Talking Content Marketing – With Jerod Morris
The phrase ‘adaptive content‘ has entered discussion in the past few months, time to get a little deeper into what this actually means.
Talking Content Marketing welcomes VP of Marketing for Copyblogger Media, Jerod Morris. He is also founder of Primility and The Assembly Call.
Jerod believes that everyone has incredible, useful content inside of them — but not everyone has found their voice or the best medium in which to express it. He helps people realise the first part and find the second part.
Six questions, six answers, lets get comfy…
What does an adaptive content approach mean to you?
Most individuals and businesses operating online do so with limited resources. So their content content archive is their sales team. Adaptive content helps you sell products and ideas better by getting the right piece of content in front of the right person at the right time.
And the technology is evolving to a point where it can be done (effectively and affordably) even by small businesses.
Is crafting a tailored customer experience the truest way to differentiate within a marketplace?
No. Having the most exceptional idea or product is still the truest way to differentiate in any marketplace. But adding on an exceptional customer experience to it certainly helps, and it can break ties between similarly exceptional products.
You or I can craft the most tailored customer experience we want, but if the product or idea we are selling does not provide exceptional benefits and value then the experience does not differentiate us in a way that truly matters.
If done poorly can it be dangerous where personalisation can become ‘stalker’ like and too invasive?
Sure, it can. We have all had that creepy retargeting experience that made us think a certain company knew just a little bit too much about us. 🙂 Again, balance is the key. Don’t overdo it … and don’t underdo it. This requires knowing your audience, understanding what they want and need, and when, and then delivering. Respond to feedback, refine the strategy and sequencing, and constantly strive to serve better.
If you do that with a genuine focus on delivering audience value first, you’ll never cross into “stalker” territory. Stalkers are only “stalkers” when we don’t want the attention, right? Keep delivering legitimate value so your audience keeps wanting more. Do right by your audience, and you won’t have to fear being seen as unwanted.
Why is the Copyblogger/New Rainmaker team taking a stance behind adaptive content in 2015?
Because it works. Because we are always interested in strategies that help us get better at delivering the right content to the right people at the right time. And because the upcoming iterations of the Rainmaker Platform will be built to make the technology aspects of adaptive content more accessible to more people who are operating online.
Your ‘Primility‘ project has a very humble/personal nature about it. Should we become better at showing who we really are as people and businesses?
It is, and thank you for mentioning it. The concept of Primility is one that is quite important to me. I believe that the more I can bring my pride and my humility into balance, the more fulfilling a life I will live. It’s helped me in more ways and on more occasions than I can count, and it’s a message I am proud to spread because I know it can help others too.
I do believe that every person has unique experiences and perspectives that are worth sharing. But I would never tell anyone that they “should” show more of who they “really” are. Each person has to decide what is best for themselves and for their business.
My personal opinion is that building a relationship with an audience — an essential step in conducting effective long-term commerce online — is best done through authenticity. That does not mean putting ALL of yourself out there, but it does mean revealing the parts of yourself and your story that will help your audience members ultimately become better versions of themselves.
The world within social media and online is constantly telling us how to behave. Do we need to become better at being part of a conversation rather than purely instructing others what to do?
There are businesses that can succeed online without being consistent participants in a conversation. But most of those are businesses based on commodity products, so their position in a market can be replaced. They are just a cog.
To build something special online, however — and by that I mean something that lasts, that is insulated, that grows itself, that improves the lives of its customers, that people talk about at family dinners, on subways, and around campfires — you have to build community; and you cannot build community without starting a conversation. A real conversation. Because you want to. Because you care.
And yes, you need to do it more than you talk about it. Lead by doing. Teach by doing. Be the example for others to follow. Copyblogger has built its business on this principle, and it’s a simple model to follow.
Many thanks to Jerod for his time and bringing the adaptive content discussion to the table. To find out more from the spaces that Jerod is a part of:
Jerod on Twitter: click here
Copyblogger: click here
Primility: click here
