What a 130-year-old content strategy teaches us

What can a 130-year-old content marketing strategy teach us?

A heckuva lot.

In 1895, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 was created by Charles Deere (John's son) as a free giveaway to John Deere customers. Early issues featured promotions of the company’s farming equipment, keeping in line with competitors who were selling their wares through direct marketing.

Then one day Charles realized he’d have more success by focusing on customers - farmers - and the issues they were facing in the fields. With that epiphany, Charles transformed 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 into an agricultural journal, running useful, unbiased content and little overt advertising.

The move to editorial-quality, brand-agnostic articles and features paid off. By 1912, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 had over 4 million loyal, invested readers, and booming sales.

By showing a deep understanding of customers' issues and catering to their needs, Deere cemented the brand as a partner and proved the enduring power relevant content has in community building and creating a lasting legacy.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆:

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 - offer counter programming that fills a gap for customers, break through by zigging when others zag

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 - provide solutions to their problems with valuable content - in times of purchasing need, they will turn to you as their go-to

𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 - trust customers to confer authority through good content - what you don't see on the cover below is the John Deere logo or brand name

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆-𝘁𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - treat content creation as an independent venture to improve quality and efficiency, while remaining in sync with company's overall goals

𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 - understand (or hire someone who does) that content marketing is a must-have for long-term sales, community and brand building - it will never prove its purpose and potential without proper investment