Why journalism improves content marketing

Journalism tells beautiful, one-of-a-kind, and credible stories that move people. In this article, I'd like to explain how and why journalism benefits the content marketing profession. This is based on research, my field experiences, and the movement that has been set in motion within the profession.

I also provide advice on how you can do your part in practice. Because if management and employees work together, the profession will become much more effective.

I graduated as a business journalist eleven years ago, and I believe I was one of the first with the job title content marketer. Still, I have felt that the field is often not used to its full potential, and for good reason.

Storytelling for and by organizations, at least as a profession and study, no longer seems to exist, at least not in the field of business journalism. Googling reveals that the last article on corporate journalism dates from 2015, and a study or course does not seem to exist either. Shocking?

The content vibes of the corporate journalist

First, let's look at the (corporate) journalist. What content vibes does he or she naturally bring with him or her?

First of all, a (business) journalist is eager to seek out news and great stories. Picking up the phone and taking the first step is no problem. A journalist does not shy away from hierarchy or status, can ask critical questions, and naturally applies the adversarial process. As a result, a journalist can write a strong and objective piece. Being credible is a prerequisite for being seen and heard.

Furthermore, journalists naturally think in multiple formats and are creative thinkers. Content should not always be crammed into a blog, newsletter, or social post; instead, think from channels. Consider the possibilities of an entire newspaper before deciding on the best format for the news.

Because writing is the main quality of a journalist, he or she works with other colleagues such as designers or illustrators. Images are extremely important, which is why you need image-makers.

Finally, journalists by nature have a helicopter view. What is the context? What's going on in society or in your industry? Content without context is doomed to fail. By default, business journalism takes a long-term view. How does the newspaper add value in the long run? If the newspaper is well-read, only then will the first products be sold.

Why is there not enough impactful content?

Sounds good right? From this content vibes should come interesting content, you would initially say. So why does it still go wrong?

What goes wrong is that content marketing is too often still grafted onto brand activation content, rather than brand-building content. By focusing on a brand activation strategy, as a content marketer you are "producing" content on behalf of marketing, and thus sales, to achieve KPIs. This includes campaigns, socials, blogs, newsletters, and other formats.

For example, what I found odd in principle as a corporate journalist in the content profession were the "scheduling of content on a calendar" (how can you possibly schedule good news?), that "expert Jesper will provide his own text" (but I can't critically question him that way at all, can I?), that "content should convey how good we are at our job" (but that's not objective at all, is it?).

Conversely, it often did not fit into the content planning ad hoc to write a good floor, much was "filled for the sake of filling," and a press or news release that could be finished in an hour was mostly an eye-opener.

Well, everyone was just pioneering the content marketing profession at the time, and I was working in marketing as a corporate journalist. The struggle was real.

Relationship between brand activation and brand building content

So how should it be done? The key to how to do it is the ideal ratio of brand activation and brand-building content for your organization.

This distinction comes from marketing studies by Les Binet and Field, renowned researchers in the field of marketing effectiveness. According to them, the ideal ratio is 60-40 between brand building and brand activation, but they have since established other guidelines for this. The ideal ratio for your company depends on factors such as your industry, budget, and digital maturity.

One of the clearest findings in Les Binet and Field's research is that investing in brand building increases the effectiveness of activation marketing over time, but the reverse is NOT true. Activation content is not designed to appeal on an emotional level and therefore cannot have a brand impact.

Beautiful stories that ráken

If you assume this relationship, then content and journalism belong together more than content and marketing. For brand building, you have to think long-term, just like in journalism. Invest time and create great stories that resonate.

Two content marketing struggles journalism knows what to do with

Employee advocacy

There have recently been several new content challenges in the workplace where a journalistic approach could provide solutions. The first challenge is properly harnessing the power of employee advocacy, or personal LinkedIn posts from your employees. This must then be done in a way that benefits your brand as well. As a result, collaborate with an employee advocacy strategy that includes a coordinating party. These days, there is even software for this.

This, too, matches the journalistic idea: the (lead) editors suggest topics, improve the pieces of individual journalists and ensure proper coordination and distribution. The idea, of course, is not that individual contributors can just run off with a scoop. This is to the detriment of your newspaper; your brand.

Thought leadership

Thought leadership (brand activation marketing) is also a hot topic. If you want to establish yourself as a thought leader, the writer must have a helicopter view of your market. In addition, the writer must be able to ask critical questions of experts, not shy away from hierarchy and be willing to make an aside.

You can already feel it coming: this too matches exactly with journalistic qualities. Incidentally, thought leadership is still too often used for brand activation rather than brand building. How you can change this is described in this interesting piece. The 5 tips given here are also consistent with journalistic principles.

The vision of Dutch content gurus

Dutch content gurus like Fleur Willemijn van Beinum and Cor Hospes have been saying it for some time: think like a publisher and build your own content platform. These visions are mainly based on content in the service of brand building and therefore (unfortunately) still innovative.

I recently couldn't wait to read the new book Impact with content, which makes quite a statement. Pull the content department separate from marketing and align it with your brand. Basically, a journalistic thought, which for me completes the circle of 10 years of working in content marketing éíndly.

Case: content and journalism hand in hand

Speaking of coming full circle, I often think back with nostalgia to one of my first assignments in 2012, where content and journalism went wonderfully hand in hand. I wrote stories for the Ode newspaper of the care organization Dichterbij. These were about the touching personal bond between employees and their clients.

The purpose of this newspaper was to warm up employees to the renewed vision/mission. The newspaper was a bridging tool and brought out the extent to which the mission was already being pursued in practice.

The description for the paper read as follows:

"Ode to You" is the story of employees, clients, their parents, and everyone else involved. They tell about their motivations and zest for life. They touch, move and make you think. What does personal growth mean? What do you understand by self-reliance? What does happiness look like? Ode to You is therefore also the story of Dichterbij. We stand at the center of society and support people who need it. We develop. Every day. Step by step."

Moving, reaching, touching, and making people think

The content issue was handled beautifully journalistically in this case. Who will be reading it? How are we going to move people, reach out to them, touch them, and make them think? What angles are most appealing to the target audience? What media and genres are appropriate?

What people most wanted to shout out ("we are the best healthcare organization!") is not what employees and clients wanted to hear or read. A nice piece of brand-building through content. Ten years ago.

What can you do as a content marketer or marketing manager?

I hope to break a lance with this article. To encourage companies, training, content marketers, and managers to think and become fans of this movement.

Obviously, a shift must be made high over to a strategy with the right ratio of brand-building content to brand activation content.

That doesn't mean you can't already bring in the journalistic vibe from the content work floor, so the two branches of the sport can grow closer together. That way, we can help the profession shine brighter sooner.

What can you do if you are a content marketer yourself

• Do you have a training budget or want to invest in yourself and create better content? Look into a course or training in journalism.
• Ask for one freely fillable day in the week. What great things could you and would you like to produce around the organization? Rotate some days in other departments and see what can be gained there.
• Think in terms of photojournalism more often. Get rid of dull stock photos with typewriters, phones, calendars, and laptops that don't attract attention or make an impact.
• Tomorrow, start coordinating social posts within your company through an employee advocacy strategy. Function as an editor and make sure your brand benefits from these publications as well.

What can you do if you are management:

• Have you thought about what is the best ratio of brand activation and brand-building content for your business?
• Stop looking for "a content marketer" who has to be able to do everything. Content is a profession within which different specialists operate such as an expert, writers, or designers. The name content marketer is too often indiscriminately pasted on (young) people from the visual profession these days. Arjen Lubach recently made a joke about it on The Evening Show. Ouch. Know to whom you stick the label. Design is allowed, but writing or strategy are totally different sports.
• Looking for a writing content marketer? Try recruiting from the journalism angle: look for storytellers with content, creativity, and vision. Tip: skip "affinity with the product/service" from job ads and lower the threshold. After all, good journalists can immerse themselves in a new topic in no time.

Making content marketing more effective

I hope I got you thinking about how we can improve the effectiveness of content marketing everywhere. Let us not wait until we retired to "think more often about you brand." ??

Side note: I have no insight into the content of training and courses in content marketing.