Welcome to our weekly edition of Content Marketing Rockstars, a series where we feature top practitioners in the industry. Today, we speak to Simon Kearney, the CEO of Click2View, one of the leading Content Marketing agencies in Singapore.

Why Content Marketing?

Simon: First and foremost, because of the delight in telling stories. I believe there are no boring stories, only boring writers and creators. If you dive into every story with enthusiasm and a glint in your eyes, it’s a very fulfilling way to spend your time. Especially, if you’re getting paid for it.

Content is the communication currency of our time. It is a fantastic time for trained storytellers, journalists and creators to be creating content and leading the way in communications for media and brands.

How did you get started with Content Marketing?

Simon: I was formerly a journalist and Political Editor for the News Limited Group Sunday newspapers in Australia. I was Chief of Staff on Australia’s biggest-selling newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, where I managed over 150 editorial staff. I also worked for the national broadsheet, The Australian, as a senior roving reporter covering everything from coups in Fiji, bombings in Bali, race riots in Sydney and indigenous disadvantage in outback Australia.

I came to Singapore in 2008 to run communications for a billionaire philanthropist making films in India, Philippines, Rwanda, Iraq, Kenya and Afghanistan. In 2010, I met business partner Neal Moore at online TV channel TelecomTV.com and launched Click2View shortly thereafter.

Content Marketing requires a lot of inspiration: how do you stay inspired?

Simon: It’s always been important to me to cut through the bullshit. Explain things simply, call bullshit out when it deserves to be done. And that’s a fundamental responsibility in my make up.

But also, I just like a good story. And I hate to see a good story go untold. There’s nothing worse than going into a client office and in a meeting, they tell you a great yarn that would be a fantastic piece of content, and then I realise that they are not going to do anything with that. That fires me up when you can identify a good story and help someone tell it.

What are some valuable insights you would give to businesses or organizations that are starting up or have been struggling with content marketing?

Simon: Consistency is key. We consume digital content as an endless feed. It’s just constantly flowing past us. Brands must be appearing in the flow consistently to be relevant. Brands who struggle with content tend to forget that consistency is priority number one: Popping up in the flow on a regular basis and providing consistent and useful content for their audiences.

The other piece of advice I would give is that content is not just part of marketing. You are taking part of a company’s communication and putting it on digital channels. It’s not just a marketing, it is integral to all parts of a company’s communications with its audiences.

What do you think is the future of Content Marketing?

Simon: 2017 is the year that the content marketing hype cycle ended and people realised that it became a fundamental part of all communication driven by the needs of an organisation to become fully digital. And this is the year that budgets started being dedicated to content in the upcoming financial year and beyond. And the budgets are the most important thing from our point of view as an agency.

2017 is the year that the content marketing hype cycle ended and people realised that it became a fundamental part of all communication driven by the needs of an organisation to become fully digital.

Besides Content Marketing, what are you passionate about?

Simon: Family and travel most definitely. For those of you who know my wife, Ally, she is a very feisty Singaporean woman. A lovely lady who wears the pants in our household. And our little boy Alex, he’s a lovely kid. He has a lot of joy and he just walks around happy. That’s the most precious thing ever, so my life focus is helping him retain that joy.

We usually try to take a road trip once a year in Europe or Australia. We rent a car and do our own thing. People say we are quite adventurous as parents travelling around, but it doesn’t feel like that to us. We’re just hanging out. Last year we went travelling around Scandinavia.

Give us an elevator pitch of your business.

Simon: We solve marketing problems and business objectives for our brand clients by creating consistent, entertaining and invaluable content for their audiences. Storytelling is in our DNA. We are founded by journalists and thrive on telling authentic stories others can’t find. Our strength is turning brands into essential sources of content for their audiences.

How can people connect with you/your business?

Simon: Please visit us at www.click2view.asia or follow us on Instagram @click2view,  email me at Simon@click2view.asia