Why harp about content?

Everyone has been harping about the importance of content for a very long time now. So much so that it is beginning to sound cliched. Why then do marketing experts swear by content? Well apparently they have genuine reasons for plugging content. When was the last time you paid enough attention to a product being advertised on TV, to want to go ahead and buy it? Do you care to go through all the email messages you have a subscription for? You would probably not even look at direct mail.

If an overwhelming majority of marketers both to the direct consumers and other business marketers use content to sell their products and services, it is because they get tremendous bang for every buck they spend. Customers take to content quite easily and willingly as it is friendly, personal, highly informative and most importantly interactive. Brands realize this to the extent that many of them have become publishers of content. In fact traditional publishers are taking a leaf out of content marketing and digitizing their content platforms in order to survive and thrive in the new dispensation.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence supporting the efficacy of content marketing, and a lot of noise about it, the majority of businesses don't have an efficient and structured content marketing strategy  in place.This may be out of inertia, perceived lack of time or lack of appreciation of its benefits. However the business strategists of most companies only need to think about the sheer lost opportunity in their delaying the adoption of content marketing as an integral part of their marketing strategy going forward. The horse drawn carriage continued to be around much after the first motor car was invented. But it was only after everyone moved on to this new mode of transportation that the modern era truly began.

The inexorable expansion of the Internet and people's increasing engagement with it make it the best platform for intimately communicating with one's target audience. The ones who seize the opportunity and invest in a viable content marketing strategy will certainly have a head start over those who dilly dally. One should also bear in mind the fact that content marketing thrives on genuine content creation and not gimmickry. It's impact is organic and felt over time. Some of the biggest brands in the world realize this and take their content very seriously indeed. Sooner or later any business worth its while will have to do that to stay relevant.