Yep, crocuses are the inspiration of this week’s thought, that and my podcast interview last week with Christoph Trappe
Spring is starting to spring here, and as I take a walk around my neighborhood, I see crocuses, and I’m jealous.
There, I’ve said it. I’m jealous of your crocuses.
Why? Because you’ve reminded me that for another year, I’ve forgotten to plant any. I can do nothing about it, and there will be no crocuses in my garden this year.
You forward-thinking gardeners invested.
Back in the autumn, you planted crocuses. Or more likely, those displays I am jealous of, you did this a few years ago. Once planted, crocuses spread, a few bulbs become a beautiful drift of spring flowers.
Those few bulbs you planted in year one, you might have thought, “meh, OK”, but year after year, that initial investment is delivering more and more.
But, I have none.
Yep, you guessed it. I am using this as an analogy for content marketing.
Like those crocuses, a successful content marketing strategy today was planted months ago. If I want crocus flowers today, I won’t get them putting bulbs in the ground now.
This week on the podcast I host (Rockstar CMO FM),
Christoph Trappe, content marketing speaker, expert, and author, said something similar, as he went so far as to throw this short-termism around content into the Rockstar CMO pool (our portal to hell for all the bullshit, snakeoil and over hyped trends in this craft we love). He said:
“…is content working today? Is it working right now?…. nothing is working today … nothing… content when you do it well still takes some time..”
We worry about immediate results, but when a good content strategy starts to deliver, your competition can’t compete as you are reaping what you’ve already sown. Planting now won’t help them.
Even better, like those little crocus bulbs, it provides a multiple as the original content starts to perform. Comments, shares, quotes you can reuse, bylines, related blog posts, infographics, create a drift of content.
The best time to plant crocus bulbs is actually this autumn. However, in keeping with the horticultural theme, starting a content marketing investment is like that old Chinese proverb:
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now”.
So, don’t be like me. Avoid crocus envy.
Plant and start now.
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I’m a 3xCMO, now a marketing strategy advisor and podcast host at Rockstar CMO. Although, I’m not a rock star, but a marketing leader, strategist, content marketer, columnist, speaker, industry watcher, and creator of ART (Awareness, Revenue, and Trust) for the companies I work with. But most of all, I am an enthusiastic tea drinker.
You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or now Threads! – or listen to my weekly podcast at Rockstarcmo.com
The half-baked thoughts shared on this blog may not reflect those of my employer or clients, and if the topic of this article is interesting or you just want to say hello please get in touch.