Do you ever feel as though you’ve gotten so close to the details of your business that you aren’t seeing the big picture? Do you ever get the sense that you’re so focused on the day-to-day that you miss opportunities staring you right in the face?
That’s how I felt moving into the month of December. 60 Second Communications and the 60 Second Marketer had so much going on that I wasn’t able to see all the opportunities that were staring me in the face. So, I’ve spent the past several weeks slowing down a bit so that I could take a look at where we are and where we’re headed.
The results have been interesting — maybe even profound — so I thought I’d share them with you. Perhaps you’ll see something in the insights I’ve come up with that you can apply to your own business.
Sound like a plan? If so, read on.
Insight #1: Content Marketing is Growing Exponentially, Which Will Ultimately be Its Demise
In two recent blog posts, both Jay Baer and Mark Schaefer brought up a troubling trend — if everyone is doing content marketing, how do you stand out from all the clutter?
This is an issue I touched on several months ago in a blog post called The Truth About Content Marketing That Nobody Else Will Tell You. Essentially, I pointed out that, despite what some people will tell you, content marketing isn’t a silver bullet and it can’t be the only tool in your tool shed. If it is, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
In addition, the days of simply writing blog posts to attract people to your website are coming to a close. After all, there’s too much content out there already, so you have to expand your thinking and re-frame how you’re going to attract people to your site.
Which brings me to the second insight.
Insight #2: The 60 Second Marketer isn’t a Blog, it’s a Nation of Marketing Professionals.
Believe it or not, I learn as much from you as you do from me. Your comments, your insights, even your debates make me a better and smarter marketer. I hope you’ve found the same when you’ve visited the blog, our YouTube channel, our LinkedIn group or any of the other platforms we use to connect with you.
That brings up a larger issue, which is that the 60 Second Marketer isn’t just a blog, it’s a community of marketers (or a nation of marketers) who help one another in a variety of ways — either through comments, feedback, discussions or networking at our events.
Said another way, the 60 Second Marketer isn’t a blog, it’s its own damn nation.
Insight #3: Members of Our Community Believe in the Science of Marketing
As we move into 2014, you’ll notice that we’ll be doing more posts that are based on research and science. We’ll still provide tips and techniques just as we always have, but we’ll also be writing posts based on the science of marketing.
There are a lot of content marketers who have plenty of opinions about what works and what doesn’t work in marketing. What differentiates us is that we’re going to support our point-of-view with data and research that backs it up.
On that note, you’ll also see more primary research reports from the 60 Second Marketer. We have two in the hopper right now that are providing information and insights into what works and what doesn’t work in marketing. Stay tuned on that front — plenty more is on the way.
Will You Join Us as a Member of the 60 Second Nation?
You’ll be hearing more about how we’re evolving our platform. In the very near future, you’ll hear about the 60 Second Summit, which will be an antidote to the large, impersonal conferences that are popping up everywhere. We’ll also discuss 60 Second Charities, which is for marketers who want to make a difference. And you’ll even be hearing about the 60 Second Directory, which will be a platform for you to connect with others and generate leads for your business.
That’s it from our side of the equation. Is there anything I’ve missed? Are there topics, discussions, platforms or events you’d like to see more of? If so, let me know in the comments section below.
Jamie Turner is the CEO of the 60 Second Marketer and 60 Second Communications, a marketing communications agency that works with national and international brands. He is the co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile” and is a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.