You don't need more content

One of my biggest ‘icks’ when talking to a CMO or CEO is their never-ending need for ‘new’ content. It's so stupid, displaying old-fashioned content thinking. 

Besides, it's wasting the scarce content budget on more mediocre stuff instead of investing in content that is initially more expensive but has much more long-term value in reusing and publishing on all channels.

Do you even realize you only need a few very good pieces of content? These drive 80% of your traffic and feed AI effectively. They’re incredibly cost-effective because you can reuse, republish, and repurpose without anyone noticing.

And with a few, I really mean a few. In my newsroom, 5 to 7 pages drive most of the traffic; these pages vary a bit over the year, so I audit and recheck this data every 3 to 6 months. 

I own my content and make it fit for distribution, not vice versa. In other words, I create content for my .com and use a derivation of that for social; I don't create assets for social-only. Doing this allows me to use and reuse my content on all channels instead of a one-time social post. 

A little disclaimer: this applies to brand and thought leadership content, not campaigns.

Let’s dig in.

The benefit and business case for ‘better’ content

No worries, I’m not going to lecture you on why ‘better’ is ‘better’. You already know the benefits and how higher quality content improves getting your message across, claiming your leadership in the industry and can drive sales in the long term.

The business impact multiplies. If you produce better content, you can reuse it at very low costs. All you need is a dirty mind, creativity, and AI. 

The prerequisite is that your basic content is of high quality. If so, you can create multiple versions and many social assets with minimal effort and republish often. If not, you're f*cked and need to invest in better content first. 

Investing upfront in better content might be a struggle because it’s much more time-consuming and expensive to create, but it ultimately pays off. Less is eventually more.

Reasons why this craving for ‘more content’ happens

There are many reasons; these are the top 3 I see the most with my clients.

• Intentionally ignorant. I get it; it’s not sexy to reuse what you already have. Nor is it good for your KPIs that measure the output of your content team. It’s time to flip this perspective.
   
• Unintentionally unaware. Hardly anyone does this; if they do, they don’t tell you because it’s not sexy or it’s their best-kept efficiency secret. You don’t know what you don’t know. It’s time to educate yourself and become a frontrunner.
   
• Your presumption that once your content is published, everyone sees it. Nope. They don’t. Not on your .com, socials or email marketing. You can easily reuse and republish without anyone noticing. And if they do, it’s even better because you need to repeat a message 5 to 7 times before it sticks.

What you need for ‘better’ content

Two things that matter and that drive the biggest and fastest change to transition from wanting ‘more’ to wanting ‘better’ content. 

This is also what you need to tell the others in the C-suite to get the buy-in and budget for higher-quality content that’s more expensive in the short term and has more revenue and impact in the long term.

1. User intent. With the rise of AI and mediocre content flooding the web, there’s one thing that can make you stand out: user intent. It’s the underlying reason behind a search, reflecting what the user truly wants to know. 
   
   Educate yourself on this, and you’ll be 10 steps ahead of your competitors. 
    
2. Data. Use your damn data. A harsh truth, but most CMOs and CEOs aren’t aware of the 10 most-read pages on the .com. What content is your customer looking for? What do they want to know about you? 
   
   This is stuff the senior management needs to know if they decide on content budgets. If you don’t have a rough feeling about this, you’re not as data-driven as you say you are.

How to educate yourself on this

Read and listen. Books. Podcasts. A few highlights: Mark Ritson, yes, he's loud but has a point. Marketoonist nails it every time. ‘No Bullsh*t Strategy’ by Alex M H Smith, ‘They Ask, You Answer’ by Marcus Sheridan. 

Frequently asked questions about user intent and cost-saving in content

• How do I find the user intent for my content?
  
  The easiest trick is to put yourself in their shoes and ask, ‘What do I want to know if I’m searching for XYZ?’ and ‘What are the relevant and related questions I might have?’ And based on that, you create your content.
  
  Remember, your customer doesn’t care about your brand or product, not at all. They only care about themselves. 

• Why does user intent matter?
  
  As stated above, the user intent puts your user first and foremost in your content. With content overflooding the web, tapping into what your user, your customer, wants matters more than ever. Besides, AI is using that same content to create responses, and with AI search going to take over SEO, you’ll have to or miss the boat.

• How can AI help me save costs in the content team?
  
  Honestly, for now, in these honeymoon years of AI, the cost savings aren’t as big as some tell you. The ballpark number in the market states 40% time savings; if you use AI only to automate and speed up, the savings can be around 80%. However, 10% cost savings is more realistic if you want to keep your quality high. 

Wrapping it up

In a nutshell, content for 2025 is not about ‘more’ it’s about ‘better.’ I know it’s not sexy to reuse what you already have, but it is efficient and effective with a much higher value for money.

Investing in creating better content is damn expensive as you need more research and spend more time on the quality, but it will pay off in the long term.

 

About me and ‘Confessions of a content strategist’

A little bit more about me and my rant as I have a feeling of sharing some background information with you – why what I see and think matters and why I humbly think that I have a point. 

I'm a content strategist with a university background in marketing, media, sociology, and psychology who fell in love with technology, creativity, and data. I have been around in the industry for 25+ years and have worked for over 50+ top-notch brands and agencies. 

I've seen quite a lot. Made many mistakes. Learned even more. 

Now, I share all this with you to nudge and inspire everyone working in marketing, communication, and corporate to do an even better job. Let's be honest; there's already too much crappy content out there; no need to contribute to that, right?

Need help to start with AI today?

If you need any help setting up this new process and getting your team started while hitting the ground running, don’t hesitate to drop me a DM on LinkedIn. 

If I'm not your designated person, I can certainly recommend someone in my network who can help you.  

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