Stories at the kitchen table
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 4:57 am
Next Friday is the day: I'm moving. And not just any move. No. For the first time in my short, 23-year life, I'm leaving my parents' house. That's quite a moment. When I think back on the past 23 years, the conversations at the kitchen table are one of the things that will stay with me the most. The most beautiful stories were told at that kitchen table.
My grandmother could tell very captivating stories about the war. As soon as she told me about the time my grandfather barely escaped the Germans, I hung on her every word. For a moment she managed to take me along in her experience. It is just one example of all the stories that were told at that kitchen table and that made an impact on me. These are stories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Content sucks
How different is that from the average content I read? As marketers, we know by now that content marketing is not advertising. And yet many a content ear flapped when expert Cor Hospes preached “content is crap” during the SocialToday Event . Because what do you mean: content is crap? We write how-tos, don't we? We make lists, don't we? We hook into current events, don't we? We work with influencers , do n't we? And we base everything on buyer personas , don't we? What's wrong with that?
Questions I asked myself, because I am guilty of russian phone number list it too. Both when reading and writing such content. Until I realized that we are actually always fishing in the same pond. We see that lists work well, and decide to adopt it. We see and read all kinds of things about influencers, so we decide to enter into a collaboration as well. Everything to fight for that little bit of name recognition in the market.
And that brand awareness is scarce these days. Or – if we think from the consumer’s perspective – we get too little attention. The fact is that more content is created than can be consumed. When readers pay attention to something, they only do it once. After that, they lose that attention, forever. There are many marketers who want all that attention for themselves. Because they have goals, for example. Or because they spent 6 hours on an article with 7 takeaways, for which they want at least views in return.
In reality, the reader's attention is wasted, because the article is a run-of-the-mill case, which makes them prefer to keep their attention to themselves from now on. How different was it at that kitchen table at home, where stories were told that really made an impact? Stories that I could effortlessly give my attention to.
My grandmother could tell very captivating stories about the war. As soon as she told me about the time my grandfather barely escaped the Germans, I hung on her every word. For a moment she managed to take me along in her experience. It is just one example of all the stories that were told at that kitchen table and that made an impact on me. These are stories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Content sucks
How different is that from the average content I read? As marketers, we know by now that content marketing is not advertising. And yet many a content ear flapped when expert Cor Hospes preached “content is crap” during the SocialToday Event . Because what do you mean: content is crap? We write how-tos, don't we? We make lists, don't we? We hook into current events, don't we? We work with influencers , do n't we? And we base everything on buyer personas , don't we? What's wrong with that?
Questions I asked myself, because I am guilty of russian phone number list it too. Both when reading and writing such content. Until I realized that we are actually always fishing in the same pond. We see that lists work well, and decide to adopt it. We see and read all kinds of things about influencers, so we decide to enter into a collaboration as well. Everything to fight for that little bit of name recognition in the market.
And that brand awareness is scarce these days. Or – if we think from the consumer’s perspective – we get too little attention. The fact is that more content is created than can be consumed. When readers pay attention to something, they only do it once. After that, they lose that attention, forever. There are many marketers who want all that attention for themselves. Because they have goals, for example. Or because they spent 6 hours on an article with 7 takeaways, for which they want at least views in return.
In reality, the reader's attention is wasted, because the article is a run-of-the-mill case, which makes them prefer to keep their attention to themselves from now on. How different was it at that kitchen table at home, where stories were told that really made an impact? Stories that I could effortlessly give my attention to.