Mar 03 in Content Marketing
Written by: Heather Rast
Asked another way, do those bytes count and help move your needle somewhere?
I picked up on a tweet stream from Scott Abel around midday today (oops! that’d be ‘yesterday’ now). He’s someone I watch, and I’m anxious to learn from him as well as the other fine speakers lined up for Confab in May. But let’s get back on track.
Near as I can tell, Scott was participating in a chat (or seminar) that discussed the complexities of content and translation. One of his tweets in the #SDLInnovate thread stood out:
For sure, this tweet is out of context. I didn’t hang around for the entire conversation, and I’m not suggesting something untoward about Scott (he’s good people). In the bigger scheme of the chat, who knows the significance this single tweet held. But I want you to think about it (specifically the 2nd sentence) in this isolated, stand-alone form for a minute. Go on, read it.
Persuasive content gets [them] to do something.
I don’t disagree with Scott’s statement. I just wonder if it can (should) go deeper. Persuasive content isn’t necessarily an end game. The traditional conversion funnel has evolved. Content maintains roles at different points in a non-linear path to closure and relationship sustainability.
If the ‘do something’ Scott refers to is a cut-and-dried sale, then I’d say the notion might be too general and overlooks a more informed conversion path, one I think more consumers are taking (thank you, economy).
There are indeed times – depending on a consumer’s personal need, the aggregate effect of their exposure to the brand, the degree/amount of external influences like recommendations from trusted sources, etc. – when the persuasive nature of content may serve as a tipping point. Purchase is made, period.
But for the most part, I really believe the function of content is primarily incremental.
Good content starts a notion buzzing in the back of your brain and keeps nudging you along toward the desired end (nudge, not shove). Along the way it informs and educates (even when the site entry is a side or back door). It even encourages the user to ask questions of themselves and arrive at a decision that’s likely to be more deeply seated than had they read traditional sales copy. There’s some neuroscience wrapped up in this thing, too.
What purpose do you think content serves? To move or to sell?
Can it contribute to overall brand experience? Or is it simply a tactical component? I wanna know what you think.
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