Content is king. Photo: Thinkstock
If you work in communications, you know that beautiful is not a metric. Clever headlines and great writing are nice, but they aren’t measurable or quantifiable. When you are given a budget, you are expected to generate customers and drive revenue. And that’s exactly what makes content marketing a challenge for some execs to wrap their heads around: You want a decent budget, but the return likely won’t be immediate. This long game can be a tough sell for some organizations.
So what is the case for content marketing then?
What is content?
Content is words; it’s video; it’s images. It can educate. It can entertain. It can inform. In general, it does not sell (directly).
Here’s what I tell clients: What distinguishes content marketing from your other marketing pieces is the lack of a blatant call to action and often the lack of any mention of your product.
Content marketing vs. traditional marketing
Consider this example. Let’s think about marketing patio furniture. A brochure about patio furniture might show a picture of the tables and chairs and include a list of features describing the materials and durability, how it will stand up to the elements, and other details. A content marketing approach could be an article on how to host a garden party. (It’s easy to understand why a business-minded executive might be more inclined to give you budget for the sales brochure.)
But think about your customers and what they want. (Ah, yes, the WIIFM.) If you are shopping for patio furniture right this minute, you might want the brochure. (And a smart company would be wise to make sure it’s readily available to you.) But most of us aren’t in the market for patio furniture on a regular basis. Either way, we still might like to read about hosting an awesome party. And that’s the benefit of content marketing: the ongoing opportunity to communicate with prospective buyers. If the furniture company provides me with content I can use on a regular basis, there’s a good chance that when I am ready to buy, they will be top of mind.
What customers want
That strategy, however, doesn’t work for people and organizations lacking in patience. If you’re considering a content marketing strategy, you need to be willing to accept that most consumers don’t want most of your marketing materials right now. What they want is information. They want to be educated. Maybe entertained. They want to build a relationship with you. They don’t want to be sold to.
But even though they don’t want to be sold to right now, they will buy. Someday.