“Content is King” Revisited

In January 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay on the Microsoft website titled “Content is King”, over two decades later, his thoughts not only still ring true, but should serve as a doctrine for companies of all sizes that seek online engagement.

“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”

“The television revolution that began half a century ago spawned a number of industries, including the manufacturing of TV sets, but the long-term winners were those who used the medium to deliver information and entertainment.”

Indeed they are. In fact, Instagram, YouTube, and other popular content creator platforms helped 17 million Americans earn a surprising $6.8 billion in 2017, according to a study conducted by Re:Create Coaltion, an advocacy group for fair use and copyright law.

Content strategy is not just for the YouTuber however, it should be a key ingredient in any campaign or web strategy. Continual, fresh content not only provides opportunities for marketing frequency, but it builds your reputation as a brand leader and fosters customer trust.

Nurturing customer and audience loyalty has never been more important. We live in an age of clutter—Individually, we receive on average 3,000 to 5,000 advertising messages daily—and that doesn’t appear to be declining anytime soon.

It’s useless to try and fight through this clutter unless you have the marketing budget to win the frequency game. For the rest of us, the key is turning the clutter into a marketing asset. This can be done, by gradually earning your customer’s attention through timely, relevant content that enlightens, engages, and solves problems.

Photos by Thomas Quaritsch / Patrick Tomasso via Unsplash.