You see it every day: the subject of “content” is very often approached through the lens of digital — witness the “content” and “inbound” marketing techniques that have been feeding B2B for several years already. Does that mean content cannot exist outside the web channel? Certainly not! And yet, it would seem that all content ends up converging towards this channel, which has become essential in a customer journey that is now omnichannel.
Content is the foundation of a brand strategy, the binding agent that guarantees the impact and coherence of the message.
Content: a multichannel lever
" Doing content " is the " must-have " of the moment. Beyond a passing fad, it means making the fundamental choice to talk a little less about yourself and much more about your audiences and what engages them (or at least interests them). By thus reversing a " push “ approach (editor's note - product-focused, technical and informative communication), which is deeply rooted in the B2B world, brands intend to change paradigm, (re)establish contact and spark the spontaneous interest of their audiences in order to pave the way for sales action. A form of ”marketing philanthropy" that every good salesperson knows how to wield to perfection: to sell better, you have to take an interest in your audiences, understand them and reassure them.
Starting from this idea, it is easy to see that content is not reserved exclusively for the digital channel. It is the foundation of an activation strategy, the binding agent that guarantees the coherence and impact of the various materials and campaigns within a corporate or commercial communication strategy: print, web, in-store, events, public relations, operational marketing, sales support tools...
Digital enriches the formats
If the term content is today largely understood through the lens of digital, one explanation may lie in the diversity of formats on offer. In just a few years, we have moved from raw, barely enriched content to the era of big data and ultra-personalisation. Articles, social media, videos, webinars, white papers, infographics, case studies, practical guides, collaborative platforms, forums, blogs, social selling: the formats are numerous and each has its own specificities, with ROI to match. They nevertheless have one thing in common: they allow brands to offer ultra-targeted content to deliver the right message, to the right profile, at the right time and on the right touchpoint.
It is on the basis of this observation that brands have, for several years now, been deploying content strategies driven by a long-term vision and with clearly stated objectives: boosting the brand's visibility in its market and generating more leads — of better quality (while we're at it)! Once confined to product or corporate information, content is today the foundation of genuine influence and business strategies. This is notably the stance taken by inbound marketing, the so-called "permission-based" technique we have already discussed several times in #CULTUREPROS.
Digital is the point of convergence
The figures are clear: decision-makers' primary source of information is brands' websites. The case of building specification (architects, engineering consultancies...) is the most striking, with digital accounting for 92% of information sources (Archiliste survey, 2016). Tradespeople and construction professionals are not far behind, as shown by the figures reported in the industry's recent barometers.
It is the diversity of formats and distribution channels that makes digital indispensable to a content strategy.
In fact, part of the "sales" relationship has naturally shifted into the digital world, and online platforms have naturally become the point of convergence (no pun intended, promise) for all kinds of content, whatever the medium it was designed for and wherever it was originally published. While content was neither born with the web nor exclusively destined for that channel, it is the diversity of formats and distribution methods that makes it so indispensable to the relationship built with the various target profiles.
For the time being, most strategies focus on producing "global" (or generic) content to be pushed out across the various platforms and touchpoints as opportunities arise. The next challenge, driven in particular by data, will be to develop native content dedicated to its distribution platforms and therefore designed specifically for the usage and expectations of the target audiences.