“You know nothing, Jon Snow.” You may have heard that before. Whether you’ve read the books, watched the series, or are simply bombarded by Game of Thrones memes on the Internet, it’s no secret that the sprawling HBO series is a juggernaut.

Joining the ranks of other benchmark series like Breaking Bad, Lost, and The Sopranos, Game of Thrones sets the bar high for all other TV shows currently on air. Which is why it’s not a bad role model for you own content marketing strategy. Although, you may want to leave the violence and explicit language to the small screen.

Like television, content marketing requires new material to be produced on a regular basis and in both cases, audiences are intelligent enough to call ‘BS’ on lousy content. But when it’s done right, content can be a very powerful marketing strategy. Blogs, infographics, white papers, and multimedia materials like videos, can expand a brand’s reach and foster engagement with a targeted audience– much the same way episodes of a TV show and it’s additional online content can with viewers.

Content Is King: Three Ways to Take the Throne

High Production Standards

Game of Thrones isn’t a typical television series. The show is filmed in five different countries, the cast is sprawling (and talented), the stunt work routinely includes all-out battles, the special effects team is responsible for creating new worlds and dragons, and each season takes about nine months to come together. But it’s so worth it, the show looks like nothing else on TV. It’s also the most watched series in HBO history and has received an absurd amount of Emmy nominations over the years.

You may not have an HBO-level budget to work with, but you get what you pay for. Invest in your content marketing strategy. Maybe it’s finally time to learn Photoshop, or to buy a real camera and editing software for videos, or to hire someone with writing experience. The quality of work will show.

Sometimes Less is More

Being a cable series, Game of Thrones has the luxury of a shorter episode order than most broadcast series. You see, the traditional broadcast model relies on 22-24 episodes per season for the majority of their shows, while cable series often air just 10-14 episodes a season.

From a storytelling standpoint, cable series tend to more easily find the happy medium in the quality versus quantity debate. That’s not to say that cable shows are all inherently better, but it can be difficult to fill 22 hours of television without some misfires or filler.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you only need to write 10 blogs a year, but there’s no point in creating content for the sake of creating content. Determining the frequency in which you can produce quality content on a regular basis is an essential element of any successful content marketing strategy.

Be Engaging

Game of Thrones is also successful because it’s compelling television. While the series is an adaptation of an ongoing book series by George R.R. Martin, it isn’t a reboot, a remake, a prequel, or a spin-off; it’s a new and original story to the television landscape. Hence the reason it’s succeeded in attracting fans familiar with the book series and newbies alike.

For all the high praise and record breaking ratings the show earns, it’s not like Game of Thrones has completely re-invented the wheel though. Familiar tropes still exist: the orphaned protagonist seeking revenge, a King mad with power, forbidden love, good versus evil – it’s in the execution (pun intended) where the show sets itself apart. In an age where less and less people watch live TV, Game of Thrones has made itself must-see-TV.

The same applies to content marketing. Whether you’re hoping for website traffic, social shares, or audience eyeballs, you don’t have to unveil something the world has never seen before, but you do have to find a new angle in which to approach it in order to make it relevant and interesting for your intended audience. Figure out what sets you apart and run with it. Make content people can’t miss.

Plus, Google fancies the whole practice of producing compelling and useful content, so it’s really win-win scenario for everyone involved.

If you want your content marketing strategy to reign, contact PCG Companies. Our team has the skills and resources to produce high quality content for your business.

 

About the Author

Jamie Paton is a Project Manager at PCG Digital Marketing by day and a TV connoisseur by night. As an SEO strategist she spends a lot of quality time on social media sites and with Google Analytics and Search Console.