Every day, more companies become aware of the benefits of content marketing and more marketing material gets created, published, and promoted. Consequently, marketers are having to be ever more aware of best practices for getting their content noticed. One area that is often overlooked is something very fundamental: the naming of a piece. Smart companies are starting to give this critical detail a second look.
A Rose by Any Other Name…
Shakespeare penned the famous line “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But he should have continued, “That is, if someone bothered to pick it up and sniff it.” You see, too often we assume that people will open a piece of content and then be drawn into it by the eye-catching design, informative figures, and compelling copy. The key there is the “open” part.
With the growing volume of content available, it’s quite possible (likely even) that a person who is researching a product or service will have pieces from multiple companies to review. That being the case, which white paper would you open if you only had time to review one before leaving for the day:
- “A White Paper on Secure Digital Payment Technology”
- “5 Strategies for Ensuring Your Digital Payments Aren't Compromised"
Odds are you’re going to reach for the second one. Will you circle back later to read the first one? Maybe… maybe not. If you’re company is the author of the first document and the prospect ultimately does not read it, it doesn’t matter that your offering is far superior to your competitor's — they will get the business. That’s a simplification, of course, but you get the point.
And this idea of using interesting and appealing names goes beyond what’s on the cover page. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded a document from a vendor and later struggled to identify it among many others on my computer because the PDF was named something totally unhelpful like “ProdSpecs-07134-press.fin09.” Imagine the difference if the company named it “WhyBuyAcmeModel123” instead!
Content Naming - The Devil’s in the Details
Choosing a descriptive title for a document and a name for the file may seem like a pain after you’ve expended considerable time and effort in creating an awesome piece. But, it’s one of those details that can distinguish your content from that of your competitors. So, I encourage you to take a fresh look at your existing material and consider how it may be perceived by your target audience. And, of course, I recommend you give some thought to the naming of each new piece you create.
If you’re looking to work with an experienced content marketing agency that understands how attention to detail can help move the needle, we’d love to talk with you. We’re a certified HubSpot partner in Colorado Springs that doesn’t miss a thing when it comes to helping clients around the U.S. kick their marketing programs into high gear.
