Content Requires Commitment

I like how Georgy Cohen deftly puts it: “Are you one of those people who only cleans the house when you’re expecting company?”

She’s referring to the content commitment required online. Do you approach content development as a one-time campaign? (“Let’s get Marketing on this, stat!”). Or, do you view it as an ongoing marketing process?

Most businesses have a fundamental disconnect.

Fact One: Web content produced today can last a long time online. If you plan your content strategy properly this can be a good thing. You can plan for content legacy and even “upcycle” evergreen content at a later date.

Fact Two: People (and search engines) prefer regular updates. As in: fresh, original, helpful and valuable content. Not the “content farm” garbage. In addition, well-planned web content should lead the audience purposefully and swiftly to a particular destination.

Problem: Content as Campaign

Here’s a typical problem. A business creates an online marketing campaign tied to a certain event or promotion. It lives a short life online and is removed at the end of the campaign. Its impact is mostly fleeting.

Solution: Ongoing Content Marketing

By contrast, web content produced with marketing initiatives in mind has cumulative, ongoing value. Examples of these efforts include: all web copy, case studies, white papers, video, multimedia, etc. When produced strategically and regularly, these efforts have measurable impact. It is measurable because you can track social interaction and sharing trends over time versus the same trends over a brief burst.

Georgy quotes David Meerman Scott:

I think there is a huge difference between a sustained development to creating valuable information online — YouTube videos, blogs, photographs, ebooks, Twitter feeds, Webinars, and the like — vs. creating a one-off Facebook game in the hopes that people will “like” you.

A commitment to content will yield greater rewards over those of a brief campaign.

© Katie McCaskey LLC
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