Business longevity is critical. Such longevity requires customers to trust you – and that means they must have faith in your expertise

Content is a great way to exhibit such expertise. The content a business creates should of course be relevant to its audience, but how closely does it need to be tied to specific products or markets?

PwC’s Megatrends campaign, recently promoted across social media, is a great example of a business stepping away from niche topics to consider the big picture.

The five Megatrends identified are:

-rapid urbanisation

-climate change and resource scarcity

-shifts in global economic power

-demographic and social change

-technological breakthroughs.

Each topic is introduced with an explanatory article accompanied by infographics. There are articles on the sharing economy, women returning to work and how technology is disrupting the utilities market.

On the upside there is a smart website and opportunities to sign up for more Megatrends content. On the downside the articles are perhaps too long and not numerous enough to give an impression of breadth as well as depth, while also allowing easier discovery of relevant content.

Content strategy

So why is PwC focusing on such big-picture topics? One answer is that as consultants they need to show that they understand global trends and so how to make businesses ready for change. But, wisely, these articles are not selling their services. They are exhibiting an expertise, but the benefit to potential customers is left unsaid. There are links to relevant PwC services, but you have to make the connection yourself – literally.

Social shareability

Something slightly less obvious is going on too. By creating content that will be of broad interest, PwC is increasing the chances of links to content being shared across social media. Such sharing could be organic, or prompted by paid promotion.

The more a tweet or LinkedIn post is shared, the more likely it will end up in front of a potential PwC customer. Go niche by focusing too much on your products or services, or even content that relates closely too them, and you limit the chances of sharing.

Get the balance right

There is a tightrope to be walked when it comes to balancing big picture content with addressing your audiences’ immediate business needs.

Many businesses can only see their markets through the prism of their product. PwC shows how by taking a step back and creating content that is relevant, but of broader interest, you can create a more far-reaching and therefore successful campaign.