You always remember the way someone makes you feel. Long after you’ve forgotten their looks, and probably even half the facts surrounding the situation, you remember the feelings-good or bad- your life experiences have left you with. Emotion is a powerful part of who we are as people, so there’s little surprise that the modern face of social media marketing is embracing that power to help brands boost their ROI. If you’re not considering content experience marketing, you’re at risk of getting left behind. That’s why Zebra 360 Online Marketing is taking a closer look at everything you need to know about content experiences, and how to make them work for you.
Content Experience? What is that?r
Marketing before the social media generation was a pretty passive process. Companies presented information, consumers absorbed it. But recent technological shifts have created a market that consumes content voraciously. Marketers feel pressurised to push out more and more. Staying visible and engaging with your audience is make-or-break. Little companies, particularly, may feel that savvy social media marketing is beyond them.
It’s only recently that people have begun to ask the key question- is any of that content delivering an experience? Something that may make a difference in how a consumer feels? Is any of this making an impact we can judge?
The ‘content experience’ idea is what happens when content and context overlap. Everything we create makes an ‘experience’, shaped by elements like the overall design, where it’s encountered, what’s going on around the person and more. It’s more than just that ad or content- it’s about how your end-user experiences that content, and what engagement it raises.
That’s a little nebulous?
Sure. It’s a pretty simple concept overall, but difficult to see how exactly to translate it to a subtle shift in marketing ideals. We’ve entered a point in marketing history where people crave experiences. No matter how carefully you drive your content, if you aren’t making a lasting impression, you’re dead in the water. Leading by experiences leads to higher brand awareness, better employee and customer satisfaction, and better customer retention.
Of course, this comes back to data. Knowing how people consume your content, and what they personally like, then treating them as an individual, is a key part of generating experience-led marketing. From there, it’s a matter of shifting your perspective and how you think about your marketing more that it is about any particular stylistic marketing shift.
It’s not about creating some perfect ideal content on paper. It’s about making something that your users will connect with. The idea is to build positive audience interactions with them, and put the right content in front of the people who will connect with it- not force them to come and find it. It’s about ensuring you guide interested customers through the stages of the buying process, retargeting interested parties who give exit signals, and only asking for information from people who may be willing to give it. The end aim is to keep interaction (positive interaction) going through a logical path. It’s closely tied to personalised advertising journeys and serving people the content that interests them, personally, rather than a simple mass market.
Content activation for the future
In short, don’t allow your content to be a passive ‘thing you do’. Instead, create an active, engaged process clients follow with you. In a way, marketers are taking back the reins and driving the content process- but it has to be done in a smart way that builds positive interactions with your clients, not bullies them into what doesn’t interest them. Modern audiences don’t tolerate heavy handed approaches anymore.
It’s a tough line to toe, and the mind shift needed to make it work can be a difficult balance to find. The Zebra 360 Online Marketing team are always on hand to help you make the most of your content and advertising goals, so why not get in touch today?