home Marketing Is anyone reading this? Or is it just content marketing noise

Is anyone reading this? Or is it just content marketing noise

Marketers are now producing more content than ever before. They have their blogs and social media channels pumping out press releases, articles and posts on a weekly, daily and in some cases hourly basis. Too much of it is generating noise rather than compelling content that drives customer engagement and improves the brand experience.

The advent of social media and blogs has led to the surge in marketing content being produced. It’s predicted that the content marketing industry will be worth $US 412 bn by 2021[i]. That means a lot of content is being produced. The question is: how much of it is being read or viewed?

In reality, very little of what’s being produced is being viewed or read. At best only 20% of content on websites and webpages will be read.

Relevance vs regularity

It’s generally assumed that to succeed at social media engagement you need to be posting regularly on your blog, or Facebook or wherever. Search engines like sites that update their content regularly. And regularity and consistency are required to maintain brand awareness and recognition.

But if what you’re posting is of no or little interest then you’re simply producing noise that nobody is paying attention to. It’s better to produce and post content less frequently but making sure that it is of interest and relevant to the audience you are targeting.

It can be a struggle to come up with content on a frequent basis that’s of enough quality and interest. Take time to plan your content around well-defined buyer or customer personas

Quality of the content

So much digital content is poorly written or over written. Even if it’s on a web page or social media post grammar, spelling and editorial style are critically important. Poor content means a poor brand experience for customers.

The language used must be:

  • Simple and easy to understand and digest – use shorter sentences and bullet points. Don’t make it difficult for customers to read your content
  • Jargon free and concise – don’t baffle your customers with complex technical terms
  • Use a style and tone of voice relevant to the topic and the audience. If your audience are lawyers, you may need to use a formal tone of voice. If you are targeting cosmetics customers are more casual / conversational tone would be best.  

Content is king for the customer experience

Content plays a vital role in creating positive customer experiences. Unique, relevant and quality content allows customers to connect with a brand and its value proposition. It can greatly assist customers achieve their goals and gain maximum value from the goods and services you provide.


[i] https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/11/06/content-marketing-industry-be-worth-412bn-2021-following-four-year-growth-spurt

Mark Atterby

Mark Atterby has 18 years media, publishing and content marketing experience.