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Winter 2016 016


COVER STORY COVER


Go meet with one customer for 20 minutes and ask what their days are like, then create content to ease their pain. - Jay Acunzo


companies aren’t doing more research on their customers—how do they think and feel, and what are they looking for? C


Caroline: I’m surprised that moreI’m surprised that more s ar


line: ese how do they think


don’t want to be sold to; they want to build relationships with brands and feel a connection with a brand’s mission on a personal level.


king for?Consumers today to


Q: What’s new one week is old the next. What do you think small- to medium- sized businesses should be focusing on?


Caroline: Mobile. Believe it or not, many companies still don’t have mobile-responsive websites, and that’s only going to become more crucial as mobile users outnumber desktop users.


Deanna: Whether you’re big or small, B-to-B or B-to-C, find ways to intimately get to know your audience—and not just their age, zip code, or job title. Spend time with them online and where they would interact with you. Find out why they chose (or didn’t choose) your product or service, what they do with their free time, and what success in life means for them.


Jay: The only thing I care about is what my audience cares about, what they’re struggling with, the language they’re using, and the channels they’re communicating with. If you really want to keep up with anything, keep up with your customers. Tech and tactics need to plug into a larger strategy, which is informed by customers. Go meet with one customer for 20 minutes and ask what their days are like, then create content to ease their pain.


Q: The amount of content being produced by brands today is staggering. Do you see more of the same going forward, and what is your advice on content strategy?


Deanna: I’d challenge marketers to not give in to the volume game. Let data tell you what’s working and what isn’t, and produce more of what resonates. When something of value creates a quality interaction, you’ll find yourself surrounded by brand advocates. And make it about them, not your brand. People will engage with content thath content that and oppor t


a ounded t them, not


speaks to their needs, challenges, and opportunities, not content about you or your product.


Jay: There’s a longstanding theory started b Michael Porter that, if you want to win in a maturing market, you need to be Budweiser or a craft brewer. BuzzFeed and the New Y


d by aturing ork Times will win the


content battle on sheer scope and brand, but niche publications are able to generate meaningful traction by coalescing a small but passionate tribe around them, and that’s where I believe most content will be created. At NextView, our podcast called T


raction has done incredibly well because


we noticed two things happening on a small scale and decided to own it: first, very detailed, “start- up founding” stories; and second, well-produced, narrative podcasts. Both would periodically cross


Q: What will most impact the marketing you will be doing over the next few years?


Caroline: The biggest impact I see is in marketing automation platforms that allow us to adjust our messaging on the fly and send more personalized and relevant communications. Look for ways to make it easier to build, schedule, and analyze campaigns in real time.


t


Caroline: think we’ll see more internal teams and employ as they ar


I think w e in


oyees creating the most valuable content, y are the true feet-on-the ground experound expe ts.


alua


things and leane


someone’s feed in tech and spread like wildfire, but they weren’t widespread. We realized that most founding stories weren’t detailed enough because big media companies like to polish them into overnight success stories. And most podcasts are boring in their style, or well-produced but not focused on business. By making those observations, we were able to create a home run project without taking a costly, complicated approach. We looked at where reactions ended in exclamation points, where things felt emotionally charged, and leaned into it harder.


I think we’ll see more internal teams and employees creating the most valuable content, as they are the true feet- on-the ground experts. - Caroline Student


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