Something I read over at Marketing, Musings and Other Morsels the other day struck me. Margie Clayman blogged about how we should ‘avoid the temptation to write something popular’. In her post, she lists the 4 most popular topics as 1) content marketing, 2) Pinterest, 3) Google (SEO or G+) and 4) Facebook Timeline.
Now you all know that I focus on content marketing on this blog and how we can leverage it to generate leads and engagement that will lead to revenue and genre leadership so I really didn’t know what to think when I read this.
I have been thinking of a way to respond to Margie that makes sense to me. I know that there is plenty more we can say on the topic of content marketing and I feel very strongly that we have not hit a glass ceiling or even found ourselves redundant. So what is it?
Then, I read about some new research results that revealed an increasing amount of men are seeking content focused on diet and health. Now what’s interesting is not the fact that they are seeking this type of content but that there is tons of it on the web yet over 65% claim they are not finding what they are looking for.
A quick search of Google for ‘diet advice for men’ reveals over 300,000 results. 300,000 results! And men want more stuff about the same, exact topic that has been covered hundreds of thousands of times.
So what if we are all writing about content marketing and Pinterest and what Google is up to today? There is plenty more to be said about different way of looking at the same thing. There are plenty more conversations to be had about the future of the newest, coolest social network and how businesses can leverage it. There are plenty more people entering the industry every day that are just learning this stuff and they want more content.
What do you think? Should we start writing about something else or continue to address the latest, greatest, hottest topic at hand?
Hi Christina!
Your point about men not finding the types of content they want is sort of what I was alluding to though. If people are writing about how content marketing can improve your business, you can probably find a lot about that. But who is writing about how to use content to cater to a very specific niche audience? Not as many people, at least in the people I read regularly.
There is certainly nothing wrong with writing about anything. I just feel that some bases have been…covered. A lot. Like, “Content marketing is important.” I think that’s pretty solidly in place. I’m on to the “So what?” part of the conversation now and I don’t see too many people moving beyond the same sort of coverage.
Does that make sense?
@margieclayman
Hi Margie!
Thanks for your response. Funny that both Marcus Sheridan and I responded to your post on the same day. You spark great conversations and food for thought which is why I utterly adore reading your stuff!
How to use content to cater to a very specific niche audience…love that point and agree that I have not seen much on that other than real life examples of how brands are addressing it. But nothing really to use as a reference for those that are not doing or haven’t figured out how to do it ‘right’. May have to tackle that one here! Stay tuned.
Your point makes total sense to me but I also recall reading something on your blog awhile back about how silly we feel writing posts such as ‘how to use Twitter’ or ‘how to generate leads on LinkedIn’. Sounds redundant and we may feel a bit junior writing and posting these things, but there are newcomers popping up every single day that want and crave this information. Same goes with content marketing. Yes, we have proved the point that it’s important so maybe we could squash that one and find a new angle.
Am thinking seriously about your point here to see how I can apply it. Thanks again!!
@C_Pappas @margieclayman I actually think the “how to use Twitter” and “How to generate leads on LinkedIn” posts are a great example. While WE think everyone knows this stuff–I still talk to a lot of people who are looking to understand the basics. Sure there’s a library of that stuff out there — but there’s no reason why it can’t be in your “library” of resources as well.
@dariasteigman @margieclayman
So true Daria! We should constantly revisit these types of topics. The ‘how to use Twitter’ post may not be the same as the same topic we wrote about last year. I like Margie’s point though about talking about the same thing but putting a new spin on it. Our spin.
Hi Christina,
Your post is spot on. I think the problem is that people within the “social media echo chamber” all read the same blogs, are in the same “tribes,” and tweet out the same posts (and iterations on those posts) over and over. So it’s a bit of blah, blah, blah.
However, most people aren’t subscribing to 100+ blogs or reading dozens of marketing, or social media, or small business, or [pick your topic] posts daily or weekly or even monthly. They’re maybe reading 1 or 2–and maybe it’s yours. Plus if you’re picking your own topics wisely, you have a perspective, a POV, based on your experiences and expertise.
There’s always something more to be added to a conversation.
@dariasteigman
That’s a very good point Daria. Maybe we are just too focused as active marketers and social network users that we, ourselves, are seeing redundancy when there may not be that much to begin with. And yes, we can always add on to the conversation. I have found myself read about a similar topic on a few occassions but just one way of looking at it made me start thinking of a new way etc. etc.
Margie makes a great point about how content marketing can help build a business in specific niches.
But for these niches, let’s say it’s an Intellectual Property Attorney, Estate/Tax Adviser,or even a German Luxury Auto Mechanic, the content must be sold as an investment in creating a long term business asset, rather than a once and done marketing expense.
Unfortunately, too many talk inside the the social media and SEO biz of all the latest hype and shiny things.
Content investment or content marketing?
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