Content Rules

1. Content is king: Create valuable, customer-focused material

"Content may rule, but your online content must be the right sort of content: Customer-focused. Authentic. Compelling. Entertaining. Surprising. Valuable. Interesting."

Content is the new marketing currency. In today's digital landscape, businesses must shift from traditional advertising to creating valuable content that attracts and engages customers. This approach, known as content marketing, involves:

• Producing high-quality, relevant information that addresses customer needs and interests
• Focusing on educating and entertaining rather than directly selling
• Consistently delivering content across various platforms and formats

By providing valuable content, companies can:

• Build trust and credibility with their audience
• Establish thought leadership in their industry
• Attract potential customers organically through search engines and social media
• Nurture relationships with prospects throughout the buying cycle

2. Develop a distinct voice and tell authentic stories

"Your organization is struggling to differentiate in a crowded market. To succeed, you need to forge a separate and unique identity and create an enduring and memorable brand."

Find your unique voice. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, businesses must develop a distinct personality and tone in their content. This involves:

• Identifying your brand's core values and perspective
• Speaking in a conversational, human tone that resonates with your audience
• Sharing authentic stories that showcase your company's culture and people

Effective storytelling techniques include:

• Using case studies and customer success stories
• Highlighting employee experiences and behind-the-scenes glimpses
• Addressing challenges and failures transparently
• Incorporating humor and personality when appropriate

By developing a strong voice, companies can create emotional connections with their audience and differentiate themselves from competitors.

3. Reimagine content across multiple formats and platforms

"Instead of a 'one and done' approach, treat anything you develop as pieces of a larger whole."

Maximize content impact through repurposing. Create a content ecosystem by reimagining your material across various formats and platforms. This approach involves:

• Developing a core piece of content (e.g., an ebook or white paper) as your primary source
• Breaking down that content into smaller, more digestible pieces
• Adapting the content for different formats and channels

Examples of content repurposing:

• Turn a long-form blog post into a series of social media updates
• Create an infographic from key statistics in a research report
• Develop a video tutorial based on a how-to guide
• Extract quotes from an interview for use in social media graphics

By reimagining content, companies can reach a wider audience, reinforce key messages, and maximize the return on their content investment.

4. Share or solve, don't shill: Focus on customer needs

"Good content shares or solves; it doesn't shill."

Prioritize value over promotion. Successful content marketing focuses on addressing customer needs and providing genuine value rather than overtly pushing products or services. This approach involves:

• Identifying your audience's pain points and challenges
• Creating content that directly addresses those issues
• Offering practical solutions and actionable advice

Key strategies for value-focused content:

• Develop how-to guides and tutorials
• Share industry insights and trend analysis
• Offer free tools or resources
• Curate relevant third-party content

By consistently providing valuable, non-promotional content, companies build trust and credibility with their audience, positioning themselves as helpful resources rather than pushy salespeople.

5. Stoke the campfire: Engage and nurture your audience

"Like a good campfire, good content sparks interaction and ignites conversation between you and your customers, and among your customers themselves, in the social sphere."

Foster community and conversation. Successful content marketing goes beyond simply publishing material; it involves actively engaging with your audience and nurturing relationships. This approach includes:

• Encouraging comments and discussions on your content
• Responding promptly and thoughtfully to audience feedback
• Facilitating conversations among community members

Engagement strategies:

• Ask questions and solicit opinions in your content
• Host live Q&A sessions or webinars
• Create social media challenges or contests
• Highlight user-generated content and customer stories

By fostering a sense of community around your content, companies can build brand loyalty, gather valuable feedback, and create a network of brand advocates.

6. Create wings and roots: Ground content in your perspective, but make it shareable

"Ground your content solidly in your unique perspective and point of view but give it wings to soar freely and be shared across social platforms, all over the Web."

Balance brand identity with shareability. Effective content marketing requires creating material that reflects your company's unique perspective while also being easily shareable across various platforms. This approach involves:

• Developing content that clearly communicates your brand's values and expertise
• Optimizing content for easy sharing on social media and other channels

Strategies for shareable content:

• Include social sharing buttons on all content
• Create eye-catching visuals and infographics
• Craft compelling headlines and summaries
• Leverage trending topics and hashtags (when relevant)
• Encourage employees to share company content on their personal networks

By striking this balance, companies can maintain a strong brand identity while expanding their reach through organic sharing.

7. Leverage various content types: Blogs, videos, ebooks, and more

"You don't have to create everything and publish everywhere; you don't have to do it all inclusively—create killer blogs and podcasts and white papers and webinars and ebooks and puppet shows and whatever else you can imagine. You don't have to do all of that. But you do have to do some things—and, at the very least, one thing—really, really well."

Diversify your content portfolio. A successful content marketing strategy incorporates various content types to cater to different audience preferences and learning styles. Key content formats include:

• Blogs: Regular, informative articles that boost SEO and establish thought leadership
• Videos: Engaging visual content for demonstrations, interviews, and storytelling
• Ebooks and white papers: In-depth resources for lead generation and education
• Podcasts: Audio content for on-the-go consumption and personal connection
• Infographics: Visual representations of data and complex concepts
• Webinars: Interactive online presentations for education and engagement

Focus on mastering one or two content types initially, then expand as resources allow. Tailor your content mix to your audience's preferences and consumption habits.

8. Measure success and adapt your content strategy

"How will we measure success?"

Data-driven content optimization. To ensure your content marketing efforts are effective, it's crucial to establish clear metrics and regularly analyze performance. This process involves:

• Setting specific, measurable goals for your content
• Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Using data insights to refine and improve your content strategy

Important metrics to consider:

• Traffic and engagement (page views, time on page, bounce rate)
• Social shares and comments
• Lead generation and conversion rates
• Email subscriptions and open rates
• Search engine rankings for target keywords

Regularly review these metrics to identify successful content types and topics, as well as areas for improvement. Use these insights to inform future content creation and distribution strategies.

9. B2B companies can create compelling, human content too

"Everything covered in this book applies to businesses that sell to other businesses—or to any other kind of organization out there, for that matter—whether you sell routers, HVAC systems, swimming pools, or ice cubes or are charged with marketing your synagogue, swing band, accounting services, hospital, zoo, oil paintings, candidate for school committee, Pop Warner football league, pizza shop, or PTA group."

Humanize B2B content. Business-to-business companies can and should create engaging, personable content that resonates with their audience. Strategies for compelling B2B content include:

• Focusing on the human element behind business decisions
• Using storytelling to illustrate complex concepts or solutions
• Incorporating humor and personality when appropriate

Examples of engaging B2B content:

• Case studies that highlight individual decision-makers and their challenges
• Behind-the-scenes videos showcasing company culture and employees
• Infographics that simplify complex industry data or processes
• Podcasts featuring conversations with industry experts and thought leaders

By creating more human, relatable content, B2B companies can differentiate themselves in a crowded market and forge stronger connections with potential clients.

Last updated: October 3, 2024