Inbound Marketing = Content Publisher
Two quotes I came across recently from the 2009 Inbound Marketing Summit. It was last year, yes, but with the rapid rise of social media they are ringing more and more true. They’re sooo 2010.
“Every marketer is now a publisher.” –John Battelle, Federated Media Publishing
“Content is marketing.” — Robert Rose, CrownPeak
Inbound Marketing means you are a Content Publisher. Is that redundant? Maybe. But let’s think about the importance of each term and how they relate to inbound marketing strategy.
Content: Content is anything from text to images to videos. And not just that, it’s how you put those elements together. It’s the pieces and the final product. Whether you create, outsource, borrow or ignore it, your content is how the online universe knows you. It’s equivalent to what you wear during the day, what you say, and how you present yourself. I’m getting a bit ahead of myself…
Publisher: You’ve doubtless got enough content to fill a book. But you haven’t published it that way- you’ve put it out there in bits and pieces of commentary, conversation and opinion, and hopefully some blogging by now. If not, start reading Murray Newlands. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Inbound marketing needs you to create fresh and relevant content all the time. And then you need to publish it.
The top definition I found for “Publisher” is “a company or person engaged in publishing periodicals, books, music, etc.”
The fact that I have to stretch to make online publishers fit as a person engaged in publishing periodicals is evidence of how quickly the field is evolving.
Inbound Marketing Content
Inbound marketing requires content. Every conversation you have, every comment you leave, and every blog post you write is part of your inbound marketing strategy. Treat it that way. Make sure your content contains 3 basic things:
- Quality- it needs to look and read professionally.
- Information- it needs to mean something. Don’t just create to create.
- Interaction- it’s no use broadcasting. If you want people t come to you, you need to set up your interactions for success with a call to action, and at least a call to interaction.
Inbound Marketing Publisher
Inbound marketing deserves a good publisher. You wouldn’t show up to a meeting with your shirt untucked and your tie on backwards and crumbs on your cheeks. Don’t let your online content go out looking like that either. Make sure that when you publish you have three basic things in place:
- Clean- your content needs to look good.
- Share- your content needs to be ready to share.
- Purpose- is the purpose/ objective of your content clear by how and where it is presented?
A publisher thinks about both the content and the way it is presented. You, as an inbound marketer, are now a publisher, which means you have the responsibility to think about both as well. And the opportunity. Inbound market well.
Scott
