Ever since my sophomore year in high school, I enjoyed debate. In fact, once upon a time, I thought of becoming a lawyer. I recall the countless charitable deeds I performed by playing devil’s advocate with my opponents. While they weren’t too pleased at the time, I know my actions made them better debaters. This is probably why I find the never-ending content marketing debate of quality vs. quantity so intriguing. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the argument, let me break it down for you.
Side 1: Quality
In the blue corner, representing quality, is Ole Blue Eyes (played by Rock’em Sock’em Robot #1).
He believes there are too many companies drinking the content marketing Kool-Aid. The increase of Kool-Aid guzzlers over the years have produced an abundance of content, much of which are poor or mediocre quality that litter the internet and create an increasingly noisy digital marketing space.
Ole Blue Eyes insists more and more B2B companies are relying upon content marketing for demand generation and brand building. Therefore, the only way for content marketers to remain effective is to produce far less, yet far better content. Rather than churning out as much content as possible, the idea is to be the lone signal that stands out.
To do this, Old Blue Eyes must offer the best, most relative, unique and appealing piece of content to his audience. This will create a trusting relationship with his prospects, keeping them actively engaged, while elevating his status as a thought leader, which will ultimately increase revenue and accelerate his company’s growth.
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” – Steve Jobs, Entrepreneur, Businessman, Inventor and Industrial Designer
Side 2: Quantity
In the red corner, representing quantity, is Big Red (played by Rock’em Sock’em Robot #2).
He believes that publishing lots of content on a frequent basis will drive traffic, which will in turn increase leads and enable him to acquire new customers. The higher the frequency, the better his chances of engaging with potential customers. Due to the volume of content that Big Red needs to produce, he doesn’t care if the content is insightful or flabbergasting, he only cares that it is specific enough to be discovered when someone is seeking it. Those that agree with Big Red have adopted this approach and are more focused on getting the most clicks or appearing in Google searches.
“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” – Ray Bradbury, American Author and Screenwriter
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
So, who is right? Well, it depends on your business goals. To those who find that answer as clear as mud, ask yourself the following questions to determine which approach is right for you:
- Which approach delivers the best ROI?
- Which approach is the most feasible?
- Which approach is the most appealing to your audience?
Statistic Brain published a study in 2015 that stated the human attention span had dropped to 8 seconds. This means that content marketers must realize that every second counts when trying to get their message to resonate. If you don’t hook your audience in those initial 8 seconds, your prospects will move on to the next piece of content that catches their eye.
The Bottom Line
To be a successful, content marketer, quantity and quality are both needed. Regrettably, time, budget constraints, lack of resources and countless other excuses prevent quality and quantity from forming a synergetic relationship on a frequent basis. The key is creating a balance between the two.
“Balance is achieved only when it is challenged.” – Sissy Gavrilaki, Entrepreneur
Next Post
