Without content, the internet would be a very boring place. It would be like Kyalami Estate without its sword-fighting BMW drivers or Hugo never actually belling die polisie. Before we continue, we need to add a trigger warning, because the next sentence is uncharacteristically deep by Firewater standards, but here goes anyway.
The internet is content because content is information, and information is everything.
In other words, content is not just an article or video; it encompasses everything we consume. It even goes beyond this, too.
Why (not just any) content is important for your business
In 2023, we’re all struggling with infinite scrolling and information overload (globally, we spend 11.5 billion hours using social media every day). So, whatever your business puts out must be attention-grabbing, high quality, easy to understand, engaging, and relevant.
Here’s a not-so-secret digital marketing secret. If you understand your audience, you'll create content that is relevant and resonates. However, we see CMOs partnering with agencies who don’t get this Marketing 101 concept. This causes content to race to the bottom faster than a submersible (after publishing, the content lifetime of a LinkedIn post is one day, and a tweet is just 18 minutes).
We can’t stress this enough: broadcasting content without taking the time to understand your audience is an own goal. With digital marketing, you can use data (like engagement metrics) to tweak and track content performance. This ensures it actually lands with your target audience (and they’re not just doomscrollin’ on by).
Different audiences consume content differently
Creating the right content means understanding your audience, but it also means you understand that your content is consumed differently by different people. Depending on their generation or where they are in their lifecycle, your audience may need content in different formats. One piece of content can still translate to multiple audiences, it's just how you present it.
For example, short-form content like TikTok videos and YouTube shorts work better with Gen Z, while long-form video or audio (think Joe Rogan’s two-hour-long podcasts) will appeal to Gen X and some millennials. You can take long-form content, like a video or article, and slice it up into bite-sized pieces. Or take the same content and adjust it for each social platform (a visually punchy Instagram infographic for millennials, or a longer, text-heavy Facebook post for Boomers. No offence Boomers).
Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of content, and remember that content marketing is a long-term game – be patient because it takes time to see real results.
In the age of AI, the right content is king
Everyone and their AI-generated dog is talking about this technology and its impact on content. It’s even predicted that soon most online content will be created by AI. In a recent interview in the MIT Technology Review, CEO and co-founder of generative AI start-up Runway, revealed that they’ve developed an AI model that transforms existing videos into new ones by applying any style specified by a text prompt or reference image.
That’s pretty crazy, but the article mentions that the AI model was built with its potential customers – video and filmmakers – in mind. According to the CEO, the model was built based on years of insight into how filmmakers and VFX editors work on post-production.
Again, it’s important to a) understand your audience and b) create something relevant (whether that’s an AI model that turns clips of people into claymation puppets or a podcast about managing your investments).
Whether most online content will be created by AI remains to be seen. Whatever the future holds, digital marketing can help ensure that the right content is consumed by the right audience. Anything less and you’re just blindly swinging a broken golf club at some oke (Kyalami Estate, that’s you).
Want to create content that actually works? Contact us; we do that (and we do it well).
