The Unburnt: How to be Daenerys Targaryen of Content Marketing

Daenerys Targaryen was one of the top contenders for the Iron Throne to the very end. How can you apply her lessons to marketing and stay unburnt? Find out!

 

What does it take to excel at content marketing? It can be a tough world out there, but there are ways to avoid getting burned. Since season eight of Game of Thrones recently concluded, let’s take a look back and see what content marketing lessons can be learned.

Daenerys Targaryen was one of the central figures and certainly someone everybody was rooting for until the last few episodes. What can you learn about your content marketing strategy from her character?

Here’s what you need to know to be the Daenerys Targaryen of content marketing.

Know Your Goal

Daenerys knew exactly what she wanted – the Iron Throne – and aimed all of her efforts toward it. She learned, fought, and grew until she went from a Khaleesi to “Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons”

What are your content marketing goals? Do you have them written down? Research shows that those who write goals down have a much higher chance of achieving them, and that’s even more true for those who are working with a team like marketers.

Create a content marketing strategy and commit it to paper. You’ll be more focused and over time, you’ll be able to build your brand into the juggernaut that the name “Daenerys” became in Westeros.

Communicate in Your Audience’s Language

There were three primary languages in Westeros, and in order to communicate with everyone Daenerys couldn’t just stick to Valyrian. Even though she was far more than a commoner, she learned Dothraki as well so that she could speak and understand it. It saved her more than once!

In the same way, you can’t rely on “marketing speak” or “business speak” to reach your audience. You need to discover how they talk about the problems you solve, and what terms and phrases they use for those issues.

How do you find out? One way is to research comments on your competitors’ posts online or check out reviews for their products. Customers will talk about problems solved in specific language, and you can pick that up and use it in your marketing.

If you don’t have time to do the research, that’s understandable. After all, you have an empire – err, company – to run! Instead, work with a top notch SEO provider who can help you pin everything down.

Know the Battlefield

Another important element of winning any battle – especially in Westeros – is knowing the battlefield. If you aren’t aware of the lay of the land, you’ll find yourself surprised by ambushes or cornered with nowhere to run.

What’s the battlefield in digital marketing? It’s where the action happens. Various social media platforms are all battlefields, and of course Google is one of the biggest battlefields of all. Be sure you understand what’s popular with your audience, where they spend time, and how to most effectively reach them.

You’ll also need to understand the terms of service for each platform you use so that you don’t make a mistake that gets you banned. Most of all, build up your home castle – your website – so that people will flock there and you won’t have to rely on other platforms.

Fly on Your Dragons

Daenerys’ dragons were more than simple vehicles to get around or slaves to do her bidding. They were intelligent creatures that needed to be raised well to be useful. Once she raised them, she was able to rise to dominance because of her three dragons.

In content marketing, you have three dragons too. If you raise them well and build them up over time, they’ll become extremely powerful and help you dominate your business niche. What are they?

SEO will help you rank highly in Google’s search results for specific keywords in your niche. Like raising a dragon, SEO is a long-term game, but it’s one of the most powerful strategies available once you get it established.

Blogging will help your SEO and give people a reason to spend time on your website. It’s important to “own” your marketing property because on your website you set the rules. On a platform like Facebook, you’re only renting – they can change the terms anytime. A blog gives you engaging, helpful content that will help bring in sales.

Social Media is where everyone spends their time. Almost 2.5 billion people worldwide used social media, which represents 71% of internet users. If you want to get in front of your potential customers, no matter who they are, you need to be active on the right social media platforms.

These strategies will help you stay unburnt on the battlefield of digital marketing. Keep your cool and don’t lose your head in the end, and you may end up on the Iron Throne of your industry.