Reach and engagement are critical factors that no content marketer can ignore. But let’s take a step back. You’ve heard the phrase dozens of times – yes, that phrase. “Content is king,” they say. That’s why B2B firms spend more than $5.2 billion per year on content creation efforts1, and that number keeps growing.
But, wouldn’t you rather be the king of content? Your brand could sit on the throne of exponential reach and wear the gilded crown of audience engagement. It’s a nice thought, but is it really attainable?
Many think the answer lies in an increasing content marketing budget, while others are racing to produce more and more. But in 2018, we’re ushering in a new era of content marketing. In order to be king, or to stand out amongst our competitors, content marketing budgets need to go beyond producing loads of quality content. Now, audiences must be able to find content, relate to it, and engage with it throughout the customer journey. Content reach and engagement have never been more important.
Content Shock
The new era of content marketing goes hand in hand with a theory called content shock. Content production is growing faster than content consumption. As a result, firms increasingly struggle to get attention in a crowded space, and new entrants don’t stand a chance against established firms with large stores of content.
Content consumption is at critical mass. More than 60% of all content is never used, viewed or downloaded2. When marketing guru Mark Schaefer coined the term content shock, he defined it as the “intersection of finite content consumption and rising content availability3.” This is where we are today.
Mark Zuckerberg’s “Facebook Zero” bombshell from early 2018 is a good example. There is too much content on the popular social network, and Facebook is addressing it by designing its algorithm to cut the least engaging and personal posts from news feeds. Without the right strategy in place, brands could see organic engagement drop to nearly zero percent. This is the future for the approximately 60 percent of B2B and B2C marketers 4 that do not have a documented strategy.
The need to deliver content that stands out whilst facing increasingly discriminating audiences means that creating best-in-class content is not enough. Combining the right content and the right content amplification strategy is critical for success.
This is a big topic and we’ll be exploring this in further detail in the coming weeks in this five part blogs series. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks as we identify the content challenges and specific hurdles marketers must jump amidst the strategic fusion of content marketing and content amplification in 2018. In the mean time, we’re happy to help you with any content creation challenges you may have. Don’t be shy, get in touch with us any time. We’re here to help.
Sources: 1 https://marketeer.kapost.com/marketing-inefficiency/ 2 Sirius Decisions 3 https://www.businessesgrow.com/2017/01/16/content-marketing-myths/
