Is going for “winners” hurting your (content marketing) game?
It is the dead of winter, and even though most of the country has plunged into a deep freeze, I dream of summer days on the tennis courts. What does tennis have to do with content marketing, you might ask? Well, nothing really, but something I heard my tennis coach say the other day reminded me of a typical content marketing mistake. In tennis, especially at my (beginner level), consistency is more important than hitting winners. Staying calm and keeping the ball the play earns points. So being consistent and allowing your opponent the opportunity to make errors (unforced, or even better, forced) will lead to winning more matches.
The same principle applies to your content strategy, although without the opponent and the errors. Your goal is to create a consistent cadence of engaging content to keep your audience coming back for more. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work with many talented editors who knew their audiences as well as they knew their own families, and keeping them interested and engaged was something they did every day. Of course, this was funded with an editorial budget supported by subscriptions, advertising sales, affiliate fees, etc., so audience engagement was the clear metric. When working with client partners on content programs, the metrics weren’t always so clear-cut.
Partner content programs are funded to sell products (or services), and often marketers tend to add in as many attributes/features as possible to individual pieces of content. This is the same thing as going for a “winner” in tennis. They are trying to go for the sale in one shot. You see this all the time online, on social media, in TV shows, etc. The product message is so overt that you risk being the player that commits the error as your target audience tunes out.
Playing the long game when crafting a content strategy is best. Winners have their place and should be a part of the content mix. Still, it is more important to consistently create quality content relevant to your audience, which means that a significant portion of your content mix will not highlight your product/service. Focus on topics that keep them informed and entertained, surprised and delighted. Sticking to this strategy and peppering in more product-focused content when the data shows your audience is ready to move to the next step is a recipe for success. You will see more repeat visits, better engagement, and yes, sales.
What do you think about winners, both in content marketing and tennis? Please drop me a note at gregory@g-squared.co.
