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When it comes to content marketing, there are a few different ways to structure your strategy. You could release content in a never-ending torrent that leaves you with inadequate time to properly research and create posts. You can also approach each piece of content as if it’s the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painstakingly shaping and crafting each word and image to perfection.

These two approaches represent extreme points on a spectrum. Though there are some cases where the center isn’t necessarily the best place to be, content marketing quantity vs. quality debates usually require some moderation. Here’s why.

Weighing Content Quantity and Quality

There are distinct advantages to focusing on quantity or quality to the exclusion of everything else. You may notice that some brands seem to go all in one direction or the other. They may even find some success doing things that way.

A content strategy that emphasizes quality can be beneficial in a number of ways:

  • The more content you create, the wider the net is that you cast to draw in new followers and customers.
  • Rolling out new content on a regular basis keeps your audience engaged and entertained.
  • Having a robust content quality approach allows you to keep up with trends and take advantage of hot topics that get lots of attention.
  • Name recognition can improve drastically, which means you can project an authoritative image simply by commenting on every topic relevant to your brand.

As you might expect, there are also some clear benefits to focusing on quality:

  • Accuracy and authority can help individual pages and your site as a whole rank higher on SERPs.
  • High-quality content is useful to the user and will create a more positive connection to your brand.
  • Carefully planned and executed content can help boost your brand in areas in which it may be deficient.
  • Others may link to your content as a source, which is good for SEO.
  • Polished content projects a good image for your brand and can help you gain a stronger following on social media.

Of course, everything’s not all sunshine and roses. The drawbacks can be plentiful as well, especially if you don’t execute your strategy carefully. Consider these drawbacks to an approach that emphasizes quantity rather than quality:

  • You might get some major details wrong, which could end up having a negative impact on your reputation.
  • Content quality that’s too low may result in less follower engagement due to the fact that the content itself is uninteresting.
  • Improperly vetted posts can go viral for the wrong reason — a strong negative response.

Just focusing on quality alone doesn’t guarantee success either. Here’s a taste of what can happen when you take a painstaking approach to every single piece of content:

  • Prospective followers see that your socials rarely update, so they don’t bother to follow.
  • You take so long to post that everyone’s already moved on from the topic you cover.
  • Overall inbound traffic remains low because you aren’t putting out enough content to engage an audience.

Why Balance Is Best

Clearly, the two extremes are associated with some inherent risk. But those risks balance each other out in the end. That’s why the two approaches can be described as opposite sides of the same spectrum rather than points on two totally different scales. The best way to avoid the risks while maximizing benefits is to balance the two approaches in a way that cancels out negative impacts while driving positive results.

But how should your brand achieve this? The truth is that it’s different on a case by case basis. The good thing about this question about quantity vs. quality is that there’s a lot of space between the two extremes. Finding your place between all quantity or all quality can be a matter of trial and error.

You don’t necessarily need to strike a perfect balance. It could be that your brand does best when you post frequently and engage with trends. This may leave you without time to create a masterclass in content creation every time you post, but if you get good results, that’s OK. On the other hand, say you sell expensive products that require a lot of consideration. In that case, shifting into a slower gear and focusing on providing informative, inspirational content may work better for your specific audience.

Track Your Progress

One good way to start on the path to balance is to consider your current strategy. Which would you say you’re most focused on right now: quantity or quality? Could shifting in the other direction help? It’s worth a try. You can start by either posting more frequently or slowing down and taking more time to polish what you post.

Then, you’ll want to look at some data. Choose one or two KPIs to focus on. These could be anything from social media conversion rates to sales or unique visitors to your company’s blog. Note where the KPIs are before you start to bring some balance into your strategy. Then, over the course of a few months, see if those numbers improve.

Data can help you find the right balance between content quality and quantity for your brand. Remember that it can take time for your new strategy to work, so don’t be discouraged if your numbers don’t immediately spike.