How content can help companies create consumer habits

A while ago, I had an encouraging email from a woman that represented a small but extraordinary marketing victory. It’s worth considering today as a marketing lesson in consumer habits.

Her message to me:

“Mark, I start my day with you. I get a cup of coffee, open my laptop, and see what you sent me that day.”

This is a remarkable statement because it shows that I have become a habit, part of the fabric of her daily life.

Becoming a habit is really the Holy Grail of marketing (here is a very useful treatise on the subject).

The idea of building and reinforcing new consumer habits is an extremely complicated subject and I don’t want to minimize that, but I do think content can play a role in the process. A new habit begins with a trigger and is reinforced through repetition. That’s an important lesson for content marketers regarding quality and quantity.

Quality is a trigger for new consumer habits

Quality acts as a trigger. In this world of overwhelming information density (Content Shock) it’s extraordinarily difficult to earn that initial attention. This why having superior quality — at least the best in your niche — is essential.