There's a DIG Marketing Minute this week about the importance of content in helping prospective customers and donors find you via the internet. It is content that fuels an effective SEO and social media strategy. Great content helps position your sales force as experts and helps your customers overcome their challenges, which minimizes attrition and increases profitability.

So content is critical to success in today's world...but so is authenticity.  If the social media world has taught us anything, it's that people will easily find out if you can't walk the walk that you sell in your content. You can't just ride along on the coattails of other people with great ideas. You've got to have some of your own.

Does this mean all those companies that sell you content are bad? No, it just means that you have to supplement their content with your commentary or ideas. Make it better, use it as a springboard but don't rely on the content of others entirely or it's not authentic. And people will find out.