211 million pieces of content are published every single minute.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Are you shocked? Or not surprised at all? With the explosion of social media platforms and the booming blogging trend, it’s not really any wonder at all that so much content is being churned out every single day.
But does this get you excited or make you think “what’s the point?”
A lot of brands fall into the latter party. When they see what they’re up against and how much other content they have to contend with, they struggle to put any content out at all because, well, what’s the point?
But here’s the thing.
That content is going to keep on coming, regardless of whether you’re joining in or not. And, with tons of businesses falling by the wayside every week as they struggle to keep up, there’s only one thing you can do if you want to be a part of this mega-publishing era: get consistent.
The whole “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality fits right in here. But in order to actually “join them”, you have to start putting out content on a constant, consistent basis.
“But that’s hard!” we hear you shout. Well, let’s just take a look at some facts and figures to see if that will sway your thinking.
- Having a consistent experience across all brand touchpoints is a key driver of brand trust (which, in turn, boosts sales)
- 27,000 American consumers found that a consistent experience throughout the buying process increases satisfaction, builds trust, and boosts loyalty.
- Finally, consistent brands are worth 20 percent more than those that aren’t.
It’s difficult to argue with that research, right?
If that’s not enough, how about hearing it from the horse’s mouth? We spoke with Amrit behind the858 Instagram account.
Amrit is a support engineer at TINT, but on the side, he runs a successful Instagram channel that he’s been growing for five years.
If you struggle with consistency, know that Amrit has posted one image every single day for those five years – well, every day except one, when he was in Mexico and forgot. And that time he did forget? He felt guilty.
Think about it – every day for five years. That’s around 1,825 images.
When you put it like that it seems like a lot, right?
But actually, Amrit says it’s not that difficult.
He uses the world around him to create content on the fly, and taps into what he has available to produce the amount of content he needs to every week.
Just scroll through his Instagram feed and you’ll see a mishmash of things: images at sunset boasting dark and moody silhouettes, arty tram shots, the skyline at night, rural snaps of the beach and winding roads, and foodie delights.
It might seem like creating one piece of content at a time is pointless, but every little helps. In the end, it all adds up to a much bigger picture.
Take Amrit’s Instagram account.
Each image is a small snapshot into life in San Diego, each one working as a standalone piece. But bring them together and they tell a narrative about San Diego and about Amrit’s life.
How the858 Got Inspired to Consistently Create Content
the858 is all about San Diego. If you’re not from these parts, 858 is the area code for the city – something Amrit wanted to play on with his content.
He finds himself drawing inspiration from all around, from the San Diego beaches to the hiking trails and even little sandwich shops that he likes the look of.
The thing to remember here is that Amrit doesn’t go out of his way to produce consistent content. He uses what’s around him.
It’s an uncomplicated content creation process, but it’s one that works.
The Biggest Mistake Brands Make When It Comes to Content Creation
We asked Amrit what he thought the biggest mistake brands make when it comes to content creation is.
You can probably guess his answer: not being consistent.
“No matter how complicated or simple your content is, just get it out there,” he says, adding that a lot of brands don’t put enough time and effort into their content so it falls flat which, in turn, discourages them from creating more.
Remember the 211 million pieces of content being published every minute? If you want to stand out in that, you have to create something valuable.
Sure, it can be uncomplicated – like a simple image – but it needs to be valuable.
Content creation is the biggest ranking factor in B2B content marketing success, and that’s not a fluke.
Brands that constantly and consistently put out valuable content will start to get traction as consumers notice them pushing through the crowds.
the858’s Content Inspiration
So where does Amrit look for his content inspiration?
Gary Vaynerchuk’s videos. You’ve probably heard of him – Gary V is one of the most prominent voices in the content creation world. His videos are extremely “relevant to people that want to create content,” says Amrit. “He’s all about churning content out constantly.”
Advice for Starting an Instagram Account and Growing a Community
To finish our chat with Amrit, we gave him 30 seconds to talk about the advice he’d give someone looking to start an Instagram account (or any content creation account, for that matter) and grow a community on it.
Because that’s what it’s all about these days, right? Building a community?
Amrit’s answer tapped into a lot of what we’ve discussed here already, but we’re going to go over it again because it’s so important.
Be consistent
Even if it feels like you’re walking uphill through treacle, it’s important that you stay consistent. Post every day, or once a week, but stick to that schedule you choose for yourself. People will start expecting content from you then, and you’ve gotta give the people what they want.
Yes, it gets tough and you get tired, but just like Amrit, it becomes a habit. Five years later, the clock will strike seven or eight in the evening and he’ll jump into action if he hasn’t posted something on his Instagram that day.
Building up consistency is like building up a habit. Once you’ve got there, it’ll get easier.
Learn from your audience
Posting content consistently is “the only way you’ll learn from your audience about what content they like,” says Amrit.
When you get the approval of your audience, you can then start giving them more of the good stuff which, in turn, will increase their engagement and boost conversions if you’re selling something.
Posting consistently also gives you the chance to hear what your audience are saying about your content. You’re joining in the conversation, which means you can start taking inspiration from that for new content.
It’s like a staircase. Once you’re a part of the conversation, content creation becomes easier because you know what people are talking about and what people want.
And here’s the kicker.
Despite so much content being pushed out every day, not a lot of brands are keeping it consistent.
In research run by Acrolinx, only a small fraction of the companies investigated created a consistent amount of high-quality content across their platforms.
In fact, only 19% of brands we creating consistent high-quality content.
What Does That Mean For You?
It means you don’t have a lot of competition if you create consistent, high-quality content. Like Amrit said in our interview with him, creating content doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult, it simply needs to be valuable and consistent.
As soon as you nail this, you’re on your way to rising head and shoulders above all the other 210 million pieces of content that are being published every single minute.
So tell us: are you ready to get consistent with your content creation? Think about it day-by-day. What will you do today to get you there and how will you stick to the schedule you set for yourself?
Remember, consistency creates habit so, hopefully, in five years, you’ll be just like Amrit and posting content almost on autopilot on a consistent basis.
