Fed Up with "Content Marketing"

Is content marketing really new?

Everyday there are at least a handful of articles talking about how you have to be involved with content marketing. And everyday I look at those headlines and think, why do people think this is news? Seriously, if you've been involved in internet marketing at all in the last decade you would know that this is nothing new at all. In fact, if you are an internet marketing professional, you should have been practicing "content marketing" all along. It's the backbone to all other online marketing efforts.  Whatever you are trying to accomplish online it should begin with the content.

Example: You want to set up a lead generation campaign.  You need to have something that people want in an easy to access format that will be worth a prospect giving you an email address.  What do you do? You develop content in the form of a white paper.

Example: You want to send out a newsletter that includes the blurb of an expert article on your website. That expert article is content you've got to develop to give value to the newsletter.

Example: You're running a social media campaign that needs to bring traffic to the website.  You can't just keep sending the same old content over the social channels so you develop new content on the website to give a new life to the website and an new reason for return visits.

These examples don't even touch the content you've probably developed over the years to address key questions about your products / services - you know those articles about how to choose, how to use, what to choose, and etc.

Developing unique, quality content isn't a new marketing scheme.  You should have been developing content all along to help promote the website through all of the many online marketing channels. Good content isn't a strategy itself, it's the backbone to every online marketing strategy.

So the next time you see a groundbreaking article about content marketing you can skip the hype and use the time to learn about the last Panda update.

Questions? Comments? I invite your feedback :)

Stand Upon the Desktop

Do you remember the movie "Dead Poet's Society?" There was a scene where the lead character played by Robin Williams told the students to take turns standing upon the desk and viewing the classroom from that angle. When was the last time you "stood upon the desk" to see things from another point of view?

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with the owner of a company that has been in business since the 1970's and has even produced a few pieces for Air Force One.  One thing about being in business that long is that you stick with what you know and what has worked in the past.  But when the times change, you have to adapt. This business owner's industry has been going through tough times in recent years (who's industry hasn't?) and he was looking for some insights to what can be done with the website to help business.

The company traditionally sells to manufacturers which packages their products within a larger framework to sell to end users. But since the consumer is the one who ultimately buys the fully manufactured item they, the end users,  have the ability to influence what is included within the manufacturing process.  By taking a look from the top of the desk a slight shift in the view can make a big difference.

The new strategy: share photos of the high end company products in the fully manufactured end product as they appear in magazines, news, media etc. in social media (Facebook, LinkedIn).  The images will then create a desire for options the end user may not know about. By letting the end user see the options in the finished product they will then  request the customization from the manufacturer directly.  Instead of the business pushing the manufacturers to use their products, the end-user will create a "pull" for the products.

Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in perception to change the way promote your products and services.  With today's ever changing technology that shift can include a multi-focus approach to marketing which has traditionally been restricted to a single channel.  Social media is one way to change the approach because people who own and operate businesses of all sizes are on the front line of seeing what consumers are requesting.

Need someone to give you a different perspective? Contact me!