Page 42 - The Content Code: Six essential strategies to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business - PDFDrive.com

Think about the implications for marketing success: If most of the value
creation on the social web is driven by emotion, ego, insight, and personal
fulfillment—not discounts and coupons—what does that mean for your
marketing strategy in an information dense world? For many seasoned
marketers, this is a tough question and a challenging new mindset to grasp.

Connection and wearable content

Perhaps you should start thinking about your content as if it were a favorite pair
of jeans. On the surface, all jeans are very similar. They’re made from denim
cloth, typically blue, and have two legs and a zipper. When some people buy
jeans, they might be only concerned with the economic delivery system—that is,
how can I cover my bum for the least amount of money possible?

But most people don’t think that way. They choose jeans that say something
about them. There is some intangible, tribal, emotional connection between
people and their clothing. In fact, almost every decision we make in our lives,
including what to wear, what to eat, and what to drive, reinforces a message we
want to deliver about who we are.

For example, Wrangler has been creating a series of commercials depicting
American athletes wearing their jeans in settings that are masculine, fun, and
“real.” They don’t talk about the price, the strength of the material, or even
where you can buy the product. In this case, Wrangler is selling an image to a
group of men, and perhaps women who buy for men, which reinforces idealized
views of the all-American male.

Similarly, people make content choices based on what the content says about
them.

If you’re one of the spectacular readers who tweet or post about this book to
your audience, it’s probably because what I’ve written creates a connection that
is psychologically consistent with what you believe and how you want to present
yourself to others. Sharing an idea from this book makes a statement about you,
just like your choice in jeans, car, or a soft drink. It says, I concur. I am aligned.
I think this author is smart, and I am smart; therefore, I will share it. This book is
cool, and I am cool, so I will share it.

Your content becomes part of your audience’s personal narrative.
Consider an example from my personal life. I noticed that many of my “cool
kid friends” on Facebook were binge-watching the television series Breaking
Bad. I began to watch this show because I was curious and didn’t want to be left
out of the cool conversations.
As I became engrossed in the show, I posted my progress on my social