Ben Franklin, Founding Father (of Reader Driven Content)
I have a passion for history – especially U.S. history. I also really appreciate inspiration from great content marketing success stories. You can imagine my delight this week when I read Scott Aughtmon’s Content Marketing article, featuring an example of effective content marketing straight from early American history.
As it turns out, Benjamin Franklin was not only a founding father of the United States, he was a founding father of content marketing. Franklin is remembered as an inventor, statesman, political theorist, and the 1st U.S. Postmaster General, but he also ran a successful printing business. Serving to promote this printing business was Franklin’s immensely popular in-house publication, Poor Richard’s Almanack, published continually from 1732 to 1758.
Almanacs were very popular at the time, so in order to be competitive, Franklin needed to deliver a publication that was especially unique and appealing. In developing his publication, Franklin demonstrated some astute marketing instincts, which the article discusses. It was Franklin’s fresh and original approach to content that made Poor Richard’s such a widely sought after almanac.
Delivering the kind of content that will be of interest to your readers should be among your main website objectives. This sounds simple and obvious enough, but it may not be what comes naturally as you develop your material. Your website offers the perfect platform to promote yourself, but try to remember that your readers will quickly lose interest if that is all you are doing. As you draft what will go on each page, try to include some of the following:
- Content that entertains
- Content that inspires
- Content that educates
- Content that is new & noteworthy
- Content that is worth sharing
- Content that leaves readers wanting more
Ready to brainstorm ideas for your reader driven content? Give us a call.