How To Utilize Content Marketing

Talk shows traditionally rely on the strength of the guests they bring over.

It's a simple formula: The more popular the guest, the more viewership the show can expect.

That's why production houses heavily focus on "who" to invite over.

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Recently, I learnt about a talk show that induced a paradigm shift & flipped the model.

Hosted by Tabish Hashmi, a show called "To be Honest" (TBH) attracted large viewership due to the bold comic value of the host rather than purely the guest's public appeal. (further corroborated by the myriad of comments on each episode on YouTube)

While the guest isn't completely irrelevant, TBH could afford to bring lesser known profiles & still pull in eyeballs because of the Tabish's off-the-chain content.

In other words, this production had successfully offset the impact of the external variable (guest) with a constant they own (host).

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Similarly, some products are challenged by external factors like seasonality.

The demand of what they sell predictably fluctuates across the year.

Ex: a brand that sells lawn care machines sees sales peak in spring and dip in winter. Or restaurants experience a demand shift in Ramadan compared to other months.

Or their product is related to shopping goods that aren't purchased as often e.g. Real estate, cars, etc.

The question then becomes how can they make it less about the season or frequency of purchase, and more about an asset they control?

That's where content marketing comes in.

Even when sales are taking a hit, brands can still keep themselves highly relevant by delivering exceptional value to their audiences:

• Educating them with original research
• Sharing advice on how to solve problems
• Conversing on topics their target demographic cares about
• "Newsjacking" by hooking into trending topics but in a meaningful, tasteful manner

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HubSpot has mastered this concept.

For years, I had been benefiting from their marketing content with no need for a CRM. However, when I did start researching around for one, they topped my shortlist.

PakWheels.com is another example.

Back in 2010, I knew of folks that had never bought a car participate vigorously in the forums.

And rather than losing audiences because they had already bought a car, Pakwheels managed to kept reeling them in via a boisterous message board with high quality content & stories.

That core audience eventually became their biggest proponents & referral vehicles.

Therefore, if you can't claim pocket share due to unfavorable externalities, focus on capturing mind share.

It'll pay off big in the long run.