How The Content Illusion Is Leading Marketing Astray In The Era Of Digital Transformation

How The Content Illusion Is Leading Marketing Astray In The Era Of Digital Transformation

In the past five years, the often-unquestioned hymnal has been that to succeed in today’s digital world, businesses must produce content. According to various statistics on the Internet, we are living in a world where every minute over 200 million items of online content is produced. To me, that is what content marketing can become for some organizations. In this case, the more content marketing effectiveness remains elusive, the amount of content to put in front of people is increased. Cumulatively, having a detrimental effect on the ability of marketing to succeed in an era of digital transformation and creating digital experiences. Here are a few ways The Content Illusion is causing misguidance: 1 – Designing Digital Interaction The focus on content has led organizations to take their eyes off of what is happening in the digital world. Yet, it is still very much a broadcasting mentality. However, The Content Illusion is misguiding its use to focus on the when and where of putting content in front of people. Combined with a broadcast mentality, this has led to organizations believing they must produce a baffling amount of content for each stage of a customer journey. This is truly a Content Illusion if your organization is doing so.)

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In the past five years, the often-unquestioned hymnal has been that to succeed in today’s digital world, businesses must produce content. Produce high-quality content, yes. But, produce massive amounts of it to get in front of customers.

According to various statistics on the Internet, we are living in a world where every minute over 200 million items of online content is produced. Where nearly 1500 blog posts are posted every minute. Whereby over 200 million email message are sent every minute. The amount of content exploding online is staggering. Leaving the content dilemma facing many organizations – how to stand out? How to cut through the clutter and differentiate?

Depending on which statistics you read, the common thread in the past few years has been that content marketing effectiveness has been declining. The main contributing factor, as I see from working with organizations over the past two years, is organizations are working under a grand illusion that putting “content in front of people” is the only way to succeed in today’s business climate.

To me, that is what content marketing can become for some organizations. A grand illusion bought into and often promoted as an unquestioned element of marketing.

Why An Illusion

In my previous article entitled Rethinking Buyer Personas In An Era Of Digital Transformation, I noted that digital interaction will matter more than content. Whereby companies were beginning to feel the effect of attempts to grow through content without first attending to the heart of the matter: designing digital interactions, environments, and systems.

The illusion being that by consistently putting “content in front of people”, the company will grow from resulting leads generated by its content. Illusions tend to create cyclical behaviors. One of those is – the more something remains elusive, the frequency of trying to obtain what is elusive increases. In this case, the more content marketing effectiveness remains elusive, the amount of content to put in front of people is increased.

Creating a cycle, we can call The Content illusion.

Misguided

This cyclical illusion is misguiding marketing and executive leaders in several ways. Cumulatively, having a detrimental effect on the ability of marketing to succeed in an era of digital transformation and creating digital experiences. Here are a few ways The Content Illusion is causing misguidance:

1 – Designing Digital Interaction

The focus on content has led organizations to take their eyes off of what…

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