If your content marketing isn’t doing anything, is it even worth doing?
The easiest way to think of it is this: Your content marketing has to provide value. There are three things any good piece of content can do, and you only have to pick one. Here’s your options:
- Inform
- Entertain
- Educate
Let’s break that down:
- Are you telling people something interesting?
- Are you entertaining them?
- Are you teaching them something?
These are the three reasons anyone reads or watches anything. So, if your content isn’t doing one of them, it’s basically doing nothing. Which means it’s a waste of your time and resources.
But if it’s doing any of them, it stands a chance.
And if it’s doing two, or even all three, it’s probably a winner.
Notice what’s missing? Selling. No one ever watches or reads something hoping you’ll sell them something. But they love it when you solve their problems. Maybe they’re just bored, and entertaining them solves that.
Or maybe they’re wondering how a solid state drive works and you can teach them why they’re faster than traditional hard drives, why they’re impervious to magnets, and why they’re still more expensive than disc drives but probably worth it. Maybe you can show a graph that compares the value of their time plotted against video processing time. That’s information some potential customers will find fascinating.
And guess what? YOU gave it to them. Now YOU’RE their expert. Their trusted source. And their new brand.
Remember: It’s all about providing value by giving people a reason to read and watch.