I think it’s safe to say that marketers are scrambling to figure out how to get their customers’ and potential customers’ attention these days. Our media has never been more fragmented, the consumer has never had so many choices or been more jaded.

Today’s consumers grew up being sold to. There are very few people alive today who remember life before TV and TV commercials. We’re bombarded with more than 5,000 marketing messages a day and we’ve trained ourselves to deflect all of them except for the few that grab our attention.

The control has shifted. Brands and marketing pros used to own the control. They could put something in front of us and as consumers, we had no choice but to soak it in. But in today’s world, technology and choice have given people new options. And they’ve claimed control and have no intention of giving it back.

So if intrusion isn’t working as well any more, then what do you do to get your target audience’s attention? Today, you have to earn it.

Today, you have to connect with people by giving them what they need and want. Then, not only will they stop ignoring you – they will seek you out.

One of the best tactics for earning your audience’s attention is what is now being referred to as content marketing. While that’s the buzzword of today, many businesses have been practicing this for years. When we started our weekly marketing tip newsletter, “The Marketing Minute,” it was sent out as a fax because most people didn’t have email addresses. I can still remember how radical (and scary) it was for us to decide to evolve it into an email-only publication. That was way back in the ’90s, long before we started talking “content marketing.”

Content marketing is basically when an organization shares their expertise with an audience. Think of it as narrative marketing – the telling of stories, sharing best practices and helping your audience get a little smarter/better. In the old days, this was white papers and writing books (both still good options) but today, thanks to technology, there’s a whole host of other options.

The bonus of sharing content online is that if it’s truly valuable, your audience will share it on your behalf to their peers and co-workers. Now you’re combining the power of content marketing with word-of-mouth marketing. There’s no more potent combination out there.

Content marketing requires some courage. When people start exploring it, some of the initial objections are:

• Why would we give away (our expertise) what we can sell?

• Our competition will see our stuff.

• How will we justify this up the chain?

• Why would we do this if it doesn’t immediately translate to a sale?

And of course, the answer to all of those concerns is, if it works, it deepens your relationship with customers and brings you new ones, then it’s time to take a deep breath and try something new.

It really takes a shift in mindset. You need to think a little like a publisher. If you give your audience relevant and valuable content, you will increase their perceived value of you. It’s a way of staying top of mind so that when they have a need, you are the first business that pops into their mind.

If you’d like to get a taste of what content marketing can be, I invite you to sign up for McLellan Marketing’s new 18-week social media overview. Every week you’ll receive a short email, focused on one aspect of social media that we believe might help your business.