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Tips & Tricks

10 Content Marketing Quotes From Industry Influencers

Content Marketing Quotes

How do you do content marketing right? If you’re looking for inspiration or advice to get your brand’s content marketing campaign up and running, pay attention to these content marketing quotes from some of the best in the biz.

“Content is king.” – Bill Gates

Yes, the Bill Gates is the person who’s credited with saying “content is king,” way back in 1996. It was the title of an article he wrote that was published on Microsoft’s website. In the article, he predicted that content was where most companies would make their money online, and that the internet would become a marketplace of ideas, products and experiences. 21 years later, it seems that his prediction has come true.

“Content marketing is all the marketing that’s left.” – Seth Godin

The quote above comes from a 2008 teleseminar in which marketer and author Seth Godin was asked about the effect content marketing had on traditional media marketing. Interestingly enough, Godin didn’t know what content marketing was at the time!
After someone explained it to him, the quote above was his response. Nearly 10 years later, it holds true, as brands increasingly create their own stories and content, rather than relying on traditional forms of marketing and advertising.

“Make your customers the hero of your stories.” – Ann Handley

The above quote is attributed to Ann Handley, the chief content officer at MarketingProfs. In short, it means that you want to putting the customer first when thinking of content and stories to tell. What do your customers want or need to hear from you?

“Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.” – Jay Baer

It’s not enough to make the content — you’ve also got to promote it. The quote above is from Jay Baer, who argues that social media is the tool to amplify your content and get it to spread like, well, wildfire.

“Content marketing is all about telling a compelling story.” – Joe Pulizzi

If you boil content marketing down to its essence, what should you have? A great, engaging story. Without story, your content won’t go far or connect with people. The above quote comes from Joe Pulizzi, the founder of the Content Marketing Institute.

“Traditional marketing talks at people. Content marketing talks with them.” – Doug Kessler

Content is about having a conversation with your audience. The quote above comes from Doug Kessler, the creative director at Velocity Partners, and is included in the agency’s Content Marketing Workbook. When you’re creating content, don’t think about what you want to say to people — think about what you want to discuss with them.

“Your brand is not what you sell.” – Jon Iwata

Jon Iwata, the chief brand officer at IBM, tweeted the above quote from a video he created for the brand. He states that he tries to manage the character of IBM, and that the company has never defined itself by what it sells (as products can quickly go obsolete), but by the beliefs and mission of the company.
Think of it this way: IBM has sold lots of different products over the years. But the typical person doesn’t think of cheese slicers, punchcards or typewriters when they think of IBM. Instead, they think of a company that’s continually on top of technology.

“The more content I put out, the more luck I have.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Is content marketing a numbers game? According to the quote above from Gary Vaynerchuk, yeah, it is. Of course, pumping out as much content as you can isn’t necessarily the best thing. You still want to focus on quality, and on producing stuff people want to engage with. But if you never produce anything, or if you make one video or write one blog post, you might as well not play at all.

“Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.” – David Beebe

Think of the worst dates you’ve ever been on, and the quote above from David Beebe, former head of content for Marriott, will ring true. It bears repeating: Your content shouldn’t be about you. It should be about and for your customer. Find out what they like, what they need, and what they want, and it’s likely they’ll be calling you up for a second or third date.

“If you don’t like what is being said, then change the conversation.” – Don Draper

Yes, technically the quote above comes from a fictional character, Don Draper in TV’s “Mad Men” (episode: “Love Among the Ruins“). But it’s a great quote for real-life content marketers, since it reminds you that you have the power to direct the conversation, and to change what people are thinking and saying about your brand.

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