027 – Jeff Herman – The Age of Content Marketing
Thriving in the age of 'Publish or Perish'
We live in the age of content marketing. ‘Publish or Perish’ is its mantra.
But who should publish? And what should they be publishing? How?
My guest this episode of the podcast is Jeff Herman. It’s his mission to help people and organisations adjust and thrive in this brave new world. Whether you run a small business, think of yourself as an entrepreneur or work in a large organisation, Jeff will convince you of the importance of becoming a creator of useful, authentic content.
He tells us who – individuals, businesses, industries – should be creating content and what they should be producing.
And he gives us some key insight into the difference between someone who publishes to create value…and someone who is a desperate product pusher.
Lessons Learned
Here’s what I took from the episode:
The Age of Content Marketing
What a wonderful world we live in. Anyone with passion, commitment and an iPhone can build a global business.
Not everyone needs to aim for millions of views and subscribers – like the Minecraft guy from his bedroom. You can make meaningful impact on those who fall within your ideal client profile with just a couple of hundred views if you are knowledgeable, passionate, helpful – and you know who your target audience
Content Market is ‘having a commitment to becoming a teacher and resource for your audience. On a consistent basis releasing helpful, problem-solving and entertaining content to engage your audience towards a commercial outcome’.
Google has changed the sales and marketing process – it is a Q&A machine. Consumers have been empowered. They have access to volumes of information that in the past has been the property of the sales professional.
Will content replace the sales profession?
Yes, if you are transactional.
No if you are adding value – teacher, curator – and you are concerned with helping clients solve their problem.
Creating Content
If you are authentic and passionate about your topic and the way you present information, you will be successful as a creator of content.
The Big Question…
In this age of ‘publish or perish’ who is actually reading or listening to the content we create?
Jeff’s recent survey at a 6000+ conference revealed 85% of people are unwilling to put out content
‘Who wants to hear from me?’
So even though it may feel like everyone we know is blogging or producing a podcast, that’s really not the case. There are still a lot of people who simply consume content
Who Should Produce Content?
In Jeff’s opinion, everybody, every business, should be producing content.
‘I can’t think of a single industry where content marketing is not valuable’
And creating content is not something that belongs only to entrepreneurs. For people who work in large organisations, there’s huge capacity for increased profile, usefulness and career advancement by becoming a curator or publisher of useful content. Jeff gives some great examples of how you might do that in the podcast.
The trick is to do it with a high degree of consistency – so they miss you if you’re gone.
How has the digital age changed marketing?
The digital age has exponentially increased our ability to scale relationships and revenue in a meaningful way.
‘Everyone has access to a global audience’
Jeff’s Tip – Content Marketing Mission Statement
Anyone who is interested in creating content should create a content marketing mission statement:
- Who’s the target
- What’s delivered
- Outcome for the audience
Find Jeff here at Fathom Delivers
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