If you ask one question about every piece of content you create, make it this one:
Is it useful to my potential customers?
Wondering if a post is right for your blog? Trying to figure out how to structure a webinar? Just figure out if it will be useful to the people you're trying to sell to.
If your content is useful to the right people, you're done.
You don't need to worry about targeting because the content does it for you; good customers are interested, bad ones aren't. You don't need to worry about reach because your customers want your content and find you via Google and social networking tools. You don't need to worry about money, because you're just investing time and creativity.
Of course, it's hard to create content that's useful.
It's easier to speak in the jargony language you use inside your company. It's safer to create marketing collateral that just explains how your product works. It's more natural to spend time and energy on a project you think is fun, but that nobody else gets.
Charlie King reminded me of all this yesterday.
Charlie is a HubSpot customer who runs the Reynolds Golf Academy in Greensboro, GA.
It would be very easy for Charlie to do what resorts and golf academies normally do: pull together a few brochures, throw them on the website and use them as advertisements in golf magazines.
Instead, Charlie figured out what's useful to his customers. He's blogging about golf tips , he wrote a book of golf tips and he's putting instructional videos on his website. And customers are finding him.
What's useful to your customers?
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Eric Guerin 1:44 PM on February 19, 2009
Great post! My company produces online marketing videos for companies and so a lot of my e-newsletter, blog and seminar content revolves around online video distribution, video sharing sites & sharing as well as video analytics & viewing statistics. Because many of my customers are newbies to social media I also rotate in or provide links to great tutorials about getting started with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. as these are great vehicles for video sharing.
Michael Mallory 2:08 PM on February 19, 2009
Yes!
Been preaching this for years--even when using the old, traditional, outbound methods. Deliver value. Help your customers achieve THEIR goals and you just may find that you'll achieve your goals as well!
Paul Roetzer 2:09 PM on February 19, 2009
Having talked with Charlie, I can tell you that what really differentiates him in the golf industry right now is his passion for inbound marketing, and his willingness to take risks with content.
It's exciting to see.
Aaron Stannard 2:36 PM on February 19, 2009
This is exactly right. The only question I ask when I prepare screencasts, blog entries, and bulletins for my company's customers.
Sadly, I can't always enthusiastically answer "yes!!!" whenever I ask myself "would all of our customers enjoy reading this?" There are times when mediocre stuff has to be published simply because our audience expects content at a certain time and date on a regular basis and we can't always deliver great stuff 100% of the time.
We take note of our failures to deliver and improve upon them the next time around, however.
John McTigue 3:04 PM on February 19, 2009
Another thing you can do is ask them what floats their boat? Use a poll or ask a rhetorical question that begs responses. Keep it fun and informal, but professional (if possible).
Mary Fletcher Jones 3:10 PM on February 19, 2009
Great post! Can't be told this too many times. It's so easy to forget this very basic fact, sometimes.
My clients know they want more business, but with all the new-to-them options out there, they aren't sure how to get there. They want someone to break it down for them, hold their hand, and help them make the tough decisions about how to spend their marketing dollars. They remind me of new parents: quivery, excited, and scared to death.
Mostly, it seems, they want someone they can trust. That's where inbound marketing, as you call it shines, because when you've had a blog for almost 3 years, and a podcast for 2, and you've been out there for...well, let's not go there! I think what all that combines to do is create a sense of trustworthiness. At least online. Because you're transparent. And consistent. And out there.
Mumtaz 4:27 PM on February 19, 2009
I will cite a very simple example of Dubai where business community is scared to spend money. How do you tackle this situation. and most of them are not even willing use the an inbound marketing techniques. I meet clients almost a on a daily basis and I am getting one answer from anywhere that Dubai market is gone and we are srinking our operations and moving out to any other destination.
Self-defense Austin 8:21 PM on February 19, 2009
This post gave us a major Brainstorm session of all the possibilities we can utilize on our blog - Thank You!!!
Brad 1:05 AM on February 20, 2009
Nice post and oh so true.
And if you're proud enough of your product, you're not afraid to give some of it away like Charlie is doing.
Kevin Hignett 10:05 AM on February 20, 2009
Nice job Rick. This is a great lesson, partly because it's so simple. It falls right into the old adage of "listen to your customer," which is better than "selling."
One of my goals will be to always ask the "is it useful to potential customers" question regarding our blog.
Melissa Rennie 7:03 PM on February 20, 2009
Thank you for posting such vital information. I am new to the blogging scene. Any and all pointers are helpful.
Kathy 3:46 PM on February 21, 2009
Thanks so much for the idea! I hadn't thought about it like this before. Now I'm scratching my head.....
D. A. Shaver 8:53 AM on February 22, 2009
Great article, this says it much better than I could so I put a link to this article after one of my articles.
http://www.dashaver.com/website-usability#comment-33