5 Things Iron Man Can Teach us About Content Marketing

Well, if there is one person that everyone has known for the last two decades - that would be iron man. Unless you've been living under a rock - you would be a little lost. Tony Stark - the hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, better known as Iron Man, has his own sets of popularity. Iron man could possibly be making all the techies jealous with super-powered armor and tech that he can talk to (much better than modern day AI, we can say - though that is entirely fictitious).

We can learn so much from daily life. Therefore, why not do something interesting and try to use some of iron man’s famous lines to perceive methodically and implement them in your content marketing? Apart from being extremely sarcastic and funny, his lines could teach us more, don’t you think? Catching your interest yet? So, let's get started. Here are some content marketing tips you could use, and to make it a lot more interesting we can follow this super-hero’s best known lines till date.

1. "Following is not really my style."

Apart from being a billionaire, Tony Stark is also known for many other things - one of the most important ones is being a genius. Being a genius does not come out of solving a problem with an already stated formula, does it? It comes with new inventions. Wasn’t it good that Iron man didn’t follow rules that were already made, and invented his own armor?

Trying to do what has always been done could work out perfectly since there is no more trial and error, you know it would work. But do you think that is the case with content creation and marketing? Definitely not! So, think like Iron Man. If not unique, new and creative your content can never get anywhere. It is hard, trying to curate content that isn't on the web - but it is not impossible. It is one of the most critical tips you would need when it comes to content marketing. Just remember, if it isn't an original, it isn't going to work out.

This does not just stand for outbound alone but also stands the same in terms of inbound too. Make sure your website, social media, and every online platform have unique and creative content. Especially when it comes to Google, you would want to know that Google just loves to crawl new information and update it on its database.

2. "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."

With his brand new suit, Tony Stark didn’t take baby steps to practice in it. He flew to a great altitude, which was to his benefit. Iron man knew the world wasn’t going to wait for him. Don't you think that’s true in a lot of cases? Like with your content marketing. Here’s why.

A digital environment is an ever-changing place where you will have to adapt fast. Content marketing would not work like print or other forms of advertising. All brands out in the market, big or small, are trying to engage more customers with their content. We need to also know that content marketing has always been known for its lower up-front costs and long-term benefits. If you are thinking about content marketing and have an editorial calendar in mind - do not be shocked by the aspects of constant changes on that calendar. This happens because content always has to be in the moment, along with being unique and creative. Moreover, the digital world is ever-evolving.

A lot of businesses out there want to know how to adapt to these constant changes. But - the good news is that you can adapt through the steps that are mentioned below:

a) Make sure you find more content angles.

b) Don't always depend on the outside market or external factors (such as the pandemic and more) to start curating; instead, create what your customers want.

c) Incline more towards adaptive content.

d) Come up with more personalized content.

e) Always have a go-to resource.

f) Outsource reliable and creative content for your activities.

It could be hard to keep pace with the moving environment, but with the right tips and tricks under your sleeve, you can do it.

3. "This is going to be like finding a needle in the world's biggest haystack... fortunately, I brought a magnet!"

Stark has all the tools, don’t you think? Or the world would have ended trying to find that needle. You need to have all those tools too - why? Because how would you find your niche in a market so big. Let’s talk about this a little more in depth.

The online world has more than 4 billion people and millions of businesses, and every one of them has its own kind. How do you know where to head in the massive crowd? It's hard to gain direction with all this, do you agree? Don't worry; there is one holy grail in content marketing for this very cause; it hands you the magnet to find your needle in this haystack - Targeted Content. Targeted content requires an immense amount of filtering and parameters in order to give you the best results. You can create targeted content with these parameters:

a) Demographic Information

These filters will include:-

• Industry

• Location

• Department

• Company size

• Budget

• Job title, role

b) Behavioral information

These filters would usually include:-

• Motivating factors

• pain points

• Expectations

• Concerns

You can’t just reach out to everyone through your content, only the potential ones are bound to become your buying customers.

4. "Isn't it why we fight - so we can end the fight and go home?"

Iron man was very optimistic, wasn’t he? You might be thinking, why not, he could win any fight, he had a suit that nothing could penetrate through. Though that’s true, if there is no fight, there is no superhero. Competition is the only thing that prove to you there’s a #1. Wondering how that is relevant for content marketing, here’s how.

"Content is king." Have you been hearing this a lot? Every marketer out there has been hearing it, but you would not hear it this much if it wasn't true. Moreover, over 90% of the businesses today use content marketing, and the competition is bound to be intense. The competition is intense, but it is inevitable since competing is the only way you get to win. But, with hard work and a competitive spirit, you will always get to win. All you need to do is to master some good tactics to get you through. Have a robust content plan, and you can efficiently beat the competition in a crowded market.

5. "No amount of money ever bought a second of time."

Do you know when Tony Stark says this line? If you didn’t, here he’s speaking about his father. Though his father had given him this legacy, and so much money, he couldn’t build a bond with his son. This might seem a little click, but it’s true. If we surpass the moment, we could never get it back, money though we can. So, here’s your final tip on content marketing - seize the moment.

As already mentioned, content is something you would have to curate at the moment. If it isn't current and now, no one would possibly be interested in it. Time once gone, cannot be earned; money can, so you need to seize this very moment to excel in your business, or the moment will pass. As time waits for no one, and content marketing (not always, but most times) is time-specific, you can't risk losing out. So, the biggest tip you could get is, whether you would have to hire a specialized team or have to seek for content marketers to help you out - do it! Also, content is known to be one of the very few marketing pathways that cost you less but bring you greater returns - so why miss out on the opportunity?

Final Thoughts

Iron man, known to be one of the most famous characters with great lines, though fictitious, can turn out to play a great role - like the one in this article. These are some important steps you couldn't possibly overlook in your content marketing cycle, so make sure they have all been ticked. But the main tip for you is - never stop learning!