On how content marketing helps with diversification

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Or, why you can't just pound your way to success

You’ve heard it said that diversifying your investment portfolio is a smart way to lower your investment risk, right?

I’m here to tell you that adding content marketing to your mix can do the same thing for your marketing messages.

I am obliged at this point to define what I mean by content marketing, because everyone uses this term differently.

When I say content marketing, I’m talking about useful messages that create a positive brand impression by helping people in their daily lives. It’s not advertising. It’s not inbound marketing. It’s simply being useful and gaining trust/appreciation for your brand.

With me?

Okay, so let’s think about this notion of diversification.

Of course, most brands can’t live on content marketing alone, but I would argue that this kind of messaging is under utilized and, as a result, your marketing mix may be out of balance.

First, brands need to come to grips with this: people who want to buy what you have don’t always need what you have. Let’s say you sell hammers. You know, the kind that drive nails. Unless you’re a carpenter, once you have a hammer you probably don’t need another one for a while.

But when you do need one — whether yours recently broke or you’re just starting out with the whole nail-pounding thing — you want to get one and move on with your life. Please understand, dear brands, that this is the way consumers look at buying most things. And yes, even though your company’s Super Hammer 2000 is the best hammer on the market for under $50, no one cares but you.

Let me repeat that: no one cares but you.

But, hey, you’re a savvy marketer, aren’t you? You know you need to stay top-of-mind with your target audience so that, when that hammer handle does break, you’re the first hammer they think of (hopefully the only one, right?). This is where content marketing comes in.

By investing in content marketing you are building assets, in the form of helpful messages, that can be leveraged over and over again. Unlike advertising and other campaigns that are typically designed to create interest or awareness and tend to run their course, useful content assets that are created simply to help people can live on.

Whether it’s a blog post about what kind of hammer handle is best for certain uses or a fun video about how most hammer handles are broken, content marketing allows you to create an experience over time, building credibility and trust.

Perhaps most importantly, people will invite these useful messages in and share them with others. In a time when most advertising can easily be blocked, content marketing done well (helpful messages that are entertaining and not about you) earns your brand a seat at the table and your message is often shared with others, gaining an endorsement you simply can’t buy.

Of course, many people smarter than me have extolled the virtues of creating helpful messages to gain positive sentiment for a brand. What I’m suggesting here is that marketers need to look at their overall messaging portfolio like one does his or her retirement accounts and seek balance.

Don’t put all of your messaging in any one area, including content marketing, but look for a balance that meets your audiences’ needs over time.

Then, when they finally do break that hammer handle, they will seek you out…and hopefully recommend you to others who have broken their own hammer handles, too!