Which Came First, The Content Or The Marketing?

It’s the question for the ages. Well, maybe not, but it’s certainly a question often asked amongst marketers and those creating content.

Did the creation of content begat the need to market it? Or did the marketing machine need something to add oomph to its day to day operations?

It’s as maddening as that chicken/egg kerfuffle!

Content Creation & Content Marketing … Balance

I bet you knew the “B” word was coming. It seems I can’t go a month without publishing some take on the idea of balance.

But, but, but … once again that “B” word is the baseline for content marketing success.

[clickToTweet tweet=”You gotta create great stuff AND get it in front of the right eyes! #contentmarketing” quote=”You gotta write good stuff, of course, but then you’ve gotta get it in front of eyes that just might find it valuable.” theme=”style4″]

Content Marketing: Build As You Go!

What’s a budding content marketer, looking to gain and build authority and influence, to do?

Do you create a complex and robust content calendar and then churn out a daily publishes, only to share with your total of ten tweeps?

Or do you strive ever so hard to gain connections with whom you have absolutely nothing of your own creation to share?

It’s pretty obvious you’ve got to meet somewhere in the middle, isn’t it?

Creating Connections With Your Content In Mind …

[clickToTweet tweet=”You’re not following anyone AND everyone you come across online are you?” quote=”You’re not just willy-nilly following anyone and everyone you come across on Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ are you?” theme=”style4″]

You’re connecting with like-minded, likely to know what the heck you’re talking about tweeps, plussers and pinners, right?

It might sound a little mercenary but building a real and robust following requires more than clicking the follow button.

Thousands of followers ain’t gonna happen overnight. Well, unless you buy them and GACK!, seriously you don’t want to do that.

I’m hovering just below the 10,000 follower mark on my two favorite social media channels. That number is by no means large when you compare it to plenty of others within my industry. But I carefully cultivated those connections to be of value.

Take Care What You Share!

If you’re all about underwater basket weaving, it’s not particularly astute to share read after curated read about guard dog training. Not if you’re trying to cultivate connections and build an audience that’s also all about underwater basket weaving.

Sure, you might see a jump in follower numbers and some thanks for sharing articles. But when you’re ready to share your own carefully crafted content you’ll understand the conundrum. Those followers? They’re not interested.

And you’re not a dog trainer! So the chances of you creating content for their eyes is slim to none.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Get over it, already! But I don’t want to connect with my competition …” quote=”But I don’t want to connect with my competition!” theme=”style4″]

I can actually see that frantic conversation bubble above your head. And my response? Bullshit!

You do want to connect with your peers. You’re not in direct competition with everyone within your industry, for Pete’s sake! You weave baskets made for laptops. Wanda The Weaver is all about phone cases. Do you see the connection potential?!?!

When It Comes To Content Marketing …

You’ve gotta create the content, carefully – it’s gotta be well crafted, after all. And you’ve got to market that content, which means you’re going to have to spend some time feeling out a following, creating connections!

It’s not a one and done proposition. It’s something that’s going to require focus, effort and some thinking, daily.

It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s not for the wishy-washy or those often distracted by shinier social media objects.

Some days you’re going to have to churn out content, though you’d rather be doing ANYTHING else. And there will be days when you ask yourself if you can have one more seemingly inane getting to know you conversation in 140 characters or less.

But when you balance the publish with the promotion? Guess what? You’re marketing content, kiddo!