Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

 

 

 

 

It`s a bit of a chicken and egg argument. If, as Mr. Jackson notes, the conversation is content, where does the conversation start? There must be some topic out there to inspire people to talk.  And, yes, after that, the conversation can become content insofar as it generates new ideas.

 

Is the intention of content to foster society? Not always. Some people just feel passionate about a topic and want to vent without necessarily getting a response. Some put content out there (most of it bad or too much of a hard sell) just to attract visits to their websites. But savvy buisness owners know that sparking conversation with their customers -whether or not the talk goes on between two people or twenty - is the key to success in online marketing, and in building a reputation as a progressive business that wants sincere engagement with its customers.

 

If conversation is the goal, it has to start with content. All self-interest aside, I guess that means content is still king.

 

 

 

 

Absolutely, positively, 100% correct!

 

David Jackson

 

 

 

 

 

I never said your topic was "absolutely, positively, 100% correct." It`s not. I was referring to Tigerlily`s response which was right on the money in my opinion.

 

David Jackson

Allow me to relate a personal experience:  the business that my wife and I started grew out of a social network.  The concept was bourn from countless posts in a forum of a popular magazine.  Many of the members of that forum eventually became our customers.

 

Later, as we developed our product lines, it was these very people that we had in mind.  What would they want? What do they need?  In other words, our “content” is directly related to a community of people.  If they learn something new (for example – an ingredient that does X or Y) we may incorporate it into a product.  If they talk about the price of a competitor’s line, we observe and modify if necessary.

 

The approach is not unique to online businesses.  I have a background in architecture and this reminds me very much of the dynamic that takes place between the client and the designer.  The client doesn’t just say to the architect “Give me what you have.” It’s a complex exchange that results in a building (hopefully).

 

Obviously, the concept is not black and white and it is impossible to make any definitive statements BUT it is possible to go beyond the “Top 5 ways to…  anything” method of  thinking.

It`s been great to be involved in this conversation - really got me thinking. It`s also interesting to note that we would not have been able to have this chat if we hadn`t had a provocative bit of content to talk about in the first place.