Why is it that Content Marketing exclusively thrives in the hands of a select few marketers? It’s the ones who grasp the art of delivering genuine value, the few brave individuals who genuinely ‘just share.’ They go beyond the ordinary, providing objective information without even a whisper of sales tactics or self-promotional boasting. This unique approach sets them apart, showcasing a commitment to authenticity and a true dedication to offering valuable content in its purest form.
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Key Takeaways
Content Marketing Dilemma: Choose between authentic content marketing for trust and credibility or egoistic advertising for immediate visibility.
Consumer Skepticism: Consumers grapple with manipulated information, distinguishing between genuine content and self-serving noise.
Simplified Content Marketing: Deliver authentic, valuable content to build trust, reduce price resistance, and foster long-term relationships. The choice defines your brand’s perception—lasting relationships or short-term gains.
The Rare Kings of Content Marketing
It’s a rare breed, but they exist, and they outpace the competition like wildfire. These are the ‘Real Content Marketers’—individuals who dare to share, provide genuine value, and even suggest consumers explore the competition if it’s relevant to the information given.
They create valuable content, steering clear of egoistic, lengthy sales letters that promote singular products or brands. Instead of clamoring for attention with self-boasting content and sales copy disguised as articles, news updates, or guidance, they offer content that respects the intelligence of their audience.
Can consumers distinguish between genuine content and the self-serving noise that has infiltrated much of today’s publishing landscape, where what was once objective inspiration and useful information has become buried in shameless promotion?
You’ll get these answers quickly by flipping the coin and exchanging your marketer’s seat for that of a consumer.
Consumers Aren’t Fools And Don’t Need Legislators
Even though legislators and governments demand transparency from content creators, making it imperative to distinguish between paid and authentic content, consumers find themselves trapped in a relentless cycle of manipulated information.
This dance involves content propelled by brands with deep pockets, saturating every platform, and poorly crafted articles churned out by students hired by major publishers, merely filling review spaces by replicating random product catalogs from popular brands and Amazon’s ever-expanding array of products. All the while, these articles cunningly insert more and more affiliate links, leaving you with the realization that what you are reading is essentially the advertisers’ own product descriptions.
Navigating through seemingly ‘honest’ reviews becomes a challenge, as they are laden with affiliate links, promoting brands and web shops that pay commissions rather than those that might actually be relevant. Even your preferred webshop, stocking the exact product you seek, may be absent simply because the publisher isn’t compensated.
Consider if Google only displayed paid results—would you still rely on it for information? The same question applies to magazines and newspapers. Can we continue to turn to them for genuine inspiration and information, or have they transformed into product catalogues, showcasing only those willing to pay commissions?
The Ad Industry
It’s ironic that Google, the primary competitor for all publishers, has achieved its dominant position in the ad industry by publicly demonstrating a careful balance between ads and value.
The majority of Google’s results prioritize value, maintaining a clear distinction between search results and advertisements. In stark contrast, the traditional media industry often attempts to win the game by favoring ads over valuable content.
A much-needed development in 2022 is Google’s Helpful Content Update, aiming to rectify the chaos created by content saturated with keywords, sponsored articles, and value-deprived affiliate bombardment.
Whether you’ve encountered a similar scenario or not, the approach of content marketing resembling a form of self-sabotage is undeniable. Like metaphorically ‘pissing in your own pants,’ regardless of whether you adopt such practices in your content marketing execution, whether on your blog or through external media channels, the result is a waste of time and media budgets. This futile strategy inevitably drives consumers away, leading them to purchase products elsewhere.
Meanwhile, your competitors, who prioritize customer loyalty through consistently delivering value, enjoy customers returning time after time without resorting to promotions, discounts, coupons, or last-minute offers. The reciprocal relationship forged by providing consistent value brings customers back to the brand that dares to give. Even amidst the fierce competition of hundreds or thousands of advertisers, those who prioritize value over relentless advertising expenses end up paying the price.
In the end, they become a mere reminder to consumers, nudging them to stick with trusted brands or webshops when making their purchasing decisions.
Content Marketing Is Simple = Real Value
How do you create and give instead of foolishly asking consumers to buy? Content Marketing is straightforward; it taps into the basic reptilian brain of humans that dictates decisions, and the BS detector is always active.
If you’re focused solely on selling, lacking objective options and information, trust will elude you as a reliable source. Most brands tend to engage in self-boasting in their blogs and content guides, seldom gaining enough trust to be regarded as an information source—though a few brands and webshops successfully achieve this, becoming a valuable source of objective information, often outperforming many publishers.
Moving self-boasting sales copy from your site and blogs to trusted magazines and publishers as paid articles doesn’t enhance the content; it merely relocates the same problem.
Content Marketing revolves around delivering value—providing solutions, information, objective options, and pros and cons for various choices. Unfortunately, the term ‘Marketing’ is often misconstrued, used interchangeably with ‘advertising’ or ‘selling.’ Many marketers inadvertently practice ‘Content Selling’ under the guise of ‘Content Marketing.’
The key is to offer value and information without mentioning your product at any point. If you can’t provide information or value without referencing what you’re selling, your strategy is likely to fail, requiring deep pockets to sustain an ineffective approach. Aim to offer value on subjects unrelated to your product, about 99% of the time, and even for the remaining 1% connected to your product, provide information without overtly promoting your own product. Successfully executing this allows you to use content marketing to provide value and establish yourself as a trusted source in your desired field.
This is the turning point where you can capitalize on the millions your competitors spend on poorly crafted self-promoting ad campaigns. Your competitors become reminders for consumers to return to you for their purchases.
The added bonus is reduced price resistance among your loyal customers, diminished bidding wars for the lowest price in search marketing, and increased profits for your business. Content Marketing is about building a bond with your audience and assisting them with objective, helpful content.
The good news is that publishers, content creators, and marketers who master the art of creating value will continue to win consumers’ hearts, trust, loyalty, and retain them as customers, regardless of the deep pockets of the competition.
Ironically, it’s eye-opening that many people won’t adapt to creating genuinely valuable content for paying customers until Google, by August 2022, forces the world to adapt. It’s simple—just create and give value.
Take John Deere as a prime example. Here’s a little inspiration to set the standard for succeeding in creating loyal customers, presented by Content Marketing Institute.
The Story of Content
Conclusion
As you contemplate the path forward, there are two distinct options in the reality of content marketing, each carrying its own set of outcomes.
1: Real Objective Content Marketing:
Embrace a strategy that revolves around delivering authentic, objective content to your audience. By focusing on providing valuable information without the constant promotion of specific products or brands, you stand to gain:
- Pros:
- Trust and Credibility: Build a foundation of trust and credibility with your audience, fostering long-term relationships.
- Customer Loyalty: Engage customers through meaningful content, encouraging loyalty and repeat business.
- Positive Brand Image: Establish a positive brand image by being seen as a reliable source of unbiased information.
- Cons:
- Initial Challenges: Adjusting to a content marketing approach may pose initial challenges, requiring a shift in mindset and strategy.
- Time-Intensive: Crafting valuable, objective content may demand more time and effort compared to traditional self-promotion.
2: Egoistic Self-Boasting Content Advertising:
Alternatively, you may choose to continue with egoistic self-boasting content advertising, persisting in the promotion of specific products or brands. This approach may yield:
- Pros:
- Immediate Visibility: Traditional advertising often yields immediate visibility for your products or brand.
- Simplicity: It may be a simpler approach, requiring less adjustment to your current marketing methods.
- Cons:
- Trust Erosion: Consumers may become skeptical and lose trust due to the constant self-promotion.
- Short-Term Gains: While there may be initial gains, long-term customer loyalty may suffer.
- Credibility Issues: The prevalence of sponsored content and affiliate links may impact the credibility of your brand.
In weighing these options, it’s evident that the choice between genuine content marketing and egoistic self-boasting content advertising carries implications for trust, loyalty, and overall brand perception. The decision ultimately rests on your commitment to building lasting relationships versus pursuing short-term gains.
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