Are you worth listening to?

I had an art professor once who said, "Learning to draw is like learning to speak a foreign language. But never forget that it's one thing to know the language and quite another to have something worth saying."

He was saying that drawing isn't just a skill; it's a form of expression. And the real point is to say something with your art. To say something worth listening to.

And so it is with the content we create as marketers. The point isn't to just put up some content. The point is to say something worth listening to.

OK, so that sounds good as a goal, but how to do I go about making sure that I'm creating content that is worth listening to? How do I achieve the goal?

Not surprisingly, Google has already figured this out. Here's what they say:

Engagement refers to the attention other people pay to your published content, like blog posts, news & articles. They see and read a post, and then because it’s interesting, inspiring, or controversial, they get “hooked” and decide to take further action.
Getting hooked and acting on it when you read something that makes you think, laugh, or get angry is engagement. The actions that people then take are called engagement events.

So there it is. You know you're creating content that matters, you know you're saying something worth listening to when people "get hooked and take further action."

At least that's how Google is going to judge you.

This is something you need to understand and act on. It's all right here: What is Engagement?

I know that creating great content is something that most people new to marketing seriously struggle with. It's frustrating. But never forget that it's nothing more than a skill. It's like learning to play tennis. With practice and perseverance, anyone can do it. And luckily for all of us, we know a guy who teaches that skill.

Content is everything. Do whatever it takes to make sure you're creating content that is worth listening to.