Bank Markets Federal Budget As Customer Content

 

I have banked with the National Australia Bank (now nab) for 25 years and, with a few exceptions, the relationship has been good. 

I recently discovered the Bank and I are content marketing enthusiasts. 

In the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget last week, the Bank offered free budget updates and analysis on issues I'm interested in. For me that's superannuation and anything about small business taxation. 

The information comes as video or text and importantly I can consume it when I want.

All this sounds like good tactical level Content Marketing built around a specific event.  

Through nab I got a quick assessment of how the Budget affects me personally, within 48 hours of the Commonwealth Treasurer delivering his much anticipated speech. I did not have to wait on others like traditional media and specialist magazines to bring me the news.  

That's a nice piece of content marketing from a business that usually only provides me routine (but important) service.

State of Social Media in the Australian Public Service

This is a summary of a presentation by author and academic Greg Jericho on the state of social media in the Australian Public Service.  Given to a Canberra IABC on 29 April 2013.  Good insights.

Gold Quill Judging Looks At World's Best

This weekend I helped judge the 2013 Gold Quill award entries in Melbourne.

I always learn so much from the experience and it's the one of the highlights of my year as a communicator.

Gold Quill Judging 2013 from Bob Crawshaw

Get More Attention on Twitter

This infographic from Fusework Studios offers guidelines on how to get more engagement on Twitter with just a few simple tweaks.

A Twitter infographic by Fusework Studios

The Key Message Is Dead: Hail Content Marketing

There is fat chance anyone is listening to your carefully crafted,

committee approved, centrally delivered key messages.  

A friend recently asked me "isn't content marketing what we've always done?"

In a way she's right.  Communicators have long practiced elements of content marketing -  messaging, knowing audiences, distributing information etc.   The difference now is social media,the mega paradigm-buster.

Social media has accelerated information delivery to breakneck speed. Everyone potentially has a publishing platform for their opinions, and all of us can precisely choose what information we let into our lives and what we block.

No one is dependent on what you say.  We are outrageously spoiled for choice when it comes to information and we can choose where we get it, when and how.

Let's say your company, not for profit or agency tells me something.  Instantly I can go online to check its accuracy or access a staggering volume of contending data, commentary or analysis.  Many hierarchical organisations particularly government bodies still find it difficult to accept that the logo on your letterhead adds little authority to their arguments. 

You can longer claim sole expertise based on who you are.  Google has made all of us experts ... or at least let us think we are.

There is a fundamental difference between old style PR and content marketing.  And it is this: unless we are prepared to provide audiences with information that is helpful, entertaining or both, we stand little chance of connecting with, let alone persuading them. 

The era of the one-way key message blasted from the hierarchical bunker is dead.  Perhaps it served us well in the past.  But today people want dialogue not monologue.  There is fat chance anyone is listening to your carefully crafted, committee approved, centrally delivered key messages.  

Listening, continuously offering valuable insights helping those we need to reach, shared conversation and letting others own your topic hold today's keys to successfully reaching customers, clients and citizens.