Trump, Kardashian West, and Rather: Lessons for Content Creators

Interesting, original content is central to brand building for the supply chain and beyond.

What do Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian West, and Dan Rather have in common? Like ‘em or hate ‘em, they’ve each amassed an enormous organic following on social media. It doesn’t matter when or where they post it; these celebrities have proven that people will go out of their way to receive their content.

I came across an article the other day about the rising importance of the content creator that got me thinking about this. Joe Hyrkin, CEO of media company Issu, believes the age-old marketing debate about content vs. distribution is now a moot one. “Media consumers will change their behavior and go where a creator has produced interesting content,” he writes.

So many companies — supply chain, B2B, B2C, and beyond — spend an enormous amount of time and money trying to figure out the best places to distribute content and the best times to post. Don’t get me wrong: Those are incredibly important pieces of the puzzle. But I don’t think we can overemphasize the importance of the quality of your content and building a brand that reflects thought leadership.

In short, if you produce the kind of content that your target audience finds compelling, entertaining, and/or interesting, then you’re going to be successful.

“Interesting” is a matter of taste

You may roll your eyes at the idea that any of the above mentioned personalities qualify as “interesting content creators.” But that doesn’t matter — because a whole heck of a lot of people think they do.

The key for the content creator is, of course, inventing and creating for your specific audience.

Probably for your B2B business that doesn’t involve a scantily clad selfie or inflammatory tweet. But if you can be on the cutting edge of what does matter to your target audience, you’ll begin to build a brand that followers feel compelled to watch.

Speak your truth

We live in an interesting time for words like “true” and “fake.” But what I know to be important in content creation is authenticity.

Dan Rather offers an interesting case study. The 84-year-old veteran broadcaster’s rapid rise to social media stardom began with his candid election commentary on Facebook last November. Fans and critics alike have continued to engage with him via this platform. The resulting discussion can only be attributed to Rather’s authenticity — he shares what he truly thinks and feels, and encourages his followers to do the same.

Companies that use content and social platforms as an outlet for their missions, interests, and passions find greater success than those that are trying to be something they’re not in these spaces. For examples of companies who are doing it well, think of Coyote Logistics, Whole Foods, GoPro, Nike, Oracle, and Lowe’s.

Takeaway

The takeaway for the supply chain and other B2B companies is this: If you can build a brand with a reputation for creating really interesting original content, things like distribution, posting time, and posting frequency become less important.

People will know you as a source for cutting-edge ideas and thought leadership. People will be looking for your content. People will follow you because they care about what you have to say.

Don’t underestimate the power of quality original content.