Commentary

Digital Marketers: Approach Content Strategically

 

All of us in the industry have heard that infamous phrase time and time again:  “Content is king.”  We’ve said it so many times, we’ve become desensitized to it.  And yet, for all the times it’s been thrown around or preached, how many can actually name a point in time that a marketer has been successful in connecting with consumers using really great content online?  And by successful, I mean television-sized numbers.  Nielsen top-10 numbers.

It’s become even more evident in our fast-paced and ever-changing industry that in order for brands to survive, they not only have to jump into the digital space, but need to do it well.  The rapid speed and exponential growth of technology, combined with the massive adaption of smartphones, has made for an even smarter, ever-aware, digital-centric consumer.  They have evolved beyond the banner.  
In an always-on, multitasking, zero-attention span and tweeting world, how do you get your message out there and have it received properly?  Content.

We’re living in a truly transformative time that I can only liken to a similar industry that was trying to find itself over half a century ago: television.  With a total of only three networks, advertisers were vehemently vying for eyeballs.  When soap operas made the leap from radio to television, big brands like Procter & Gamble took advantage of a huge opportunity: providing great content to women during daytime hours, while meticulously showcasing the allure and benefits of Tide detergent.
Viewers understood the value proposition: the ability to watch entertaining (not to mention addictive) content regularly five times a week in exchange for watching the sponsor’s message weaved into the experience.

Today, we’re at a crossroads that mimics those bygone days. Although the options that a potential consumer has to find good content are nearly infinite, they are more apt to stick around and come back if the content is not only good, but also refreshed regularly.
A content delivery system needs to be approached strategically; brands and agencies need to think about acquiring new customers -- and retaining them, as well.  Therein lies the challenge: how does a marketer overcome countless barriers in the digital ecosystem that is so fluid?  
First thing’s first: although a page needs to be taken from TV’s playbook, it’s critical that the experience isn’t duplicated entirely.  In other words, because viewers are smarter and more aware than ever, if content is going to be provided regularly, pushing out: 30-second spots is not going to entice the viewer to return.  

If you go through the trouble of creating great content, a marketer needs to adapt to new consumption habits. Consider the fact that this content is no longer appearing on one main box sitting in a living room. Content needs to be device-agnostic, and the message needs to be communicated in an interactive way.  
In this new digital world where brands and consumers speak to one another through outlets like Twitter and Facebook, it’s imperative that if you want to connect and convert viewers, a deeper look needs to be explored as to best engage that potential consumer.

 

 

2 comments about "Digital Marketers: Approach Content Strategically".
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  1. Nathan Zeke from WDM Group, February 1, 2012 at 12:15 p.m.

    Future content must indeed be "device-agnostic" and "refreshed regularly." That is just part of the reason I am so proud of the work we are doing at WDM Group. In terms of marketing the key is to use content to identify, classify and interact with each audience member and then match the brands that best suit their wants and needs through a variety of digital advertising methods including digital magazine and retargetable web advertising, social media integration, high-value newsletter marketing and high-impact sponsorships.

  2. Eric Daure from Topix LLC, February 7, 2012 at 10:49 a.m.

    Very interesting. This begs the question of just how to best engage potential consumers to get to Nielsen top-10 type numbers. It seems like no one knows the answer yet. I'm not sure it can be done on the web in it's current form, due to the instant availability of essentially infinite, ever-available competing content. Let's say you took a show that gets a top 10 Nielsen and released it only online. I don't think it would generate nearly as much audience. And this is precisely because of TV's passivity; despite all our love of interactive everything, ultimately entropy's on the side of "just sit there and watch" - and entropy always wins. So perhaps no-one will ever find that holy grail, except by TV and the web fully merging; the ultimate device-agnosticism. Thus in the same breath is the question both answered and rendered moot.

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