Evergreen Content: What it is and How to Use it

I'm seeing digital content grow in authority and touch so many facets of the web; including what it means to be "on the web." Content is a big deal. It takes a lot of work and it comes in different forms (disciplines, philosophies, processes, words, images even meta... stuff). It requires time, attention, quality and originality. Our digital world is made up of so many rapidly moving parts (content included). The struggle is real when you're just trying to keep-up sometimes. In fact, many of us working in content have asked (or been asked) "what content will take fewer resources to create and manage without losing value over-time?" There's several ways to answer that. Getting to know your own content mix and how it's performing against goals is a good start. Evergreen content is a format that can help answer that question too.   

If you're asking yourself, "what content (new or existing) will take fewer resources to create and manage without losing overtime?" Get to know evergreen content and look for (meaningful) opportunities to use it.

SO WHAT'S EVERGREEN CONTENT?

Fun fact - did you know evergreen trees near your home can prevent heat loss in the winter by as much as 10 - 50%? That's pretty amazing. Evergreen trees generally don't lose their leaves throughout the seasons. They evolved a life-saving adaptation which allows them to thrive in just about any climate and in low-nutrient soils. For the most part, you can plant an evergreen and enjoy its perpetual greens throughout the seasons.  Evergreen content is timeless, sustainable, and necessary. It's premise was born from the long-term viability of evergreen trees. The maintenance-to-relevancy ratio is pretty small too. Meaning, you won't spend too much time, energy or resources trying to keep it healthy and relevant. Evergreen content will help your website gain a bounty of awesome for the long haul.  

EXAMPLES OF EVERGREEN CONTENT

Article & post formats:

• Resource Lists
• Top # Lists
• Product / Service Reviews
• Tutorials and How to Guides
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Technical Specifications and Documentation

 

Multimedia formats:

• ebooks
• Videos 
• Podcasts
• Presentations
• Templates
• Interactive Content

 

Website examples:

• Full Site:  Wikipedia.com
• Technical Guides:  Community Documentation Page on Drupal
• How to Guide:  "The Beginner's Guide to SEO" - published by Moz
• Top # Lists:  "50 Tools to Jumpstart Your Content Marketing Efforts" - published by KissMetrics 

True story, Content <3's Strategy. The words may not sound entirely glamorous, but it's amazing to see just how much it informs, guides and leads to serious web success.

The evergreen content examples above are just a few types or formats out there. Find which format works frictionless with your goals and make them available to your audience. Just having a "Top 10..." list won't inherently make your content evergreen. It needs strategy, some content strategy (insert smiley face). I'll use the article title and subject Moz chose, "The Beginner's Guide to SEO" as an example. The article delivers incredible value on two fronts: to their users and to their brand. On the user side, it lures those seeking information and those like myself, who are interested in the insights from industry leaders. On the brand side, I love how the subject reinforces their brand authority in the SEO space. Remember evergreen content can deliver long-term value without a lot of work. The most important thing you can do is empower your own content by including some (content) strategy.   

HOW TO CREATE EVERGREEN CONTENT

Be the subject-matter expert

Evergreen content is intended to last. The first rule is to be the expert; share your deep-rooted knowledge. When you take this approach your words tend to become stronger and more direct. Take care to avoid being too authoritative; that is, write to appeal to wider audience segments. Try to avoid overly technical language or being "too" analytical. Examples of subject-matter expert content:

1. "The 20 Best Wireframe Tools"  - published on the CreativeBloq
2. "Best User Experience Sites 2015"  - published by the Webby Awards
3. "Developing a Content Marketing Strategy" - published by the Content Marketing Institute

 

Solve common problems

A great way to serve evergreen content is by answering universal questions or solving a typical problems in your space, niche, industry etc. If you find that an extensive amount of research and writing is required to properly address a certain subject, narrow the scope of your topic into a series style post. It'll be easier to write and to read. Examples of problem solving content:

1. "Drupal How-To: Find Great Beginner Tutorials on Drupal 7" - published on Acquia
2. "How to Decide Between Static, Lo-Fidelity and Hi-Fidelity Prototypes" - published on Envato Tuts+

 

Extend value: the 2'fer

If you're writing a guide or talking about process, think about including some working templates your audience can use to help their jobs. These add-on benefits can really help extend any industry you're trying to build. Examples of evergreen content with additional layers of value built-in: 

1. "The Social Media Content Calendar Every Marketer Needs [Free Template]" - published on HubSpot. Includes a free, downloadable content calendar.
2. "How to Use Google AdWords" - published on WordStream. Includes a free-to-use, on-page Keyword Suggestions Tool.

 

LEVERAGE YOUR EVERGREEN CONTENT

Think about the long-term value and each layer you can build in (user side and brand side). Aim to become the go-to place for industry peers and knowledge seekers. Great content is shareable, and folks like myself are happy to pass on bona-fide insights produced by industry movers and shakers.

Extend your reach

There's a lot of great ways to share content. Evergreen content performs well across social channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook and so on. Think about posting them on relevant aggregation sites likeFeedly (news), Flipboard (social-networks), or deploying other syndication methods. They can help to extend the share-ability and reach of your evergreen content. 

Keep an eye on performance

It's true that evergreen content may not last forever, and it'll require some occasional tweaks from time to time. One measure to determine if content is evergreen is to ask yourself if visitors to your website will be reading the same piece a year from now and still think it is interesting.  Truly evergreen content can pay dividends over and over again.  

EVERGREEN CONTENT IN MY WORLD

As a Digital Strategist, my world is an awesome synergy between Content Strategy and Visual Interaction Design or IxD (more to come about my unique role soon). As the web evolves so too will the content we need to create. Part of my job means staying on my toes about new ways to deliver content experiences. I love being in a place where I can influence digital change (if you are too, check out our careers page). Content tools such as evergreen content helps me free-up time to explore and innovate in other content areas. With on-going practice, you'll find that creating evergreen content will become some of your best work. Give it a try, and when you have questions along the way share them with me.