“We just launched this exciting new…”
“We have the best customer service in…”
“Our reps are the leading experts in…”
blah, blah, blah
It continues to bother me about the number of articles and blogs from brands and even individual bloggers that constantly talk about how great they are.
The first rule of content marketing is to understand that your customers only care about themselves. Once we realize that as content marketers, we can effectively develop a content plan to talk about valuable, relevant and compelling content that the customer would be interested in (focused on their pain points).
Not following this rule is one major reason why many brands are failing at social media. Does anyone want to share information or talk about your brand? Not if it’s about your corporate brand (90% off coupons aside), your new widget, or how awesome your CEO is. Creating something compelling and sharable that is all about serving the customers’ needs is the only remedy.
Need an example? Look at this spread from MyFord magazine. All the highlighted areas are where Ford mentions themselves or one of their cars. Does this look like content that you would love to engage in or share? Nope.
Take the Test
- Gather all your marketing content, print and electronic (make printouts) and place them on a conference table. Include brochures, newsletters, blog posts, reseller information, etc.
- Get your marketing executives in a room.
- Ask yourself, “Is our content more about our customers’ pain points or more about us and how great our products or services are?”
- If the answer is that the content is all about you and your brand, do something about it.
Not sure how to get started? Download this white paper on how to attract and retain customers with content marketing.
