The One Content Marketing Question You Need to Ask (That May Scare You)

Author: Michele Linn / Source: Content Marketing Institute

“The latest issue of CCO didn’t arrive. Can you please verify
that I am still on your list?”

While this comment may seem problematic, I can’t think of a
better compliment. Someone is missing the content we are
publishing.

Today’s post is a post we published last year, but we wanted to
update and bring it back — and add more examples from our community
— because it’s something you need to be thinking about.

How would you answer this question?

Would anyone miss your content if you did not publish
it?

This is a question Joe Pulizzi has asked — and it’s something he
talks about in his book, Content Inc. As Joe explains:

“Let’s say someone rounded up all your content and placed it
in a box like it never existed. Would anyone miss it? Would you
leave a gap in the marketplace?

If the answer is no, then we’ve got a problem,
Houston.

We want customers and prospects needing … no, longing for
our content. It becomes part of their lives … their jobs.”

I think of this as “content anticipation,” a term I borrow from
others. This is not a new concept — in fact, I vividly remember
reading a post from Frank Reed on
content anticipation years ago, and the concept has stuck with
me. Andrew Davis also wrote about this concept and provided a great

example of content that people anticipate from Joseph
Kalinowski, CMI’s very own creative director. But content
anticipation isn’t something on which most marketers are
focused.

Anticipation goes beyond subscription

One of the
most important metrics you should track is your number of
subscribers. Building subscribers is an essential goal, but are you
taking this a step further to see if people actually are looking
forward to getting your content?

Anticipation is key to loyalty and advocacy

Why do you want people to anticipate your content? These people
are loyal readers — and loyal to your brand. While
content marketing is useful in helping you build awareness and
impact revenue, it’s so powerful because it can help you build a
better customer. If you have loyal readers, chances are you have
people who are excited about your brand — and want to share it with
others.

How to create content your audience will crave

Of course, the question becomes: How do I create content that my
audience craves?

Before we look at some things that you could do, here are some
reasons why people may not miss your content:

• It does not truly answer
  questions.
• It covers a topic too broadly.
• It is me-too content that sounds like any other brand.
• It is
  dull — and people do not want to read it (even though they
  should read it).
• It’s not in the
  format someone wants to use.
• It reads like an advertisement or promotional post.

What can you do? Think about the content that you love, both

in your industry as well as in general. Study those authors,
designers, and videographers and try to figure out why you love
them and why you look forward to viewing their content.

• Is it their tone?
• The way they make their points?
• The headlines?
• The length?
• The design?
• The format?
• The spin on a topic?

Your intent is not to copy what others are doing, but to truly
study — and reverse-engineer —
what works well. At the very least, you’ll get some ideas on
how you can…

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