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| Hairstylist spraying hair. Photo credit: Rene Asmussen on Pexels.com |
The hairstylist and the photographer
Once upon a time (in the year 2005 ) I created a print magazine and managed both its content and ads. I brought the two together in what everyone today calls content marketing. encouraged advertisers to write articles to give readers more context than an ad alone provided.
In one issue, I had articles from both a hairstylist-- who got it exactly right -- and a photographer - who got it totally wrong. What she did was offer tips that they could apply to their own hair. He, instead, opted to write about himself and his approach to photography with no takeaways of use to his readers.
What was the result of the two approaches? The photographer admitted many people told him they saw his article, but they didn't contact him for his services. In contrast, the hairstylist reported that the article brought her more customers than any advertising had ever done.
The moral of the story
The photographer failed to offer value to the audience because he was solely focused on self-promotion. The hairstylist, on the other hand, instinctively understood what content would appeal to her audience and was rewarded for giving it to them. The key to successful content marketing is not to make it all about you but all about offering useful information for your audience that makes them trust you.
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