The Content Coup: Relevant, Remarkable and Pretty Darn Effective
Heinrich Marketing
In 2007, when Gaiam launched its GaiamLife.com content site, full of how-to videos, advice from experts and consumer stories, sales originating there began exceeding forecasts, and customer retention and purchase frequency jumped significantly.
"What Gaiam really sells is a healthy, conscious lifestyle," says Mary Jo Cameron, former Gaiam Life managing editor. “The content allowed customers a convenient way to get healthier and greener on their own. It underscored Gaiam’s position as not just a product brand, but a trusted resource.”
Content Is Catching On
The 2010 Content Marketing Survey from Junta42, a leading content-vendor matching service, reports that the majority (59%) of marketing professionals planning to allocate an all-time high of 33% of their overall budget to content marketing, including social media, blogs, articles and e-newsletters, up from 29% in 2008.
But it’s not just credibility. There’s another reason for content, too. Joe Pulizzi, co-author of the best-selling book Get Content, Get Customers, says that customers are finding more ways to block unwanted messages. “In order to get attention, marketers must develop valuable, relevant, compelling content, without selling, so that prospects actually ‘opt-in’.”
So what’s the content catch? Seth Godin says that you are either remarkable or invisible. Sure, we agree. But what’s the formula?
Discover What Your Customers Need and Want. No, deeper.
We’re talking about research. Research too often drives small-scale decisions, helping an agency determine which headline to use instead of playing a more diagnostic role. John Almash, president of Stratcom, a leading marketing consulting firm, says it can be more powerful. “Research should contribute to long-term strategies about how marketers view the bigger consumer picture and how they should respond to the changing psyche of the American public.”
To Overcome the Curse of Knowledge
Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has “cursed” us. It becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can’t readily re-create our listeners’ state of mind. Made to Stick authors, Chip and Dan Heath, advise that to overcome this, your content must be: simple (stripped to the core), unexpected (destroying preconceived notions), concrete (no stats, no abstracts), credible (they gotta trust you), emotive and a darn good story (inspires connection and is easy on the ears).
Hire Experts
Confused on how to create content when you’re barely shouldering your current workload? That’s understandable, but the answer is simple. Hire a professional communicator to hunt, gather, distill and organize the most relevant and valuable content for your company.