Don't overlook the power of news when it comes to your content marketing.
Serving up news through your content program has always been a great way to get people's attention. News is, by definition, new information, and the human mind is wired to prioritize information that is new. We jump to get our eyes on an unread email or unread text.
Hold the front page.
Having a news-centric approach to your content process does not require creating a standalone news section on your company website, unless you really want to go all-in.
Fundamentally, it means recognizing what is new in your industry that is relevant to your audience, and then incorporating this information into your content in a way that is organic and intuitive.
NO HACKING WITH NEWSJACKING
Newsjacking -- leading an article with reference to a trending news topic and then redirecting attention to your industry in an attempt to capture search traffic in that area -- doesn't feel great. Unless the connection between the news topic and your industry is clearly credible to your audience, it can lead to accusations of bait and switch.
Instead weave relevant news into your content in ways that are natural and unforced.
COTTONING ON
Sometimes going all-in on news is the best way to market your product and services. This is true in a niche area or in a new category where there are few established news sources.
This holds fast over the centuries. Take Sven Beckert's account of the growth of the global cotton industry Empire of Cotton. Beckert focuses on a nineteenth century Liverpool cotton broker Samuel Smith, who recognizes the market advantage in publishing accurate, timely and aggregated information about everything cotton - cotton prices, cotton markets, weather forecasts, shipping news, and so on.
In a great example of commodity marketing, Smith begins to publish a cotton circular: understanding that the spread of relevant, updated information is pivotal to the development of the global cotton trade. This foray into news publication helps "not a little in establishing my business," says Smith at the time.
He effectively becomes a news publisher in order to grow his brokerage. Not wildly dissimilar to Michael Bloomberg's publishing empire driving the sales of Bloomberg terminals to the financial community.
Leverage the power of news in your content marketing, and provide value to your audience in tangible ways. If it worked for 19th century cotton brokers, it will work today.
“Sometimes going all-in on news is the best way to market your product and services. ”