4 Strategies to Make Your Content Stick

Much like tape, content works best when it’s sticky. And by sticky, we refer to memorable, long-lasting, evergreen, relatable, resonating content. We’ve previously discussed several content marketing elements, including evergreen content, which can live on in relevance way past its initial date of publication. Here are 4 strategies to make your content stick, and they align very well with our previous blog about evergreen content.

1. Use brief but rich language

In advertising messaging, “short and sweet” and “quality over quantity” are almost always the routes to go. Wherever your content is going, the platform likely offers very minimal screen real estate. Users are continually cycling through tons of information, weaving through all of the noise. To make your content stick, you must be a master of exclusion. AKA filter through all of the unnecessary information you could technically project and strip your ideas down to their most profound, informative, and captivating ones. In the words of Don Draper from Mad Men, “make it simple, but significant.” Users should walk away from the content, having learned something new and/or having implanted a new idea into their heads.

2. Focus on disruption

Humans are naturally comfortable with patterns, routines, and consistency. It provides a sense of comfort and stability, a sort of safety net. With that being said, when a stimulus comes about that is different from everything else in one’s frame of sight, that stimulus will gain attention because it broke the patterns. If you want to make your content sticky, identify ideas that break the mold of traditional messaging and demonstrations of information. The billboard that gains visual traction in Times Square is the one that is changing colors and moving, not the one that is stagnant as the rest. Offer a fresh, unique perspective, and viewership will follow suit.

3. Be direct

Communication is essential in all aspects of life, but especially in successful content. Communicating directly and clearly, in layman’s terms, what you want your audience to know and/or do, will be a determining factor in your content’s effectiveness. Your audience should leave an interaction with your content with a call-to-action or sense of urgency in mind, and an altered perspective, knowing exactly what they just saw.

4. Use emotional appeals

Arguably, at the heart of every successful marketing initiative is an emotional draw. We are all guided through life by our emotions. They keep us safe, navigate our experiences, and determine what is essential and worthy of our time. Using emotions in your content to connect with your audience, you will tap into what they value and what will essentially make them go through with an action or idea. The impact of your language and its ability to make someone laugh, cry, or smile can make or break their interaction with it. What people care about is rooted in their emotions, so appealing to their feelings gives you an idea of what they’ll care about.

In the words of the Content Marketing Institute, “stickiness is a choice.” As a marketer, it can feel comfortable to go with the flow of what others in your industry are doing. However, that’s not what will make it stick, what will make it memorable. Make your content sticky, so it adheres to your audience that much more.

Grova Creative is a woman, minority, and veteran-owned agency headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, and works with clients all across the United States. If you are a business or organization seeking help with advertising, marketing, branding, messaging, marketing, strategy, website development, or other creative assets, visit grova.com.