In the world of public relations, it’s all about making connections. But who’s at the top of the heap when it comes to those connections? Who has the most followers in the PR world? Get to know some of the top PR influencers who are tweeting, ‘gramming, or blogging today – including our Founder & CEO, Christine Perkett.
There’s one simple thing marketers are overlooking when it comes to the type of content they’re developing. Unlike traditional marketing, content marketing is not all about you. In the past, marketing used to be all about your brand – marketers would develop ads, direct mail, email newsletters, press releases, sales collateral and more – usually focused briefly on a prospect’s pain point, and at length on how the marketer’s company would solve it.
That’s all well and good – but today content marketers have to go a step further.
You have to be a resource.
Think of marketing like a cocktail party – you’re never going to keep someone engaged if you ask them a question about a challenge they’re having, only to barely listen to the answer and then go on and on and on for the rest of the party about why YOU are the answer to that question (what your product/service is). Even if you do have the answer, you’d come across as shallow and not all that interested in learning more, but rather just in talking about yourself.
Nobody likes the gal who just brags about herself and doesn’t really listen. Think of your company the same way.
Content marketing has got to be resourceful. You have to share information that’s not just about you. You have to think of how to help, not just sell.
What information can you share with your prospects that educates, informs, resolves an issue and otherwise benefits your fans over time? Give, even when you don’t need or expect something (like a sale). People remember how you make them feel – not just what you say. And when you make someone feel important, cared for, and understood by being a resource that helped them, they’re more likely to want to do business with you when the time is right.
Brands are trying desperately to push out content – a lot of content. And content is great, it really is. Owned content is a smart part of your content strategy, and it’s an exciting time compared to 15 years ago when most companies relied heavily on third party journalists to publish their key messages (and hope they came across accurately). To be able to post, share and spread our content in exactly the way we want, where we want and when we want is a great thing.
But lately some of the content overload reminds us of being at a teenage dance, where kids who don’t quite know who they are yet bumble about awkwardly trying to be funny, cool, cute or smart. They wear too much makeup, have extreme hairstyles and wear clothing that they’re clearly uncomfortable in. They’re trying out everything because they’re still figuring out who they are.
Is your brand an awkward teenager still figuring things out, or do you know who you are? Are you a humorous company, so it makes sense to post cat memes? Or are you a serious B2B company for which informative and resourceful infographics make more sense? Is Snapchat really a network that will reach your audience, or are you just trying it out because you’ve seen other brands – completely different brands – using it? Great, you’ve joined Instagram! How is it contributing to your bottom line success?
Stick to the advice we’ve been giving since brands started to catch on to the social media craze – don’t try to be everything to everyone. Don’t feel like you have to be on every single social network. Stop, calm down and look at your business goals. What are you really trying to accomplish? What other marketing channels are you using? What percent of those should be social? What really works for you, not just the brand next door? Who are you trying to reach and where do they spend their time online?
Too often, companies try to follow suite because “all the cool kids are doing it.” Facebook isn’t sensible for every brand. Twitter might not reach your customers. Some companies don’t have the right resources to use more than one social network and do it well. Social isn’t a broadly applicable strategy – you’ve got to apply it like you would any other marketing initiative – is this [channel, campaign, update] right for us, what will it help us accomplish and how will we measure success?
No one can be everything to everyone. It’s more compelling to know who you are and be confident in that. Share content relevant to your area of expertise and your credibility will stay intact while your awareness grows – among the right audience for your company. In the end, isn’t that what really matters – quality over quantity?