Content has no value. Yes, you read it correctly. Content has no value because it is too great to be estimated. Thanks to content, a company is able to communicate its value, and therefore thanks to content, it is able to create profit.
"Content is King". This is how Bill Gates described content in 1996. Already that time he wanted to emphasize the importance of creating effective and quality web content in order to generate economic profit. Did you know that it is estimated that around 90% of American companies have led their business thanks to content? This is awesome but we must be careful, being one of the most popular strategies, content would risk saturating people, thus resulting ineffective.
So what should we do through content? That’s easy, we have to communicate the real value of our company with a specific purpose: increase the engagement by offering something that consumers cannot find elsewhere.
If you are reading this article, it is because you have been intrigued by the title or because you are probably looking for suggestions to improve your content strategy. Below you will find trivial but at the same time fundamental questions that often most companies ignore. The goal is not to give you the solution to your doubts, but to inspire you.
1. Who are you?
Do you know the history of your company? Do you know the mission and vision of your company? You must absolutely communicate them, otherwise you risk leading consumers astray, or even directing them to your competitors!
2. Who is your target audience?
Needless to deny it, creating content that is good for anyone is impossible. Select your audience carefully! This is a fundamental process! The better you understand who it is, the easier and more efficiently your content will be successful.
3. Why are you creating content? Do you have any specific goal? Can you measure the impact?
Remember, if in future you want to see the effects of the content you created, you will need to choose metrics carefully. Thanks to them you will be able to understand how to improve your content and your strategy!
4. Are you original enough?
Marketing is beautiful because it is varied, the communication strategies available to you are endless, but be careful not to fall into the banal!
5. How human do you think you are?
When you speak to your target, speak like a human! You must (always) be close to your consumers, you must put yourself on their same level! A common mistake is to speak from the top down.
6. Do you only create value or do you also exchange it?
Make your consumers interact with you! Make them feel alive, establish a relationship of mutual exchange of value!
7. Have you ever recycled?
Absolutely do not recycle ideas used by others, it would be a great sign of no-originality and that your content has nothing more than the others. This would get the opposite effect. Instead, try to take a cue from other people's ideas, but don't try to imitate them.
7+1. Are you satisfied with your strategy?
If the answer is no, read again the article and carefully answer the questions!
By Filippo Reppi, Partner Marketing Assistant
