One of the many infographics shared at NewsCred’s Content Marketing Summit 2013.
NewsCred’s Content Marketing Summit 2013 brought great speakers, attendees, publishers and brands together to share the latest strategies in content marketing. Throughout the day, a few key themes emerged across discussions. Below are my top four takeaways from the #ContentConvo:
- Your content isn’t competing with other brands, it’s competing with everyone. (Okay, I confess, I stole that from Jay Baer and his New York Times bestseller Youtility.) The theme is clear: consumers are digesting all types of content and engaging and interacting with friends, family, brands and more. You have to have strong content to get noticed. David Shing, digital prophet at AOL, said, “Content does not compete with advertising, it competes with pop culture.” How do you create the right content, though? Linda Boff, executive director of global brand marketing for GE put it quite simply: “Think like a publisher.”
- Mobile isn’t a second tier strategy. It’s no longer the second or third screen, it’s the first screen. BuzzFeed president Jon Steinberg said “Mobile is the only thing that matters.” More than half of BuzzFeed’s traffic is from mobile devices. Your mobile strategy does have to be compelling and sticky, however: David Shing shared that 70 percent of people will only use your mobile app once. The way people are shopping is changing too; Eric Hausman, senior group manager of PR & Social for Target focuses on mobile first to help connect the online and offline experience of their customers.
- Helpful and useful content will get noticed. Jon Williams, global head of agency relationships at LinkedIn shared that on professional networks, people are investing time in their careers and education and seeking insights. This provides brands a great opportunity to provide those insights. COO and senior EVP for Barneys New York Daniella Vitale shared, “Demand is created by desire to be part of the experience not just product alone.” We have an opportunity to connect with our audience, prospects and customers by providing content they are interested in, and not just self-promotional content. This can lead to tangible results, too: Rishi Dave, executive director of digital marketing at Dell shared that there is a direct correlation in the volume and quality of content and the number of leads generated for their brand.
- Visual storytelling is of utmost importance. Senior creative planning manager for Getty Images North America Pam Grossman described the four facets of successful imagery as being authentic, culturally relevant, sensory and archetypal. Reviewing a variety of popular strategies from the past few years and their growth, David Shing simply stated, “It’s all about video.”
What other content marketing themes have you noticed?
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AOL’s David Shing presenting at NewsCred’s Content Marketing Summit 2013.
Tags: content marketing, newscred