A common content marketing tactic is to unify campaigns across networks and channels, but that doesn’t mean brands should share the exact same media on every platform. Instead, they must account for the differences in each channel’s audience and customize delivery to match. Users will register differently when they encounter content from the same company, delivered on different platforms.
In a recent article, Marketo explored the rise of content and asked marketers to explain how they diversify their strategies. With content such an essential part of marketers’ daily efforts, how can brands keep up with the demand?
Marketo’s analysis turned up some excellent strategies, including keeping the focus on consumer needs, making headlines as interesting as the rest of content and staying personable. According to Brafton’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Allen Schweitzer, variety is one of the most important spices of content marketing life.
As Allen told Marketo:
“Digital marketers who take a different approach with each marketing outlet are more likely to be successful than those who don’t. What works as a search-friendly video title won’t make the best email subject line, but creating a custom newsletter centered on that video might maximize your reach and return on that asset.”
Case in point: social hygiene
A great example of this necessary content dispersal is social media. According to a study by 140 Proof and IPG Media Lab, “social hygiene” describes how audiences act on different social channels. Almost three-quarters of the people surveyed (72 percent) said they believe certain networks are better suited to separate interests, and 60 percent said they unequivocally used separate channels to interact with different people, brands and media.
The study also found there are very few one-network users. No less than 100 percent said they have accounts on two or more platforms, but 73 percent use three or more and 30 percent are active on six or more. The phenomenon of social hygiene doesn’t just apply to a small number of high-volume users – it has implications for nearly every business on the web.
72 percent of web users say they believe certain networks are better suited to separate interests.
Be the brand with a plan
Interacting with customers and prospects doesn’t require a pHD in human behavior – it just means a strategy has to be in place. As Brafton reported, only 43 percent of businesses believe their Facebook strategies are effective. As the results of the study show, Facebook clearly isn’t the be-all end-all tool for every single company engaged in social marketing – but a lack of structure will ground a strategy before it ever takes off.
Allen also explained:
“You need to have an action plan that strikes a balance between overall brand consistency and information that matters most to particular users.”
For example, Instagram isn’t the most popular marketing tool on the web – partially because it doesn’t allow for automation of any kind, but also because it’s an extremely niche service. For the few brands that thrive on Instagram (fashion sellers, sports teams, tech companies), there’s an understanding of what kinds of users will find them. On the other hand, B2B firms are much more likely to be appreciated and followed through LinkedIn.
The key is to avoid alienating users. As the social hygiene study also found, 61 percent of respondents have unfollowed or unliked a brand because they didn’t like the content they saw from those organizations. Without the right tone, voice or message, content that’s perfect for one medium will fall flat on another. Brands can be consistent across channels, but they must also understand the nuances of every platform.
