Content Marketing is Not a New Shiny Object Invented via Social Media!

You've heard the buzz. Many business and marketing leaders that should know better think they have found a new shiny object in content marketing. They're all hyped up about it and thinking it's the next best band-aid for the broken business. Maybe even the thing to help them become the Twitter, Facebook and social media super star they have always dreamed of being.

In some circles it is spoken as if it is a secret, something only the super duper smart people know. I even read a blog post the other day that referred to content marketing as the next shiny new object.

If you spent a day in a marketing 101 class you should know that successful marketing requires content.

Sorry folks but if you think content marketing is new we need to talk. If you are new to marketing and business then I am not stating you should know better but I do hope this post will help you separate the shiny from the real.

Please note before you read this post that I am NOT stating that content marketing is not the bomb, doesn't rock or that it can't provide tremendous value to your business. It absolutely can when created and integrated into a marketing and business strategy focused on providing relevant and compelling content that resonates with your target audiences, clients, partners and stakeholders.

Content in a nut shell

• Your audience has specific goals and objectives they want to achieve in their life and/or business.
• There are specific products and services your audience needs and wants to help them accomplish these goals and objectives.
• Sometimes your audience may not know they “need” a product. However, they know they need educated so they can make an informed decision to purchase the product or service that is going to help them achieve their business goals and objectives.
• Social media combined with an integrated marketing plan executed efficiently presents tremendous opportunity for you to get the right content in front of the the right audiences and increase your chances of connecting with the right decisions makers and buyers who will become interested in your brand and either become a friend, evangelist or customer.
• If you can provide good content that will educate and inspire them to further connect and learn about your brand, the chance of them buying a product or service from you increases exponentially. This is obviously assuming that your products and services can help them achieve their goals and objectives.

Example goals for leveraging content: 

Develop the best possible content that will:

• Help you inspire and connect with the right people to grow and sustain your business.
• Inspire your audiences to connect with you.
• Inspire your audiences to do the double click on your website or blog to learn more about you.
• Inspire your audiences to check out some of your other social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest.
• Inspire your audiences to engage and connect with you via the content you provide.
• Inspire your audiences to take action such as joining  one of your social communities. This could include “liking” your Facebook business page, following you on Twitter or Pinterest, subscribing to your videos on YouTube, commenting on your blog and the list goes on and on.
• Educate your customer to make an informed purchase decision.
• Maximize business efficiencies including time and money by leveraging content marketing. This can happen via content distribution strategies such as your own integrated online platform that works when you are not working.

Creating good content doesn't require a crystal ball. 

What is required to create compelling and relevant content that helps your business?  As much as some may want to make you believe that creating good content requires a magic crystal ball that only a small set of gurus have access to, don't believe it.

Bottom line it comes down to smart business and smart marketing.

Yes, there are many strategies, tips and tactics you can leverage to create, syndicate, measure, monetize and reap return from investing in content. However, I don't have time in this post to help you with all of them. I would have to know your business goals and objectives, target audience, and many more details.

Don't over complicate it.