“The biggest risk is not taking any risk….in a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks” 

Mark Zuckerberg

In our business we are constantly confronted by anxious clients who have a fantastic brand and product/service, yet are hesitant to invest in a communications plan. Essentially, they know what they have is amazing but they don’t want to shout about it.

Brand Potential

This is frustrating when we see so much potential yet lack of willingness to take action. We totally understand that it is not our risk to take and that the client requires an element of trust in our team. It’s a time commitment as well as a financial commitment.

Part of our service is to offer guidance and direction as to where a brand can be taken - whether to increase awareness, sales or productivity. What we emphasise, is that it doesn’t need to be difficult; it can become part of an overall plan tying in with the day-today activity of the business.

When I see this uncertainty in clients, it makes me wonder if they are doubting their own beliefs in their product. If you don’t stand by your brand with conviction, why should others believe you?

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Content Marketing what?

A typical scenario would be for a client enquire about a ‘corporate video’, but also seeking ‘something more’ and asking “what’s this content marketing thing is all about”. They know they want to maximise their communications to their audience, but they don’t know how.

Ultimately, there’s no straight-forward answer. There are a number of services available to create an effective communication plan, but each needs to be tailored to the individual. We may suggest a series of podcasts, professionally written articles, a social media campaign or SEO to name a few services. While a video is great, what would happen if you expand your capabilities to communicate from other avenues, reaching a larger audience in a medium that your audience are already engaged with?

Richard Branson. The Calculated Risk-taker

Richard Branson has written an insightful article into how risk-taking is ingrained in his psyche. It began as a child when a relative bet that he couldn’t learn how to swim before his family holiday was over. On the way home from the holiday he asked his dad to stop the car, ran out and jumped into the river in his underwear. At first, he sank and started swallowing water, but then kicked upward and soon began to swim. His reward was a 10-shilling note.

He talks about how risk and challenge are critical in life and business. Some attempts may fail, but without trying you cannot progress.

His story is a metaphor for how many companies are viewing content marketing. Producing a video sporadically is fine, but if you really want to make your voice heard, you need to take the plunge. It may be daunting, but once you are in motion, you can sit back and enjoy the benefits.

Taking the Plunge

Here’s a brilliant campaign called “Never Stop Exploring” by a South Korean agency. They pushed customers into facing their fears and ask them to take a risk in order to achieve an objective, i.e. leaping from the ceiling of a retail store to claim an item of exclusive North Face clothing!

By taking them outside of their comfort zone they’ve been exposed to the feeling of need versus fear.

Do they really want the prize enough to take the plunge?

With our content marketing service offering, we understand that there is often an air of uncertainty, but unless you take the risk, you will never know what you can achieve.

Lucy Helliwell