Everyone seems to be creating content. Not that anything’s wrong with that but I’d argue close to 90% of the content that’s created has anything to do with the creator or providing true value to the target audience. The 10% (and that’s a massive number given the billion plus pieces of content created every day) create value by way of creating content that isn’t just compelling but authentic to their brand’s voice and mission.
The irony is that we try to model the 10% but end up with the rest of the herd. Why? Because we’re passionate about the results. We care too much about the ROI, KPI, and SEO. So much so that we write more to game/hack/“optimize” the search engines and its algorithms than the audience itself. Sure, it’s hard to make an impression or standout in a crowded marketplace. I get that but how smart is it to be part of the marketplace by doing exactly what everyone else seems to be doing?
I’m not sure if people understand this — content marketing isn’t the only strategy. It’s one of them. If you’ve got a flagship product or a key service offering that’s solid enough to make heads roll and get people talking you’re already way ahead of the game. And spreading the word is a piece of cake in today’s world. However, if your product or service offering isn’t good enough, that’s a different story. Hiding behind “optimized” content isn’t going to do you or your audience any good.
My experience (and intuition) tells me that the most authentic voice care too much about the people they serve and how they can serve them. And they never let their voice muffle under Algorithms. It’s too precious for the ones who care. And it’s not on sale. Probably it won’t ever be.