Consumers Are Hungry For Content; Prepare It Well
Consumers have become more fickle with their attention, says Adobe’s white paper. The way to whet your fans’ appetite is by making the content individual and compelling.
Why do we follow brands? What’s the point? They are not our friends. We are not going to make plans with them on a Friday night. So why do we let them into a world where we are sharing and consuming content from the people closest to us?
There is no single reason why we follow brands, but one part is certainly rooted in the idea that we, as consumers, supporters, and fans, want to have a deeper relationship with some of them. Digitalisation has provided a unique opportunity for consumers and brands to connect on a level much deeper than that of a purely commercial basis. It may sound obvious, but it is worth noting that, historically, a true fan of a brand did not have many options for celebrating his fandom. You could purchase a shirt with the logo of your favourite band, but if you wore it while achieving a personal goal (say you cycled across a continent), how would they know? You would have to mail them a picture, and even if they received it, where would they share it? The relationship was one-way, aside from the moment when you handed over your money and were handed the product, or when you went to their concert.
With the advancement of technology, all of this changed. But just because a fan wants to follow your brand doesn’t mean you can provide them with any kind of content you like. On the contrary, while digitalisation bears great opportunities for brands and consumers to enter into a dialogue with one another, consumers at the same time have become much more fickle with their attention, as reported by the respondents in Adobe’s new white paper “State of Content: Achieving Deliciousness: Adapting to an Increasingly Content Hungry World.” A fan can opt out of receiving your brand’s content with a single click, so it is imperative that they are receiving the kind of content that is valuable to them [Adobe is CMO.com’s parent company].
The report highlights that consumers seek branded content that tells authentic stories, is honest, and based on personalised interactions. No real surprise there; just like any conversation you enter, you don’t want to hear made-up stories or lies, or to be talked at. It’s all about an exchange of information and opinions with one another.
This requires brands to be constantly listening for and tracking news, social chatter, community discussions, and events. This data then needs to be turned into meaningful responses that engage consumers. This process not only allows for meaningful conversation but for a hyper-personalised content experience as well.
Which brings us to the main contradiction of The State of Content report. It lets respondents contrast beauty with simplicity, advises on targeting of mobile over laptop and vice versa, discusses the production of humorous content while highlighting how few consumers find branded content entertaining. So who should brands listen to? The 59% of respondents who prefer “beautiful” content or the 41% that opted for simplicity? The answer is both.
Personalised content does just that. The use of data analytics, social listening, targeting, and a sound strategy supports the production of individual content that is “always-on” and compelling. While technology is vital, creativity is fundamental to this process, because great content cannot be produced algorithmically.
It is imperative to tell a story that really interests the users, providing them with relevant and meaningful content; to find and promote the content that piques their individual interest in the right context or provides helpful information. While the Adobe report and many other sources talk about content saturation, we believe that there is no such thing as content overload—simply good or bad content. However, the report is quite right in pointing out that brands should focus on their authenticity and the kind of ideas or problem-solving inspirations they can offer their customers to build up trust and a lasting relationship.
Anyone who wants to develop and market such content needs to listen and empathise with the consumer. Digital advancements have given companies the ability to exhibit a depth of empathy for their customers that has never been seen before—thus shifting the focus to the people because, ultimately, content marketing starts in the minds of consumers.