5 Content Marketing tools that boost productivity

The entire Content industry revolves around two key elements--content creation (writing), and content marketing. Of these, the former does not require much in the way of particular instruction, other than the fact that you, as a content creator have to strike a fine balance between good work, and marketable content. The latter however--as Anakin Skywalker would have said--is where the fun begins. Having a sellable product is great. But you also need to be able to go about generating it in an efficient manner.

Spending inordinate amounts of time in creating and planning, may not be the most productive way forward for any business (Content agency, or otherwise). It is also true however, that none of the above mentioned tasks are simple to perform, especially with the added pressure of multiple projects, and shifty deadlines.

You can therefore go one of two ways. Quit; in which case you can avoid reading the rest of this article, take the the day off, and think about trying something less taxing (dog walking is fun..). Or, you decide to muster through it; in which case, here are 5 content marketing tools that will augment your productivity, as well as business growth:

• SEMrush

Michael Corleone was a strong believer in keeping his enemies closest of all; something that served him quite well in staying at the top of organized crime. This wise philosophy forms the core of what the good folks at Semrush offer you. Having a good awareness of the competition is a valuable asset in any given industry, content included.

Using the advanced research-based analytics capabilities offered by Semrush, you gain crucial insights into competitor strategies--keywords, advertising, marketing, etc. The information provided by Semrush will give you an action-oriented direction on a wide array of content marketing constructs, inclusive of site audits, social media tracking, brand monitoring, site traffic analysis; among others.

• Canva

Visuals do matter when it comes differentiating a good content piece, from a great one. The process of creating said visuals can however, be time consuming, and possibly expensive; involving a great deal of back and forth between your team, and the graphic designer. No need to worry though, because Canva can help you to effectively eliminate the middleman. With access to millions of images, and hundreds of fonts, filters, and icons/shapes, you will be able to put together highly impressionable graphical elements that perfectly complement your content piece.

Retrospective disclaimer: We do not hate graphic designers, nor do we bear any animosity towards them.  

• CoSchedule

The headline/title is the first thing your reader will encounter upon opening your content piece. This is something that cannot be avoided because: A. Writeups cannot do without headlines, and B. That’s just how reading from a screen works. You will have to come up with a headline that not reads well, but also captures the overall essence of the write up; while simultaneously satisfying SEO requirements. Seem like a mouthful? Well, CoSchedule will help you swallow. All you need to do, is type in a headline (idea), and viola! You receive a detailed analysis comprising a score graph, length analysis, sentiment insight, online search previews, and helpful suggestions.

• Grammarly

Ever spot an attractive man/woman and think,”Damn...that’s real fine”? Readers have the same reaction when going through a content piece. The only two points of difference are; a far more gradual reaction, and lack of promiscuous intent. The devil at work here, is the actual wording of the writeup. In other words, your article must be well-written, free of grammatical errors like typos, etc.

As far as style/flow, and voice of the writeup is concerned, there is no feasible tool in existence that can replace the skill set of a writer. When it comes to polishing other grammatical elements however, just hop onto Grammarly, and get all the ‘over-and-aboves’ polished to perfection!

• Edit Flow

Content writing agencies usually deal with several clients at a time; thus having to juggle multiple articles, of varying natures. Multiple clients equals multiple deadlines--not to mention keeping track of edits, approval statuses, word counts, and other details. With an increasing workload--something you must strive for in any case--there will also be a multitude of projects for you to efficiently keep track of. And try as you will, the only way around it, is a good ol’ fashioned calendar.

Well, not exactly ‘old fashioned’ in case of the Edit Flow content calendar. A multi-user content calendar platform, Edit Flow allows you to organize each project from a monthly perspective. In addition, you can also dynamically filter your projects based on users, statuses, etc. Want more? There’s an active system for editorial comments, notifications, user groups to make your content planning more sublime, and your life easier.  

Here at CBV, we are a bunch of hardworking, deadline-crushing snobs who will do (and smoke) whatever it takes, to deliver fully on our clients’ requirements, as well as expectations (they do ask for the moon at times). Everything mentioned above, we do for you; allowing your to worry about more pressing issues--your business for instance. Just give us a call, brief us well, and see the magic happen.

*also please note, we don’t actually smoke ‘whatever’. It is always well curated, sourced, and rolled. Not unlike our work.