Gray Matter at White Space

"Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that counts.”

That’s nice to hear, but it couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to marketing. Full disclosure, I’m quick to judge. I think a lot of people are, whether they own up to it or not.

Unfortunately, we tend to form assumptions and make hasty decisions based on personal experiences, preferences, and dislikes. So, while you may want to offer the benefit of the doubt or put on your self-righteous hat, the fact of the matter is, in marketing--as in most aspects of life--first impressions matter.

In past blogs, we’ve had plenty of discussions about creating content—whether the topic was how to keep content production on track, using storytelling to mix up repetitive subject matter, or getting SMEs to write for your blog within your budget constraints. The premise behind those conversations has been getting your content game off the ground--building a library of resources.

But, once you’ve accomplished that, what’s the next step? What do you do with the robust amount of content at your disposal? More importantly, how is it performing? It’s critical to know if all the time and effort you spend creating this content and deploying it is really paying off or simply a waste of time.

Last week, while doing my Thanksgiving shopping at Trader Joe’s, I noticed a sign reading, “We are sorry we are closed Thanksgiving, but we will be open Friday, November 22.” Do you see what I see? Thanksgiving Day was November 22; the following day when the store would reopen was November 23.

I hate to admit this, but I’m a sucker for seasonal decor. To give you an idea just how much I enjoy seasonal transitions, I started planning for fall decorating at the beginning of September—as soon as summer’s shadow had barely passed. I bought a few more pumpkins, a couple throw pillows, and (surprise!) yet another faux fur throw to add to my collection.

With all things content marketing, there is no one way to do the job. Instead of getting frustrated by constantly trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, it’s more productive to turn to proven tactics.

I know now that’s the beauty of the INBOUND conference, which I attended last week—having all these experts come together to share ideas, best practices, and what worked for them and ultimately helped them succeed.

One of the things I love most about my work at White Space—and the jobs I’ve held in the past—is the opportunity to constantly learn. Next week, I’m fortunate to be able to take that learning potential to the next level, when I’ll join more than 20,000 other professionals at the INBOUND 2018 conference in Boston.

 Here are a few of the sessions I’m excited to check out.

Content marketing doesn’t always get the props it deserves. The process is far more intricate than taking a piece of content and throwing it up on a website—and so much happens prior to it getting to that point.

As an editor and writer, there’s nothing more cringe-worthy than reading a poorly written piece of copy—whether it’s a blog, brochure, or even a sloppy social media post. To be fair, social media often gets a pass due to character counts and the very succinct nature of that type of content. Still, there’s no excuse for careless copy, unless you’re actively trying to lose the faith of your audience.

Why would they stray?

He was one of our greatest digital visionaries, but when Bill Gates released his “Content Is King” essay in 1996, I doubt he could have forecast just how vast content’s presence would be 22 years later. We’ve transitioned from Gates’ view of online content as a burgeoning entertainment and news medium to its permeation into every aspect of our online experience—including marketing.

The concept of blogging has had a relatively short history when compared to other forms of content, but its rapid growth is impressive nonetheless. What started as a lone college student’s “personal homepage” in 1994 has become a standard content vehicle, with the total number of blogs in existence estimated to surpass 440 million worldwide.