Evergreen content is a term most often used by Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts to describe content that is perpetually relevant. That means evergreen content stands the test of time—its relevance never fades or ends. However, this post will focus on evergreen content for SRO (Sales Rep Optimization).

A good deal of content is the opposite of evergreen. It is what you could call the deciduous-tree variety. It soon fades, withers and falls out of relevance—just like leaves in the fall. Many of these topics are temporarily appealing. They capture attention one day and are lost in the shuffle only a short time later.

Seasonal content falls into this category. So do news and most sports stories, content that reports on the status of trends or fads in popular culture as well as fashion pieces. The same applies to statistical content that gives a snapshot of a topic at a point in time. It’s literally out of date the second it appears because the topic is always a moving target.

Leafy information like this is not bad or undesirable in any way. Though there is a crucial need for this kind of content, it’s important to understand that the countdown toward the end of its important shelf life begins as soon as it arrives. Moving through information quickly is the only way to stay abreast in this fast-paced world.

This is where evergreen content is different

In the face of so much change, evergreen content stands apart and remains relevant, even when situations and circumstances are swirling in constant flux.

Here are sample titles of evergreen content:

• How to use testimonials in selling.
• How to install a three-way switch.
• Women’s five most important needs.
• Ten ways to use common lemon juice.

Evergreen content often falls into a few common formats: how to, top tips about a given subject and lists.

Certainly, other formats are used, but these three are tried and true. Obviously, there is only so much content you can create and supply to the field that is of the evergreen variety.

Optimizing content for your sales force

Evergreen content is valuable and necessary but, by itself, won’t get you to your goal—optimal sales force productivity.

The reason is that so much of the information needed most by reps is in a constant state of flux. In other words, it is quickly losing relevance, accuracy, and timeliness—just the opposite of evergreen content.

So as a devoted creator, distributor, and manager of content, it’s important to be committed to continually retooling and freshening information.

Let’s call this process regreening because it’s the discipline by which content is made relevant and useful again, even if only temporarily. If you’re thinking this sounds as though content management is a dynamic process of changing, updating and correcting, you’re right.

Creating content

The reality of content management and content strategy is rooted in the iterative nature of content creation. And the iterative nature of content creation is one of the key ingredients of an agile content strategy, as explained by Maestro’s own Nate Norman in a blog post, The Critical Content Strategy.

As Nate points out, gathering feedback and applying measurements are only effective if you do something with the data collected. And that something is the regreening process discussed earlier.

The goal of the regreening process is to make content a better version of its old self. This is how you use feedback to continuously improve your content, the technology that delivers it, and your overall strategy.

Create your evergreen content with iteration in mind

So iteration is the name of the relevance game, and regreening is the attitude or state of mind that drives it. It is an acceptance of the reality that says the content creator’s job is never done.

While sales reps may use evergreen content from time to time, their needs will be better served by ensuring the content they provide has the lure of fresh green relevance. That’s how the goal of SRO will move ever closer.