In recent years, we in business, and society as a whole, have put growth up on a pedestal. But is ‘more’ always a good strategy? Alex Marks looks at the current trend for content marketing to find out whether more is better after all.
We do, it is fair to say, have a bit of an obsession with growth. It is arguably one of the key tenets of capitalist society that ‘more is good’. Whether that be GDP and company profits at the business end of the spectrum, personal wealth somewhere in the middle, or a collection of CDs right at the other. Now, this writer doesn’t wish to debate the semantics of finite resources or the morality of wealth at this juncture, but suffice to say it does shine a number of uncomfortable lights upon the world of marketing.
I want to challenge the notion that ‘more is good’. ‘More’ is, I think, becoming a problem. We need only look at a current trend to see it: content marketing. Now, content is something that has been around since before the pharaohs, but it appears to be the new panacea for marketing success. More and more of it seems the order of the day.
The reasoning for this is, broadly: more products, more choice, more channels, more opportunities to see, hear, touch – but finite time to do so. The consumer wants it when, how and where they wish. So, as the canvas for the message and consumers themselves become an ever-moving feast, the only thing that remains constant is the message. The message, the engagement factor, its manifestations and how they are distributed, become all important.
I get the reasoning. It makes a lot of sense. It probably always did, but it today’s climate, even more so. Indeed a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute found that 55% of B2C marketers plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2013. However, I would like to issue a word of warning.
If everyone produces more content, for more channels, for more scenarios, it means two things. Firstly, it will mean that everyone will become a ‘content expert’. How many suppliers have suddenly become skilled in the art of ‘storytelling’? Secondly, there will be a downpour of rubbish content as a result. The first is as predictable as the second is inevitable.
So, what to do? As I said before, content is here to stay. It’s always been around, we just haven’t given it due attention. Time to do so. Place a value on it. Your content is a manifestation of your brand. It’s your voice, your values, your feelings, your imagery, your words. It is business-critical. So, in an environment where the half-life of content value is decreasing exponentially due to the deluge I’ve talked about, it needs focus and it needs the right skills.
It is way too important to give away carelessly.
Read more from Alex Marks