Nielsen recently released a report, commissioned by inPowered which indicated that content marketing (the current, go-to communication tool for many B2B and B2C marketers) is actually 88 percent less effective than public relations (PR).

We're not surprised. When you think about it, it's really just common sense. Why? Because things that others say about us naturally have more credibility than things that we say about ourselves. 

Keep in mind, though, that effective marketing will always involve a strategic mix of a wide range of communication efforts that include advertising, PR, social media, events, etc., etc., etc.

Of course, while PR is arguably more influential than self-promotion, there are even more powerful ways to communicate with your audiences. Like word-of-mouth! 

In fact,  another Nielsen study indicated that 84 percent of consumers around the world said that they trusted word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising.  

Surprised by Nielsen's research? We're not. But, we're not going to stop recommending content marketing as an effective tool for our clients either. When it comes to effective marketing what works the best is a strategic combination of a variety of communication tactics that work in concert to influence the opinions, beliefs and actions of target audiences.

Need help creating and executing a content marketing approach for your business? We can help. 

As we work with clients, or speak with prospective clients, it's not uncommon for them to lament that their target audience just "doesn't understand the value" of their products or services. That certainly can represent a valuable and valid communication opportunity. But, we don't believe their best opportunities involve trying to come up with new and ever-more-creative ways to spin their messages to these audiences. 

Ultimately, it's not so much about what it is that you have to sell as it is about what it is that they want to buy. If you haven't spent the time to try to learn about what your audiences' attitudes, interests and opinions (AIO) are, there's a good chance that your communication is falling flat. 

Don't view lack of action on the part of your prospects as a sign that you need to hit them over the head even harder. View it as an opportunity to seek feedback from them.

Key Point to Ponder: "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, you're probably in the wrong room."

What opportunities do you have to learn from your customers?

Surveys and polls are two little tools that are widely used and often incorrectly. They're tools that look easy enough to create and, after all, with apps like Survey Monkey, Zoomerang and others widely available they are vastly easier to prepare than in days gone by.