Content Isn't King

One application of the concept that Content is King is used in marketing discussions. To quote:

On the Internet Content is king and it always will be.... The information on a website is its content, generally the more useful and interesting content a website has the more successful it will be, because more people will want to visit it again and again, this is especially true if a website is constantly adding more and more content on a regular basis, be it articles, tutorials, news and opinion or whatever.

...if you gear your site to simply sell your product and do nothing else, you won't be very successful.
- David Callan, AKA Marketing (Added emphasis is mine.)

So, in order to sell your product on the Internet, we need "articles, tutorials, news and opinion"?

This opinion contains a huge amount of obvious absurdity. Yet it is actually a very, very common statement in Internet marketing discussions. That doesn't make it accurate; but it does deserve a closer look.

Selling Widgets

In one such discussion, a respected Internet marketing figure suggested that if you want to sell Widgets, you can't just put the widgets online with a Buy Now button next to a picture of each.

He suggested a daily or weekly column addressing the issues widget-owners face; a widget how-to guide; a series of articles dealing with widget history; and a photo gallery showing the development of widgets throughout the decades.

His suggestions were applauded by other Internet marketing professionals. (I use the term lightly.)

The premise is, the more information you provide about the product, the more likely it is that consumers will buy from you.

The Real World

I just bought some Cole Haan shoes at Nordstrom. I didn't read up on the history of shoes. I didn't discuss any issues with the sales staff. I saw shoes I liked, and made the purchase.

The other day, I bought a Pepsi from the vending machine by the pool. Would you believe that Pepsi doesn't rely on weekly editorials on the state of carbonated beverages to sell its products?

A few weeks ago, I bought several DVD's. And, you may find it odd, but I have never been interested in hearing the history of DVD's. Nor am I interested in the history of the actors or the cameras used to film the movie.

Marketing is War

In the real world, sales simply do not occur in a vacuum. In the real world, the last place people are looking to buy is on the Internet. In the real world, most consumers aren't interested in what you have to offer; and even if they are, they can find it elsewhere at a better price and from a more reputable vendor.

The attention span of the average consumer is non-existent. The average unique visit to a website has a duration of under 30 seconds. This means you have less than 30 seconds to present a compelling and decisively convincing argument for your product and for yourself as a vendor.

Marketing, like war, is a battle. Like war, one party wins and the other loses. Unless you have a decisively convincing marketing strategy, you lose.

"The History of Hosting on the Internet" would not be part of a decisively convincing marketing strategy for myself in our marketing of V7 Hosting.

You have less than 30 seconds to convince the consumer of your superiority, and you want to talk about the history of hosting?

Case in Point

One of the most successful web hosting companies is iPowerWeb. If you ever visit the site, you'll see pretty much everything on the site is designed to sell the product.

"Serving over 170,000 members with affordable, reliable web hosting solutions."

Every word of that serves a marketing purpose. As do the testimonials. Same for the kudos and the affiliate program info. In fact, everything on that site is designed to market the product. The site is geared to sell. Not "inform". Not "entertain". Not to keep the consumers coming back. Just to sell the hosting services.

Successful Marketing Strategy

How hard is it to pretend you are a consumer in the market to buy? Do this, and see what it takes to sell yourself the very same product you are attempting to sell to others.

Use your 30 seconds to give the consumer the information he's after - features, price, guarantee and unique selling proposition.

Convince the consumer with a high list price, and a low discount price; FUD the competition; build your credibility and your brand.

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