We live in a world where most “things” are mass-manufactured. Your smartphone, your clothes, your car, possibly even your food if you ate at a fast-food restaurant, were assembled in a factory somewhere far away with a million other phones, cars, etc. just like it. As a counter-balance to the mass-produced world we live in, two related subcultures have emerged: Do-it-yourself (DIY) and the Maker Movement.
Both movements stress building and doing things yourself. A DIYer might make their own bread, or grow their own food in their backyard. A Maker might build his own laptop from parts or build her own furniture. The idea behind these movements is that you can enrich your own life and the lives of those around you by making things yourself. Making things yourself takes more time, and may even cost more money, but makers believe that the time and price are worth it.
There’s a tendency amongst marketers to try to automate processes, curate prepackaged existing content, and generally turn the process of marketing into a mass-produced product. What marketers need to learn from makers is this:
Make it yourself.
Write your own content. Film your own videos and commercials. Build your own websites. Talk to the people who are interested in your products yourself.
Why should you make your own content?
- When you make things yourself, you can make it distinct. You guarantee that what you put together is unique; different from what any other agency or marketer is doing.
- You can guarantee quality. When you make your own content, you can make it up to your standards.
- Learn by doing. Lessons learned in the process of making your own marketing collateral can be applied to future creative processes, and even applied outside the realm of content creation.
- Connect better with people. When you make something yourself, you have a better chance of forming a deeper connection with the people whom you are trying to connect to. People appreciate good work and fine craftsmanship more than mass-produced product- give them that work and craftsmanship.
For more on content, we put together an article that explores the virtues and vices of creation versus curation.
