What Chess Can Teach You About Content Marketing

by Dan Martin

I was recently teaching my 9-year-old daughter to play chess. 

While she tried to figure out her next move, I started thinking about the parallels between chess and content marketing.

Content marketing is one of the most important strategies for any business hoping to succeed in the digital age. It can be an incredibly effective tool for connecting with potential customers and growing your brand, but it can also be a tricky skill to master, especially for technical B2B businesses.

Let’s not pretend otherwise – tech content can be a bit dry, especially if a sparkle of creative magic is missing.

For this reason, it can be challenging to create tech content that stands out from the crowd and gets noticed. This is where some valuable lessons learned across the chessboard may come in handy.

 

Careful Analysis + Strategic Thinking = More Chance of Success 

Winning at chess is all about strategy. The same applies to content marketing. 

Before you make a move in chess, you need to consider your options and consequences, then plan accordingly. Possible outcomes should be analyzed and your next move chosen carefully to lead you closer to victory. The same logic applies when crafting content for your online presence. 

When playing chess, it’s no good just randomly moving pieces around the board – there must be a goal in mind. Likewise, every piece of content should serve a specific purpose. 

Before you start creating a piece of content – ask yourself what value it will bring. If it doesn’t help you build relationships with potential or existing customers or contribute to your bottom line in some way, then it shouldn’t make the cut. 

Quality Over Quantity

As in chess, quality trumps quantity when it comes to content. 

A good chess player looks to checkmate their opponent in as few moves as possible by thinking hard, analyzing the situation, and making strategic moves. 

The same goes for content – one carefully-crafted article can have more impact than ten hastily-written ones. Remember the old saying – “less is more”. 

 

Master The Opening, Middle, & End Game

In addition to considering each piece of content individually, you should also take into account how it fits into your overall strategy. 

A good chess player will memorize at least a few standard openings. They will also know how to navigate the tricky middle and end games by maneuvering pieces into key strategic positions.

A good content marketer knows that every article should support your overarching goals for that month or quarter. This way, each post builds upon the previous one and helps create consistent momentum for future success. 

Just like chess, focusing on short-term content goals can lead you astray if you lose sight of the overall strategy. 

 

Key Takeaways

  • Just like chess, content marketing is all about strategy. 
  • Every post or whitepaper should be crafted with intentionality and care – quality over quantity is key.
  • Every post should fit into an overarching strategy that drives long-term success. 

Applying basic chess principles to content marketing can help you to checkmate your competition. 

 

To find out how UTB2B can create a grandmaster content marketing strategy and produce high-performing content, get in touch today!

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