Content Still Rules
In January 1996, Bill Gates, who at the time was still CEO of Microsoft, published an essay on the company’s website staking the famous claim that “content is king.”
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”
Twenty eight years later, his words are more true than ever, as content continues to dictate how we spend our time and ultimately money, on the internet. Great content isn’t about going viral, of course, it’s about serving your community — whoever they are —with the experience they’re seeking, in an entertaining, informative package. Whether your community is 100 close knit friends, or 100,000 followers on YouTube, the playbook is the same.
Look at the story-based podcast content released by Gimlet Media in recent years, one of the leading producers of corporate podcast content. They’re now famously owned by Spotify, in a multi-million dollar deal, because Spotify saw deep market potential from content Gimlet produced for Reebok, MasterCard, and even Microsoft.
If you’re a small nonprofit, you might think this type of content was out of reach, but it’s not. “No company is too small to participate,” said Bill Gates, well before the era of mobile videos uploaded to YouTube, and podcasts that are recorded, edited, and distributed in a matter of hours – all from your phone.
“No company is too small to participate”
The truth, though, is that if content still rules, then everyone needs content of their own, even if your content is just sifting through other people’s content, because let’s be honest…there’s just way too much out there to take in. If you’re a nonprofit, that could mean sifting through information, and mis-information, related to your mission, with a dedicated page on your site with links to that information. Take it a step further and embed YouTube videos or podcasts on your website, with your own comments of course, and keep an eye out for new content as your field evolves. Add it to your list as time goes on, and just like that, you’ve got a blog!
