If you had to narrow marketing down to one core strategy, it would be this: position your company as the trusted expert and advisor for your ideal customer.

Rather than just another brand selling something, aim to be their go-to resource—the guide who helps them navigate challenges and achieve success. People follow companies that fill this role.

I learned this early in my career, and it changed everything, making marketing easier, more engaging, and (dare it be said) more rewarding.

I religiously followed this as the foundation for any market entry campaign, and it has worked every time.

• Dollar Shave Club
  How to edge your beard without blowing $60 at a barber—they sold dollar razors.

• Tide
  Micro tips in the marketing like “How to remove a stain while on a date”

• Paycom
  (Payroll and HR SaaS): Calculators to estimate anything

This does not have to be content creation.

• Chase Credit Cards: Educational programs to lower interest rates—this drives over $100 million a year.

• Camino5: A webinar or AMA every week for expert insights without an agency bill.

• Red Bull created a media network to champion their consumers interests.

• Nike: running clubs and communities.

The basic formula is to create valuable expertise tailored to your customers' core needs.

Most companies do this as an afterthought. Consider it part of an SEO strategy and something they will get around to. That is the wrong way to think about it.

Being your consumers hero is an engagement strategy, a connection strategy that simultaneously creates a solid foundation, generates always insights, and is a launch pad for growth.

You likely have examples of companies you follow because they are your heroes on your journey. Their content serves as an insider's guidebook to navigate your challenges and achieve success.

As Donald Miller writes in Building a StoryBrand,

Customers are the heroes of their story who meet guides (your company) to help them avoid failure and triumph.

Does this principle ring true with your company's approach? I'd like to hear what content strategies have worked well in your experience. Let me know!