Your content is worthless if no one consumes it. The Wall Street Journal published an article last week titled Content Deluge Swamps Yahoo, which focused on how large online publishers are struggling to make a living although they have torrents of content (at least some of which is pretty good). Now that everybody’s a publisher, the sheer volume of content creates an overwhelming noise to signal ratio.

‘Pretty good’ isn’t good enough. The only way to have your marketing messages ingested and digested is by baking them into exceptional content – what I call ‘Gourmet Content’. People find Gourmet Content because they seek it out. They consume Gourmet Content because they WANT to. It’s extraordinarily good.

Gourmet Content

A gourmet is a person with a discriminating palate and a deep knowledge of fine food. Gourmet Content is information that isn’t designed for mass consumption. It’s researched and developed with a specific audience in mind – an audience that has been carefully targeted and finely detailed. The developer of Gourmet Content knows what his audience is interested in… what fascinates and delights them.

The word ‘gourmet’ can also be used to describe meals that have been prepared with inordinate effort and art. Gourmet Content must be made from the freshest ingredients (text, animation, audio, charts, infographics, video, or other elements). It isn’t quickly thrown together and shoved through a ‘To Go’ pickup window. It is thoughtfully formulated, comprised of congruent ingredients that support a coherent message. It’s allowed to marinade overnight so the flavors mature and ripen.

Presentation is key. Where the content is placed, how it’s contextualized, the tools used to develop and display it – all must be carefully selected and expertly manipulated.

Your target prospects are much more likely to consume your marketing messages if those messages have been prepared and presented to gourmet standards. If you’re a B2B IT company, contact me to learn more.

I know there are marketers out there who will disagree with my basic quality vs. quantity premise. Please comment. Let’s have a lively, yet civilized, debate.