Content is NOT king

If you’ve come to believe that a content marketing strategy is critical to your company’s success – stop! Gone are the days of “pump out all the content you can -- on your website, LinkedIn, brochures, webinars, and any way you can.”

It wasn’t always that way.

There was a time not long ago, maybe three to five years ago, when a company’s life was reasonably more simple. A business had something meaningful to say and their competitors weren’t yet onboard with the content is king mantra. Channels were limited and you could focus.

Then social marketing and selling kicked into high gear. The word got out. Just like the terrible idea that any news is good news, a great idea morphed into a load of extremely bad content. We’re talking about really lousy marketing!

I don’t know about you, but it’s exhausting thinking about all the content my business needs to write and post! So, we tend to get a little sloppy in trying to get it all out the door -- day in and day out.

The idea that any content is more important than what it says is junk science.

It’s the Internet’s fault. Or more accurately, the ever present marketing pundits, agencies, and workshop offerings that tell us to get as much content produced as fast as possible -- on the Internet.

At this point your probably thinking I’m wacked out and way off base. Or, maybe you’re really upset because if I’m right, your company has wasted a lot of time, energy, and money too.

Take a deep breath and calm down. It’s not the entire story.

It’s true that you need incredibly brilliant content to succeed. Sure, content is an effective way to build your brand and your audience, yet it's far from king.

A unique voice and perspective is king. A targeted message is king. Relevant information is king. Fresh knowledge is king.

A unique voice and perspective is king: be different. Trying to be better than your competition is a well-intentioned goal, but that won’t help you stand out. Why? Because when it comes to content you’re fighting for the attention of your target audience and should not “sell” products or services -- at least not on initial contact. Think about how your content and brand will make emotional connections. Create a company persona that’s different and engages people. Be funny, insightful, creative, controversial, or fearless. Craft a distinct voice and unique perspective with a platform that others want to be a part of.

A targeted message is king: know your audience. Most companies put far too little effort into deeply understanding the people that represent their target market. If you don’t, then it’s hard to know exactly what will draw your desired audience in. When you really know your audience you can easily produce the useful information they want. You’ll know which real words (not boring industry jargon) will resonate with your audience. You’ll effortlessly focus on what channels your customers prefer. People are in their own world and don’t care about you or your business until they get to know you and like your business. Thankfully, your competition isn’t doing the deep dive needed to understand your buyer’s persona and create a detailed profile.

Relevant information is king: add value to the conversation. You’ll win only when the “right content” is delivered. The key to grabbing your reader’s attention is context. Relevancy adds value to the conversation. Relevant content is authentic and more importantly, believable. And the bonus is that people and search engines gravitate to relevant content. Plus, having a relevant information strategy in place allows you to produce great content more often. For instance, find articles that other non-competing experts have written that your audience will enjoy -- share it with your added insightful comments using your unique voice. Search engines will reward you with traffic and more of your ideal audience will find you.

Fresh knowledge is king: what’s happening now. Old news is like yesterday’s newspaper filled with expired coupons. Offer value with actionable tips and stories that will make an impact in the lives of your customers today -- all based on what’s happening today in your target audience’s world. Fresh content is engaging to humans. Plus, a regularly updated website and blog offers frequent and higher Indexing by search engine. So, aside from keeping your customers informed and updated often, Google loves fresh content.

Content is not king and it is not a strategy. Content is a tactic and a very important means to an end. Your goal is to build engagement, create new fans, and retain loyal customers.

Generate content that is compelling, clear, different, pertinent, and memorable. Develop and use a unique voice and establish a perspective that will resonate with your ideal audience. Get potential buyers interested in what you have to say by giving them something of value.

Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.