Why are we so concerned about the channels, when it is the content that is the most important asset?

Time and again I am asked to justify one type of online marketing or another.

Whether it be the use of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, SEO or Google Adwords, business always seems to have an opinion around why it won’t work for them.

The real issue is that businesses typically want it all done for them.

They are used to buying their marketing out!

Thanks to Madmen style agencies, companies have got complacent over marketing, believing some catchy tag line or stylish logo is all that’s required to raise their brand to the top of the pile.

Well guess what? If it were that easy, we would all just outsource our marketing and the biggest budget wins.

It Doesn’t Always Work Like

Of course budget allows you to produce some spectacular ads. Just look at the latest Coke Zero and Skyfall promotion. But you know, it is not the production quality that is important, it’s the story or idea. Take a look at the ad.

How often did you see the film or the drink feature? A couple of times at most, with the Bond theme tune playing in the background.

This subtle form of advertising relies on the holy grail of online marketing, the viral effect.

But it is more than viral, the ad is catchy, it draws you in, there is tension, there are challenges. Above all the 2 minute ad follows the same track as good thriller.

Tell Me A Story

The story is independent of channel, this goes for TV, radio, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or any other channel you want to mention.

Why?

Because it’s captivating, it gets the audiences attention and holds it. It’s not just trying to sell you a can of fizzy pop.

And this is where many businesses falls short, they forget to tell the story. The reason why the business exists, what it stands for. These are the things that will excite your audience, captivate them and turn them into advocates.

They don’t won’t to buy your product they want it to make them part of the story.

In terms of the Coca Cola promotion; They are not buying Coke Zero, they are buying the Daniel Craig experience!

If you focus on creating captivating content, then the channels you use are secondary as you have already done the hard work.

What’s your business’s 007 story?