If brands want to hold the attention of their audiences, a commitment to creating high value content is essential
For a recent pitch we were challenged to come up with ideas for helping the brand engage with UK attendees of an international trade show held in Germany. One of the ideas we came up with was for a “survival kit” in the form of a mobile app. The app would contain helpful information about the show itself, useful local intelligence such as places to eat/stay, public transport tips, handy German words and phrases, and so on.
The point was that by providing a genuinely useful resource which people could simply load onto their smartphones, we would be able to establish a direct communication channel with the audience. This would enable us to send them live updates, via the app, during the event and encourage them to visit the company’s stand.
The potential client’s response to this idea was “But what gives us the authority to publish content like this? Surely this is the kind of thing that the event organisers should do.”
I’m intrigued that anybody would think an organisation needs permission to create useful content. In an era when brands are looking for creative ways to catch and hold the attention of their audiences, creating high-value content is something that should be in the DNA of all businesses.
Suggesting that it’s the responsibility of another organisation to create the content your audience wants is tantamount to saying that you’re not at all interested in speaking to your market and you’d rather hand the opportunity to somebody else.