Are You Missing That Little Something Extra with Content Marketing?

I can't give up my Netflix DVD rental membership. One advantage of the DVDs rental membership are the extras. If you watch videos on demand or online, you don't get them.

However, when I check out DVD extras, I keep my expectations low.

It's because most of them don't have captions. Something I depend on as a person who was born hearing-free. (Aka profoundly deaf.)

"Doctor Who" extras come captioned. Needless to say, this endeared the show to me.

I'm also a fan of "The Big Bang Theory."

But that show has a frustrating quirk.

The theme song is never captioned. Even the captions on the show's extras — talking about creating the theme song — disappear when the song plays! As soon as discussions commence, the captions return.

Talk about rubbing it in.

Hmmph.

Finding your lagniappe … your baker's dozen …

Many deaf and hard-of-hearing people enjoy music. Seeing song lyrics in captions helps us discover and learn the songs.

Since captioning rolled around, I've learned many songs by watching movie musicals and TV specials, like the "The Academy Awards" and "Kennedy Center Honors." They tend to play many popular songs.

What the heck does all this have to do with content marketing?

Content marketing gives you an easy way to do the unexpected.

It could mean the difference between connecting a little more or a little less.

Don't let your content marketing have that little uncaptioned-song loophole. Find your lagniappe, baker's dozen, little something extra and make it part of your content marketing strategy.

It could be mentioning a client's upcoming webinar, spreading the news of an award they won, linking to their latest article or email newsletter. Or it could be a simple "Thank you for being a client" public mention in which you talk about what they do.

Going the extra mile

Are you captioning your videos?

Do you make an effort to ensure all of your content is accessible?

Do you publish transcripts of videos and webinars?

Do you surprise prospects with a free something-something when they sign up for your mailing list?

How about the unexpected surprise of a thank-you in the form of a freebie or discount — or promoting them in social media?

Most important of all: Is your content worth reading? Does it contain enough meat that readers walk away having learned something new?

One company surprised me and guaranteed I'll think of them when it matters. They sent me a book as a thank-you for taking the time to comment on their social media page.

Maybe you think you don't have the budget to go the extra mile. Your competitor also thinks you don't have a budget.

If someone is trying to decide between you and your competitor, who wins?

Sometimes companies are evenly matched across the board and a little extra can be the thing that charms your prospects into signing with you.

Besides, it may not cost as much as you think, and it'll pay for itself down the line. (Captioning, for one, has gotten easier and cheaper with the many tools available. Here's a YouTube guide for creating captions.)

So which route will you take with your content marketing: "Doctor Who" or "The Big Bang Theory"?

Related posts

• Why this is critical in content marketing
• 6 easy steps to actually create a useful content marketing plan
• Does your online content make these easy-to-fix mistakes?

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About Meryl Evans

Meryl is a digital marketer, author, tech writer, native Texan, and founder of meryl.net. Clients come to Meryl for help with their email campaigns, website content, tech writing, website and process management, blog posts, and social media. She's most passionate about getting results for clients and making her clients' customers happy. Connect with Meryl to talk digital marketing, help for your organization, Orangetheory, gadgets, or your favorite things.