A local St. Louis marketing firm argued in its most recent blog post that too much content can end up hurting your business.
Utter hogwash. This post is so riddled with inaccuracies that I'm surprised it actually came from a marketing firm.
There is NO SUCH THING as too much content.
If there was, then experts would be suggesting limits left and right on the number of blog posts, whitepapers, webinars, press releases etc. you ought to have. We all know that no one is out there suggesting these limits. If the content is working for you and generating leads, why would you stop? If your target demographic likes this content, how could there be too much? Too much is only too much if the quality of the content suffers. But, too much in and of itself isn't possible if every piece of content falls in line with the buying process and a content marketing strategy. If you can produce five incredible, engaging blog posts every single day, seven days a week, then by all means write those posts.
The post goes on to say that "the act of reporting on every facet of your business and company as breaking news or important buying information is content overkill and unnecessary."
This couldn't be more wrong! With over 80 percent of people doing research online before making any sort of purchasing decision, important buying information is exactly what your target market is looking for. If you don't provide the information to move YOUR potential customer through YOUR buying process, they will go through your competitor's with your competitor's information. It's not overkill to provide this information, and it's hardly unnecessary if your potential customers want it.
The post does make a valid point that the process of getting content to your audience stems from getting information from your audience. The information your audience provides, and the question they ask, can make great ideas for content that will serve their needs. The important thing with content marketing is meeting the needs of your audience. Company news and info may not necessarily achieve that goal, which is why there are specific places for company news, like press releases, or a news page on your website.
Even so, the post incorrectly states that the term 'corporate journalism' come from the phenomenon of creating more content than consumers want.
First of all, I hardly doubt that there is more content then consumers want out there. Second of all, corporate journalism, also known as brand journalism, involves storytelling that invites audiences to participate through digital and social media channels. By definition, brand journalism and content is something consumers want. If consumers don't engage, it's not because they don't want content, or that there's too much out there. It's because there's something that's specifically not engaging about the specific piece of content. There are a lot of competitors (and content) out there, and it's because of that you need to find a way to stand out and to be buzzworthy if you want people to engage with your content.
Overall, I just have to disagree with the notion that of too much content, and that consumers are becoming overwhelmed with this content. If that's what you believe as a marketing firm, then you're simply not doing content marketing correctly. You have to do more than put it out there. You have to tailor it to your audience, you have to amplify it on your social networks, and you have to be come an awesome, consistent creator of content in order to yours to survive and to reach people. Content will only hurt your business if you don't do it right.