Is it higher to remain evergreen or leap on developments in content material advertising and marketing?

One of the most common pieces of advice in content marketing is to write as much “evergreen” content as possible. Evergreen content, as the name suggests, has the potential to remain relevant indefinitely. Just as evergreen trees stay lush even in winter, evergreen content stays relevant even as seasonal trends come and go – and even as the news cycle climbs and fades.

But trending and news-based content can also perform well, especially if you hit the timing.

So is it better to choose one over the other? Or should you try mixing the two?

The advantages of evergreen content

First, let’s examine some of the advantages of evergreen content:

• Almost permanent relevance. Evergreen means “forever”. Or at least it implies so. When you create thematic content, it only stays relevant as long as the topic is relevant. Not many people read articles about that threatening “Y2K” bug because it turned out to be nothing significant (and that was 20 years ago). But writing content about improving your self-confidence will stay relevant for at least decades. That staying power naturally makes the content more valuable as it can continue to direct traffic your kind and build your brand’s reputation.

Related: 4 Strategies To Help You Get More Qualified Leads

• Minimal maintenance requirements. Evergreen content also requires minimal maintenance. Depending on the niche you’re writing in, there may be occasional new developments from new technology, new best practices, and new thought leaders – but the gist of your article can and will remain unchanged. With current content, you may be forced to make frequent updates in the days or even hours after it is published.
• Long-term topic planning. You have to react quickly to new trends and new developments if you want to stay competitive in the world of topics. But with Evergreen Content you can benefit from long-term topic planning. You can make big plans for what you are going to write in the future, weeks or even months in advance, without jumping through tires or dealing with fickle cycles of news.
• Less research effort. While this is not always the case, many forms of evergreen content require less research and less journalistic scrutiny. There are many longstanding sources available to you, and you don’t have to rely on potentially unreliable sources for quick information.

The benefits of Topical content

However, there are some great advantages to writing up-to-date content.

• Capitalize on trends. If you ever messed around with google trend, you know how quickly a topic can explode in relevance and popularity. Seemingly overnight, a topic of underperformed attention can lead to millions of people talking about it. This is a great opportunity to get interested traffic – but you won’t be able to do it with evergreen content.
• A (potential) competitive advantage. If you can beat your competitor and get your current content out first, you can gain an extreme competitive advantage. If you’re both a faster and more reliable news source, readers will prefer your content to your competitors.
• Engagement and discussion. Newsworthy articles and current discussions are much more likely to attract public attention and lead to conversation. If you’re interested in getting your readers to talk to you (and each other), timely content may be a better choice.

Find the balance

Both evergreen and current content have advantages, but which one is better for your business? And how should you work to find that balance?

• Who is your audience? Work on first Understand your target audience. Who will read your content and what are their top priorities? Do you prefer to read the news and stay relevant with the modern times, or are you more detached from the latest trends?
• What are the trends in your industry? What are other brands in your industry writing about? If they’re more focused on evergreen content, there’s probably a reason for it. That said, you don’t necessarily want to copy what your competitors are doing; Differentiating yourself can give you a competitive advantage.
• What are your primary goals? What do you want to achieve with your content marketing strategy? Would you like to increase the traffic on your website steadily and in the long term? If so, evergreen content will serve you better. Do you want more immediate action and more engagement with your readers? If so, up-to-date content may be preferable.

Related: 4 Things Your Marketing Team Knows That Can Help You Do More Business

Ultimately, both evergreens and current content have a place in most content marketing strategies. However, there is no “perfect” recipe for how much of each should be included. Do your own research and analysis to determine which balance is best for your business.