Is Your Content in the Goldilocks Zone?

The Goldilocks zone… that interstellar sweet spot where a planet is neither too close to nor too far from the star that it orbits, and can therefore support liquid water and possibly life. Astrophysicists are hard at work as I type scouring the skies for heavenly bodies that are not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

If you are a marketer, you should be looking to position your marketing content in that same kind of place. Too often, content is cold and lifeless. It may be safe —  meaning that it resembles all the other content that is flooding the internet, so it won’t get you fired —  but it’s also unlikely to get you remarkable results.

On the flipside, some companies decide to break free of the content crowd and in doing so, produce something that is — to continue the space metaphor — really out there. Their content is so “hot” that the target audience can’t grasp it. Nor can anyone else, for that matter. The marketers take great pride in their groundbreaking piece, but it doesn’t deliver great results.

What you want (and need) is to have your content in the “habitable zone” that is somewhere in between the two (and too) extremes. Clever without being too cute. Eye-catching without being obnoxious. Unique without being obscure. It’s not an easy place to find, but it exists for every type of content on every topic in every market.  

To locate it, you just need to loosen your grip a bit without taking your hands off the wheel entirely, and start exploring. You’ll know you’ve arrived when instead of getting bored, blank stares or confused, furrowed brows from your prospects you start seeing grins and subtle nods. Welcome home, Goldilocks.

Content Marketing: Show 'Em Your Stuff

One of the most powerful pieces of marketing content I ever helped produce was a simple spreadsheet. Truth be told, its empty cells far outnumbered those with data. Yet people requested it… a lot. The reason this fairly barren document was so coveted by the company's website visitors was as much about what it represented as what it provided.

First, it displayed the company’s confidence in its products. And second, it showed their desire to collaborate with prospects and help them with their research. So, what was in it? The spreadsheet contained a list of product features on the vertical axis, and the names of the company's products on the horizontal. Xs denoted which systems had which features.

But information on product functionality was readily available in other forms in many places on their website, whereas this document had to be requested. Why did people go to the trouble? They took the extra step because this fully-editable spreadsheet had additional columns they could use to check the boxes for any other products they were investigating. Many people even assigned numeric values to software features and used the sheet’s summing capability to add a “metrics” element to their evaluation. While not all of them ended up going with the company's solutions, many of them did.

The point is, people appreciate - and trust - a company that’s eager to give them the unvarnished truth about its products and encourages comparison to the competition. So, don’t hold back. Show ‘em your stuff! If you have a strong product or service, you’ll be rewarded. And if you don’t, you’ll be better informed and better able to make the changes needed to win more business.

Content Marketing: The Power of One

Content marketing...  Using valuable, relevant content that you create (or curate) to engage prospects, educate or inform them, and ultimately convert them to customers.  Most experts agree, no marketing plan is complete without content marketing as a key - if not primary - component.  If you’re not yet using this strategy, it can sound intimidating.  What is “content”?  How will I create it?  How much content do I need?

For someone new to the concept, the most important of these questions may be the last. The surprising answer to “How much content do I need?” is: One piece.  

One piece?  Yes, your content marketing strategy can start with one white paper, one case study or even a simple checklist.  Although I’m in the business of crafting compelling documents, I’ll be honest and tell you that you don’t need a vast library of content or a fast flowing stream of the stuff.  One quality item is all you need to get rolling.  And with that fact in your back pocket, the whole idea seems a lot less daunting.

Your company has significant expertise in a particular field - writing software, providing a service, manufacturing widgets.  It must, or you wouldn’t be in business.  When you bring a new customer onboard, you share that expertise with them, often verbally and informally.  Now imagine that you work with a writer to get that information down on paper.  It becomes a set of best practices for preparing to implement your type of product, for example.  And instead of holding it in reserve for clients, you post it prominently on your website or let visitors request it through a contact form.  

This information is useful to the reader whether they go with you or someone else.  By making it freely available, you begin to establish a reputation as an authority in your field.  And just as importantly, you show website visitors that you’re generous, selfless (as selfless as a business can be, anyway) and eager to help them succeed.  All this from ONE piece of content.  

Will more material down the road lead to more engagement?  Absolutely.  But the point is you don’t need to wait until you have the time/energy/capital to implement a full-blown content generation schedule.  You can get started with a single piece - easily, right now.