There is a lot of talk in the business world about content marketing.
And there’s good reason for that discussion.
Content marketing is becoming a way for businesses of all sizes to generate exposure and sales. Companies are profiting by creating content and giving it away for free.
Through this process companies are exposing themselves to audiences of people that want information. And in return these companies are earning trust and building their businesses.
But there is something deeper going on with content marketing. It’s not simply creating something for the sake of creating something.
Content marketing is at least in part the way the world will become educated in the future.
Current Education Disarray
Check out a few of the recent headlines in the education world:
- Student Loan Interest Rates Set to Double
- Arrests In Schools Becoming Far Too Common
- Is A College Degree As Important As It Used To Be? Google Says No
The current education system in the US and other areas of the world is falling apart.
And that’s a good thing.
Here’s the current model for gaining an education:
Step 1 – Go to public school where you will learn at the level of the lowest denominator in the classroom. Suffer through bullying and be on your absolute best behavior or risk being arrested.
Step 2 – Graduate high school with absolutely no skills that apply to working or living in the real world.
Step 3 – Attend college that is paid for with student loans that put you in a 20+ year debt prison and come out with a degree that one of the top companies in the world says has no correlation with being a quality employee.
Sounds good, right?
Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but few would argue that the current model is the best possible method for gaining an education especially when you read stories like this one about a family whose kids are growing up to be doctors, scientists and engineers.
The Information Age
We live in a great period in history. Humans have never had more access to as much information as they do right now.
You can go online and have enough information at your fingertips just seconds away to last you multiple lifetimes. You can discover your passions and learn everything you want about those passions to fulfill your life’s true destiny.
It’s a great time to be alive because there are no limits on education anymore. People can access anything they want with only a computing device and an Internet connection.
That seems much less expensive than going to college.
The Business Content Opportunity
So what does this all have to do with business and content marketing?
People need sources of information. We crave information and knowledge, but there has to be a source for this information.
That’s one of the big needs that content marketing is already filling for each person searching on search engines and social media. These people are looking for knowledge, entertainment and enlightenment. The organizations and people providing the information are providing real value to each person seeking information.
This trend will only continue to grow.
More people go online each day seeking information. They want to learn. They want entertainment. They want to discover things that make their lives fulfilling and enjoyable.
When we talk about content marketing, SEO and social media we’re really talking about education people.
You take your knowledge or you ability to teach and provide it to a segment of the population. In return, you earn their trust and with that trust comes someone willing to purchase things from you.
Food producers, chefs and nutritionists can teach people how to eat healthy.
Gym owners, physicians and insurance agents can teach people how to exercise and lower the risk of poor health.
Every company has the opportunity to educate consumers.
And right now the climate for change in the education industry has never been more ripe for change.
Image: Chasing Daisy