra mile to provide them with the information they’re looking for.

This special report will explore the importance of cornerstone content and guide how to create, optimize, and promote it to drive results for your business.

How to Create Cornerstone Content

Step 1: Identify your Target Audience:

The first step in creating in-demand cornerstone content is identifying your target audience. Understanding your target audience will help you to create content that is relevant and valuable to them - ensuring that you hit it out of the park every single time.

When coming up with a content plan, consider things such as demographics, interests, and pain points so that you’re able to provide information that best serves your audience.

Step 2: Choose a Primary Topic:

Once you have identified your target audience, the next step is to choose a topic for your cornerstone content. The topic should be relevant and valuable to your target audience and align with your business goals, but also be primarily evergreen. That way you don’t have to worry about your content becoming quickly outdated or needing ongoing work to keep it relevant.

In addition, you should consider conducting keyword research to identify popular topics in your industry. These can also be used as titles and sub-titles for blog posts to maximize your outreach by boosting your search engine ranking.

Step 3: Research and Collect Information:

After you have chosen a topic, the next step is to research and gather additional information. Use a variety of sources such as industry reports, studies, and expert opinions to gather information for your cornerstone content.

You shouldn’t rely on just a few sources; take your time evaluating the competition as well as what kind of content your target audience is actively engaging with.

Step 4: Create a Structure or Outline:

Before you begin writing, it's important to create a structure for your cornerstone content. An outline, or framework, will help you to organize your information and make sure that your content is easy to read and understand, but it will also ensure you don’t forget anything important and that your material provides in-depth coverage of your main topic.

Consider using headings, subheadings, and bullet points to create a clear and visually appealing structure as well. Breaking your content into digestible segments makes reading and understanding easier for your audience.

Step 5: Write your Content:

Once you have a structure in place, you can begin writing your content. Make sure to use a clear and engaging writing style that speaks to your core audience. Dumb it down! Don’t use complicated or confusing jargon.

Now isn’t the time to flex that English degree you might have. The idea is to create content that your audience will understand and enjoy. Bonus points if you use images and videos to break up the content!

Step 6: Optimize and Proofread:

After creating your cornerstone content, it's important to optimize it for search engines and proofread it for errors. Also, use keywords in your title, meta description, and throughout content.

Further, make sure to use internal and external linking to connect your cornerstone content to other relevant pages on your website and other websites. This will ensure your content is thoroughly optimized for search.

Step 7: Promote your Content:

Once your content is optimized and proofread, the next step is to promote it to your target audience. Use social media, email marketing, and influencer marketing to get the word out about your cornerstone content.

You can also use paid advertising to promote your content to your target audience if you have the budget in place. Remember that creating amazing cornerstone content takes time and effort, but the results are worth it in the long run!

Optimize and Promote your Cornerstone Content

We will explore the best practices for optimizing and promoting your cornerstone content to attract and retain customers quickly and easily.

This segment will serve as a recap of what we’ve covered so far, but will also provide additional tips to help you get started.

Step 1: Optimize for Search:

Optimizing your cornerstone content for search engines is essential for making sure it can be found by your target audience. Use keywords in your title, meta description, and throughout content.

Also, make sure to use internal and external linking to connect your cornerstone content to other relevant pages on your website and other websites.

Step 2: Optimize for Readability:

In addition to optimizing for search engines, optimising your content for readability is important. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make your content easy to read and understand. Use images and videos to break up the text and make your content more visually appealing.

Step 3: Share on Social Media:

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your cornerstone content. Share your content on your business's social media accounts and encourage your employees and customers to share it as well.

Also, consider using paid social media advertising to reach a larger audience.

Step 4: Guest Post on Other Websites:

Guest posting on other websites is a great way to promote your cornerstone content and reach new audiences.

Reach out to other websites in your industry and propose guest posts featuring your cornerstone content.

Step 5: Focus on Email Marketing:

Email marketing is another powerful tool for promoting your cornerstone content. Use your email list to promote your new content and encourage subscribers to share it with their inner circles.

By optimizing and promoting your cornerstone content, you can maximize its reach and take your business to the next level.

Measuring the Success of your Cornerstone Content

Measuring the success of your cornerstone content is essential for understanding how it's impacting your business as well as helping you improve your strategy.

In this section, we will explore the key metrics to track and the best practices for measuring the success of your cornerstone content.

Step 1: Set Clear Goals and Objectives:

The first step in measuring the success of your cornerstone content is to set clear goals and objectives. These goals should align with your business objectives and be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).

For example, your goal might be to increase website traffic by 20% in the next six months.

Step 2: Track Key Metrics:

Once you have set your goals, the next step is to track key metrics to measure the success of your cornerstone content. Some key metrics to track include:

Traffic:

Track the number of visitors to your website and the pages on which your cornerstone content is featured.

Engagement:

Track the number of likes, shares, and comments on your cornerstone content.

Conversion rates:

Track the number of conversions (such as lead generation or sales) that result from your cornerstone content.

Bounce rate:

Track the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page.

Time on page:

Track how long visitors spend on the pages featuring your cornerstone content.

Step 3: Use Analytics Tools:

To track your metrics and measure the success of your cornerstone content, you'll need to use analytics tools. Google Analytics is a popular, free tool that provides detailed data on website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions.

Other tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you track your website's performance on search engines.

Step 4: Analyze and Report on your Data:

Once you have collected your data, the next step is to analyze it and report on your findings. Use your data to identify patterns and trends, and make data-driven decisions to improve your strategy.

Leveraging your Cornerstone Content

Step 1: Create a Content Calendar:

The first step in leveraging your cornerstone content in your marketing strategy is to create a content calendar.

A content calendar will help you to plan and organize your content in advance and ensure that it aligns with your business goals and target audience.

Step 2: Repurpose and Update your Content:

Once you have created a content calendar, the next step is to repurpose and update your content. Repurposing and updating your content will help you to maximize its value and reach new audiences.

For example, you can turn your blog post into a video and upload it to YouTube, or create an eBook from your research study and offer it as a lead magnet on your website.

Step 3: Use your Content to Support your Sales Efforts:

Use your content to educate your leads and customers about your products or services and provide them with valuable information.

For example, you can use your cornerstone content to create a lead magnet that will attract new leads to your website or use it to support your sales team in the sales process.

Step 4: Use your Content to Support your PR Efforts:

By leveraging your cornerstone content in your marketing strategy, such as via press releases, you can attract new customers while keeping your brand up front and centre.

A well-crafted PR release will also help you boost your search engine ranking which will ultimately maximize exposure!

Finding Cornerstone Content Ideas

In this section, we will explore the best practices for finding cornerstone content ideas.

Understand your Target Audience:

The first step in finding cornerstone content ideas is to understand your target audience. Understand their needs, interests, and pain points, and use this information to generate ideas for content that will be relevant and valuable to them.

This means that the more you know your audience, the easier it will be to create content they’re interested in.

Monitor your Industry:

Another way to find cornerstone content ideas is to monitor your industry. Keep track of industry trends, news, and events, and use this information to generate ideas for content that will be relevant and valuable to your target audience.

Stay active on social media and focus on growing a following that you can survey for future content ideas.

Keep a Pulse on your Competition:

Analyze their content and see what is working well for them (and what isn’t!). Read through comments left by customers in your niche, particularly their requests for content coverage. Your competition’s social media presence can be a goldmine for cornerstone content ideas.

Use this information to generate ideas for your content that will be relevant and valuable to your target audience.

Use Keyword Research to your Advantage:

Keyword research is a great way to find ideas for cornerstone content. Use research tools to identify popular topics and keywords in your industry, and use this information to create outstanding content that will be relevant and valuable to your audience.

Ask your Audience:

Don’t be afraid to ask your audience directly for ideas. Use social media, surveys, or customer feedback to understand the topics and types of content that they are most interested in.

Write in an Engaging Tone:

The tone of your content is also important. Your writing should be engaging and easy to read. Use active voice, short sentences, and simple language to keep your audience interested.

And finally, here are some examples of the type of cornerstone content you’ll want to consider as part of your overall marketing strategy:

How-to Guides:

How-to guides are a great type of cornerstone content because they provide valuable information that helps your audience solve a specific problem or accomplish a specific task.

They can be in blog posts, videos, or infographics and should be easy to understand and follow.

Research Studies:

Research studies are an excellent type of cornerstone content because they provide in-depth insights and data on a specific topic.

Case Studies:

Case studies are another great type of cornerstone content because they provide real-world examples of how your business has helped other customers.

They can be used to demonstrate the value of your products or services and to attract new customers.

eBooks:

eBooks are a valuable type of cornerstone content because they provide detailed information on a specific topic.

They can be used to establish your business as an authority in your industry, and to generate leads for your business.

Webinars:

Webinars are an engaging type of cornerstone content that allows you to interact directly with your audience. They can be used to build a loyal following quickly and reach a wider audience.

Podcasts:

Podcasts have become increasingly popular in recent years for many reasons, including:

Targeted audience: Podcasts allow businesses to reach a specific, targeted audience. They allow businesses to create content that is tailored to the interests and needs of their target audience.

Cost-effective: Podcasts are a cost-effective way to reach a large audience. They don’t require expensive equipment or a large production team to create and can be distributed for free to a wide audience.

Builds trust and authority: Podcasts allow businesses to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. They provide a platform for businesses to share their expertise and knowledge with their audience, building trust and authority with their audience.

Personal connection: Podcasts are also a great way to create an emotional connection with your audience. They provide a platform for businesses to share their story and connect with their audience on a more personal level.

Increased engagement: Podcasts tend to have a higher level of engagement than other forms of content. Podcast listeners are often more invested in the content, listening to entire episodes and engaging with the host and guests.

Podcasts are mobile-friendly: Podcasts can be listened to on the go and various devices, making them accessible to a wide audience.

Final Words

Creating cornerstone content is essential for driving results for your business, but it's important to understand that it's not a one-time task. It's an ongoing process that requires ongoing effort and dedication.

It's important to understand your target audience, conduct thorough research on popular topics, use a clear and compelling outline, write in an engaging tone, optimize for search engines, edit and proofread your content and most importantly, always strive to provide value.

Creating cornerstone content will take time, but the results will be more than worth it!