Which format communicates an idea better: a 90-minute presentation or a 3-minute video?

I recently attended a presentation in which the speaker took 90 minutes to explain the concept of “content marketing” and how it can draw customers to your business. At the  end of the presentation, several people in the audience — many of whom were just beginning to contemplate having a website — were a bit confused.

Actually, the phrase “content marketing” has been around for a long time. The Wikipedia page for “content marketing” was created in 2008.

Content marketing is essentially storytelling with a specific goal.

Content marketing objectives

Typical uses of content marketing include:

  • Sell something;
  • Engage an audience;
  • Provide vital safety and health information;
  • Persuade people to take an action; and
  • Share your vast knowledge with the public.

I’ve been doing content marketing most of my life, beginning in the mid 1960s when I was an editor of the school paper in sixth grade.

My consulting practice, Jonathan Lehrer Communications, manages blogs (example: Gary H. Smith, Chicago property tax attorney), produces email newsletters (example: Thornton High School Alumni Legacy Fund) and provides the voice for podcasts (example: College of American Pathologists).

Getting more attention on Facebook by using videos

If your content marketing plan includes Facebook (and why wouldn’t it?) you should know that the post will reach more eyes if it includes video. But isn’t quality video expensive to produce?

Not if you use an online tool like Go Animate. It’s a web-based service that claims to provide “simple do-it-yourself tools.”

I haven’t (yet) used Go Animate (although my friends and family sometimes complain that I’m TOO animated), but their examples are impressive. Their monthly pricing model is economical if you plan to self-produce animated videos on a regular basis.

Go Animate is specifically included here because one of their example videos explains content marketing in three minutes more effectively than the 90-minute in-person presentation I attended.

How does content marketing work?

Watch this video not so much to learn about Go Animate, but to better understand how content marketing works:

Learn more about content marketing

If you need a weekly dose of content marketing ideas and perspectives, tune in to “This Old Marketing Podcast,” produced by the Content Marketing Institute (yes, there is a such an organization). It’s among the many podcasts I’ve found worthwhile lately (sorry, terrestrial radio, I’ve nearly abandoned you).

Watch the video, check out Go Animate, listen to that podcast and ping me if you want to talk about how content marketing might fit into your overall communications strategy.