All content matters.

Imagine coming back from the shop with a new vacuum cleaner. You open the box and discover a collection of pipes and brushes. There’s also an accordion pamphlet with texts in a tiny font. Most of us will not bother with that pamphlet and figure out ourselves how to put together and operate our new appliance.

Both us (the client) and the vendor consider this as something of very little business value. It’s some necessary evil, including legal stuff that the vendor is required to disclose to protect from lawsuits, in case someone uses the vacuum cleaner in a wrong way and suffers damage.

But in a closer look, you’ll discover that this one piece of paper is the only opportunity for this vendor to connect with their client. The vendor can get quite a lot from positive interaction with their clients, including:

A happy client who will recommend the brand to others.
A happy client who will look for other products coming from this vendor.
A happy client who will not go to the store to return the appliance, just because he didn’t understand how to use it correctly.

And the only “content” that’s available to that vendor is this pamphlet.

A great pamphlet will include:

Clear setup instructions, in correct and concise language and a convenient font.
Instructions for how to get help, if needed.
Tips on efficient usage.
Tips on smart maintenance.
Instructions for how to sign-up to a mailing list for people like yourself.

Is this how most pamphlets that you’ve seen look like?

If not, it’s probably because the person in charge of this pamphlet didn’t consider it as a marketing opportunity, with significant business consequences. Many pamphlets look like they were written by a Chinese mechanical engineer, translated to English using Google Translate. The design appears to optimize the amount of paper, rather than the business outcome.

The same logic applies to any piece of content out there. If it has no business implications, it probably doesn’t need to exist.

When you write any piece of content, keep this story in mind. Look for what value you’re aiming to get out of someone reading your content.

In your first practice assignment, you’ll identify the business value in content that most people dismiss as “technical” or “unimportant.” This will train you to find the business angle before you start writing.