Currently, content and its importance for business is a theme increasingly addressed. But not all content is in fact relevant and that is the secret. For example, we all value our time because we consider it to be a scarce commodity, so we must make choices everyday about how best to use it. From the choice of the meeting we want to which conference we attend, but also the most relevant content and information we intend to read. In the latter case, a quick survey allows us to assess our interest and understand whether we want to continue. And it is in these short moments of analysis that companies must concentrate to be able to attract the audiences they intend to conquer for their content.
Thus, contents are an increasingly important and disputed asset. With the growth of digital marketing, it has taken on a much more strategic role: attracting as many audiences as possible and ensuring their loyalty. However, to be able to confirm this readability of the contents they must be relevant, structured, and useful to your readers.
It sounds easy, but it takes time, continuity, and analysis.
In this sense, in order to captivate potential readers, the relevance and quality of the content must be the main priority of the organizations and not their frequency of periodicity of publication, as these must depend on the objectives of the organization. They must be created to meet what the audiences need. Much more than creating content for all existing platforms, whether they are social networks, blog, newsletters, podcasts, webinar or even media, the most important is the positioning of this and the message we want to convey with it. Obviously, it is crucial to be where the readers are, but that is worthless if the content is not informative, objective and responds directly to the needs of those who consult the information. Creating empathy with the reader through their ability to clarify or captivate by the story presented is fundamental for our content to be a success.
This change is the result, among others, of the current facility for searching for information online. Costumers and consumers, when accessing the organization’s information, already have a reference and are looking for more specific, more objective information. That is, the content to be developed must respond to the type of information that costumers search for online. Another fundamental aspect is the coherence of the information in different channels, because the potential costumer can access it through the website, social networks, blogs or get information through the news published about the organization different messages, in different digital properties can lead to a loss of interest or to a perception different from that intended by the organization.
What are the vantages of creating relevant content?
Producing good content enables numerous advantages, both for the companies that develops it, since they start to be considered as experts on the subject, as well as for the public that reads it, because they now have access to the content they were looking for, namely:
- Relevance in searches: as companies produce quality content, their relevance increases on Google Search Engine, allowing them to conquer the first search pages and consequently increase the number of visits and possible interactions. According to the Search Engine Journal, 93% of all traffic comes from a search engine and 60% of clicks go to the top three sites in the search results. On the other hand, 75% of users never click on links after the first page results, according to ImForza.
- Longer browsing time on the website: the more relevant content there is, the greater the interest and browsing time of users. According to BrezzyHill, 47% of consumers see 3 to 5 pieces of content creates by a company before talking to the company.
- Higher conversion rate: the more traffic and the longer a consumer is on the website of a given organization, the greater the chance of being able to generate leads or retain a costumer. Quality content is the key factor in any good SEO strategy, as well as improvements in content increase traffic by up to 2000%, according to Marketing Sherpa.
- Reach and visibility: only through the production of relevant content, which the consumer is looking for, will be possible to retain it, since Google processes an average of more than 40000 searcher every second, translating more than 3.5 billion daily searches and 1.2 trillion annual searches worldwide, says Internet Live Stats.
Currently, due to the pandemic that we are experiencing, certain types of content have been boosted and are crucial to attract new readers and keep the old ones interested.
Different types of content?
Podcasts:
Podcasts are a type of content that has been gaining prestige, even before the emergence of the pandemic. More and more, it is companies that have invested in this tool, because in addition to being practical, it is also relatively simple to create and has a good impact on listeners. In Portugal, more than 2.2 million people listen to podcasts regularly and seek to listen more and more. This is due, above all, to the possibility of being able to be heard anywhere, depending on the availability and willingness of each one. In this sense, companies should even consider betting on this type of content since it is yet another innovative way to reach their target audience.
Webinar:
In addition to podcasts, webinars have also seen an increase in their creation and use. These are a good platform for generating leads, captivating potential customers and, one of its biggest advantages, can be reused for other content such as e-books, related articles on blogs and posts for companies’ social networks. On the other hand, given the national scenario, this is an excellent initiative to avoid holding events, since if they are live, they work in the same way as an event, but online. There is a set date and time for your presentation, but it does not need to be cancelled.
Blogs:
With the huge growth that social networks had and the respective role they play today in generating leads and reaching the target audience, blogs ended up losing a bit of their traditional space, ending up reinventing themselves. Currently, a company blog is an excellent tool with relevant and in-depth content to attract readers who are looking for specific topics. When you want to search for certain information, as a rule, you search on Google and very rarely do you go past the 2nd search page. The advantage of a company having a blog it that, according to research cited by RUNNINGDIGITAL, there are 434% more pages on search engines and the more they publish, the more they will appear on the first pages of these. However, to get the best out of publications, as previously mentioned, it is essential to analyse and identify what type of content is of interest to the readers. Because the more useful the information, the more shares the bog will have, thus reaching many other readers.
That said, if the content produced is relevant and recurring, the company will begin to be recognized for its know-how and to gain notoriety for its good content and, consequently, will start generating leads. Regardless of the content format (social media posts, newsletter, podcasts, webinars, among others – there are so many other formats), if it is attractive and clear, it will certainly capture the attention of new customers and retain existing ones. The most important thing is not to create a text that boasts about how good the company it, but that shows it through its knowledge.
To learn more, see our Guide to creating content, which is a part of the BloomCast Content Series, is a document developed by BloomCast Consulting with the aim of providing useful and easily actionable information to define the communication line that should be used in creating content. In it you can find the best practices for creating the different contents as well as some relevant statistics and facts in relation to the different formats.
Looking for more information on creating content that makes sense for your business? Contact us and find out how we can help you innovate your communication
What is a Podcast or a Webinar?
At a time when digital content has gained more prominence, it is essential to capitalize on them as soon as possible. However, when we analyse the different types of content relevant to date some questions arise that need to be clarified, namely: what will be most beneficial – creating a podcast or a webinar to present your brand or product to potential customers and interested parties? The truth is that both can help your business achieve its goals and attract new consumers.
But between the two, what is the format that can really help communicate the message in the best way? The similarities between a Webinar and Podcast are several. However, there are types of content that fulfill totally different functions and, therefore, it is crucial that before making the final decision, several relevant issues should be considered.
Before proceeding to choose the most suitable format for your organization’s goals, it is important to demystify these concepts and its vantages/ disadvantages for those who will implement them.
What is a Podcast?
Podcasts are a type of content that has been gaining prestige, even before the start of the pandemic. More and more, it’s been companies that are investing in this tool because, in addition to being practical, it is also relatively simple to create and has a positive impact on its listeners. In Portugal more than 2.2 million people listen to podcasts regularly. This is due, above all, to the possibility of being able to be heard anywhere, depending on the availability and willingness of each one. They are only in audio format, recorded before the broadcast, so that listeners have access whenever they wish. These files should be relatively small – we recommend between 5 to 15 minutes. In this sense, companies should even consider betting on this type of content, since it is yet another innovative way to reach their target audience.
Benefits
- Interest: in Portugal more than 2.2 million people listen to podcasts regularly and this number only tends to increase;
- Without physical and temporal barriers: as previously mentioned, to listen to a podcast it is not necessary to be in a certain place at a certain time. This freedom is undoubtedly one of the podcasts’ strongest points;
- Timeless: a podcast does not end the moment it is released; it remains to be heard over time. This allows for constant lead generation;
- Equipment: a podcast does not need technologically advanced and sophisticated equipment. The basic equipment needed is a microphone and a recording program to build your podcast;
Disadvantages
- Target: unlike webinars, podcasts are unable to specifically target the audience;
- Audience attention: the lack of interaction between host and audience, the lack of captivating visual elements and the fact that the audience is free to do other tasks while listening to the podcast can contribute to less attention to the content – making it less effective.
What is a Webinar?
Along with podcasts, webinars have also seen a huge increase in terms of creation and use. They are also known as web seminars or webcasts and are conducted online, and usually include audio presentation as well as a visual one (a PowerPoint presentation or a product demo, for example).
Participants, in turn, can follow the event in real time and ask their questions or can download the session later. These are currently a great platform to generate leads and captivate potential costumers and can also be reused for other content such as e-books, related articles on blogs and posts for companies’ social networks. A webinar usually lasts 45 minutes and allows an additional 15 minutes for questions and answers.
On the other hand, in view of the pandemic scenario, this initiative made it possible to avoid the cancellation of events, thus moving them to the digital panorama, allowing many companies to maintain the date and time that were already foreseen, changing only the format in which the presentation would occur.
Advantages
- Ease of recalling touched points: as the content s visual it ends up being fresher in people’s memory;
- Real-time interaction: Through Q&A for voluntary participation by participants, the webinar offers real-time interaction between audience and host;
- Organization: webinars are very simple and can be pre-recorded and launched on a specific day and time. This allows for much simpler and more practical planning and organization for those who create them;
- Participants: on average, a Webinar can retain 40 to 50% of subscribers. It is a good value that tends to grow depending on the current topic.
Disadvantages
- Preparation: although they are simple to plan and organize, the preparation of all the material that will be exposed can be time consuming;
- Little time flexibility: when it is a live webinar, people cannot move on to the topic they really wanted to see, and this can lead to their withdrawal.
After understanding the concept of each platform, it is important to understand how we can use each tool to choose the one that best fits your goals.
You can use podcasts to:
- Have a panel of different guests in each episode to discuss various topics relevant to your organization;
- Have one-on-one interviews with different guests. This model is a good way to attract interviewees ‘fans’ to your podcast;
- Have a solo program where you share your vision, opinion or experiences with as important current topic or products;
- Create a story, through storytelling. Guide listeners through a narrative, real or fictional and use each episode to add different parts of it.
And the webinar? You can use it to:
- Give a proof of concept of your product or service remotely;
- Interact directly with participants, helping them with their needs;
- Make the organization known, inviting experts on an interesting and relevant topic for the webinar;
- Generate leads. Webinars that focus on topics relevant to the business have the capacity to generate between 500 to 1000 leads.
Identify the organization’s specific needs
After clarifying each of the concepts and understanding how they can be used, it is time to analyse which is the best choice for the organization and which way we want to go when investing in one of these tools. In this sense, in a first phase, it is important to analyse what are the real needs of the organization. That is, why do we want to create these types of content and what do we really want to achieve with it? What audience do we want to reach? In fact, it is essential that this analysis be developed, since it allows us to begin to outline what will be the ideal path for the communication of the organization.
If we go first to the creation of the content without thinking about what really makes sense for the organization, we may be betting on a format that is not ideal and, consequently, will not reach the goals we have established.
That said, there are several types of content that exist, as well as formats, but not all are the most suitable for a communication strategy. Thus, the first step to be taken is to understand and determine what the objective is with the creation of this type of content, regardless of the format that mat be decided.
Identify the theme
The time has come when it is essential to define what subject we want to communicate, as the decision on which platform we should use depends on the message we want to spread. Will our audience need visual support to understand the topic of the message? If so and if what you are going to communicate is complex information, which needs good visuals to be understood or if you want to present a new product, then the webinar is the best option, as it can help to better clarify the message you want to convey.
If you don’t need any visual support and the message to send is simple, the podcast may be the right choice. Its biggest advantage is the lack of restriction to the place to listen, that is, a podcast can be heard anywhere while doing other tasks. This can bring another problem such as the lack of attention on the part o the listener, but even so, it is one of the most attractive points for those looking for it.
Metrics for evaluating the success of the platform
Metrics for post-launch analysis of a podcast or webinar vary. Most webinars ask the audience to fill out a form with certain personal details when registering. With this data it is very easy to analyse who this audience is and build approaches to make them costumers later. Unlike podcast, who need to ask the audience to provide this data to understand who their listeners are.
Regardless of the format chosen, content is the highest priority. Given this context, it is essential that the message is well delineated, as well as its presentation since the way you tell your story is as important as the platform on which it is shared.
To learn more about podcast, see our Podcasts Guidebook, which is a part of the BloomCast Content Series. It is a document developed by BloomCast Consulting with the aim of providing useful and easily actionable information to define the communication line that should be used in creating podcasts. In it you can find the best practices for creating a podcast as well as some statistics and facts relevant to the format.
Looking for more information to create amazing webinars or podcasts? Contact us! And find out how we can help innovate your communication.
Podcasts (E-book) are audio content, made available through a file, which allows the listener to hear when, where and on the device they prefer. When was the last time you heard a Podcast? The likelihood that anyone in your close contacts has recently listened to a podcast is high. According to a 2019 study by Business Insider, more than three-quarters of Internet users in the United States heard content in digital audio format such as music (streaming) and podcasts, at least once a month last year. Additionally, 51% of the population has heard a podcast at least once and 26.9% are regular listeners of at least seven podcasts.
In the current context, with requires social distance for the benefit of all, and based on thisese data, there has never been a better time to start developing a podcast. The explosion of this format has attracted the attention of the public, which is increasingly receptive to listening to content this way. Companies like Apple, Google and Spotify are investing a lot in new tools for podcasters which addings value forto companies, which already looked at podcasts as something attractive and differentiating to incorporate in their strategies. If, on one hand, the podcast allows you to reach a new audience and create an individual experience, thus providing greater proximity to all listeners, on the other hand, its portability allows it to be heard in any location, something that values the time of its listeners.
Still, developing a podcast is a complex process that involves more than putting ideas on paper and speaking into the microphone. Therefore, in order to create this content, it is important to consider certain details, such as: its purpose and format, the tone of communication and even the distribution platforms to be used.
In reality, this process is easier than most consider, since with the right indications, betting on the creation of podcasts can reveal a great return since it is still a little explored tool, when compared to other content channels, with only 900,000 active podcasts ( versus 500 million active blogs).
In this sense, we have outlined a guide with the best practices to adopt to develop podcasts of excellence. These indicators must be followed, transversally, when it is 21intended to proceed with the creation of the concept of the podcast itself.
The Podcast Guidebook, which is part of the BloomCast Content Series, is developed by BloomCast Consulting with the aim of providing useful and easily actionable information to define the communication line that should be used in the creation of podcasts. In it you can find the best practices for creating a podcast as well as some statistics and facts relevant to the format.