January 30, 2017
We’ve finally arrived agent. Your last mission. Ever thought you would make it this far? Heaven knows it’s been a long journey. Your work in the field and efforts to gain a better understanding of content production have been highly commendable. We really appreciate what you have done so far and your findings will undoubtedly prove to be priceless moving forward.
We’re not quite finished yet though, so remain focused and prepared for the task ahead. Do you like classical music agent? We certainly hope so. You’re off to see the orchestra! A little bit of culture will certainly do you no harm. Enjoy the music of course, but your main task is to find out all you can about content marketing whilst you are. Research exactly what it takes to connect an audience with an orchestra in full swing. You’ll be there early to watch them set things up. Good luck agent!
It is quite clear to see from the story that the band are not quite up to speed yet. It is only the practice sessions though and you are early, so perhaps we can forgive them for not being perfect. When it comes to show time though, you would fully expect each and every member of the band to be on song (excuse the pun). For the whole production to be a success, every participating member must play his/her part to perfection; as both individuals and part of the wider band.
This is exactly the same principle when it comes to content marketing. If parts of your content marketing campaign are lacking in quality and effectiveness, then your overall campaign will suffer as a result. It only takes one inopportune symbol crash for the whole production to fail catastrophically. The consequences are not quite as severe with content marketing, as one ineffective blog post will hardly ruin other methods of your campaign, but the principle is very much the same. Certain parts of your content marketing campaign will depend highly on the timing of others and the plan will eventually lead to a crescendo where your audience will be at their most engaged – exactly like a classical music performance.
As with anything in life, practice does indeed make perfect. To obtain a pitch perfect sound a band must rehearse and rehearse, until every single element of the performance is self-functioning but also integral to the band. To be a digital content hero you should rest on the same laurels. A content marketing campaign is not about throwing lots of different pieces of content together and calling it a campaign. It is about planning a meaningful and chronological release of valuable content that exists individually and as part of a wider plan.
One of the most detrimental matters when it comes to a content marketing campaign is a lack of control. This is especially true for extensive campaigns with numerous elements and dependencies. It is very easy to lose track of results, success rates and effectiveness of content when there is lots of it flying around the internet. The analysis of your campaign is just as, if not more, important than the actual implementation of it. So losing control of your campaign will have serious implications on your findings and ability to improve moving forward.
How will you know what to do better second time around if you are not completely sure what went wrong the first time? It is vitally important that you plan, implement, analyse and then improve to ensure your content marketing endeavours are successful. No one ever gets it completely right the first time. But as long as you closely monitor the results and performance of each element of your campaign, you will undoubtedly get it right overtime. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon, never forget that!
The most important things to remember when initialising a content marketing campaign is to be proactive in your approach and analytical in your findings. Do not sit around twiddling your thumbs, waiting for something to happen. Cause a change and see what happens as a direct result, then analyse your findings to improve your technique and content production skills. If you are expecting a quick win overnight then you are already approaching you content marketing campaign in the wrong manner. Be patient, be analytical and be confident in your marketing skills. This is your band. This is your show. This is your night. Go kill them tiger!
Sadly, this was the last instalment of the Content Design Manual, thank you for coming on the journey with us! We hope the content has been enlightening and entertaining too! Agent – mission complete! Thank you!
