He loves breakfast food, meat, the outdoors and privacy. He hates government, vegetables, human interaction and his ex-wives. He buries gold. He builds chairs. He moonlights as jazz saxophonist Duke Silver. And deep down, he’s a marketing genius, although he would likely scoff at the notion. He’s Ron Swanson, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana.

Everybody gets the “know, like and trust” component of good marketing content. But most companies don’t recognize how good marketing content – and bad marketing content – affect the sales process. Bad marketing content lacks clarity. It’s filled with shameless self-promotion instead of helpful information. There’s no strategy behind the subject matter, the distribution, or how to incorporate content into your sales arsenal. That ain’t helping anyone close a sale.