Anyone who knows anything about digital marketing will tell you the same thing. Content is king. Forget the word mills and focus on providing exceptionally written content that offers a true value to readers and they will come.
The idea is that the internet has become a vast sea of poorly written and mostly useless information. It makes sense that the only way you can get anyone’s attention, and more importantly hold it is with masterful content.
This is probably the point where anyone looking for ways to improve their web presence has decided this blog post is a waste of time. Before you move on in your quest for answers to navigating the turbulent waters of getting someone’s attention, at least hear the words of a blogging wonder kid:
Content is not king. Content is a fat, dethroned monarch, dis-empowered of his royal ability to influence. And he lost that power a long time ago.
~ Jeff Goins
The King is Dead
Hopefully that quote gave you pause. Is meaningful content the magic ticket to building an audience and capturing the attention of potential followers and clients?
There has been much brilliant content written that ended up going unnoticed while dancing cats go viral on YouTube. The initial thought at this point is that civilization is doomed and why bother with taking the time to offer exceptional content?
Long Live the King
Offering good content is a given but a new marketing strategy is required:
Focus on Relationships
A golden rule in making your content stand out is to focus on your audience, not yourself. Too many businesses assume what customers want instead of asking them. Content that counts should always leave the reader a reason to offer input. Call to Actions must be more than asking someone to but something.
The better first step for a Call to Action is to give something away. Better yet, offer a way for your initial follower to give something away to a friend. A white paper or eBook loaded with valuable information that can be shared beyond the scope of your initial content builds those kind of long lasting relationships.
Give Something Before You Ask for Something
While it is important to craft good content, it is equally important to give someone sees your content a reason to stay. Few will read beyond the first couple of lines if they cannot see some value in reading on.
Give Your Words a Tune Up
No matter how large or small your target audience, you need feedback. Ask current followers what they want to know. Continually monitor which articles invoked response and which ones did not. Remember to build those relationships by asking your followers why.