Get off the Content Marketing gravy train

Why too much content recycling and rehashing means it's time for a rethink.

Search ‘Content Marketing’ on Google and you get 361 million search results.

And that’s just people talking about content marketing.

Content is hot, hot, hot. There’s no denying its role in helping marketers embrace a new modus operandi. Earning the attention of potential buyers rather than interrupting them. Engaging them around their issues and interests rather than giving them the hard sell from the word go. Shifting the emphasis from push to pull marketing.

But here’s the problem. As more and more marketers have got on the content bandwagon, supply has outstripped demand. Let’s face it, buyers are tripping over guides, blogs, white papers, infographics, videos – you name it – left, right and centre.

To make matters worse, the vast majority of what’s being created is at best average, but all too often, just sheer bilge. Endlessly recycled, rehashed and repolished. And it’s doing no one any favours.

As a result, we risk buyers tuning out – unable to find any real usefulness in what’s being created. Unable to discern any difference between one company’s point of view and the next – stumbling from one bland piece of content to the next.

What happens when content just becomes a worthless commodity – a sea of click bait and continued disappointment? What’s the next new thing then?

So content creators and marketers everywhere – we have a duty. To standback and take a good honest look at what we’re doing. To get off the gravy train of simply adding to the content mountain – and think about how we can genuinely create something new, something fresh, something that adds real value.

It’s time to get off the gravy train of simply adding to the content mountain – and think about how we can genuinely create something that adds real value.

It’s about looking at how we create content – by understanding buyers, their market and what makes them tick first hand – not just repurposing the content of others, like some poor man’s covers band.

It’s also about what we create. Setting our standards high. Being bold enough to acknowledge when what we’re creating isn’t good enough. Asking the simple question, is this really interesting? Because if it doesn’t interest and excite you, chances are it won’t capture the imagination of your buyers. What are you hoping to do, bore them into submission?

Content – commodity or premium? You choose.