Before the content marketing space became as large as the universe itself, the planets, moons and galaxies, or various companies that comprised it, began taking sides on which force was more powerful quantity or quality. As this universe continues to expand at an exponential rate I urge you to Join the Resistance: Choose quality over quantity.
The Content Marketing Star Wars
Years ago I was sitting in a room at the first annual Content Marketing World conference and listened to a panel of experts debate passionately about which is better quality or quantity, and that same war to this day still rages. In fact some may say its even amplified.
I wrote down two columns, one for quality and one for quantity, and jotted down arguments for each. However I and remember thinking to myself, “why would compromising quality even be a concept to consider?” I do admit however that’s the editor in me who is mortified and filled with with fear of what the implications would be for a published typo or incorrect claim.
On the other hand, Marcus Sheridan, an advocate for Content Marketing The First Order dedicated to quantity, said at that very event many years ago, “Perfection is the death of all good things when it comes to marketing.” To his point, the marketer in me also wants the reach, impressions, engagement and leads which quantity and frequency can definitely help with. So which is better?
Choose Content Quality Over Quantity
Join the resistance against the dark forces of crappy content and your brand will thank you. Here’s why:
It builds relationships that matter.
Steve Jobs believed it and it shows in its loyal Apple customers that exist long after this red giant star passed away. When you create quality content you prove to your loyal customers that you care about their time and appreciate their attention and dedication. In terms of social media marketing:
“Your social media posts and tweets contribute to a reputation over time and if you spend more effort on trying to post often without paying attention to the quality and reliability of what you’re posting, they’ll stop listening by unfollowing you or simply ignoring your posts.”
– Why Quality Over Quantity is Key in Social Media (Smart Bug Media)
Don’t become another clone in the First Order army and fall into the dark force of tactics like follow/unfollow tactics on Instagram. Put an effort toward your messaging and earn your followers loyalty.
It stands out among the stars.
Content marketing is reaching a critical power level that is about to send all messages into a black hole. Simply put there is far too much content out there, and our systems are at information overload to the point that our brains cannot compute fast enough and focus on one thing long enough to make a decision. In fact quantity over quality is a primary contributor to this problem and you are not helping your consumer at that point you are actually decreasing the quality of their decision making abilities:
“Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity. Decision makers have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity. Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur.” –
– Information Overload Why it Matters and How to Combat it (Interaction Design Foundation)
So what does this mean? It means that simple yet purposeful content that deeply resonates with your audience breaks through the darkness and shines brighter in the content marketing galaxy than all the other stars.
It proves you are a leader and not just another storm trooper.
Anyone can be a follower, but to be successful in your industry you need to blend multiple leadership styles while empowering others – aka your followers – to join and champion the movement. There are so many leadership lessons to learn from the Star Wars saga, not just from the obvious leaders like Yoda, but also the supporting leaders like Finn and Chewbacca. For example:
“He is not a Jedi but in battle he sees a vacuum and he fills it by grabbing a lightsaber and fighting with it even though he is not trained. He doesn’t always follow the rules but gets the job done. He’s very concerned about outcomes and doing the right thing. The resistance movement is not trying to follow the old ways but to blaze anew. Finn fits right in.”
Read on to the quote’s source to find more leadership lessons from star wars but the primary takeaway here is that yes you certainly should work to become the recognized leader in your industry, but you also need the Finns of the world to help you grow. Quality content is recognized by your loyal consumers and they will become the supporting leaders of your battle to gain market share by promoting that content to their planets and galaxies if done right.
May the Force Be With You
This is a call to action for all marketers who believe in the power of the force. Join the content marketing resistance and choose quality over quantity!
