More Content Isn’t Always Better: How Bad Content HURTS Your Brand..and How to Fix It
Are you putting your best foot forward in your marketing materials?
I want you to take a minute to be honest with yourself about your marketing content. Which one of these camps do you fall in?
I don’t love my content, but it’s what I can afford right now.
As long as I post regularly, I feel like I’m doing alright.
I feel like my content could be better, but it’s easier to just keep doing the same thing.
Well, now that I look at my content...yikes...
I love my content!
First off, I’m going to talk to those of you in Camp Number 1. And hear me clearly on this: a low budget does not always equal low quality. I see your raised eyebrows, so just hang with me here. Suppose you want to create a great house, so you hire the most highly skilled and expensive architect you can afford. But all you tell him is: “Design a house.” You don’t provide any information to help him develop a house that will really fit your needs or even fit your whole family. What kind of result will you get? Sure, you get house plans...but are these of any value to you? Maybe...or maybe not. But, what if you met with the architect ahead of time, reviewed all the specific needs of your family, then allowed him to create an expertly designed home for you? Well, that sounds like a winner. That sounds like a strategy.
Strategy is what separates great content from thoughtless content. And it honestly may not cost you much money — it just requires stepping back and considering what you are creating. So, instead of just doing what’s safe and churning out boring, low-quality content...why not step back and create something great and worthy of your brand? What would it feel like if you really loved your marketing content, instead of just publishing it to check off that box? What if you were truly proud of what you’re creating?
Stop Posting and Start Thinking
If I’ve got your attention now, I invite you to break the habit of creating content you aren’t proud of. Put a pause button on your social media channels for a couple weeks or even a month and think very carefully about what you want it to look like. Take some time to answer these questions:
Does your marketing actually reflect the essence of your organization?
Is it creating the foundation necessary to build relationships with customers?
Or...is it actually hurting you?
If your marketing content doesn’t make it easier for your sales team to engage with customers by creating a foundation to build a relationship, then it’s hurting you. Stop posting.
Is More Content Always Better?
Many people will stress the importance of regularly posting content, even if it’s not great content. They think it’s better to do something, rather than nothing. And I get that. Sometimes you just need to hang up your perfectionist tendencies and release a piece of content. But if that’s your strategy day in and day out, you may not be happy with the final product. In fact, it’s very unlikely that it’s reflecting your brand in an authentic way that connects with your customer.
Are you reading this, Gary Vaynerchuk? I get so pumped up by your ideas (especially this one) but I’m going to have to disagree with you on this. It’s not useful or valuable to throw out a lot of low quality content, just to get more content out there. If you have a high value offering, but your marketing appears low quality, then your business is devalued. This creates dissonance...and that’s not a good feeling for your customer.
Bad content hurts your brand. It’s like doing online dating and posting the worst picture of yourself. Why would you do that? You’d be better off posting nothing.
Let’s Take a Hard Look at Your Current Marketing Content
It may be painful, but take some time to be honest and evaluate your content. Here are some questions to ask:
Does the digital footprint accurately reflect who we are?
Does it feel like “us” or does it look “corporate, cheap, or generic?”
Would you describe it as cohesive or mismatched?
What is your gut reaction about who this company is?
Would I buy something from this company based on the website, social media accounts, or ads?
What emotion am I feeling while watching this?
Here’s the next thing to do: look at who’s doing it well. Look at your competitors. See which ads stick out to you on social media. Watch some YouTube videos and see which ones really nailed it. Review the content you deem “great,” then ask yourself these questions:
What words would I use to describe this content? And why?
What kind of text are they using? What types of color? Music and sound?
What message are they sending?
Would I do business with them? Why?
Is it cohesive?
What emotions am I feeling while watching this?
Don’t copy, but sift through what is working and think how it applies to your business
Now here’s the most important part: think about the kind of emotions you want to create in your marketing materials.
Value is inextricably tied with your feelings and emotions. We find something valuable when it improves our situation or solves a problem. Effective marketing materials communicate that feeling of value to our customers. Communicating that value is what separates businesses into recognized leaders versus nobodies.
Once you have all the pieces, you are ready for the final step...
Prototype Your Marketing and Elevate the Value of Your Brand
This is a huge opportunity to elevate your brand. The majority of people are shooting from the hip and creating a lot of noise. They're not thinking deeply about what they’re creating or what emotion they’re producing. They’re just getting it out there and going onto the next task.
I challenge you to start thinking about marketing as a product you’re designing. Instead of indulging the temptation to “just get something out there,” I invite you to take a seat at the drawing board and create your prototype. If you’re already in the habit of creating “okay” content, start a new habit of creating exceptional content. Once you’ve determined what your content needs to look and feel like, you can start creating templates and processes to ensure your content has a cohesive vibe. Taking time to create this framework will finally allow you to be proud of the work you are putting out there every day.