The Infinite Monkey Theorem suggests that if a monkey was to hit random keys on a keyboard for an infinite period of time, eventually the monkey will have typed the complete works of William Shakespeare.
But what does the Infinite Monkey Theorem have to do with content marketing? More than you might think!
When looking to establish a relationship with a third party content vendor, you can’t judge on writing alone. It is just as important to select a content vendor based on your judgment of the writers behind the words. When you find the right content producers, they will share your vision and seamlessly become an essential part of your marketing team.
But if you don’t take the time to get to know the writers behind the words, you just might end up going bananas trying to get your writers in line with your goals. So in the interest of helping you conduct your exploratory research, let me tell you a little more about what I believe about content marketing.
Every business is a customer service business.
I believe that every job, regardless of industry, is a customer service job. As a customer service specialist, it is my duty to meet or exceed every deadline. I approach last minute, emergency press release requests with the same degree of care as I would a long-form whitepaper. Your marketing department has enough to worry about already—let us worry about your content.
Don’t be a thought leader. Lead the thought leaders.
Many businesses want to leverage content to position key employees as thought leaders—influential and authoritative voices within your field. But in my experience, the sentiment rings hollow in most cases. A lot of the self-proclaimed thought leaders I see out there today are generating stale, repetitive content that looks just like the stale, repetitive content of all the other thought leaders out there. In order to truly make an impact, you’ve got to develop a content strategy that gets ahead of the pack and sets the tone of the conversation.
If you’re not ruffling feathers, you’re not trying.
The average consumer today is bombarded with content around the clock, wherever they go. So it should come as no surprise when your neutral and objective content fails to engage your audience—they have plenty more of it to choose from. But if you’re willing to stand up for a cause, experiment with a new medium and take creative chances with your work, you have significantly increased your chances of standing out.
When selecting an independent content vendor, you have to be just as mindful of the work you receive as you are with the writers who produce it. There are plenty of good people who can write good content. But to take your brand to the next level, you’ve got to find the right people that can generate great content.
Keith Batter, known as “The Machine” due to his ability to provide quality content on a tight deadline, earned his degree in Creative Writing from Colorado University. Keith’s interest in a multitude of topics imbues his writing with valuable insights that resonate with readers in many fields. His work experience spans industries as diverse as hospitality (Thistledown Inn Bed and Breakfast), insurance (American Income Life Insurance), sales, journalism, publishing and even a brief foray into politics as a community organizer during the 2008 presidential election. In his spare time, Keith is difficult to find. Equipped only with a guitar, notebook and a liter of water, he frequently disappears deep into the forest with his wife and dog to evade civilization and wax poetic about the nature of existence.
