Why your best content is probably right under your nose

Content marketing has become one big M.C. Escher painting—unnecessarily intricate.

Many marketers’ priorities are backward and brand managers are making the same mistakes as newspapers and other publishers.

Quartz sums that up it in a recent article:

Humans are losing the battle against Kardashian-loving algorithms for the soul of new media. Analytics and algorithms have emerged as key weapons in capitalism’s brawl with journalism across the web. And the struggle has real consequences for all of us.

Publishers are laying off journalists; instead, they’re using algorithms to optimize their web content based on clicks. The Associated Press, for example, is using artificial intelligence to automate stories. For Trending Topics, Facebook ditched human editors in favor of a newsfeed algorithm. Look how well that turned out.

If you’re too focused on optimizing numbers, machines will always win. Although that approach might drive more clicks, it won’t build your brand nor boost customer loyalty. Instead, it reduces content to its lowest common denominator.

RELATED: Get the newest advances in PR measurement, media relations and PR storytelling at PR Daily World in NYC.

Don’t make that mistake. Build a content strategy that will improve your brand, expand your customer base and boost employee morale. Unfortunately, most brand managers get overwhelmed and misuse the resources right under their noses. Here a few worth uncovering:

1. You are already creating engaging content—you’re just not using it . In rushing to create more memes and GIFs, brand managers forget about content. Your customers want to hear about your brand’s history, how your products are being used, your company culture, etc. Your best content already exists; find it and package it for public consumption.

2. Activate your content creators. Your organization is loaded with expert sources who can provide insights into your products and brand. You’re probably already paying top-dollar for content creators. Why not use their expertise?

3. Use your assets. If your organization makes cars, share photos of cars. If yours is a tool brand, share pictures of your tools in action. If you’re promoting a restaurant, share photos of your food. Honda’s Instagram strategy is all about sharing photos of cars, and Stoli’s relies heavily on bottle shots. General Electric created a magazine that dives into all the aspects of its business. This approach isn’t complicated, but it does require access, creativity and storytelling.

Take a hard look at your content strategy. You’ll find that the insights, products and content your customers want are right under your nose. Direct your people to tap into available sources and tell the right stories.

Steve Radick is vice president and director of public relations and content integration at Brunnerworks.

(Image via)

from PR Daily News Feed http://ift.tt/2fj4nWF