2013: The Year Content Marketing Will Come of Age
2012
was the year of the rise of Content Marketing. Indian Marketers drove branded content
predominantly through publisher integrations and Facebook and Youtube Brand Pages.
This year, with an increasing number of
brands coming on board and the noise only getting louder, the key to success
would be to differentiate. Ad-hoc promo driven microsites, ill-planned last
minute web plugs and adding a social media strategy as an afterthought, won’t
work anymore. Carefully planned Content and Distribution strategies backed by Consumer
Research and Data, is the only way forward. Here is a list of what I think will
make a difference.
1. Idea on Top!
Needless to say, there is no substitute to a compelling idea. It will increasingly be about breakthrough connected content experiences that brands can deliver across multiple devices and platforms.
Case in point: Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s stratosphere jump that created a huge buzz with record viewing on Youtube, Instagram and trends on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Customised Content is Social
At its core, the idea needs to be social and the execution targeted. Instead of random disconnected executions across Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, it is imperative that marketers discover where their audiences are, what they are looking for and create customized content that captures their attention and is shareable.
3. Multi-Platform Experiences
With the proliferation of smart mobile devices and connected platforms, marketers need to look at creating engagement experiences optimised for different screens (Phones, Tablets and TV). Combine this with a targeted experience and you have a winner!
4. Distribution is Key:
Whether it is publisher partnerships, social media amplification or social integration on rich media, how content gets disseminated (backed by data) will be important.
5. The Data Backbone:
The main challenge for marketers remains showing how their efforts drive business value. To that end, analytics and data have always been the strongest differentiator for digital. It is important therefore to create data supported, audience targeted executions that can then be tracked back to reach, leads and eventual sales.
1. Idea on Top!
Needless to say, there is no substitute to a compelling idea. It will increasingly be about breakthrough connected content experiences that brands can deliver across multiple devices and platforms.
Case in point: Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s stratosphere jump that created a huge buzz with record viewing on Youtube, Instagram and trends on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Customised Content is Social
At its core, the idea needs to be social and the execution targeted. Instead of random disconnected executions across Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, it is imperative that marketers discover where their audiences are, what they are looking for and create customized content that captures their attention and is shareable.
3. Multi-Platform Experiences
With the proliferation of smart mobile devices and connected platforms, marketers need to look at creating engagement experiences optimised for different screens (Phones, Tablets and TV). Combine this with a targeted experience and you have a winner!
4. Distribution is Key:
Whether it is publisher partnerships, social media amplification or social integration on rich media, how content gets disseminated (backed by data) will be important.
5. The Data Backbone:
The main challenge for marketers remains showing how their efforts drive business value. To that end, analytics and data have always been the strongest differentiator for digital. It is important therefore to create data supported, audience targeted executions that can then be tracked back to reach, leads and eventual sales.