I have a confession to make: I only read articles about content marketing if I, or somebody on my team, wrote them.
I know that’s sacrilegious in many ways. It also sounds pretty self-obsessed, and I accept that. But I know you’re feeling awkward right now—either because you’re curious as to why I don’t read others’ work and it makes you uncomfortable, or because you’re the exact same way.
I’m here to tell you: It’s okay. We’re all stuck in a content marketing rut. Like hamsters on a wheel in a cage, we’re spinning around in circles touching the same content over and over again. Because of extraordinary social intelligence tools like Sysomos, marketers can easily see which topics are trending within their professional circles and create content to jump in on the ongoing conversation.
From a business perspective, this allows a brand to participate in timely discussions with its target audience on topics that people already agree with. We take those ideas and spin them around before publishing fresh content to our media properties. When visitors come to our sites, they click into the content, read it, and share it, but they don’t learn anything new. The conversation does not get pushed forward. We do not nurture relationships with people because we’re simply acknowledging a belief they’ve already formed on their own.
So here’s where the content marketing rut begins. By writing on topics your audience already cares about and has formed opinions on, you’re essentially removing yourself from a place of authority. Your prospects will see you as a company that aligns with their beliefs, but doesn’t have anything to offer other than what’s already known and accepted.
When I visit business blogs about marketing, I see a lot of the same topics written about over and over again. I have even written those types of articles myself. Overall, I don’t feel there’s much to learn from many sites.
