I am a huge believer in evergreen content and that it should be an integral part of any content strategy, as it offers numerous benefits that can greatly enhance your online presence and engagement with followers. Not tied to a specific time or event, this type of content provides a solid foundation for your association’s social media strategy, helps to establish thought leadership, and drives traffic to your website.

In this article, we will explore why evergreen content is the key to consistent social media success, and how you can incorporate it into your own strategy.

Evergreen Content vs. Trending Content

Before we dive into the importance of evergreen content, let’s clarify the difference between evergreen and trending content. Trending content is content that is relevant for a specific period, usually tied to an event or a popular topic. For example, a post about the 2023 Oscars would be considered trending content because it’s only relevant for a short period. Once the 2023 Oscars are over, the content is no longer relevant.

On the other hand, evergreen content is content that is always fairly relevant, no matter when it’s read. It’s content that provides value to your audience regardless of the current trends or events. It is content developed this year that can be repurposed for the next 3-4 years, increasing the ROI of their creation.

One example of long-lasting content – and there are many – could be a post with an infographic of the number of Oscar winners in your association or perhaps a fun fact that your association supplies X for the Oscars. This post could be reshared for next year’s Oscars season, and the next and so on.

Examples of Evergreen Content

Let’s take a look at some other examples of ageless content specifically that you can create for your social media channels:

• Thought Leadership quotes: An easy way to highlight members including Board members and Committee Chairs, is to quote them! Gather these at conferences, from past journal articles (be sure to link to the piece!) or do some online research to collect a set. Go through past lectures or webinars and use a quote to promote them. I will typically develop a quote template and then schedule them out for the entire year in a day or two.
• Throwback posts: Share old photos or memories to engage your audience with nostalgia. This is a fun element to add leading up to your annual conference – “Get ready to make memories of your own!”
• Fun facts: Share interesting and perhaps lesser-known facts about a topic or industry relevant to your members. For instance, for one client, I pulled together the birthdays of industry inventors and developed post and visuals to run on their birthdays annually.
• Memes and GIFs: Share relatable and entertaining memes or GIFs that your audience can enjoy.
• Holiday greetings: Celebrate holidays and special occasions by sharing holiday-themed posts and greetings. Create once and use for the next few years.
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  Evergreen content example for LinkedIn that used a carousel of 5 graphics related to annual awareness day

  Promotions for your website’s evergreen content:
  • Videos and other on-demand items
  • Listicles
  • How-to Guides

Remember your evergreen content should provide value to your audience. Be sure your content is informative and actionable.

Measuring success

Tracking your evergreen content is essential to understand what is working and what is not on each specific social media platform.

• Traffic: Look at how much traffic this content is driving to your website.
• Shares: Track how many times it is being shared on social media.
• Engagement: Look at how many comments and likes your evergreen content is receiving on each platform.
• Backlinks: Keep track of how many backlinks your long-lasting material is generating.

Conclusion

One of the key advantages of evergreen content is its longevity. Unlike time-sensitive articles or news updates, this content continues to attract and engage readers long after its initial publication. This enduring quality allows your member association to build a robust knowledge base that serves as a valuable resource for both current and future members. By providing relevant and reliable information, your association can establish itself as a trusted authority, fostering loyalty among members.

By creating timeless content that is informative and timeless, you can attract new followers and maintain the interest of your existing ones. More importantly for us, as marketers and creators, you are filling your social media pipeline for the long haul, helping you to maintain consistent engagement with your audience.