What’s a marketer to believe about the dichotomy between amateur and professional content? Perhaps the pendulum has swung too far in favor of raw content in recent years and a correction is needed. The fact is, this is not likely to happen given that amateur-produced content is not only valued, it’s usually free. Maybe professionalism just needs to find the right niche –– to quote a recent article by New York Times writer David Carr, “Publishers who turned out under-designed and under-edited books and magazines in the Internet age have learned the hard way that consumers expect excellence in print.”
Yet another possibility is that the distinction between the two will just fade away. Truth be told, the lines between what is amateur and what is professional have always been somewhat blurry. Einstein was a patent clerk when he developed his special theory of relativity. Shakespeare and Da Vinci were considered amateur artists in their time. In a blog post in Techdirt, Tim Cushing talks about a new breed of content creators – the professional amateur:
“A pro-amateur perhaps works on a project as a side-line to her day-job but she treats it seriously. Like any struggling writer, there is the work and the need to pay the rent. The difference is that the pro-amateur then takes her work and distributes it directly. She creates a book, an album, a TV series and just puts it out there. It only really costs her time to do it, and if it works it works. If not, she does something else.”
Regardless of what the balance is between what content is raw and what is not, the important point is that it’s not a zero sum game. In fact, professionalism and amateurism can play nice together. The movie review site Rotten Tomatoes offers both a critics’ score and an audience score. YouTube is now incorporating the whole spectrum of content creation, from amateur to professional. To quote the Senior Director of IT at Wharton, Kendall Whitehouse, “Both [professional and amateur content] bring value. The latter brings quickness and a personal viewpoint and the former provides analysis and consistent quality. The world I want to live in includes healthy doses of both categories.”
So let’s find ways to embrace both expert and raw content, each in their proper context.
Professionals, consider it part of your job description to maintain a standard of quality in every aspect of what you do. Digital marketing includes writing, video production, graphic design and more. In every area, professional marketers can still shine with attention to detail, careful editing and productive teamwork.
At the same time, let amateur content inspire you to try new approaches to your campaigns. Professional doesn’t have to mean stuffy or formal. Study successful amateur content and experiment with the tone of your own materials. Explore new outlets for reaching your audience. Consider partnerships with popular amateur content creators, which can help your experience and polish reach an enthusiastic audience.
Amateur content isn’t going away. Now and in the future, the successful professionals will be those who can ride the waves of amateur and pro-amateur content, not try to swim fruitlessly against them.
Read our Wednesday post for three lessons professionals can learn from amateurs.
Photo credit: PDPics via Pixabay
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