How to Be a Top 10% Content Marketer: Focus on Human to Human Connection

With improving language models and content generators available to everyone, publishing dry text is not anymore. It’s easy to put together a simple answer to questions, feel it with words, and publish it on the blog. The real question is, how useful is it to someone looking for solutions to real problems?

Not long ago, the web was thirsty for basic definitions and theoretical content on almost everything. Today most of the fundamental text is covered. We all need highly relevant content that includes data, sources, expert advice and strong visuals today.

After searching and finding specific content, we don’t just read. We mentally go through Q&A that checks all the checkmarks we have in our heads.

• Is this reliable?

• Does this link to sources?

• Who are the authors? Are they subject experts?

• Who’s point of view is this?

• Why the company created this content?

In addition, readers subconsciously look for validation from industry colleagues, supporting opinions for their ideas, and simple market pulse checks.

Semrsuh conducted a survey to identify the main categories to which the content marketing budget is allocated. The survey revealed that 40% of the budget, which was the second highest category, was allocated to creating better-quality written content. The remaining 41% and 40% were allocated to building a social media community and distributing content, respectively.

All of this can come only from humans that are insiders and have been through some challenges specific to their industry. People whose answers help you create the content can provide unique perspectives and insights.

There are multiple benefits to collaborating with others when creating content. The main goal of this is to maximize the content quality, which in its turn helps to achieve the following:

• Make the content highly competitive on search engines

• Provide exceptional reader experience

• Position yourself as an industry thought leader

• Maximize engagement and distribution

• Build a niche network

Let’s look into some of the most effective ways to supercharge your content with collaborations.

Incorporating Customer Experiences 

There is no better connection than between two people that independently went through the same challenges. Your audience is going to deeply resonate with the comments and quotes from their industry peers. In addition to engagement, customer quotes can provide credibility and enhance storytelling.

93% of marketers believe that consumers tend to have more trust in content created by other customers or industry peers than in content created by the brand itself. Featuring clients in your content can help create a perception of trustworthiness and authenticity.

Conducting Interviews with Industry Experts

Subject matter experts often have extensive experience that helps them develop unique intuitive approaches to industry people. When your content incorporates an industry expert viewpoint the content has a higher chance to resonate with your target audience. 

They can provide valuable insights and perspectives on current trends, challenges, and best practices in the field. Nothing else can provide this type of insight and angle. 

Hosting Webinars and Live Q&A Sessions

Hosting webinars and Q&A sessions that include both customers and industry experts provides numerous benefits. Firstly, it allows customers to receive information from trusted sources, increasing their understanding and trust in the company. 

It also provides a platform for customers to ask questions and receive immediate feedback, leading to increased engagement and emotional connection. And of course, it allows industry experts to share their knowledge and insights, elevating the overall content and providing value to the attendees. 

A significant majority of U.S. marketers, 83%, recognize the effectiveness of webinars. Although, on average, only 40% of attendees attend the entire webinar, with an average full participation rate of 40%.

The Advantages of Expert and Client Input in Your Content

When it comes to delivering valuable and engaging content, having both expert and client input can be extremely beneficial. By incorporating the knowledge and perspectives of both industry experts and your customers, you can create content that truly resonates with your audience and provides real value. Let’s dive into the advantages of including expert and client input in your content, and how it can enhance the overall experience for your audience.

Make the content highly competitive on search engines

Starting in late 2022 search engines identified the need to seriously address the increasing presence of AI (language model) generated content. Search engines in general are presented with the difficult task of identifying and ranking human-generated content and rewarding authentic and knowledgeable content.

It’s not as complicated as you might think. Content marketers’ task is to focus on authenticity. A recent update to Google Rater Guidelines called E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) pushes marketers to deliver high-quality content to be able to survive the competition on SERPs. 

It simply asks to have experienced authors writing about the subject, have clear editorial guidelines and author information on the website, and include information and links that increase trustworthiness. According to SEO specialist Alek Asadurian, here is what you need to add to your site, among other details, to meet the E-E-A-T  requirements.

• About us page with the company address, phone number, and email for contact

• Author Box on each page with real credentials and a short story

• Social accounts visible on the about us page

• Social accounts of the authors

• Guest posts

• How your site makes money/disclosure statement

• Editorial guidelines

• Author/sameAs schema linking author bio pages to other, off-site profiles/pages they have

• Showcasing expertise, experience and knowledge on the topic

• External links to colleges, online courses, certifications, etc.

• Privacy policy page

• Terms and conditions page

• GDPR page

Provide exceptional reader experience

Expert and client input in content helps to enhance the reader experience by providing a well-rounded perspective and addressing the needs and interests of the target audience. 

The expert brings in their knowledge and expertise, while the client provides practical insights and real-life experiences. This combination helps to create content that is both informative and relatable, making it easier for the reader to understand and connect with the topic

Maximize engagement and distribution

People included in your content are going to have a sense of ownership for the content. They will proudly share it with their contacts and on social media to showcase their work and knowledge. 

As marketers, we all know how difficult it is to distribute content to the right audiences with minimum cost. Having this type of support can boost your targeted distribution with almost no money spent on social ads, native advertising, or email marketing.

Build a niche network

Another benefit of frequently communicating with industry people is building a valuable network of experts that know and trust your brand. 

This network can provide you with valuable insights and ideas, as well as become an accessible reliable source of information on the latest trends and innovations in your field. 

When you have a network of industry professionals your job of finding the right person for the specific content angle and interviewing them is not going to be as difficult as it was at the beginning.