In my last post, I talked about the 3 parts of a complete content strategy: Originate, Amplify, and Optimize. At first glance, that could be mistaken for a linear process. First, we originate the video, then we amplify the video, then we optimize the video analogous to the process of production, publishing, and measuring. In reality, all of that describes content origination. All of the activities required to produce the original content, publish the content, and determine its success fall into the first process.
So what is left?
Origination activities are all about bringing new, fresh content into the content ecosystem. We publish that content and make other promotional content to drive people back to the original.
Amplification is different. While the output may be the same, published content, the goal is different. Amplification isn’t about new stories. It is about making sure that the stories that we have are getting to the audiences we desire to reach. This means audiences that prefer a different medium, different channel, or perhaps connect with us at a different moment in time. This Amplified content is created not to promote the original, but rather to connect the stories contained within that content more broadly. Amplified content stands on its own, is likely not creatively connected to the original, but is deeply connected to the stories contained within the original.
So why is this distinction important? Originating content is expensive, and the process can be necessarily long, making it hard to scale. Getting good at Amplification is getting good at leveraging that content and getting all the value out of those expensive activities driving down the scope of your overall content marketing without compromising the marketing value of the content you create.
