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Crafting Purpose-focused Food & Lifestyle Brands

What CEOs Need to Know about Purpose-Focused Content Marketing

Compass

I know what you’re thinking.

You’ve read this blog post’s title and you’re thinking “Oh Lord, not more marketing jargon.

Quite possibly, the title even inspired you to bang your fist on your desk and shout “Damn this jibbery jabbery woo-woo marketing jargon. I need results! More leads! More sales! More Profit! At the very least, a decent website!”

But, here’s why you, as CEO, may want to pay close attention to this blog post’s message about Purpose and Content.

As the CEO of a B2B, B2C or even Nonprofit, you already know that you have two business realities that are directly influenced by your leadership:

  • Attracting and retaining customers
  • Attracting and retaining employees

You also know you’re in heated competition for both, and that there are two undeniable truths about that competition today:

  • You’re competing against virtually everything, on glowing screens large and small, for your customer’s attention
  • You’re competing against other businesses for qualified and skilled employees

And what you gain greater appreciation for, day by day, is this recently minted reality:

  • Content has become the linchpin for competing for both customers and employees

Yes, it’s an inescapable business reality that content is the linchpin for attracting and retaining customers AND employees (this assumes you have a quality service or product, of course!).

Not only is content an inescapable business reality, content is a [insert favorite epithet] difficult thing to do consistently well.

According to Content Marketing Institute studies for the B2B, the B2C and the Nonprofit space, the creation of engaging content remains the number one challenge brands face as a core business function (read more about the art of content creation in this post).

So, your marketing and sales teams, in particular, are very challenged by all of this, and generally speaking, not happy with their results.  

And this, Mr. or Ms. CEO, is where you come in …

As the CEO of your business, you can help your team stay focused on content that engages by identifying, personifying and communicating your brand’s purpose to your team. Consistently. Persistently. Even relentlessly.

Because here’s the deal … purpose as part of business is not a fad. In fact, it’s folly to relegate purpose to the status of a marketing buzzword.

A business’s purpose is becoming as integral to business success as its brand, as its products, as its services.

Why is it folly to ignore? Because if you’re not the brand leading with purpose as a driver of your content strategy, you can bet you have a  competitor who is (and there’s compelling reports that purpose focused businesses outperform their competitors).

The world is on the cusp of a sea change in customer and employee attitudes and behaviors that impact how you have to relate to them. In fact, this change has been underway for a while.

It’s a closed loop, where your content becomes the visible manifestation of your purpose, driving profitable business relationships that, in turn, validate your purpose.

 

Research and reports ranging from Edelman to Deloitte to Havas Media to Cone Communications indicate that customers and employees, and increasingly shareholders, are seeking meaning and purpose from whom they buy from, work for or invest in. They’re rewarding brands with purpose, and penalizing those without.

Consider global brand Unilever’s experience with “brands with purpose” growing at TWICE the rate of others in their portfolio. Yes, you read that right … growth that is two times their norm for their brands.

So, back to content and purpose …

As the CEO, you can help your team’s content development needs by keeping them focused on your business purpose.

Your team can then rely upon your brand purpose as a “content compass point” to develop purpose-focused content for customer engagement and employee / shareholder relations.

What does Purpose-focused content look like?

Purpose-focused content can range from simply useful and educational content, to content that improves lives (and the world), while it improves the bottom line.

You arrive at either type of content by always questioning “What’s Our Purpose?” These three words are your compass needle.

Just as a compass needle wants to continually point to true North, your brand’s purpose will continually point to truly meaningful content ideas that are in alignment with customer wants, needs and aspirations.

Oh yeah, and that bit about banging your fist and shouting “more leads, more sales, more profit?”

There’s no denying that profit is important. What we’re talking about here is the beneficial cause and effect role that purpose-focused content can play in getting there.

It’s a closed loop, where your content becomes the visible manifestation of your purpose, driving profitable business relationships that, in turn, validate your purpose.