Content marketing is the buzzword of the week. Yet, it has always existed: under different names, spread by different means. When a farmer talks with his customers about the compared merits of different crops on the market floor, it is content marketing already. He helps his customers make better sense of the world in a language they can understand and builds goodwill in the process.
Somewhere along the way, companies lost this human connection as evidenced by the fourteenth thesis of the Cluetrain Manifesto by Levine, Locke, Searls and Weinberger:
Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman.
But now, they?re beginning to get better at communicating in a human voice again and respond to their customers? true concerns in?conversations. There is talk of content strategy, content marketing, etc. in lots of exciting places.
Small businesses relied on these conversations and the spreading of good content for a while now.?John Jantsch, in his 2006 book Duct Tape Marketing, exposes a holistic approach to marketing which is all about reaching out to the right prospects with compelling content.
The major point is this: Content Marketing is the creation and distribution of content to build trust in your relationship with your prospects. They want reliable information about their situation and how different options compare. Give them that and soon, prospects will turn to leads and leads will transform into customers.
In most content marketing efforts, there are three goals you have to work towards.
- Help people live happy stories by sharing relevant information.
- Show them how you can intervene in their stories with your products.
- Discover your specific way of caring in the process.
How To Join The Conversation
John Jantsch advocates reusable and modular content. So you can mix and match according to your audience and chosen means of distribution. The different pieces of content he would suggest are:
- A statement of why they should hire you
- A summary of how you?re different from the competition
- A description of your ideal customer and why you appeal to them
- Your marketing story
- Your offerings, of course.
- Compelling case studies and testimonial proof
- And the list goes on?
The content types detailed above are all sound, but remember you don?t have to feel overwhelmed or?constrained?by the list. Don?t rush it. Some organizations can churn out content and hope for the better. You can?t gamble like this, you have a business to run.?Create as much value as you can. Stay confident that each piece of content you create answers your audiences? needs and supports as many of your business objectives as possible.?Focus on the three pillars, take your time to plan your content as you would a new line of products.
Small Steps Add Up
This being said, don?t let such warnings block you. Content publishing is like any new business you dive into, you will make mistakes at first and it?s OK. Writing and publishing are processes of constant discovery. The feedback you will receive will help you get better.?Start writing right now, publish when a piece is ready.?Take it step by step, one piece at a time.
Most advisers, just like John Jantsch, would want you to start at the center with core messages. Enough with this obsession, I say!?Start at the periphery and move towards the center later. In their time, themes and patterns will emerge and point towards core messages and values.?If you can?t figure them out, don?t be discouraged. Keep writing and publishing content nonetheless.?Core messages and differentiation from the competition will come as you discover subtleties in your way of caring for customers. You can?t just declare them, they have to mature and arise. If you pay attention to your education efforts, your caring and your story, you can be confident that good things will happen.
What?s Practical
Marcus Sheridan?taught himself how to use the web to promote his fiberglass pools business. The content he has created became a major factor in River Pools and Spas?growth.?His first move when he started out was to?collect questions?he was being asked,?answer them in writing, often breaking industry taboos like pricing in the process.?His efforts were so successful that he became a content marketing consultant known as The Sales Lion.?If you are just starting out or if questions don?t roll in the door fast enough, you can use Q&A sites such as?Quora or Stack Exchange to gather more. Write answers in the best manner possible using your own personal voice and post them on the web. If you don?t already have one, a blog is a great format for such efforts because it is modular and flexible.
By helping people make sense of the world around them, you will gain their trust and their business. Saddleback Leather, a small business selling durable leather bags, teaches how leather work is done, on the one hand, and shows their specific way of caring in a story?on the other.?You also have a great story to tell ? I am sure. Invest a little bit of time to write it down because it will bring context and help with connections. Follow the steps I showed to?craft the Editor?s Note of your Paper.li with a broader focus and get your story heard.
Of course, curation with Paper.li is also a way of providing content to help your customers make sense of the world. Many small business owners share their experiences on this blog like Nichelle Stephens, cupcake queen, or Brendon Held, kitesurfing expert.?There are countless others such as Brian from the?Edison Pen company ? specializing in custom pens. They edit a delightful Paper.li about writing tools entitled?Writing Instruments Daily.?Follow their lead: I wish you nice chats!
Image Credit: Table centerpiece representing Turkish merchants in conversation photographed at Berlin?s?Museum of Decorative Arts by FA2010
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