The last time you heard the phrase , “content is king,” was probably yesterday.
Maybe someone was contesting the throne. He or she put forth that something else, like “context” or “distribution’ was more worthy of assuming the role of ”king.”
Or perhaps someone was saying that “content” was much more of a queen than king. Or he or she was simply reasserting the notion.
Whenever a tenet is mostly true, it is vulnerable to this kind of speculation. But you as a business owner and marketer know that when it comes to most things that work in life, success is never about one thing or person.
So today in the realm of content marketing, instead of dismantling the kingdom, I’m going to leave content as “king.” But I am going to anoint a queen.
Meet Queen Relationship
She is the king’s undisputed equal and without her, King Content would be mighty tempted to stay in his chambers all day. It’s common knowledge that left on his own he’s a little introverted.
Pieces on a chessboard
It was a lovely wedding. You, who are really in charge of this kingdom made sure of it.
Content strategy is content and relationships working together
King Content has been whipping himself and the kingdom’s messages into pretty good shape. Now that the time has come for him to reach out, he needs Queen Relationship to mastermind his dissemination around your kingdom.
Good thing she’s been using her abilities to constantly build and sustain many good relationships.
With a knack for knowing what channels to use when, she will ignite the power of spreading blog posts, YouTube videos, and thoughtful blog commenting throughout the kingdom. Additionally she will share with the king as she learns the latest concerns of their people; he, in turn, will have new ideas about what and how to address them.
Because Queen Relationship has empowered various members of the kingdom such as writers, videographers and public relations people, he will even come off without sounding like a boar or being a pain in the backside.
What does this mean for today’s content marketing strategies and relationships?
Keep things social: Someone in your organization needs to be approaching relationships and social media in a useful and sustained manner. Use your social media presence to really connect with your kingdom, both partners and potential customers. When the opportunity presents itself, go out to lunch or at least talk on the phone. Have the goal of someday meeting in real life.
Keep building trust: Invest in relationships and take time to understand each other’s motives, challenges and deep concerns. Keep an open mind and don’t take advantage of each other by clinging to self serving ideas of what is considered right or wrong in the quickly changing worlds of advertising and publishing,
Keep things collaborative: You need each other. Badly. In ways you don’t know about yet.
Keep things ongoing: When things work, understand its value. When you find content partners who deliver and who can and fully expect to adapt to new paradigms, don’t let them go. They are a rare breed.
Relationships with your marketing partners are at the root of results and sustained success in the complex realm of content marketing strategy. Good relationships don’t just happen. They start with you.
