Don’t do content marketing, do story marketing.

Maybe we are asking brands to focus on the wrong thing? Don’t write content, tell stories.

Me and many others have written about Content Marketing the last 12 months. How brands should focus on creating content instead of hunting likes and followers.

As brands runs toward this new “big thing” for instant success and more dollars in the bank — I see a classic worrying trend in the horizon.

Lot’s of content is being created, but the content is not very good. It’s mostly about the brands and what the brands want to talk about. Again, it’s all about them.

So I was thinking. Maybe it’s our fault? The consultants, marketers, advertisers. We, that work in the marketing industry.

We talk about new things all the time. The next thing you “must” do to succeed. And brands jump from on leg to the other — trying to follow our advice. And right now, they are producing a lot of content, because. That’s what we are telling them to do.

But, the content they are pushing out are not really good. It’s just the usual bullshit. Content without personality. Selly sell content.

So I think we should stop calling it content marketing. Because everyone can produce content right? Well, not everyone can produce content that really builds relationships. Good stories. THAT’S what we really want them to focus on. We just slapped a fancy “content” lable on it, which got them all confused.

I’m not suggesting that we should make up more words, but I do want the right things to be focused on. If it where up to me I think we should just call it marketing. Because the what it is.

But it we have to call it something else, it really should be STORY marketing instead. Because now, as always, it’s good stories that move people. Build relationships and make people come back to you.

A good example of this is Airbnb. Instead of nagging their audience about signing up and renting apartments. They are focused on inspiring people to travel more, explore and socialize. That comes out very strongly in everything they put out.

Your mission is your story, and that’s what you should create content around.

We should stop focusing on content, and start focusing on telling our brands story.