Blogging, web content, and marketing
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
So this is really only a half-formed idea. I read this great post about Kodak's content marketing from @juntajoe and I've been chatting with some folks who have really great content, but can't seem to get it to stick because it isn't relevant to what's trending right now. So, from a marketing standpoint, what can we do to get more buzz going around our websites?
Great content is no longer the marketing tool it once was. There. I said it. Not to say that you can publish a bunch of fluff and expect people to pay attention. But there is a huge advantage to frequency for the sake of experimentation. As Clay Shirky said at NTEN, "Fail informatively. Fail like crazy."(hat tip @chadnorman) Except failure isn't the only possible outcome here. You will also succeed informatively. Succeed like crazy.
The new web editors will have the skill to publish frequent, snack-sized updates that advance the hottest topics of the day. They'll be able to connect those pieces of content with the conversations going on around them on other sites and in social spaces. They'll be able to measure the results of their work, all the while improving their publishing skills, their connectedness, and their ability to identify the hottest topics.
Am I describing a blogger? Yup. Pretty much. Look at some of the most successful blogs out there--Mashable, Gawker, Huffington Post--the publishing frequency is outrageous. But they know better than any of us what their readers want. And they can use that knowledge to give their readers more of what they want.
The new marketers will be able to use the huge amount of data their web editors are gathering (admittedly through frequent trial and error) to select the topics that need deeper coverage, design content--whether it's education, a publication, or premium web content--and make that content available at the exact tipping point when it will be best received.
So what's the next step? I'm not suggesting we all start blogs...I'm not sure I know what I'm suggesting. Maybe we all just need to think more like bloggers and let the experimentation begin.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
8 comments:
Relevancy and Engagement. And you can't start your car with those keys unless you've checked under the hood to review the metrics.
Thanks Lindy! Great Post!
Thanks for prompting the convo.
And... it's okay to push the limits...
When I made our account reps dress up and sing Christmas songs on youtube instead of sending cards they thought I was crazy... people loved it and my analytics confirmed it.
http://tinyurl.com/o6osx6
You need to find out what works and what doesn't. What topic is hot and what is not and drive it.
You might not win on every message or on every article or tweek, but you have to play, learn, improve and play again.
And, at the end of the day, your message, your web site, your brand
must be memorable.
Marketing today is publishing, publishing is marketing. That's why when blogs work, they work so well.
Editorial-type content isn't editorial without frequency - you hit the nail on the head.
Great content no longer stands out as much because it is expected. Who would create content today (that wants to build community) that isn't relevant, valuable, compelling and consistent?
This is what keeps me up at night :)
I would add three more words: Context, Participation and Chunking.Context - the association needs to provide information on how that content impacts their member's daily tasks or industry. Sometimes the members don't get the connections so quickly.
Participation - how can associations have their members participate with each other to discuss the content and context? How can members collaborate on the content and context? How can they expand on it or enrich it? How can they chat about it?
Chunking - Just like micro-interactions, micro-volunteering and micro-jobs are the rage right now, I think it's about micro-content or chunking. Keep it short, in bite size chunks that can be digested quickly and easily. Make those content chunks protein-rich and members will return for more.
I thought this would be a good place to congratulate you on the profile about you, your partner, and your company in the Washington Post magazine! Way to go!
