I just finished reading The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone. One of my favorite parts of the book is on setting uncomfortable goals.
Those who succeed were – at one point or another in their lives – willing to put themselves in situations that were uncomfortable, whereas the unsuccessful seek comfort from all their decisions.
The same goes for your content marketing goals. Your ultimate objectives…those big hairy audacious goals (BHAG), should make you cringe at least a little bit.
I completely disagree with marketing experts and consultants who say it’s not necessary to be the leading information provider for your industry. I’m calling bull on that.
Yes, it is a bit audacious to go out on a limb and clearly state that your content marketing should be an irreplaceable resource for your customers…that you are indeed driving where the market is going from an information standpoint (like a media company). That said, be audacious!
If you are not striving to be the go-to resource for your industry niche, you are settling for the comfortable, whatever that means to you in goal-setting terms.
What If Your Content Was Gone?
Let’s say someone rounded up all your marketing and placed it in a box, like it never existed. Would anyone miss it? Would you leave a gap in the marketplace?
If the answer to this is no, then we’ve got a problem Houston.
We want customers and prospects needing…no, longing for our content. It becomes part of their lives…their jobs.
Makes you a bit uncomfortable, right? Darn straight.
What will you and your content marketing team have to do to reach that goal? What completely unreasonable content creation, distribution and syndication will you have to get involved in to truly be the leading resource?
This should be your turf. Are you going to stand there and let your informational competitors steal time away from your customers?
The Trusted Expert
If you truly have a product or story that is worthy of being talked about (if you don’t, you have bigger problems than content marketing), then becoming the trusted expert in your industry is central to you selling more on a consistent basis.
Today, it’s harder and harder to buy attention. You have to earn it. Earn it today, tomorrow and five years from now by delivering the most impactful information your customers could ever ask for. Set the uncomfortable goals that will take your business to the next level.
Look at your marketing goals. If you are completely comfortable with them, you are settling for good enough. Good enough won’t win the battle for customer attention. Be great!
