It is true that humanity never learned from history. Between the time the television became wide spread and the era of ‘Mad Men’, there was this short span of ‘collective creative procrastination’, ergo, a mind-numbingly dull time for television content. It might be because the industry was still coping with this brand-new invention and they had to establish, test and create equally new and different infrastructure, concepts and ways to connect with their consumers. Eventually it did pick up its pace, giving us some of the most iconic ads ever made.
Something similar has happened in the digital sphere as well. What with tons of information poured on the internet daily, brands have forgotten to connect with the customers. In their struggle to attract consumers visually through the digital platform, they sometimes handle content very lightly to the extent of feeding consumers pure garbage. However, the truth is, consumers have learned to tune out unwanted information. Especially in the 21st century, where the consumers have been first captivated, then bored and finally been numbed by the unwanted, unrequited, irrelevant content.
It cannot be expected that one keeps on driving at an obsolete delivery method of content (which was never successful anyway, just a default in absence of something better). In addition, it does not matter how beautiful you project your website to be, because people honestly do not have time to ‘artistically appreciate’ your websites and its minutiae. As far as the website design is concerned, it drives towards a single objective- that is to make the landing site appealing and engage the audience in multitude of sensory ways.
The content then takes over as the rational objective of why the consumer actually decided to visit you. To curate information so he can embark upon a journey of decision-making. The objective of making the journey about the brand connection is absolutely yours and you have to achieve that, without disappointing your consumer or deviating from what the consumer wants.
Let us put it to you this way. When you evaluate the opposite sex, the first thing you notice (no matter how much you deny it) is the looks, or the design. However, looks only will not do now would it, the person must also align with you, form a shared agreement or liking through what each of you had to say. The engagement that you attain with the brand is not so different. It is the design of the website/app or whichever medium you connect from, that appeals them even to enter the site. Content then takes over as the dominant factor in maintaining that engagement with the consumers or tossing them to a ‘not-boring’ and more aligned competitor.
Prioritizing target audience
A content centric strategy prioritizes your consumers; their wants and needs are the focus. This leads to a tangible transaction where in they consume your content and you receive their trust and loyalty, a valuable asset that creates eventual higher sales and genuine brand evangelists.
Online Reputation at stake
Your Digital presence is not for mere attraction, it serves your branding techniques as well. What people consume online is how they create your brand’s image in their mind. A content first strategy helps deliver your brand’s philosophy to the consumers, and creates a shared value based experience through engaging content.
So a content first strategy, not only keeps you consumers engaged, but provides them with information they desire and help them feel connected to the brand.