Sign up to The Write Fit newsletter on the Typeset website

BLOG

Asset Based Marketing: Content as an Asset

You’ve heard the famous quote from Lord Leverhulme, British founder of Unilever, right? He said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I do not know which half.” That quote has been attributed to many different people over the years. It resonates with anyone who has ever had to budget for an expensive activity with intangible results, specifically advertising or marketing.

Defining Assets
Business can spend a lot of money on promotional campaigns and have nothing to show for it afterwards. Running print ads in the newspaper, buying airtime on TV/radio, attending trade shows and running contests are all common ways to spend marketing budgets with nothing tangible to show for them in the long-term. An important distinction to asset based marketing is the content should have a long shelf life. Any product or activity with a brief lifespan doesn’t qualify. I shudder to think how much money was spent on the Y2K “crisis”. I bet most of it was completely irrelevant even before the calendar turned over to the year 2000.

Content with a Longevity Factor
What sort of content has evergreen appeal?

  • Blogs – One blog post does not constitute asset status. However, a blog that’s regularly updated and been around for awhile will quickly begin to position the author as an authority on their topic. The collective work of a blog is definitely an asset. The bonus is that it helps influence SEO, which adds to its appeal in an asset based marketing strategy.
  • White Papers – Often referred to as the “King of Content”, white papers consistently remain one of the most influential marketing documents you can have. The 2010 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report from Eccolo Media said this, “White papers are also the most frequently shared type of content, firmly cementing their place in the upper echelons of the marketer’s toolkit. Our advice: invest in white papers”. The great thing about a well-crafted white paper is that it can be updated with new statistics year on year, making it an extremely long-lasting investment.
  • Case Studies – Also called Customer Success Stories, people cannot get enough of “advice from strangers”. The advent of social media has opened the sphere of influence and whom we trust the most is other consumers. Document what your business does well in a persuasive case study and you’ll have a real asset on your hands.
  • Email Newsletters – You might be wondering how a newsletter can become an asset. In the case of email newsletters, you’re able to archive every issue on your website. Not only available to subscribers, they also do a fine job of boosting your SEO. For a great example of how an email newsletter can continue to provide value to your company, have a look at the newsletter archive for Fitzgerald Photo Imaging. As with a blog, consistently publishing quality content will help establish your authority with new prospects as well as current customers.

The Takeaway
Spending on marketing can provide tangible results if your content is planned and managed appropriately. Before allocating money to a project, consider how long it will be in service and whether you can repurpose the content in any way. If the longevity factor is present, your asset based marketing strategy becomes more cost-effective and holds more influence in the long term.

What other content works as an asset?

Subscribe here to have new posts from the Global Copywriting Blog delivered by email.

Related posts:

*image courtesy of Francesco Marino at www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net