You’ve probably heard marketing people say ‘content is king’.
But then these fancy-pants marketers don’t bother to explain it. How annoying.
What does ‘content is king’ mean?
And most importantly, is content still king in 2023?
In this article, we’ll explore the meaning behind the term ‘content is king’.
We’ll look at how original content has become an integral part of search engine optimization, and marketing strategy. And more importantly, we look at how you can use digital content to drive growth for your website.
Back in 1995 Bill Gates knew something we didn’t – that ‘content is king’. Pretty smart.
Who said Content is King?
Who first said ‘content is king’?
Believe it or not, it was Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The famous phrase came from an essay that Bill Gates wrote and shared with his Microsoft employees in 1995. Here’s an excerpt of the Content is King quote from Bill Gates:
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.
If people are to be expected to put up with turning on a computer to read a screen, they must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information that they can explore at will. They need to have audio, and possibly video.
Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products – a marketplace of content.”
Pretty prescient for 28 years ago, huh?
(Of course, there is an alternate version of the story. Viacom founder Sumner Redstone has laid claim to the term ‘content is king’ as something he originated.)
Content keeps our interest online. Without good content, we get bored and quickly click away.
The Idea Behind Content is King
This concept of ‘content is king’ might seem obvious today.
But back in 1995 when Bill Gates first told us about it most of us weren’t content creators.
Before the mid-90s and the world wide web, original content was only created by television channels, movie studios, newspapers, printed magazines, and paper books. And on top of that, most good content cost money back then.
But after 1995 when Microsoft launched Internet Explorer, everything shifted.
Today, only sites that have relevant content will keep our attention longer than a few seconds. The main reason that websites or social media apps lose relevance is because the audience is no longer interested in the content they find there.
The reason a site like Youtube continues to thrive and grow after many years is that the original content continues to expand and evolve.
What is the Meaning of ‘Content is King’?
In marketing terms, ‘content’ is all the stuff inside your website or app.
You don’t go onto Youtube, Netflix, or Instagram because you love the app itself. It’s because of the content inside.
There are different types of content people consume:
- Written content
- Visual content
- Video Content
- Audio Content
- Software and Games (yep, they can be content too)
Think of your website like a box of breakfast cereal. The ‘contents’ is the cereal. It’s what you eat.
Your website is valuable because of the tasty content inside. Not because of the container.
Your amazing content is what people come to consume. Without engaging content, potential customers won’t stay on your website for very long. In fact, they will stay less than 3 seconds before clicking the back button.
(If you don’t believe that, check your Google Analytics)
Consumers Become Content Creators
It used to be that most people were just consumers of content. We read printed newspapers, watched televisions shows and movies, listened to music, etc.
Since the beginning of the internet, online blogging, and social media everyone can now be a content creator.
With the birth of social media, we saw the rise of user generated content.
People today visit sites and apps online to see what other people have shared.
Social media platforms like Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram all rely on the consumer to be a content creator.
Today in 2023, everyone has the chance to create great content that impacts. And perhaps best of all, a small business has the chance to compete with large corporations for the same mind-space.
Every consumer today can create written content and visual content on a variety of platforms.
Social media today thrives on the original content that people create for it. Social media platforms like TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are dependent on their audiences to create content and build engagement.
Informational Content vs. Emotional Content
Back in the early 1900s, brands used to provide detailed descriptions of their products. All marketing and advertising was factual and empirical.
By the 1950’s, advertising and marketing began to become more emotional. Savvy marketers realized that playing on the emotions of people would make them more compelled to buy. This was the era of Mad Men, and David Ogilvy, when clever ads helped sell products and services.
But with the rise of the Google in the early 2000s, and search engine marketing, people today once again want more information.
Good Content Helps Build Trust
In 2023, good content not only gives people insights, it matches the context of what people are searching for.
Valuable content that explains how products and services work, and what to expect when using a certain solution helps to build brand loyalty.
Adding this information to your website, and sharing it in a blog post, infographics, or video helps consumers see you as more than a seller.
Providing high-value content makes your brand a trusted partner in their purchase. And this approach is a crucial part of any successful digital marketing strategy.
Good content is at the core of content marketing: posting quality content that educates your potential customer makes them trust you more.
Traditional marketing just tries to sell a product or service, whereas content marketing aims to build trust first and sell second.
Content is still king in 2023, and will continue to be as long as the internet exists.
Is Content Still King in 2023?
Yes, content is still important, and it will be as long as people continue to use the internet.
Having lots of valuable content inside your website makes people want to keep coming back.
Regular content creation on your blog and website means there is always more interesting stuff to keep people visiting, sharing, and growing their trust with you.
This simple content strategy is the secret behind the success of Wikipedia: you keep visiting because they have the content you need.
The key to success with content marketing is to keep adding more content to your website so search engines can find it. When search engines find your site, and realize you have high quality content, then they will rank you higher in the search results.
Higher rankings in the search engine means more people find you, more of them will (hopefully) buy more of your products and services.
The reason marketing people say that ‘content is king’ is because content is the important stuff that keeps your customers coming back for more.
(Now that you’re officially as smart as Bill Gates, go forth, and create some content!)