David Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas, urged attendees of the SES New York conference on March 23 to create high-quality Web content, rather than just trying to drive sales.
“On the Web, you are what you publish,” he said during the event’s keynote address.
Meerman Scott added that companies “earn attention” through good content and authenticity, and encourage customers to share it with each other. He added that marketers should avoid tricking consumers or just pushing products.
“Nobody cares about your products; they care about themselves and they care about solving problems,” he said. “If you can create good content that helps them solve their problems, then they will share your content.”
Meerman Scott said that marketers should learn from the Grateful Dead, but avoid the example of Disney. The Grateful Dead encouraged fans to record concerts, creating a tape-trading culture and making the band one of the top touring acts ever. Disney, on the other hand, only has an “about us” page on its Web site that has vague and elusive descriptions of its business, he said.
The five-day long SES New York conference covers topics including PPC management, keyword research, SEO and social media.
Meerman Scott also praised B&H Foto & Electronics for having quality content on the Web. Henry Posner, the camera retailer’s director of communications, participates in online forums and answers questions about cameras from would-be customers, he noted.
