Paradoxically, there’s never been a better or worse time to ramp up your company’s marketing.
The trouble is, even though there are now more opportunities than ever for you to engage with your clients and customers, those very same opportunities exist for all of your competitors too.
So how can your company’s marketing grow and survive these days?
More importantly, can you do it right and is it worth it?
In 2010, the then CEO of Google Eric Schmidt told us that in just two days we create as much data as we did from the dawn of man through to 2003. It’s a staggering statistic.
Every minute, there are 4 million Facebook posts, 300 hours of YouTube videos, and nearly half a million Tweets. This is every minute of every day. So if you’re thinking of investing in content marketing, you might want to think about how readers will see your message in this ever-rising sea of information.
For a company to succeed, its core messages must not only be heard, but must also influence and be remembered. The great Roman orator Cicero knew this. Memory was the fourth of his Five Canons of Rhetoric.
You might have read somewhere that people remember 10% of what they read and 20% of what they see. What’s more, Edelman’s marketing research found that there’s a crisis of trust these days. Even if people read and remember, there’s no telling whether they’ll believe or trust you.
For instance; the statistics you’ve just read? They’re all over the internet, but they’re not true. All we really know from cognitive science is that most people forget most of what they read.
Content marketing: Is it worth it?
So what does a company have to do to invest in content marketing?
With all the content out there, how can you guarantee that people will recognise, trust, and not forget you?
Well, going back to Cicero, to be influential and to be remembered requires being persuasive and coherent, with good style and good delivery.
You see, with all the content marketing out there, nearly everyone knows the basics. In fact, most content marketing you’ll come across is pretty basic, bland and generic.
When was the last time you thought something was memorable because it was just like all the others?
You might hear the odd marketing guru telling you to get a ’hook’ or a ‘content tilt’ or some other jargonistic buzzword to convince you that they have the solution.
Here’s a little secret… Too many content marketers only look for clickbait. Click-throughs are too often the only measure of success.
However, if you’re serious about your company you will know that you need to stand out from the crowd. You will know that you need to develop trusting, memorable relationships with your clients and customers. Those relationships are what good marketing is all about.
So here is some advice.
Make sure you have high standards when considering content marketing. The baseline is not enough – don’t aspire to be level with your competitors.
Remember, your customers and clients are smart and they know they difference between fluff and interesting stuff. Don’t bore them and certainly don’t mislead or condescend them, or else you run the risk of losing their trust.
Crucially, content marketing is not the end goal. The content shouldn’t just put you out there, it should aim to establish relationships, to interest and stimulate people. That’s how people will remember you. Make them want more and give them a reason to come back.