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Content Marketing Reimagined How Brands Can Earn Attention in 201 6
Content Marketing Reimagined How Brands Can Earn Attention in 2016
Creating successful content has never been harder. Content marketers operate in a market where the supply of content far exceeds people’s capacity to consume it. These challenging dynamics of attention are compounded by the proliferation of channels on which marketers can publish, distribute, and promote their content. And today’s consumer has become more selective about what content they consume, and when. They have also become co-creators in the vast universe of content, sharing and curating content on digital media.
Great content is about more than just clicks and engagement. The primary goal for all marketers is to grow their brand, which they can do by building content ecosystems that unify a single brand identity. By acting as publishers, content marketers inform and delight consumers. They use content to establish emotional connections with their target audiences, thus building lasting impressions.
Content Marketing: The Economics of Attention
Whether it comes through stellar editorial content, shareable videos, viral social media campaigns, or user-generated content, most successful content marketing campaigns revolve around a robust communications architecture, built on brand and business objectives, that captures attention and builds enduring brand associations.
For marketers, the surplus of content means that digital marketing has turned into a battle for audience attention. Your customers' inboxes, news feeds, and phones are continually bombarded with content and alerts. And the constant distractions that surround online activities have made marketing even more challenging by reducing consumers' attention spans to a slim eight seconds.
Content marketers need a new strategy for this new marketplace. Content marketing has become about producing more content, doing it at scale, and remaining authentic and personal at the same time. It’s about being everywhere at once. It’s about complexity management.
In this report, we will outline how the marketer’s role has changed alongside the content landscape, as well as trends that will dictate the success of a campaign endeavoring to maximize brand awareness. We will then explore trends across marketing channels, and how marketing budgets are shifting to reflect these new priorities. We’ll also examine the how the marketing organization can approach these changes tactically, with the always-on, digitally savvy consumer in mind.
Mobile: The New Branded Content Laboratory The shift to mobile has made it easier for people to curate which brands they interact with and when. Consequently, mobile content is largely centered around creating shorter, impactful moments that inform and entertain consumers. It’s no secret then, that image-based apps like Instagram and Pinterest are gaining adoption: on mobile screens, pictures can often hold more meaning than words. Brands like Airbnb and Applebee’s have amplified engagement and audience with their visually rich Instagram accounts.
Every day there are 2.5 million pieces of content shared on Facebook, and every minute, 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube. In the universe of content, these numbers aren’t getting any smaller: and the demand for content and the capacity to consume it cannot keep up. But attention isn’t just shrinking, it’s being refocused. People spend almost three hours each day consuming digital media on mobile screens—more than 50 percent of the total time spent online.
Winning demand comes down to capturing attention on mobile screens, and establishing a presence for your brand on that screen that gives consumers something to return to.
Zetta
byte
s
0
2
4
6
8
Quarters after launch2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Global digital information created and shared each year - zettabytes
Source: IDC. 1 zetabyte = 1 trillion GB.
Hou
rs p
er d
ay
1
2
3
4
5
6
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Other connected devices Desktop/laptop Mobile
Time spent per adult per day with digital media in the USA
Source: Nielsen
The mobile app is a creative, opportunity-rich channel for brands to establish a presence on consumers’ smartphones that will provide utility, information, and entertainment, and be present right when mobile consumers need their phones most: at the moment of purchase.
For instance, Chipotle’s Scarecrow app is both a game and a sales channel: rewards to gamers include redeemable Chipotle deals. NorthFace’s Trailhead and Nike’s running app let hikers and runners track their progress and find tracks and trails. The mobile app brings brands into consumers’ everyday lives, adding utility and maintaining brand message.
Days
per
wee
k
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
TV Radio PC Smartphone Tablet
Adults 18-34 35-49 50+
Source: Nielsen
Adults Use Their Smartphones More Than All Other Devices
AUDIENCE ACTIVITY
1,440,000,000 Monthly Active Users
94% Monthly Active Brands
4B Videos Viewed Each Day
936M Daily Active Users
302,000,000 Monthly Active Users
98% Monthly Active Brands
500M Tweets per Day
80% Active Users on Mobile
300,000,000 Monthly Active Users
79% Monthly Active Brands
70M Photos per Day
2.5M Photos Liked per Day
1,000,000,000 Monthly Active Users
92% Monthly Active Brands
300 hours Uploaded Every Minute
1B+ Views Each Day
47,000,000 Monthly Active Users
41% Monthly Active Brands
1B Boards Created
50B Items Pinned
The State of Social Networks
Source: The State of Social Marketing 2015 Report, Simply Measured
Social media as a consumer channel Social media has become an increasingly complex network of people and brands, made evermore complex with the trend towards a mobile-first audience. Brands are increasingly becoming a reliable source of original content—from video documentaries to journalistic blog posts that generate conversations between millions of people. Among the Interbrand top 100 global brands, 98% are active on Twitter and 94% on Facebook, with YouTube a close third.
And the ROI for brands acting as publishers on social media is clear: this year, social native advertisements will take the lion’s share of native ad revenue.
And since social networking accounts for 28% of a user’s online activity,social media gives marketers a vast playing field to amplify their brand reach—often for free. Consumers are more likely to recall a brand and share its content if they come across the video via a social media recommendation.
Brands uploaded 20,000 videos to Facebook during May 2015, marking a 27% increase over the same period last year. But the proliferation of branded social content makes it even harder for brands to gain currency and go viral on social media. In their quest to generate awareness, brands are experimenting within the medium of social video, for the best ways to trigger emotion and encourage mass sharing. The standards for what it takes to delight consumers are high.
Social native ads will account for the largest share of native ad revenue
Reve
nue
($Bi
llion
s)
0
2.5
5
7.5
10
12.5
15
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Native Style Display Sponsorship Social
0%
0.2%
0.4%
0.6%
0.8%
1%
Browsing Recommendation
73%68%
Brand recall after watching video discovered through Internet browsing vs recommended on social media
Source: Business Intelligence Insider
Source: Business Intelligence Insider
Messaging Apps: Blurring the lines Social media has seen its usage patterns change since the shift to mobile. People prefer using social networks to share and consume information—using them more as a news source rather than a channel to communicate with friends. Facebook’s shift from the Wall to Timeline was the first step towards this, followed by what we are seeing now.
Communications are moving out of the social realm and into a more private, one-to-one space, encouraging the unbundling of messaging apps from their parent platforms. For instance, Facebook now has more active accounts on its messaging app than it does on its social network, and Twitter moved to make messaging more appealing by dropping its 140 character limit on direct messages.
The popularity of WhatsApp, combined with the explosive growth of messaging apps like WeChat and LINE in Asia, show that at a user level, the demand for instant, private communication is rivaling social media’s tell-everyone blasts. For brands, this means new opportunities for precisely targeted campaigns. We’re already seeing Twitter let marketing organizations re-prioritize brand-building efforts: by removing the 140-character limit on direct messages, brands can talk to consumers and take customer service one step further.
In the extreme, this development also means there will be a higher bar for the right to interact with customers: brands will need to earn permission to play in a world of private messaging, just like they currently need permission to talk with customers on the phone.
Monthly Active Users for Selected Top 4 Social Networks and Messaging Apps
Mon
thly
Act
ive
User
s
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
1500
1750
2000
2250
2500
2Q12 3Q12 4Q12 1Q13 2Q13 3Q13 4Q13 1Q14 2Q14 3Q14 4Q14 1Q15
Big 4 Messaging Apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber)Big 4 Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram)
Source: Business Intelligence Insider
But bigger budgets don’t mean things are getting easier for marketers. There are three big challenges marketing organizations must overcome to be successful:
– Connecting with customers. Forty three percent of marketers found connecting with customers to be their biggest challenge, according to Gartner’s 2015 CMO Spend Survey.
– Building content teams. The 2015 Content Marketing Institute Trends Report found that 31% of marketing teams are challenged with finding qualified content marketers, compared to 10% in 2014.
– Measuring ROI. In the same report, only 21% say they are successful at tracking ROI.
Navigating a Changing Landscape The focus for marketers has shifted. Earlier, it might have been enough to just get out a message. Marketers could afford to think in terms of media schedules and campaigns, but the future of content marketing is about creating moments: instances of informative, enjoyable content that reinforce brand association in consumers’ minds. The next section will explore tactical opportunities to help marketers keep up with the shift in media consumption patterns.
The Digital Marketer’s Changing Role The expansion of content and social channels makes it harder for marketers to focus narrowly on one approach to getting their message out. They need to be everywhere all the time, and their content needs to be better than all the content that surrounds it.
To address these new needs, budgets for online and content marketing are increasing:
– Email Marketing: 60.7% are increasing spend – Print advertising: 33.2% are decreasing spend – Social media: 48.9% are increasing spend – Mobile marketing: 40.2% are increasing spend – Direct mail: 22.3% are decreasing spend
33.2% of business leaders are decreasing spend on print advertising
60.7% are increasing spend on email marketing
With Great Power, Great Responsibility The increase in digital budgets also comes with increased accountability. More than ever before, there’s an expectation to see measurable return on every dollar spent—especially when those dollars are coming from other budget lines. For example, Procter & Gamble is currently reviewing its 200 agency relationships with hopes of saving more than $500 million in advertising and creative expenses.
Big brands like Unilever and Coca Cola are taking similar belt-tightening steps. This trend extends to startups as well, where lean methodologies mean quickly finding the most efficient ways to execute campaigns.
Improving Creative Execution & Collaboration One huge potential efficiency comes from potential improvements to the creative process. Improved workflow and communication can increase bandwidths and budgets, while trimming down on the time to market for digital campaigns.
For example, only 27% of agencies believe clients do a good job briefing campaigns, while 58% of clients claim they provide good briefs. Both agencies and clients are lukewarm on the efficacy of the approval process: 36% and 54% think it works well, respectively (The Association of National Advertisers).
There are opportunities for creative teams to improve their performance, too. Less than 30% of marketers feel creative teams staff projects adequately, anticipate problems, follow a transparent process, or offer good feedback on the brief.
“The potential to create business value is significant—with infinite supply, precision targeting, automated buying, selling and distribution, user-generated communication, low cost production, amplification of earned media—all leading to much higher return on investment. It is both more efficient and more effective than any medium advertisers P&G worked with in the past.”Mark Pritchard, Global Brand Officer for Procter & Gamble
Points of friction between marketers and creativesWhich of the following does the marketing team you collaborate with do well?
Sticking to the brief
Sticking to established processes
Briefing projects clearly
Staying within the initial scope
Giving consistent feedback
Giving timely feedback
Setting realistic timelines
Sharing results
Reasonable timelieness
Communicating priorities
Sharing credit with your team
Actually using the content they produce
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Source: Visually
Scaling Creative Work by Outsourcing By 2020, more than 7.6 Americans will be working in the on-demand economy, up from 3.2 million today. In addition to improving the creative process, marketers should look for opportunities to send work outside the corporate HQ, via traditional agency partners, individual freelancers, and newer on-demand services. Of marketers who rely primarily on in-house teams, close to 36% supplement their team with freelancers, 35% use agencies, and almost 10% also use online creative services. All the different sources of creative services receive comparable satisfaction ratings from marketers, which means it’s easier than ever to scale up marketing efforts as needed.
Amplifying Efforts (Without Lifting a Finger) Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Twitter (among many others) have made fortunes by creating platforms for user generated content. But the opportunity in UGC extends well beyond social media. With a few small exceptions, consumers consider user generated content to be more trustworthy than content from traditional media or brands.
Marketers who can create good incentives to get their audience to write, shoot, and design content for them will unlock massively scalable content machines. In addition to successful branded campaigns by the likes of Coca Cola and Starbucks, user generated content publishers like Gawker Media’s Kinja platform, Inbound.org, and Moz turn loyal readers into authors.
In a virtuous cycle, brands who can attract user generated content get free content and publicity as the authors share their content with friends and colleagues.
Truncate, Syndicate, and Proliferate Another way marketers can scale their efforts is to get the same piece of content published by multiple publishers. At the end of the day, content marketing is about creating a stronger connection between your audience and your brand. Syndication reuses your content to both improve your reach and extend the brand halo of more authoritative publishers your content.
An in-house team
Freelancers
An agency
An online service
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
What sort of creative teams do you work with to produce content? (Select all that apply)
Source: Visually
The Universe of UGC
Instagram photos posted every day
Photos shared every day
1.8b
55m
Facebook photos uploaded every day
Tweets posted every day
350m
500m
Between automated syndication to established publishers like Forbes, Inc, or Entrepreneur, manual republishing on sites like LinkedIn and Medium, and reposting with strategic partners, only 25% of content marketers are using syndication.
Maximize Distribution Similarly, marketers are underutilizing the opportunity to develop more scalable content production. A single piece of content has the potential to speak to several audience segments: it’s just a matter of positioning. Research studies, when positioned as blog posts, articles, or eBooks, can increase channel coverage and make content creation efforts more scalable. The most successful content marketers can win engagement with content tailored to specific channels and audiences.
Efficient content marketers will also look across their organization to identify all the content creators and use their work optimally. Sales teams, communications, and customer success teams are all content creators. There’s a huge opportunity for most organizations to share the content they create internally—and work together to find a much larger audience.
Rise to the Challenge From developing a cohesive strategy to its tactical execution, the playing field for content marketers is more complex than it’s ever been. Marketers’ ability to reach customers at every stage of the customer journey is at an all time high, but so is the competition. Content must guide customers through more than just the brand discovery phase: it should help construct the journey.
We’re entering a time where a small content investment can do more than a global ad campaign. But there’s also greater risk that an investment in content that misses the mark will be completely ignored.
So be thoughtful. Turn over stones. Seek efficiency. Experiment and explore. Know your customers. And more than anything, do whatever it takes to deliver value with your content.
Only marketers who find ways to consistently improve their audience’s days (if not their lives) will click, connect, and convert.
Marketers’ ability to reach customers at every stage of the customer journey is at an all time high, but so is the competition.
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Mihika Barua Mihika Barua is a Junior Marketing Associate at Percolate. Follow her on Twitter: @MihikaBarua.
Elliott Brown Elliott Brown runs content marketing at Visually. Follow him on Twitter: @theelliottbrown.
Visually helps content marketers stand out by creating
engaging, beautiful visual content. We make it fast, simple,
and affordable to work with some of the world's best
creative talent.
See how we can help you produce better content at
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