What “Content is King” really means.
Considering that the phrase appears 32.9 million times on the Web (I just Googled it) chances are you’ve heard it. But, do you know what it really means?
It came from an ’06 Bill Gates article predicting that the big bucks on the Internet would be generated from information and entertainment “content.” In essence he was saying that while technology is a great tool, great content is what’s most important.
Though it applies to web content like blog posts, videos, tweets, etc, the concept of “content is King” is not limited to the web.
A while back, a Manhattan church asked my agency’s help to get the word out. Concerned that they weren’t attracting enough younger people the prime target was hip, young, semi-jaded, New Yorkers.
The irreverent campaign definitely got attention. But, after two years I was still meeting people who weren’t motivated enough to visit the church. Rather than just assume that those people will never come to church — which was probably true for many — I decided the ads needed something more. More content. So, our agency created a new ad concept that listed over 2 dozen of the church’s programs, groups and activities — things like “divorce recovery” and “career support” that most people knew nothing about — and did it while maintaining the playful and edgy brand personality that the campaign had created for the church during the previous several years. Not surprisingly membership spiked. In fact, based on an internal church report more new people visited the church, as a direct result of that new subway ad, than from all the social media, radio, and PR efforts combined. The campaign will begin its 14th consecutive year this Fall.
So, whatever your business, product, or organization, be sure you have great stuff to tell people. And, then get it out to them!