Joe Pulizzi - Content Marketing Czar

It's the use of relevant and compelling information that converts prospects into customers.

Authors Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett have given us the ultimate roadmap for better understanding and creating effective content programs within our organizations.

Their book, Get Content, Get Customers, is one of the most important marketing books you'll ever read. It provides dozens of examples of how large and small companies all over the world are leveraging the power of content to drive profits. And yes - this stuff really works!

With the Internet, customers are in more control of what has been called "interruption marketing." These days, you must provide valuable information to both your prospects and customers if you have any hope of building the trust and confidence necessary to engage them.

The rules have changed - and Get Content, Get Customers provides the strategies for engaging and preselling your customers so that they don't just buy once, but come back to your company again and again.

A Discussion With Author Joe Pulizzi

I recently had the opportunity to ask Joe a few questions around his passion - using compelling content to turn prospects into customers.

Corte Swearingen: I can't remember how I initially got a hold of your book Get Content, Get Customers, but I remember not being able to put it down. I had highlighted so much of the text, that it would have been much easier to just highlight the stuff I wasn't interested in! How did you become the evangelist for Content Marketing?

Joe Pulizzi: Thanks for the kind words. Regarding becoming an evangelist, I'm not sure. I guess when you spend pretty much every moment of the day preaching the importance of companies learning to think like publishers, it just happens. We are just at the start of this movement, so spreading this message is incredibly important.

Corte Swearingen: Why is it that so many businesses are willing to dismiss the idea of providing free relevant content to their prospects and customers?

Joe Pulizzi: Every company has their own reasons, but for the most part, companies think that by giving away their expertise they will hurt their business prospects. It's natural to think that, but that's not how people make decisions. If companies keep all that expertise for themselves and don't consistently share it, how will prospects and companies come to know of their expertise, and ultimately rely on them for information? Once you position yourself as a true industry expert, people want to buy from you.

Another reason is that, even though custom publishing has been going on for hundreds of years, most organizations still operate traditionally. The furthest they get into content marketing are case studies or a press release. They have legions of workers and agency relationships that have been doing the same thing for decades. It will take a while for all that to break down. The recession has sped this process along (which is why content marketing has become so big in 2009), but still has a ways to go.

Corte Swearingen: One of the examples in your book, Get Content Get Customers, is that of ThomasNet. I used to work in an industry where I had to reference those printed 20-volume Thomas Registry books. In 2006, Thomas made the very difficult decision to stop publishing their reference books after doing so for over 100 years. Yet, due to a strong content marketing program, they were able to transition to the Internet and flourish. How was such a traditional company able to understand the value of content marketing and transition from print to online in such an effective and profitable manner?

Joe Pulizzi: Today, market positions are protected by being flexible and taking risks. That's what Thomas did. They could have held on and taken baby steps into the online world. Instead, they had leadership that believed in the power of content marketing and did something utterly risky. Of course, it wasn't that risky, it was just smart.

All companies need to be looking at their business models differently today, just as ThomasNet did in 2006. In order to survive, we all need to take risks, no matter what size company we are.

Corte Swearingen: What do you say to companies that tell you they don't have the resources to develop online content or that they have a business that doesn't lend itself to a content marketing approach? Are there businesses out there where this model simply doesn't work?

Joe Pulizzi: All businesses have a story to tell. If not, you probably don't have a product or service that will make it. I haven't found a business yet that cannot create an effective content marketing strategy that is relevant and compelling to customers and prospects.

It's not about resources, it's about what's important and priorities. If you don't make the creation of compelling content a priority, odds are you will get left out of the buying process today. Most businesses can't afford to let that happen.

Corte Swearingen: You've developed a website, Junta42.com, that connects businesses with content and publishing vendors. Tell us how the site came about and how it is helping companies all over the world.

Joe Pulizzi: I'm a big believer in outsourcing content. Most companies are set up to sell products and services, and are not set up to develop consistently valuable content. So many times, businesses struggle to find the resources to make that happen, so we created a free service that helps businesses find the perfect content provider based on their industry niche and the types of content tools they are looking to launch.

Since launching a year ago, we've been able to help hundreds of companies find their content marketing match by taking five minutes to fill out a simple form. The RFP process is long and unnecessary. There is no time to waste in creating your content strategy. We set out to make the process as painless as possible so businesses can transform themselves into publishers.

Corte Swearingen: You are also President of Z Squared Media, a company devoted to helping organizations create better content. What advice can you offer the small business owner (who may not have the budget to hire a consultant) for developing a content marketing program that engages prospects and customers?

Joe Pulizzi: You can grow your business by just being helpful. It's that simple. Creating content that helps your customers positions you as an industry expert. A small business today should be allocating the majority of their marketing spend to creating and distributing great content. I can't think of anything better to do to grow a business. Focus on what keeps your customers up at night and develop content that solves those challenges.

Corte Swearingen: I've heard lots of marketers claim social media can suck up a lot of time and that it doesn't monetize well. How important is social media to an overall content marketing program? Is it possible to have a successful content marketing program while limiting the use of social media or ignoring it altogether?

Joe Pulizzi: I've said this many times - Success in social media is almost impossible without first developing a content marketing strategy. As a business, you want your customers to spread your message through social media. You want people to talk about your brand. Most times (unless your Apple or Google), the product alone will not be shared through social media. That said, your customers are willing to share your content that helps people live better lives or be more successful at work. So, social media can be powerful if you have a story to tell.

And yes, it does take time. How important is it to your marketing objectives that people share your message willingly with others, and that when customers and prospects talk about your brand, that you are part of the conversation? It should be pretty darn important, if not the most important thing you are doing!

Corte Swearingen: What are you currently working on? Are you planning a follow-up book to Get Content, Get Customers?

Joe Pulizzi: I have a couple book ideas that I'm developing focusing on taking content marketing to the next level and how to integrate content marketing with traditional marketing efforts. I also have my hands in a few startup launches. I love creating new business ideas through the leveraging of content and technology. There is more opportunity today than ever before. Truly exciting times we live in!