The magic of connection

Erin Jackson of Narrative explains the link between engagement, values and ethics

Interestingly, for someone who writes for a living, I keep getting stuck when I sit down to write a piece about the importance of content marketing. Living in a world where ‘sales’ and ‘marketing’ often is associated with pushy cold-calls, I am hesitant to espouse the virtues of what we (in our small ecosystem), simply see to be right way of doing things.

Yet, we’re not alone. Increasingly, big brands are realising that - in a world of noise, chaos and sales propaganda - a real and authentic connection with your customer is far more powerful than flashy billboards.

I think that’s why content marketing is, in my mind, inextricably linked with great business values and ethical practice. It’s about generating deep and sustained engagement, and offering your community a chance to connect with your brand. While we still live in a world of junk flyers being mass-produced and disseminated, we are - I hope - becoming more discerning in terms of marketing that we choose to support.

The social enterprise movement is increasingly helping to drive this change - as we start to include the term in our everyday lexicon, we offer individuals the chance to choose to become conscious consumers. As marketers, we have an opportunity to share those stories.

I created my business in reverse: I realised that I had a full client book, and no brand built around that (ironic for someone who was building brands + campaigns for others). However, as a freelancer looking to make a difference in a post-quake Christchurch, I was [quite literally] overwhelmed by people who wanted to tell their story: authentically and genuinely.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and the pace has shown no signs of slowing down. We have found a niche in that we are storytellers: we’re helping our clients to build their communities, whether they be consumers or supporters.

I still get asked, “but, what’s the point? Why try to do it differently?”. (I think, in this case, differently means a) we operate as a social enterprise, just as often working for pro-bono clients as we do for those that can afford to pay, and by only choosing to work with clients whose purpose resonates with us). Quite simply, it’s because this is the type of world that we want to live in.

In Christchurch we’ve had a taste that things can be done differently and that people will support incredible causes doing good. Our job, as a business, is just to connect the people, so that the magic can happen.