The legendary scientist Richard Feynman, does a great job of explaining inertia in this video . He offers the insight and clarity that only Feynman brings to such a complicated concept. What does inertia have to do with content marketing? We’ll everything!!! When you create a content marketing plan you have to keep producing great content along your brand journey. Inertia keeps that journey going, but it can also keep you going when you should turn left.
In the video linked above, Feynman discusses the idea that things that are moving try to keep on moving. Things that are still try to remain still. Once you get your content marketing moving, keep it that way with regular updates and little nudges to enhance your content. When you’ve identified a goal like lead generation, or building authority, feeding the content library designed to accomplish those tasks will get you closer and closer. Eventually it becomes easier. You can reference something you created the week or month before. You become more credible when you’ve got a library of thought leadership supporting your point of view.
The Hardest Part is Getting Started
Starting your content marketing effort takes a big push, but keeping it going requires less energy. Once you start pouring out great content, it’s easy to keep the content ball rolling once you see what works and what doesn’t. What about inertia that keeps you moving when you should stop?
When you’ve planned out your content marketing strategy , outlined where content will come from, and built some habits, those habits can continue carrying you in a direction after you should have turned. That’s why it’s so important to measure your progress and confirm you’re heading in the right direction. Once you’ve got your whole organization chugging along, you’re going to have to put in some efforts to change their heading.
How Not To Get Pulled in The Wrong Direction
To avoid your inertia taking you in the wrong direction, pay attention to where you’re going and what your reporting tells you. Making small course corrections can save a marketing campaign before it goes completely off the rails. If it falls apart, you’ll have to expend all kinds of energy to get it going again, and then you’re back to the idea that things that are still try to remain still.
At first glance, the connection between physics and content marketing may seem tenuous. Give it a second look and think about the nudges you give your marketing efforts. The little nudges add up to big momentum; make sure you’re rolling in the right direction.