How do industry leaders in content marketing define content marketing?
At Content Marketing World 2015, a philosophical streak emerged among the industry’s experts. They grappled with big questions such as: What is content marketing all about?
Here are 10 simple yet profound answers from the industry’s leading lights:
1. “We are not the center of our customers’ universe. But it is our job to figure out what is.” Kristina Halvorson of BrainTraffic @halvorson
2. “Content is the emotional and informational bridge between commerce and consumer.” Jay Baer of Convince & Convert Media @jaybaer
3. “People don’t care if you’ve got an audience of a million. They want to be treated like an audience of one. Become what your customers are interested in.” Jay Beebe of Marriott International @davidbeebe
4. “Content marketing is about data-driven empathy.” Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media @crestodina
5. “Content is more about brains than budget. Deep content makes your customers smarter.” Ann Handley of Marketing Profs @annhandley
6. “If we’re creating truly valuable things, they’ll work. It’s the collection of content assets, not any one, that creates real value.” Robert Rose of the Content Marketing Institute @Robert_Rose
7. “Early lessons I’ve learned: be authentic. If you’re not, consumers will see right through you.” Rajiv Chandrasekaran of Starbucks (ex-Washington Post) @rajivscribe
8. “Life is too short to make content that doesn’t matter.” Russell Sparkman of Fusion Spark Media @FusionSpark
9. “People will work for a living and die for recognition.” Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing @leeodden
10. “Content marketers, you have more opportunity to change the world than most.” Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute @joepulizzi
What content marketers must do is becoming crystal-clear. We need to educate and help our customers before selling.
We have the opportunity – right now – to become our customers’ best source of information about the problems they’re trying to solve.
We can improve the lives of real people by providing content that’s useful, problem-solving, entertaining and inspiring.
We can build our audience over time by providing them what they need.
We have the power to make our customers the smartest in the world – smart enough to make the right choice when it’s time to buy.
That’s what content marketing is all about.
George Stenitzer
As a marketing change agent, I consult with clients, lead content marketing workshops for the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and write the weekly Simplify Marketing blog.
With experience from Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T, RR Donnelley and Tellabs, I've been named:
- Content Marketer of the Year by the Content Marketing Institute.
- Best Marketer by BtoB magazine.
- A B-to-B CMO to watch by Fierce CMO.
