The Smart Money Is on Content Strategy

I speak to CEOs every day about marketing. It’s startling how many of them view marketing as a COST. They erroneously lump marketing in with their other “cost of goods” line items and commoditize it. They look for ways to cut corners, and they implement hit-or-miss tactics without putting in the proper think-time or strategies. It’s no surprise, then, when they don’t receive the return on investment (ROI) they expected.

So, what should these CEOs do instead?
Change their viewpoint:

Effective marketing is not a cost, it’s an INVESTMENT.
If proper thought, implementation, and tracking are invested, marketing ROI goes up.

The old rules of marketing and PR no longer apply — Channel choices are multiplying every day. Technology is changing the way customers seek, find, and view your message. And customers expect any online or social media you use to be a direct line to your customer support, with answers within the day . . . or even within the hour!

Today’s marketing is about:

• Presenting solutions FOR your customers – Marketing is no longer about presenting products  or technology TO your customers.
• Using targeted content to establish your company’s expertise– You need to provide your customers with trusted and relevant content they can apply TODAY.
• Engaging your customers on their terms – You must interact responsively with your customers and ensure that your message is displayed professionally and with proper functionality, regardless of the device they view it on.
• Capitalizing on measurable marketing analytics – Yes! Measurable marketing is here. Using a content strategy, you can draw customers (and even potential customers) to you through your compelling, value-laden content. Then you can identify who your customers are, what content they want, and how they prefer to receive your message.

So when are YOU going to develop your own content strategy?

The companies that view marketing as an investment already have. The smart money is on them.