Content is king, or is it a crapshoot? What is the next trending subject matter to eagerly bring an audience to websites, blogs, and influence news sites?

As marketers and promoters strive for our piece of the public pie and attention to what we are doing, we tend to overdose our audience on the same old “crap!”

Has content marketing become a rehash of the same stuff, different place, with new buzzwords? Or are there definite differences in the way original ideas are explored and disseminated?

I believe we are living in a time of digital overload. We are constantly barraged with new material everywhere we step in the social media world, and as we gather more and more followers and friends, the more “content” there is through which to wade. How much is really read, how much is it possible to notice?

As the internet has changed the playing field of social media marketing over and over since it’s inception, it’s still a rather new entity. As marketers we’ve already seen the trend in paying for our audience, the homegrown creators of the recent past being replaced by those with more money to spend on buying “sponsored” or “boosted” content on every major social media platform.

CRAPS

C=Content

Content will forever be part of the marketing mix. How it’s received and acted upon is what we are dealing with as we go forward into an era of overloaded audiences. We must remember the human element in everything we create and put forward. If we aren’t connecting virtually to the human element, then we’ve lost the decision makers.

What are you doing to reach out and touch someone with your content? As those seasoned in advertising and marketing know, we must reach an emotional chord in those we intend to bring into our fold. If we fail to be human in a digital world, we lose trust, loyalty, and the ability to create long-term relationships with our clients.

So, by creating original content marketing pieces with humans in mind, (not just the number of hits generated) we continue to be able to compete in a culture which is quickly coming to a time when readers no longer have the capability to consume everything on the table.

R=Return

The return on investment of content marketing is another area which is in the throes of change. Those with deeper pockets and the ability to pay more for content reach may be the ones who come out on top, or will they?

Just a few short years ago there were numerous sites where content, press releases, or articles could be placed for free, continually reaching out to a new audience. The trend lately has been to charge creators for that privilege, all adding to the economic structure of content marketing of the future.

As Facebook and other social media platforms are diminishing organic reach of posted content, there will be no other choice than to budget for it. However, if your marketing mix includes traditional marketing and advertising strategies, along with social media marketing, chances for success are better than putting all your eggs into the latest trend.

A=Assessment

If you fail to assess your creative content regularly, you’ll be left behind. What’s the best way to keep abreast and still stay ahead of the game, constant checking the numbers, or better yet, feedback.

If you are correctly appealing to, and writing for, the human audience it’s much easier to gauge your success in terms of their interaction. Engaging your audience, and setting up for conversation, is the best way to assess your social media marketing results. After all, if you can’t convert a posting into a conversation you’ll have trouble converting a potential client.

Another avenue to assess is if you are in the right place at the right time. By analyzing where your audience is coming from you will know where to spend your efforts, and your dollars. Facebook or Twitter, although most popular, may not be the best placement for your content to reach your target following. Search for alternate channels, watch for specific platforms where your niche is most likely to be accepted as something new and different.

P=Payoff

Determine early on what your individual payoff is all about. Are you into affiliate marketing, pay-per-click, conversion, or another form of “pay-day?” If you aren’t familiar with what your payoff may be, it will be difficult to determine your idea of success, and if your content marketing is portraying you or your company in the way that you wish. After all, cold cash is historically the measure of accomplishment.

Most of us who have developed, as social media marketing has become a valid industry, know that what works for one, doesn’t always work for another. This includes the payoff. If you’re seeing your bottom line drop off, it’s time to go back earlier steps and re-assess what you’re doing. Is your content “edu-taining,” interesting, and able to catch the eye of your prospects? Are you in the right place at the right time? Are you able to engage comments and conversation?

S=Surviving

Mark Shaefer’s article, Content Shock, is an eye-opener for those of us in the business of social media marketing, especially if we count content marketing as one of the avenues to get the message to the masses. He says,

“…..this upward trend of consumption is not sustainable because every human has a physiological, inviolable limit to the amount of content they can consume. I believe as marketers, we have been lulled into a false sense of security thinking that this consumption trend will continue to rise without end. That is simply not possible. The Content Shock is coming and I believe we are beginning to enter the danger zone now. Every single content producer, every marketer, and every business is standing at this same cliff to some degree, and the implications are vast.

What exactly is the future of content marketing and how will marketers survive at the vanishing point?  Seems to be quite a “crapshoot!”

However, I feel there will always be new, creative ideas coming to the forefront, but, in my opinion, we should never forget where we come from, what we’ve learned, and how to integrate those lessons with all new visionaries for the future of social media marketing.

If you’re reading this as another social media manager, marketer, or as a prospective client, what are your thoughts about content and the future of its value as a marketing tool? Are you prepared for “content shock” and what are you doing about it?

ImaginePublicity offers several plans to enhance your online presence. For more information about how to best increase your potential by using social media marketing and management, email:contact@imaginepublicity.com for a complete assessment.