I’ve always respected food critics.

It’s their ability to distinguish, evaluate and appreciate slight nuances in something as nebulous (to me, at least) as how something tastes. For someone who hasn’t developed those abilities, their response might just be “Hey, that’s good.” But to those with taste, it’s the subtle differences that take food from “just sustenance” to something more profound.

That’s how I feel about writing and content marketing. Where most might be satisfied with just posting to ask for Likes or try to capitalize on the latest meme, I believe good content should uplift, encourage positive change, and inspire people to do more and be better. Good content builds relationships at an authentic, personal level. How’s that possible? It’s all in the details.

In this era of cynical clickbait and junk content overload, some may consider the idea that marketing can build relationships naive or idealistic. But as time goes on and people get better at seeing right through disingenuous ad campaigns, we will increasingly find that it’s the only way that works.