Two recent books I have read discuss that content must be integrated into the real-time, real-world processes in which we live. They both speak to how content must be a catalyst for other needs. In this sense, content strategy will never succeed outside of an understanding of business strategy, and, conversely, businesses understand the importance of content strategy when they see content strategy as a tool for business, not content for content sake.

The idea of “content marketing” should be “marketing content”. Even before you create content (or at least simultaneously), you need to know your audience. This brings the marketing aspect in, since marketing usually integrates customer (or audience) information that helps create the business framework within which content exists.

It’s not just creating content, it’s putting a message in a market. Are the messages relevant?

“When can you stop worrying about your content? When content is removed—archived or literally deleted—from your website. The end.”

Thank you Kristina!

Rick

I have to admit, when I saw the subhead “But how does the story end?”, I assumed it would be followed by this:

“The story DOESN’T end. Content Marketing is an on-going strategy, one where Brand is in a continuous, meaningful dialogue with Consumer. Content Marketing is not a ‘campaign,’ it’s more of a forever discipline that can’t ‘end happily ever after’ unless it keeps on going.”

But the story here, happily, is a specific one for you with a promising ‘to be continued….’

Thanks for the terrific article!

ContentKeith

I really sympathize with your current work situation. I find that people often consider the act of hiring a web writer the first AND last step in content development. They recognize the need for content—”Yes, yes, of course,” they say—but still don’t understand the importance. That is what I tried to convey in this post. There’s a big difference between saying content is needed and actually making content a priority.

Rick

This post is right on, but also made me laugh, because the strategy is truly only step one. My current position was created solely to have someone to create that content, but I find I’m still having the discussion you describe above. Some feel their content is fine (even if it’s 5 years old), others think they must have something that MOVES on the page to attract attention. I’d venture a guess that your next steps have something to do with finding people who can write for the Web (or teaching them) versus those who are used to academic or print writing…

I really like your comment on decision-support content (i.e., content to drive user decisions). That really gets to the heart of content strategy. “Current, relevant, and useful content” needs to influence your target audience to meet business objectives.

Rick

Thanks for resetting us back to this all-important “step one.”

Margot (@mbloomstein)