Content strategy vs. content marketing
Yes, you are correct. This is yet another post on the content strategy vs. content marketing debate.
Props to the content marketing industry for commanding so much attention vs. the content strategy messengers, apparently the content marketing message was an easier sell …😉
However, it seems that 2020 might be the year where content marketing struggles to prove its merits, or shows the limitations of its scope.
Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and is producing and distributing more and more content.
As a result it becomes more difficult every day to achieve the results required, whether it is reach, attention, lead conversion or customer acquisition.
See for example the ominously titled CMSWire article “Content Is Dead and We Killed It”, which is talking about content burnout:
“The reality is we are all sick of content.
– CMSWire: Content is Dead and We Killed It, by Christine Crandell
Brands are burned out from producing rivers and oceans of content.
Customers are fatigued by the barrage of irrelevant and often low-quality content.”
Ouch! 🤕
To be fair, the article does hint at what should be the focus of content marketing / strategy efforts, and suggests an approach to turn your content strategy around:
“Buyers and customers want information that helps them achieve specific tasks.”
– CMSWire: Content is Dead and We Killed It, by Christine Crandell
And the following from Hubspot’s introduction to their “Not another state of marketing report” also points at what is wrong with a limited focus on marketing objectives like reach, attention and acquisition:
“Close to 40% of marketers list their top priority in 2020 as generating leads . Only 5% listed customer retention as a focus area. Today’s businesses need marketing strategies that support the entire customer lifecycle.”
“Focusing on acquisition at the expense of retention is just one way many of us are missing out on a huge growth opportunity.”
– Hubspot: Welcome to The New Decade of Marketing, by Kipp Bodnar
For me, that is where I see the main difference between content strategy and content marketing:
Why / what for are we going to use content, what is its purpose?
Content strategy
In my view, the purpose of content strategy as a discipline is all about using content as a means to better serve your customers or audiences .
Content is really treated as a strategic asset, not just to acquire, but especially to retain and serve audiences / customers. As a result it will help to achieve business purposes.
Content marketing
Alternatively, most content marketing seems to be about using content to market to customers.
Content is primarily treated as a marketing / promotional asset, and most attention is on creating / producing, and distributing new content to get prospective customers’ attention, and to engage them with a focus on customer acquisition.
From content marketing to content strategy
So let’s take it up a notch in 2020: Really use content as a strategic asset to better serve your customers and audiences. Involve customer service & support and rely on their insights to move beyond customer acquisition objectives and really focus on customer retention, on serving the customers you have.
This also requires organizations to structurally plan for and actually manage these content assets. It will no longer suffice to concentrate on creating / producing and distributing relevant content. Managing, tweaking/improving, repurposing, ánd deleting existing content should get a lot more attention.
Why?
Well, because:
“There will never be a world without content. It will look different from today and be delivered in new ways but content is what informs, inspires and incentivizes.
– CMSWire: Content is Dead and We Killed It, by Christine Crandell
