Content is not the king anymore: Neil Patel

New Delhi: Marketers have long been told that “Content is king,” but on day two of the India Affiliate Summit 2024, Neil Patel, Co-founder of Neil Patel Digital, shook things up with a refreshingly different perspective. 

He said, “I don't believe content is king anymore, whether it's words or videos. With over 4 billion pieces of content published daily on the web, the sheer volume is overwhelming. In just two days, more content is created than the number of people in the world. This includes videos, images, text, and audio. The focus should shift from quantity to quality. 

We're inundated with content, and most of it goes unnoticed. We analysed over 5 million social media posts and found that more than 58% of content had no engagement—no likes, shares, or comments. This might seem surprising, but social media algorithms only highlight content that performs well, suppressing the rest. Quality, not quantity, is what truly matters.”

As multiple entrepreneurs race toward building a personal brand through podcasts and long-form video content, it may come across that a personal brand can significantly boost your sales by establishing trust and credibility with your audience. 

As per Patel, if your goal is fame, then creating podcast-style long-form is fine, but if it's to make money, you need core business skills.

He explained,  “Being well-known doesn't necessarily equate to making more money. Some of the biggest companies, like Sensora, a Fortune 10 pharmaceutical distributor, are not widely known. As a Gujarati, I value having a big company over a personal brand.”

“Most people don't realise that building a personal brand requires creating a lot of content and working consistently for over three years before seeing significant traction. Consistency means pushing out content daily. However, branding isn't everything. Many people with massive brands barely make any money. If your goal is fame, that's fine, but if it's to make money, you need core business skills.

Ending the session on what the next big thing for influencer marketing will be, he mentioned ‘live selling’. From the man himself, “The next big opportunity is live selling, where you go on camera and sell products in real-time, allowing people to buy instantly. This trend is already huge in China and is expected to roll out on a large scale globally within the next 12 months on social platforms. It's similar to as seen on TV but now it will be seen on apps too. 

Imagine holding your phone, recording, talking to people, and selling items like shoes directly to them. They can click a button and buy the products immediately. This method is poised to become a significant revenue generator,” he concluded.