The problem is that there are not good 1:1 metrics of relationships to dollars. How do you measure love? This requires a corp culture that has an intrinsic belief that a relationship/conversation = dollars. It is much easier for corporations to think of content as a product or an asset. Something that has value on the balance sheet. Where do I put conversation on the P+L?

Content as an asset can have systems and processes to manage it. It atomizes to a unit that can be measured. I am not arguing this is right but I understand how companies end up with this thinking.

It's funny that for so many businesses content is becoming central to how they connect with their audience, but it's like they don't know how to talk about it or even conceptualize it. Is it a product? A communication tool? If it's easiest for them to think of it as an asset, it might be because a lot of the 'content marketing' promotes that thinking... i.e. you own this asset/ it's valuable to customers. Usually this applies only to the content that's part of their marketing strategy.

The irony is that they might not even be considering all the content that is really core to their business, which could include product info, FAQs, 3rd party data, and so on. It's all information and processes that need to be planned and managed.

With the state of content right now there seems to be an inherent tension between breadth and depth of content. Sites can either choose to churn out as much content as they can to push page views like a stone skipping across the pond or focus on in-depth articles that come at a slower pace like a large stone sinking to the bottom.

It seems to me that content can only become a product when those who value from it directly subsidize its creation. Content can only be a viable product when it creates value generated income. Attention is not value.

Sure, when companies are focused only on quantity (and eyeballs) they're thinking of content as an asset. Another way to think about content would be as a service -- this way your content is essential to your brand, the customer experience you provide, and how you build relationships with customers -- but the content itself is not necessarily a commodity.

The more I think about this topic though, what stands out to me is how biased the word 'content' is. When we call our flows of information, conversation and data 'content' we're framing them as an asset or commodity.

I believe content is very much a product. What I find frustrating are the businesses that treat it more like advertising, providing content for contents sake. I see far too many businesses who pump out as much content as they can or adhere religiously to their content strategy. I think this is the wrong approach. Instead of watering down your content stream with repetitive or useless content, it's much better to consider the content a product, ensuring its of top-notch quality and is actually going to help someone. The content actually has to have a purpose greater than seo or advertising. Quality not quantity.

There is a certain subset of the population who are always going to take the easy way out, who don't want to put in the hard work and who want the quick fix. These are the folks who look at content or content marketing and do the bare minimum, or make it that mix of quality search terms and barely english writing, or who publish posts of little more than regurgitated brochure copy. It's innefective in the long run and sad in the short term.

Content is a product and it's an area where companies can differentiate themselves from competition and foster a stronger community among their users or customers. Starting with ad copy or website copy but moving on to product packaging and documentation all of these are parts of the total surface area that your user experience is comprised of. If you want to make a really great user experience you won't skimp on the content, just like you wouldn't skimp on materials. Now there are companies that aren't necessarily interested in creating that sort of experience for their customers. While that's sad, it is an opportunity for other companies that are willing to put in the time and effort and customers notice those sorts of details.