How to rise to the top in a perpetual list of blog sites, news releases and even social media feeds can be a million dollar question. Chances are, you already have a million dollar answer – all you need to do is add a personal touch to your content and your content marketing strategies.

As you implement keywords and link those phrases to high-ranking articles or sites, you naturally build search engine rank – but so does everyone else who is also linking to those phrases and sites. A recent article highlights a few tips for helping your content provide a personal touch to your reader, and encourage them to take action.

Use local angles. Even though you want your content marketing to result in articles and posts that are sent out via multiple platforms, it’s OK to include some local angles. What’s working well with a customer or client in your region? What’s great about some local businesses in your area who have used your services or products? These types of content can help build a stronger and more loyal following.

Seeing is believing. Integrate photos and videos, and tag them. Photos and videos can add a personal touch to your content in a very effective way. It is critical to add tags based on keywords to your photos and videos, every time, so that search engines can find them and use them to build your rankings. If you’re low on high quality photos, use a subscription service online to build up a library of exciting images without the expensive photographer fees. Try a photo library service like www.123rf.com, because it allows you to build a gallery ahead of time so it’s easy and fast to drop images into your content.

Let your users do the talking. Implementing UGC, or user-generated content, can go a long way toward making your content creative and interesting. Pull customer comments and quotes from your social media posts and emails and integrate them into blogs. Even the less than positive comments, with the appropriate and respectful response from you, can really boost your online readership. Use Pinterest to create a Pinboard just for highlighting customer responses and reactions to your product or service, or create a Thank You Pinboard. (Don’t have images? Get that subscription service).

You already have the creative genius to make your content personal and unique. Put this energy into an editorial calendar that helps you turn your natural innovation into high value content that gives you high search rankings and motivates your readers to take action.