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“Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don't.” —Seth Godin
 

This statement, in its simplicity, is a beautiful thing. As we spend our days anxiously trying to keep up with the latest technologies, to convert our work to the Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, the Android, the iPhone, Seth Godin’s quote reminds me of the importance of marketing fundamentals. You have to reach the right people at the right time with the right message. It’s not about novelty. It’s not about being “thought leaders” when it comes to new media. It’s about message and relevance. After all, you can put the greatest work in print, on the Web, on a Kindle or into a $3 million, 30-second spot during the Super Bowl, but it doesn’t matter if your audience doesn’t care what you have to say. That’s why we, as content marketers—or whatever the latest term is that we apply to our craft—need to be reminded now and again of the basis behind what we do. It’s crafting the right message to the right people who can benefit from it. It’s about relevance.
 

I recently had a great call with a client to discuss emerging technologies like the iPad, the Kindle and the Nook. The context was around which of these platforms we should focus on. We’re creating award-winning content and delivering it in a quarterly magazine and on the Web. Now the question is: How else can we distribute it into the ever-evolving world of consumer media? Frankly, it’s a crapshoot. Nobody can predict at this time what platform will emerge as the VHS and which will die a slow Beta-like death. (Wow, I showed my age there, no?) But the one thing we do know, and can have great confidence in, is that the content we create, if relevant and directed to the right audience, will always have its desired effect. So, while we have to always stay abreast of new technologies, we can’t take our eyes off of the simplest and most fundamental component of what we do as custom content marketers: relevance.
 

So, effective immediately, I’m going to spend less time trying to figure out whether I should advocate vehicles like the Kindle, the iPad, mobile, Facebook or Twitter to my clients, and spend more time focusing on who we’re talking to and what’s important to them. Because, at the end of the day, it’s not about the noise you make, it’s about striking a chord with the right audience. As Godin says, “Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don't.”

Posted By: Kerry Andrews