Content Then Conversation

   “If a journalism tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it do any good?” (Mayer, 2011, p.13 ).  Joy Mayer asked this question when she was writing about journalists new responsibilities of engaging the community. This question really caught my attention…

  Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I went camping in the woods and in the middle of the night a tree fell. After it came crashing down with a sound that could raise the dead, my husband joked “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” Both of us answered with a “Hell, yes!”

   But, this is not really the case when it comes to spreading news or marketing a product or service. If you put something on the web and no one knows that it’s there it doesn’t make a difference [or a sound]. That’s why we as marketers, take time to learn skills like how to reach our customers and search engine optimization.

This ties directly into the argument of content or conversation- who is king?

    I argue that without one the other is not as effective. So, instead of having two kings battling- they need to join forces to create a stronger army. Michael Greenberg argues that, “Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about” (Greenberg, 2009). On the flip side, Catherine Novak says that, “Conversation is King, content is just something to talk about” (Novak, 2010). She goes on to explain that,

Content without conversation is just broadcasting, or just advertising. It goes to the listener/reader/viewer/visitor…and stops there. If the sender is lucky, it may lodge as a piece of information in the receiver’s consciousness, and they may act on it someday. If the sender is luckier, or perhaps more engaging, it may be something that the receiver wants to talk about. And then the message gets a whole new burst of energy. The energy behind the message is what gives it meaning, and a life of its own. That happens when we humans like to communicate with each other. Thus the conversation begins. (Novak, 2010)

   An article in Advertising Age, agrees that both content and conversation are important. According to Wheaton (2011) “Yes, companies should pay attention. Of course it all ties into the larger thing we call marketing. But I get the impression that too many people believe that ‘conversation’ matters more than other parts of the puzzle, that it will actually build brands, that it might replace actual consumer research” (p.52).

Mayer suggests that,

Journalists want what they do to reach those who want it. But most are accustomed to putting stories online and then hoping people find them. With so much content out there, hoping isn’t a sound strategy- it’s an excuse. Journalists need to become social by sparking conversation with people whose hobbies, work, ideas or interests make them natural audiences, and then find ways for their stories to enrich the conversation” (Mayer, 2011, p.14).

I believe the same holds true for marketing, you need to have a good story and then know how to engage people enough that they help you share it. Content then conversation.

References:

Greenberg, M. (2009, October 20). Content is king of social marketing. MultichannelMerchant.com. Retrieved April 12, 2012 from http://multichannelmerchant.com/social-media/1020-content-social-marketing/

Mayer, J. (2011). Engaging Communities: Content and Conversation. Nieman Reports, Vol. 65 (2), p. 12-14.

Novak, C. (2010). Why Conversation, not Content, is King. SocialMediaToday.com. Retrieved April 12, 2012 from http://socialmediatoday.com/wordspring/152636/why-conversation-not-content-king

Wheaton, K. (2011) What we need is a little less conversation, a little more actual marketing. Advertising Age, Vol. 82 (39), p. 52.