Content Farming (part 1)
The loaded question
A while back, a previous client sent me an email asking (innocently enough), “what do I need to do to boost my web traffic?”. It was a loaded question deserving a longer-than-practical-via-email response (still deserving; I haven’t formulated a proper one yet). It was also the catalyst for organizing my thoughts on Content Farming.
The underlying issue
People still struggle to understand the implications of modes of communication like the internet (along with social media, etc.). Most business owners and marketing staffers know that they need to be involved in this (relatively) new publishing and advertising platform, but struggle to formulate a potent vision for what their presence will be. Like my friend, they just know they’d like to see their traffic increase.
So, I sit here and start to formulate an answer. What drives traffic? What increases demand for particular media? Often, the first ideas to spring forth during client marketing meetings relate to giving something away. People love a good deal, right? A good sale drives traffic, right? Well, maybe. But only if your business model is built on a strategy of discounting (perhaps like Oregon’s Meier and Frank used to be). For most of us, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally promoting a sale, offering a discount or rewarding customers with a gift. But too much can send the wrong signal about your brand. It can also actually become annoying after a while. Consider this Business Week article (specifically the section titled “Don’t Abuse the Inbox”) in support of the latter.
Starting to formulate an answer
Allow me to start by drawing an analogy. It might not be the best analogy, but I think it provides a helpful platform for thought… Imagine if my friend was a television show producer, and asked me a similar question to the above, “I’d like to get more people to watch my shows”. Or better yet, imagine he was the owner of a new pizza joint and asked “how can I get more people to regularly visit my restaurant?”. In this case, I’m equating your digital presence (whether an email campaign, web site, Facebook profile, etc.) to some sort of tangible “real estate” we may be better able to relate to. What we’re really asking is, “how do I build an environment that people will want to align themselves with, and visit regularly – to the point of becoming a loyal follower?”.
Time for a side note: There’s always exceptions to the rule. The first that comes to mind is an online brochure. Hand held brochures aren’t generally revisited frequently (though they can enjoy a long shelf life as a reference or source for referrals). An online brochure may be a case where you simply reinforce the decision a potential customer makes to visit your brick-and-mortar establishment. Once they do, maintaining demand is up to what goes on inside your four walls. Just remember, though, building and maintaining an audience using the internet (wired or mobile) is an essential part of keeping your customers engaged.
Content is king
The word content gets tossed around a lot in the web design world, but it’s important. I think it makes a great ideological container for the elements I’d like to explore in this article. The short answer to the above question, “how do I build an audience?”, is to become a developer of great content. Content can be almost anything that will entertain, inspire or equip your audience; make them laugh or offer them some tidbits they’ll find regularly useful. It provides a great opportunity for you and your marketing staff to be creative. And remember, it can include an occasional “giveaway” – just don’t make them the central theme; your audience will ultimately smell your lack of creativity.
At this point, many marketers (especially business owners) falter. Not everyone has the time or creativity to come up with great content. After all, just making sure your brand story is told succinctly and grammatically correct can be challenge enough (I jest, sort of). Enter Content Farming: a strategy for growing the sort of content that has value – for you and your audience – in a way that allows it to develop organically, and involve synergistic contributors.
I’ll continue in Part 2, starting with a discussion on basic Content Farming methods.
Tags: content, marketing, promotions