The Most Important Part of Content Marketing: the Creation or the Consumption?

I started the article below from a tweet that I’ve exchanged with Rand Fishking, the wizard from MOZ, who said this:

And I had a totally different idea in my head.

I wanted to talk about the importance of text and visual when it comes to the creation and consumption of content marketing. But it seems that in the end things took a different turn and I hope it at least clarifies for you the idea of content marketing.

When it comes to content marketing, what would you say is the most important: the creation or the consumption of the content?

Why are you doing content marketing (if you do content marketing and understand its purpose)? To sell something? To solidify your online presence? Too attract more “lights” on you?

If your answer is the creation, then it’s wrong:

Because then you don’t care about the purpose and you’ll only do content marketing because it sounds good and it’s the trend. By investing too much in the creation, you will just be left with this part of the beauty without drawing more leads.

Don’t forget that the term “content marketing” has in its composition the word “marketing”.

If your answer is consumption, then it’s also wrong:

Because then you risk brushing over the content’s quality and embracing its quantity just to attract more consumers. And maybe you will succeed to attract more consumers, but the likelihood that they will remain loyal, or even brand evangelists of your brand, is quite small. And with the next opportunity, when another brand will have a louder mouth and a deeper pocket you will lose the vast majority of your consumers.

Why? Because they fall into the category of “opportunity consumers” who spend little to no money and are not even loyal to your brand. And you’ll have invested money directly into the sale without having a sincere and trustworthy relationship.

Well then, what is the right answer?

There is no single right answer. Because both are important when it comes to content marketing.

Quality, market differentiation and the idea of a “trusted brand” that makes its place in the consumer’s mind and habitat are important when it comes to creation in content marketing.

The purpose of creation, generation leads and conversion of the content consumers into clients is consumption’s purpose

Easy, right?