In the days of Don Draper, content was something generated solely by media sources, like newspapers and magazines, but not anymore. Brands are getting in the game. Researchers have filled marketers’ ears with the astounding value of Content Marketing, which has caused eagerly listening brands to become one-stop media shops—ideating, developing, publishing and syndicating their own content. Companies are seeding brand-rich media with target consumers in hopes of generating higher awareness, engagement, clicks, leads, shares, chatter, etc. As a PR professional turned social-media geek, I find this strategy all kinds of word-of-mouth yummy; however, somewhere along the path to developing this multifaceted content, some marketers have failed to realize that the strategy is not the content. Rather, the content is a meiaum for the brand strategy
Are consumers really just brand-hungry Pac-men in a race through a media maze, gobbling up pellets of content to stay alive?
The lure of exclusive content alone is not enough to convince a customer to like your page, join your mailing list, or engage with your brand. Content is not a bargaining chip. Content is not a luxury; it’s a given. Imagine inviting people to your house without having a place for them to sit. You wouldn’t use the promise of chairs as the bait to get your guests to arrive and tell others about it. No one is coming for the chairs; they expect seating to be provided. But if your showpiece is a 1960’s vintage fainting couch off the set of Mad Men, you know they’ll be telling all their friends about it.
Take a step back and put on your consumer hat. Think about your favorite brand and remember the last time you said, “Oh, boy! Free content! I need to get some of that!” Probably never, but whether you actively sought it out or not, you are consuming it.
Consumers are not chasing down media power pellets, they’re absorbing them.
The average person today consumes an enormous amount of content—nearly 61.4 hours of media each week. With multiple screens, the continued importance of broadcast as a media vehicle, digitized billboards, and our computers, tablets, and smartphones, we are greeted with an endless barrage of content at every turn. When done well, we have an integrated, seamless experience that is not disruptive to everyday life but tells the brand story.
Take Sephora. This is a company that has taken the time to get to know its core customer and has created a media-rich experience that provides a service and offers value in exchange for time and consideration. When users reach Sephora’s homepage, they’re instantly met with beautiful graphics and product offerings. For those seeking more, the site provides a simple navigation to categories such as Trends, Advice, and TV, a.k.a. content. Further down the page is a variety of social activations. The same brand strategy visible on Sephora’s e-comm site is implemented on each of their social channels, and within the rich content each platform offers. Sephora is a content powerhouse, but each bit of consumable media is offered with poise, in the voice of the brand, within the realm of the customer.
Content is the medium . . . not the message.
So, how did content become the strategy and how did the word “content” become a point of communication? What customer uses the word “content” in their everyday language (fellow marketers not included)? “Honey, I’m running to the supermarket to get some content for the fridge.” “Wow, there is so much content in my desk drawer!”
The strategy is not having content, but having something that is worth telling people about and selecting the right medium to tell them. Brands should utilize media of all forms to relay and elevate brand messages, especially in this age of social communications—content is social currency.
Content is king, and you can hardly exist as a brand in today’s world without being in the business of generating content. Just be sure to focus on the quality of your content rather than on the sheer fact that you have it. One guiding tenet at Rosetta is “Content marketing is crucial to customer engagement,” which means we get it—we bring the customer to the party, and the comfy chairs are part of the package. We don’t underestimate the intelligence of the consumer, we don’t market at them—we take a multi-channel approach to deliver an intuitive and seamless branded experience.
Want to chat more about social media strategy with Melissa? Connect with Melissa Pardo on LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @mpardo916.
No comments:
Post a Comment