In the old days, it was simple: You built a company and told that story.
Not anymore. Multiple waves of innovation have hit the shores of Sales and Marketing. Over the last decade, the waves have got new names. Content Marketing. Inbound Marketing. Digital Marketing. It’s no longer enough to have a message we want to share. If we are a self-respecting company, we must at least share that message in triplicate. Across Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Not just that. On our blog, on other expert industry blogs, and on Instagram. And more sprinklings across the web that keep getting discovered. And then we twiddle our thumbs and wonder why our content is not going viral. Why counting likes and shares is ending up being a countless exercise.
With everyone now a publisher across their chosen platforms, are we seeing a Tsunami of unliked and unshared content? I like to think of the content tsunami that surrounds us today as the old Tortoise and Hare story we all read while growing up. But first, let’s characterize our heroes of the story.
The tortoise – slow, steady, and, yes, boring.
The hare- fast, bubbly, easily distracted.
Let’s imagine a buzz vs. impact matrix with our content that races like the hare or the tortoise. What results do we see in this content race?
The content peak is not just some imaginary land of Utopian dreams. There are two or more roads to reach it.
A magazine like the New Yorker knows how to get us to hit the wall of free content and leave us craving for premium and paid content that we want to read and do not mind paying for. Call it the need for sustenance or good sense; many reputed magazines and newspapers are now shifting to the subscription model. Back to the days when content was not free or unlimited. When editing was important. As was creativity in writing and fact-checking.
There’s something curious about stories. The best stories stay with us. Shock us. Make us laugh. Or cry. They connect with us. And isn’t that what every company is trying to do? The other way to reach the content peak is by telling your true story. Not by trying to create an image that is not true. But by being consistent, true and real. Here’s to hoping that storytelling does not become another buzzword. It’s tough for buzz to stay true and consistent. Storytelling is one of the oldest human skills. So we can’t claim that it’s new.
Are you seeing the content tsunami or glimpsing the content peak? What have been your learnings? Reach out and tell us your thoughts!