Remember when content marketing took off like crazy and spawned significant amount of interest amongst marketers? An essential avenue to utilize for subject matter expertise, brand voice establishment, awareness, visibility, and ultimately providing the ability to create an emotional connection with a your target audience. Yes, content marketing and blogging are intricate to any digital marketing strategy. However, we’ve reached a tipping point in content marketing where the competition has become stiffer and opportunities are slimming down. It’s what happens when saturation occurs. Fortunately, approximately two years ago, Medium.com emerged as a leading platform to assist in segmentation between bland and authoritative content.
Medium.com boasts over 13 million unique visitors per month as it stands and quickly gaining up market share. One of the most common questions website owners ask themselves is “Why do I need Medium.com?” If you have a CMS such as WordPress intact, why bother with another platform, right? Medium.com focuses on quality over quantity. The intent of the platform from the get-go was to refine the purpose of content and zero in on establishment of an avenue that highlights authoritative information that its users would truly benefit from. In the beginning, many were misled by the business model with the assumption that Medium.com was just another content generation platform that would eventually phase out.
Some Background History About History.com
The platform came about as a random idea by Ev Williams. Quite commonly recognized as the original founder of Blogger (now owned by Google) and former CEO and co-founder of Twitter. Back in 2012, he decided to embark on a new joint venture with another Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone. The idea was raw naturally with a plethora of uncertainties ahead. It was originally introduced thru Twitter as a handle and later in 2012 availability for invite-only users came about with intent of focusing on increased awareness.
Quality Over Quantity Content: Building Authority
As stated previously, one of the main areas of focus for Medium.com is to emphasize upon quality and authoritative content. The platform is ideal for publishers or bloggers interested in building a solid audience by delivering high quality information. Eliminating the fluff and self-promotion stands of high priority. So, if you’re serious about developing a strong brand voice, it’s an excellent avenue to accomplish just that. Remember, keep the fluff away and focus on the value proposition that you can offer to your readers.
Medium.com Is Not a Blogging Replacement
It’s important to clarify that Medium.com is not designed to replace your existing blogging strategy. Instead, the true intent behind the model is to serve as a companion to existing content marketing endeavors. For those interested in focusing on strategic, high-quality, authoritative, and cutting-edge content generation, then the platform is feasible for such purpose. Also, not to mention that due to the increased market visibility, it offers untapped potential for driving targeted inbound traffic that can assist with additional lead generation opportunities.
Increased Network Potential
One of the greatest features that Medium.com offers is the ability to expand your network potential. This is particularly beneficial for start-up companies seeking new opportunities by enhancing their awareness in the marketplace. The platform provides a sufficient amount of visitors who will take notice of your brand and ultimately attribute to generation of new inbound traffic into your website domain.
Best Practices for Medium.com
The standard practices of blogging such as on your website are unfortunately inapplicable here. The environment is slightly different therefore it’s bound by a specific set of rules one must follow. Here’s some key tips to assist you with getting started.
- High-quality content stands of critical importance. It should be professionally written with high resolution professional photos to compliment the content visually.
- Utilize the collections feature for better compartmentalizing of your article writings. Theming the collections may help with establishment of a clear distinction between different stories.
- Forget about traditional hard-selling sales methods. Medium.com is not a platform about selling but rather an avenue for relationship building and conversations.
- The average article should be around 400 words based on rules and guidelines. This is unlike what you’re accustomed to with your traditional blogging techniques but for this particular platform it’s essential for engagement purposes.
- Interaction is key. Consider part-taking within certain stories by liking, recommending, or commenting. Remember, it’s about the conversation and relationship building opportunities.
Quick Start Guide for Medium.com
Unlike other platforms, this particular one was designed with ease of use in mind. Its founders put forth strong emphasis on the sign-up process that would ensure the experience remained effective, efficient, and seamless.
- Visit http://www.medium.com and click on the ‘New Story” button.
- Login using available options by using your existing social media credentials.
- That’s it! Start creating content.
Even though Medium.com has been around for a couple of years now, it wasn’t until recently that I personally took stronger interest in fully pursuing it as a content marketing tool. I have to admit though that I’m quite intrigued by its functionality and opportunities it presents for enhancement of my own personal brand. Hopefully it will provide the same level of opportunity for your brand.