Is quality or quantity more important in content marketing?
If you’re like a majority of marketers, you’d likely say quality. For many marketing leaders, the case is closed: quality trumps quantity. Having less but amazing content is more desirable than having more of less-than-stellar content.
But is the case indeed closed? Should marketers really care more about quality and not worry too much about volume?
To answer these questions, it’s useful to examine some examples of effective content marketing. Brands such as Oreo, Hubspot, Amex and Red Bull are all content marketing leaders today. They have built a captive audience. When these brands release something—whether it’s a tweet, a blog post or a video—people pay attention.
It’s safe to say that these brands have quality content. But it’s also critical to point out that these brands publish content frequently. At one point, Oreo decided to create 100 pieces of content about pop culture topics in 100 days. Hubspot has three blogs, all updated several times a week. Amex’s Open Forum, a hub for small businesses, is updated daily. For these brands, content quantity is just as critical as content quality.
I recently spoke with Michael Brenner, Head of Strategy at NewsCred, and he shared a compelling insight about the quality-versus-quantity conundrum:
When you ask a roomful of content marketers whether quality or quantity is more important, almost 100 percent of people will say quality. Content marketers too easily philosophically agree that quality trumps quantity. But that knee-jerk response isn’t necessarily correct.
Think about media publishers. They create and publish content everyday. Consistency builds an audience—something that’s critical in the content marketing practice. Volume is just as critical as quality. That’s not to say that marketers need to sacrifice quality. But I think marketers should set and follow volume goals to boost their content marketing ROI.
When pushed to create more content, many companies use the quantity-versus-quality dilemma as an excuse not to release content more frequently. (Despite this excuse, however, these companies also tend to create mediocre content.) But Brenner’s point—and I think it’s an important one—is that this dilemma is a false dichotomy. Quality doesn’t need to suffer as a result of increasing your content volume. You don’t have to choose sides because it’s possible to produce quality content frequently.
Of course, doing so is easier said than done. Content marketers in your company need to be able to write quality content faster. You might need to hire freelancers or agencies who have a great track record in producing relevant, useful and quality content. Or you might need to shift your focus to shorter (but still high quality) pieces and less on long-form content.
If you’re obsessing over content quality at the expense of quantity, you are limiting the success of your content marketing strategy. So consider ways you can be more efficient. Aim to post more frequently to increase the likelihood that potential customers will remember you. Set a quantity goal and put aside the necessary resources and money to meet it.
When it comes to content marketing success, prioritizing quantity at the same level as quality increases your chances of standing out. In a world where a majority of B2B and B2C companies are now doing content marketing, volume is just as critical as utility. Don’t make the mistake of prioritizing one over the other.