Is content dead?
Are you told that it’s not and that you just need to be patient and one day it will all turn around?
If you look at the vast and overwhelming amount of content being created you would have to say it’s not. In fact, it’s thriving!
But that may just be the problem.
There is so much content being created that it’s choking out what used to be a competitive advantage.
Maybe the problem isn’t that content marketing is dead but rather the problem is deeper?
You can become successful at content marketing!
In fact, you can become a superstar in content marketing if you can break through the noise and clutter.
How?
Keep reading…
Is Content Dead? The Reality of What Content Marketing Has Become
For the last few years, there has been a premium placed on content marketing and many businesses have eagerly waged into new waters.
Blogging, video, podcasting, email, social media… what was once straight forward has become complex, overwhelming and challenging for many businesses and those have started this promising opportunity in recent years.
However, many have not earned the success they once were told would come with time and patience.
According to a report by Curata, the top three content marketing objective businesses have are:
Drive Sales and/or Leads;
Engage Customers/Buyers/Influencers;
Boost Brand Awareness.
In the same survey, “87% of B2B marketers surveyed by Forrester say they struggle to produce content that truly engages their buyers.”
However, that’s not stopping businesses from pursuing content marketing, and rightly so.
According to Kissmetrics, “Everyone’s doing content marketing. 94% of small businesses, 93% of B2Bs, and 77% of B2Cs use content marketing.”
If virtually everyone is doing content marketing, why are so many businesses on the fence about its impact?
Just last week I randomly asked a few local business owners about their content marketing experiences.
Four said they didn’t have the time to do it and questioned its impact upon their bottom line
Three said it cost them more money than it made and that it was more effective to advertise
One said it was working okay for them and that they occasionally get someone who comes in who said they saw something on their website or social media that drew them in.
All of them said the FREE marketing and promotion routes have turned into another form of forced paid advertising in order to get noticed and that things are changing too quickly to keep up.
This is no way a scientific or reliable for statistical purposes. However, it does expose experiences many are having when it comes to content marketing.
With this is mind, it begs a question… should we be focusing on content or is there something else?
Is content dead?
The Web is Returning Business Back to Its Roots
For a time, the internet was an explosive and growth driving opportunity for those businesses who embraced it early on.
It made millionaires, no billionaires… for example consider Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mark Cuban, and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook); and it helped increase the reach and profitability of many small businesses with seamless ease.
Connecting with people without doing anything other than having a website to increase profits seemed much simpler in 2005 and even in 2012 than it is today.
In his book, The Content Code, Mark Schaefer writes that there could be a “500 percent estimated increase in the amount of information on the web between 2015 and 2020.”
Here is the staggering part for you as a business owner who did not get online before 2010:
“Experts believe about 75 percent of the information increase will come from brands and individuals.” ~ Mark Schaefer
Mark’s point in the book is that so much information is now being created that there are not enough hours in the day to consume it all around the world and that “the amount of content consumed is not going up.”
Is content dead?
In a matter of speaking yes and in a matter of speaking… no.
Yes in the fact that it’s harder to get it noticed and consumed.
However, with the right emphasis it’s not impossible.
Three Aspects of Content Marketing That are Missing in Many Businesses
A few moments ago I said that businesses are returning to our roots, and indeed we are.
Before the internet, there were three dominant ways a business marketed itself in order to create growth:
Advertising in newspapers, magazines, direct mail, radio, TV or through public speaking (I’m sure there’s more but you get the point)
Networking through a local chamber of commerce or networking groups, conferences, conventions, etc.
Word of Mouth – Customers who loved your product or service and told others about you.
Today, the net is no longer just about SEO and sharing your content via social media or email.
So, what are we missing when it comes to content marketing?
Content marketing today is about:
Thought Leadership and Competency that leads to…
Networking with those who have influence over their audience…
Who then share you with their followers (social media – Word of Mouth)
Some will say you should buy your audience through advertising via Facebook or Google Adwords (or wherever your audience is at).
Others will say you should be giving away your content for free and go for organic reach.
Others will say you should pursue a strategy of both.
Regardless, if you’re creating content, be sure that there is nothing new on the internet. It has finally come back around to the way it’s always been done when it comes to building a business.
How could there be with all of the content being produced in just one day? (See my article last week for the overwhelming statistics)
Reviving Your Content Marketing for Marketing and Sales Success
What’s more important, Networking or creating content for your website, blog, social media, etc., and what comes first?
There is no easy answer, but here is my recommendation.
#1 – Get Completely Clear About the Business You are “Really” In
First, you have to get complete clarity on the business you are “really” in.
What I mean by that is you have to learn your business from the perspective of your target market instead of through your own.
According to the same Curata article I quoted above, the top three things that make content effective are:
Audience Relevance (58%);
Engaging and Compelling Storytelling (57%);
Triggers a Response/Action (54%)
There is even more data to back this up.
In an IBM Study in October 2015, nearly 80 percent of consumers stated that the average brand doesn’t understand them as an individual.
In the 2015 B2B Web Usability Report, it stated that nearly 50% of first-time visitors to a business’s website left immediately because of a lack of a relevant message.
In his book titled Questions That Sell, Paul Cherry Writes:
“Research has shown that during typical business interactions customers reveal only 20% of what is on their minds… It is your responsibility to get to the other 80%.”
Your goal is to learn how to become relevant to those who are able, willing and ready to buy from you.
The key to great content marketing is relevancy and writing to one person, with one problem / need / want / desire and offering one solution.
When I was a graduate student in 2003, I hired a speaking coach. I’ll never forget one of the first things he taught me.
He said,
“Don, if you speak broadly on a topic you’ll get 100% of the people who walk out of the room and pat you on the back.
However, if you speak specifically to one person in the audience, who has one problem, and offer him or her one solution, you’ll have 20% of the room coming up to you asking “how did you know… ?” and will want to work with you. The other 80% are still patting you on the back.”
Want to learn how to become more relevant through 5 questions? Check out my FREE, on-demand webinar.
#2 – Create Amazing Content
Once you learn how to become relevant to your target marketing, apply the principle of one problem, for one person, with one solution in each piece of content you create.
Your goal is to be inspiring, compelling and interesting as you provide that “OMG, how did you know… ?” moment.
That means more stories or sharing in a way that they can relate to your content.
Your goal through content marketing again is three-fold:
Thought Leadership and Competency that leads to…
Networking with those who have influence over their audience…
Who then share you with their followers (social media – Word of Mouth)
You want to establish that you know what you’re talking about, you’re worthy of being followed, and your worthy of being shared.
Great content marketing establishes you as being competent, informed, and worthy.
#3 – Networking with Those Who Serve the Same Audience You Do but in a Different Way
This is where the challenge comes in… if you skip this step, it will demonstrate that you are not just a lone ranger who is in it for yourself, it will show that you are playing in scarcity mode.
There is no place for fear in content marketing when it comes to networking with those who have influence over their audience.
Don’t confuse influence with celebrity; it’s not the same thing.
In fact, celebrities rarely, if ever, share your content with their audience due to their high demand.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attempt it, just realize you have to be consistent and do it over time and earn trust and relationship. It’s a lot longer process than connecting with people who are not celebrities.
Remember, it’s their reputation and hard work that’s on the line and as they should, they will protect it.
When I started Unveil the Web, I worked incredibly hard at establishing relationships with some amazing people who have influence with their audience.
People like:
Ryan Biddulph at Blogging from Paradise
Ryan has a fantastic following and contributes to resources such as Forbes, Virgin, New York University, BloggingTips.com and has an upcoming article in Entrepreneur.
Ryan is also a fantastic networker so be sure to connect with him at BloggingfromParadise.com!
Mark Schaefer
I mentioned Mark Schafer earlier. I’m connected with Mark on Facebook and in his private Facebook group and I look forward to his daily insights.
He teaches part-time at Rutgers University, and he speaks to audiences all over the world on content marketing topics to small businesses.
Reading his books and engaging with him is a great experience and opportunity to learn from his cutting edge insights on his website and blog.
John Lee Dumas
John Lee Dumas has lit up the podcasting world ever since he started Entrepreneur on Fire (eofire.com).
Every day, John interviews some of the most important figures in the small business world on his podcast as he teaches and shares resources, tips and tools to help you become successful.
Don’t miss his John Lee’s daily podcast on eofire.com!
Donna Merrill
Donna Merrill is a highly experienced small business owner and her insights into the transition from offline to online are extremely insightful.
She has helped many small business owners learn how to capitalize on blogging for their business and is an incredible resource.
I would encourage you to visit Donna’s site as well.
Ana Hoffman
Ana is one of the most talented small business owners and content marketers I’ve come across. Her content is detailed, well thought out and highly insightful when it comes to digital marketing.
Every weekend, she sends out an email to her list called “The Marketing Skinny.” In it, she provides links to the information you need to know about the changes occurring in the online marketing space.
Connect with Ana at TrafficGenerationCafe.com and learn from her experience and insights.
Content is Not Dead!
Is content dead?
No, it’s not.
But, the old ways of relying on Google, Facebook or any other organic tool is dying as they learn the power of their own platforms and are monetizing them just you want to monetize yours.
This article was not about avoiding paid ways to market your business. It was about understanding how we’ve come back to our roots and that content by itself is no longer a means unto itself.
Networking is a powerful way of creating and earning new opportunities, but that too is not a one-way street where you ask and they give.
It starts with a giving perspective, just as every relationship worth does.
It starts with value that is brought consistently to those you want to earn trust with and network with.
How do you bring them value?
It’s not just a link, it’s about becoming a connector.
Think of it like a spider web… Someone from Ana’s audience comes over and reads this article. They didn’t Ryan or Mark, and they click through to discover their amazing content.
Ryan and Mark just earned a new follower who may or may not become a new customer today, but is a new follower who may become a new customer tomorrow as they become more familiar with them.
Isn’t that real value?
It’s about building up opportunities for others over yourself.
And that’s what’s missing in content marketing.
While we all want to increase sales, we must realize that the “economy of sales” has been changing for some time as the internet brings business back from the wild west to the old order of things:
Thought Leadership and Competency that leads to…
Networking with those who have influence over their audience…
Who then share you with their followers (social media – Word of Mouth)
REPEAT!
Is content dead?
By no means!
However, the way in which we break through must change if we are going to be successful, especially if you’re not already a big name or have thousands of people visiting your website every day.
There is always going to be a law of averages.
In my example earlier, I believe if you create amazing content you may be able to convert 20% of those who feel that you understand them, have the “OMG, how did you know… ?” moment and are able, willing and ready to buy from you.
Don’t buy into a belief that business is different online. It’s not. However, it does require you to have:
A relevant and inspiring message
The ability to reach your target market
The opportunity to convert them
Great networking skills with those who serve the same audience you do but in a different way
Word of mouth opportunities with those who buy your product or service
Want to learn more?
I want to invite you to listen in for FREE to my on-demand webinar titled “The 5 Step Formula to Attract Your Audience, Increase Sales and Position Your Business for Success”.
Do you have a comment, idea or question? I would love to engage with you in the comments below!