By virtue of being extremely competitive, content marketing demands originality and consistent creativity. Deft content management entails churning out content that holds the ability to stand out amongst the sea of information on the internet. Agencies that offer top-notch digital marketing services strategize content in ways that value originality and effectiveness. One way of doing so is carrying out original research.
Let us delve into how original research can pave the way for a host of compelling marketing benefits:
1. Earn More Backlinks
As earning backlinks is an integral part of SEO, it is a huge win when a relevant website with a good domain authority links to your own. As there is no shortcut for earning sustainable links, the only way to do this is to carry out original research while crafting your content. As per a survey involving SEO professionals, original research was ranked as one of the most efficient ways to earn quality links.
2. Achieve More Shares
Original research is also useful for earning more shares. In general, there is little to no correlation between links and shares, as different kinds of content tend to perform quite arbitrarily. However, original research is a rare exception, as this kind of content attracts more traction and helps you garner more shares.
3. Get Quality Clicks
The ultimate point of getting backlinks and shares is to garner sustainable clicks. As per a yearly analysis by LinkedIn, the status updates that earned the most clicks on their platform were accompanied by an original research statistic. This warranted a 37% rise in click-through rates.
4. Stand Out On The Internet
Heightened competition leads to decreased efficacy. As soon as marketing professionals master a tactic that works, it evolves into a dominant trend that is followed blindly by all. As less than half of businesses incorporate original research in their marketing tactic, it is the perfect opportunity for you to leverage upon the same, in order to mark your niche and stand out in the business world.
While the idea of carrying out original research can be intimidating, it is like any other project that demands time and concentrated efforts. Original research does not require a budget for execution, which allows individuals to craft data while creating research-backed content in uninhibited ways. You can do the following:
Create Survey
To start off, narrow down a topic for your survey. Include questions that your target audience might generally have. An efficient way to go about this to look into similar researches carried out by others. Remember, this is only for reference and insight, not duplication. In case the results are dated, you can revisit them and mould them into contemporary contexts. Make sure that the questions are clear, concise, and simple. Post creation of your survey, promote it on multiple media platforms. The more individuals take part in your survey, the more accurate your results will be.
Carry Out Experiments
An experiment should start with a hypothesis, from which, you can work your way towards an experiment to test your hypothesis out. For instance, you might have an email sign-up form that asks for your name, email, company and job title. The hypothesis for your experiment could involve removing unnecessary fields other than the โnameโ, leading to increased email signups.
On garnering relevant data, create a content plan around publishing and promoting the results in formats that are bound to attract positive attention. You can do so in the form of a research report, wherein a concise, informative and well-designed PDF can provide a mix of written analysis and visual data. This report can be used for lead generation or as a means to boost SEO and brand visibility. Also, incorporating attractive infographics will encourage target audiences to share it on their own blogs and other social platforms. You can also feature in interviews and podcasts where you can talk about your survey results and what it entails for your audience.
Hence, itโs time for you to up your research game in 2019!
