by By Darin Shelstad
Carmen Hill joined us in class this week to discuss content marketing and strategy. She is a Marketing Director for Connective DX so if anyone knows what they’re talking about, it’s her. She gave us some great food for thought.
How important is content anyway?
Of content’s importance she said “content is more than collateral—it’s a core business asset that can attract new audiences, educate and nurture prospects, accelerate the sales cycle, and inspire customers to become loyal advocates.” Content connects all aspects and disciplines of a campaign.
Where do I start?
Its all in the research. Find out what is useful and valuable to the people you want to interact with, then build off of that. You can’t blindly create content and hope someone likes it. Craft your content for your target audience. Find out what your customers want/need by doing your homework. Monitor conversations and communities to get a real sense of how people feel.
How can I avoid coming off as inauthentic?
It is important to be close to community leaders, since they can get the word out to people who trust them. To build relationships with community influencers, help them selflessly in ways that benefit both parties. Don’t “sell” at them. Work with them.
Advice for the future?
“Being passionately curious is one of the most important skills you can have.” Always look forward, stay ahead of the game.
Twitter – @drnshlstd
Hi Darin,
I completely agree with you that content is like the glue that holds campaigns together. Good content is synonymous with success. I liked how you divided your blog into guidelines which was not only informative, but easy to read. In regards to inauthentic content, how do you think you should get influencers on-board to support your company’s message?
I agree with Natalie; you have broken this down quite well! We hear over and over how important content is but I am always surprised at how often brands overuse social media. In fact, I have had to block content from some brands in particular that create only noise and nothing of value. I really appreciated how Carmen Hill explained the importance of research behind good content. She offered a lot of excellent insight on how to avoid being a brand that only generates noise that many consumers want off their social media streams.
Darin,
Something I always think about when posting on social media, more specifically twitter, is being unauthentic. It is something that a lot of people struggle with, but I think it is crucial to monitor conversations. Doing this will allow you to hone in on what your audience is talking about and what is important to them. The biggest question is how do you get your followers to care about your content?