Epic Isn’t A Target, It Isn’t Even a Weapon
I’m sorry to have to break this to all of the marketers that love using the term Epic, but I’m on to you.
Create Epic Content you say…To that I say, what the F… is Epic Content?
How about useful content or engaging content or targeted content or some combination of all of these things. You know, content that answers questions for your clients. Content that drives an emotional response and makes people want to further engage. Perhaps write or create something that is memorable by adding a personal touch of what is different about your company?
But to just say write Epic Content. Sorry you lost me there.
As content creators our role is to put meaning to our words. You know, context. I’m pretty sure context marketing is now a buzz word rolling through the blogosphere as well. At least this buzz word has well, um, context? Like a photo without a caption, context is everything and if your words don’t provide clarity then what are you accomplishing?
Let me give you an analogy…
A highly influential marketer says…Create Epic Content
To me that is like Michael Jordan saying “Just Shoot the 3” or Tiger Woods saying “Let the Big Dog Rip” as coaching advice to an amateur. For them shooting the 3 pointer or hitting the driver is second nature. It requires no thought or explanation. However that isn’t the case for those being told they need “Epic Content.”
When you are in front of a room full of B2B Marketers saying, “Create Epic Content,” that doesn’t mean anything. First because Epic Content is so darn subjective and second because it is an expression that sounds so good that people forget it doesn’t mean anything.
Some people will just take it verbatim back to their businesses and say Joe Marketing Speaker said create epic blogs and our brand will grow.
What is next? A Side of Viral? Create Epically Viral Content…Please, stop the insanity!
Aim for Useful, Helpful, Valuable Content
If you want to teach people about using content to drive a result. Whatever result that may be, forget about Epic Content.
So pundits, you can keep your Epic Content.
In the end, I recommend marketers just focus on writing useful content. Give it a splash of your company’s personality and put some effort into promoting it.
It’s a far cry from an epic plan, but holds a much higher potential of success. Which by the way, isn’t that why we’re here?
What are your thoughts on going Epic? join in the discussion below.
Daniel Newman is the co-founder of V3*Broadsuite and is an experienced C-level executive, serving as a strategy consultant for small and mid-sized businesses. He’s also an insight/analyst partner to four Fortune 50 enterprises and previously served as the co-founder and CEO of EC3, a hosted IT and communications services provider. Prior to that, he served as the CEO of United Visual, Inc. in Chicago Illinois.
He is a widely published writer who contributes weekly to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post and industry publications such as Commercial Integrator, Sound & Communication and Corporate Tech Decisions. He’s also author of three best-selling business books including The New Rules of Customer Engagement, The Millennial CEO, and just recently Evolve: Marketing (^as we know it) is Doomed.
Daniel has established a reputation as a leading thinker in topics such as Social, Big Data, Cloud and Mobile. He has been named to many top influencer lists in all of these areas, including recognition by the Huffington Post as one of the 100 business and leadership accounts to follow on Twitter. He is also an adjunct professor of management at North Central College.