Show and tell to stay ahead

Marketers are increasingly turning to video and voice content to drive brand awareness and sales, and the general sense is if you are not in this space, you are falling behind.

A new study by marketing agency Adclick Africa says marketers, both in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer space, are rapidly building content creation teams to aid the consumer’s journey from “top-of-funnel processes to past checkout”.

Content includes educational blog pieces, informative white papers, hybrid events, webinars and case studies.

The agency says using a range of content types fulfils the objective of increasing internet traffic, pushing consumers to make a choice and driving conversions.

The study says that while it is great to invest in a content strategy, marketers will be wasting time if they have not mapped out an approach, objectives and measurements for success.

Owen Williams, founder of planning agency Intimedia, tells the FM that within the content mix, video remains king but is increasingly dependent on quality, which results in greater attention from consumers. “Without attention we can’t drive brand awareness or brand growth, and if we can’t drive mental availability it will affect future sales.”

Adclick Africa says marketers are now seeing success in repurposing their best-performing content pieces in short, digestible videos. “Since audiences are looking for video content at every stage of the sales funnel, marketers should consider creating videos for product demos, teasers, customer testimonials [and] ‘meet the team’ scenes.”

Melody Maker of M&C Saatchi Abel says: “We are in the age of the attention economy. Brands and marketers are vying for consumers’ time. Only those that truly consider how they will cut through and connect with their audiences in an authentic, surprising or value-added way will win.”

Matthew Arnold, chief connections officer at marketing agency VMLY&R SA, says this year the overarching marketing theme is focusing on the customer and improving their digital experience with brands.

“Whether it is improving how your brand is discovered online, the content and experience they have with your brand or how they choose to engage with your sales teams, the focus is on simultaneously removing barriers and enriching that experience,” says Arnold.

“Personalising customer journeys, leveraging social media for lead generation and embracing video are proven tactics — the big question is what are you doing to seize the opportunities these trends present?”