“Content is king” is a statement that businesses hear over and over, but what does that really mean? Many people interpret that phrase as the need to produce tons of content. Others interpret that phrase as the need to create only the highest quality content. While both paths might be correct, neither address what “Content is king” means. Content is only king if it meets specific criteria that make it suitable for the site where it resides. That criteria includes things like:
- Types of Content
- Audience and audience needs
- Marketing goals
- Relationship between content and marketing content in its Various Forms
Types of Content
Image via Flickr by Doug Kline
When you start to explore how content can help online businesses, you will see that content is a variable the definition of which relates to its placement. Content is more than just text. It includes photography, video, music, and interactive elements such as quizzes. Other dimensions include online versus offline, mobile versus desktop, and visual versus audio. All of those things become content. Which type of content you choose is dependent upon its placement and the audience.
Audiences Play a Role
Understanding who the audience is and what they are searching for is critically important. The entire creation of content is about engaging the audience. This is why the argument over quality versus quantity becomes important. Quality content is not just content that is well-written; it is also content that meets the needs of the audience. Who is your audience?
Every piece of content produced must offer quality, even when the publishing goals demand quantity. In that case, it comes down to how much quality content the production team is capable of creating in a short amount of time. You should never lose out on quality for the sake of quantity.
Marketing Goals and Content
Successful businesses set goals. When it comes to marketing and content, those goals need to sync. The first goal is always to produce something that is measurable. Quality marketing goals center around attracting the audience and making them act in the way you want, whether you want them to click on a certain link or buy a specific product. The process is improved by measuring content results and realigning content to business goals. That process allows managers to discover what sort of content works best for their online business.
Really, then, the secret behind online success is to become the master of your content, whether that content is on your own website or spread out across cyberspace. Effective content boosts conversions and gives your brand a unique identity.
“Content is king” is a phrase that only rings true when the content achieves the desired result; to do that, it has to be crafted with certain things in mind. Those things include marketing goals and the audience, and they address the types of content you choose to use to meet those goals. Applying these rules to content is how content begins to help online businesses.