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The terms "Content Strategy" and "Content Marketing" have become blurred together, yet the two couldn't be more different. Learn what sets them apart.
Marty Note
There are two groups of content marketers. One group CONTENT MARKETS. We would put the outstanding curation skills of @Neil Ferreein this group. The other group WRITES about what content marketing SHOULD BE.
This post comes from group #2. In the abstract everything they say is correct, but in the cold light of actual content marketing they create distinctions without differences.
A website and the content marketing within it are an ant hive. Things are popping, moving and changing all the time. I love the house blue print idea. That''s rich. If you create such static plans please come compete with one of our customers.
Watch Joy Ito discuss the need to become a NOWIST (http://www.ted.com/talks/joi_ito_want_to_innovate_become_a_now_ist?language=en )and you will see how absurd attempting to blueprint something as dynamic as the web and your website's place in it is.
Now watch Eli Pariser discuss how impossible it is to reach anyone now in his Filter Bubbles TED Talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en ) and realize the implication is your marketing is PROXY marketing.
Since you can't get inside the perimeter of new customers due to filter bubbles finding, grooming and empowering brand advocates is a must. How do you map the immediate give and take between you, customers and brand perceptions?
Love this nonsense from the post:
"Content marketing, on the other hand, is typically a soft-sell sales approach to attract customers and retain them through creating and delivering relevant, meaningful content. It’s essentially a combination of sales techniques and organic marketing, all in one. The trick is disguising your efforts well enough that your customers don’t know they’re being sold, but rather feel like they are becoming better informed. In content marketing, you designate specific audiences that you want to “pitch” content to, and once they bite you work to drive profitable customer action through consistently curating content you feel will help shape their behavior to result in conversion."
WOW, that is so WRONG I don''t know where to begin. Tricking people these days is a nonstarter. Read Simon Sinek's Start With Why for a better understanding of what is happening now and ignore, "the trick is...".
There are no TRICKS anymore. The only trick left is being YOU, sharing YOU and being open to a new YOU thanks to the NOWIST fast feedback loops your advocates will help create.
Neil was kind to this post. Follow HIM, ignore the post.
Be sure to read the great comment by @Neil Ferreetoo reinforcing my belief HE (Neil) is the #mustfollow take away from this post.
Via Neil Ferree
There are plenty of "experts" that will tell you before you execute a content marketing strategy, you need to know who your audience is and what keeps them up and night and then then just give them what they want.
There's more to it than that of course, but it all boils down to addressing the WiiFM factor. Handle that and your content marketing plan should get the results you seek.