Now what do you do when you realize that people want info but increasingly don’t like to read, get downright uncomfortable when it’s completely quiet, have plenty of listening time, are almost always on a mobile device, are awesome at multitasking, and mostly want content customized to their interests? And oh by the way, 4G connected cars are just around the corner with the equivalent of an iPad in the dash.

If you’re Apple, a company that has a notorious history of getting it right and being ahead of every curve, you realize that your podcast app is just…eh. And then you buy a cool one like Swell for around $30 million to get ready for what you now know is coming.

Even in the year 2014, it is amazing how well broadcast radio still does. Advertisers have been edging away from it, but they’ve been doing that despite the fact that listeners have not been abandoning it en masse. Why not? Because it’s so free and easy. You get in the car, turn on the engine, and there it is. Don’t like the song? Just hit a button.

Now take that ease of use, add mobile and cross-platform portability, add the elimination (yes, you can add an elimination) of all content you aren’t interested in, add the ability to stream vs. download, add the ability to hear full programs from the start when you’re ready for them, and then you’re drifting into “everybody gets their audio information/entertainment from podcasts” territory.

And smart people see it coming.

Apple will shut Swell down and use it’s people and tech to kick their podcast app into higher gear to meet rising podcast listenership. But what will brands do? Are they seeing, and preparing for, the same thing?

Uh…no.

Most brands have happily shelved podcasting into the “well there’s at least one thing I don’t have to consider including in my content strategy right now” column. They’ve been getting bombed by “thought leaders” and mega-consultant authors that they should be doing video. I’m 100% in favor of video. That medium is awesome and it does work…IF…

…you can finish what you start. The random, unpredictable, occasional, one-off video is not going to get anyone in a consistent habit of consuming your content. Audio is faster, easier, and cheaper to employ, giving you the ability to put out a consistent “show.” So you might start thinking about what that show is going to be, because there’s about to be a lot of ears out there searching for something worthwhile to listen to.

@brandcontentst         @mikestiles
Photo: freeimages.com

The Bullets:

• According to the Content Marketing Institute, B2B peers overall cite producing enough content as their biggest challenge.
• Turn to your customer service and sales teams.  Have them jot down top questions they get.
• Check out what the competition is saying.  Which posts do best?
• Do a little keyword research.  Check the Google Keyword Research Tool to see if there are variations you’ve missed.
• Pretend you know nothing about your industry.  What kind of info would you be looking for?

Read the full deal by @NickStamoulis right here.
Get a handle on @brandcontentst

Stiles Says: Yay Joe for being bluntly honest!  I would add brand content sucks because they’ve failed to hire entertainers and journalists to execute it.

• 9 in 10 organizations produce content.
• Most is flat out awful.
• Only 1 in 3 marketers themselves think the content they develop is effective.
• No Strategy – there should be one based on objectives, the info needs of the audience, and an idea of how you’re going to measure it.
• No Focus – quit trying to boil the ocean.  Create many small, targeted content strategies.
• No Accountability – you need someone accountable for the brand story.

Get the full deal from @JoePulizzi right here on LinkedIn
Sniff us out like a rabbit at @brandcontentst

Stiles Says: Content should be part of a multi-pronged lead-gen strategy, not held solely accountable for conversion.

The Bullets:

• Long-form works, but people do scan before reading a full page.
• Content marketing focused on frequency is the equivalent of email SPAM.
• If you have a site heavy on how-to videos, engagement may be more important than pageviews.
• There’s written, visual, video, audio…don’t box yourself in to just a blog.
• The best hitters in baseball don’t park the ball in the outfield seats every time they swing.
• Conversion is a process, not an event.

Get the full deal from Tommy Landry at Search Engine Journal
Watch our every move @brandcontentst

Stiles Says: Amen Diane! Any brand that hires a content creator with entertainment/news instinct will crush it.

The Bullets:

• “Compelling content” is content that’s newsworthy.
• For many journalists, the ability to know what will matter most to readers is an ingrained skill.
• Executives in particular confuse what’s important to them with what’s interesting to readers.
• What makes something newsworthy: it’s current, close to home, affects many, about someone or something prominent, interesting or quirky, bad news, emotional, unique, and/or useful.

Read the full deal by Diane Thieke at Business2Community
Peer over our shoulder constantly at @brandcontentst

Stiles Says: Yes, let’s shove what content does best to lower goal priorities and make lead gen, one step short of closing the freaking sale, the expectation.  That’s reasonable, right?

The Bullets:

• The “2013 Content Marketing Survey Report” found 49% of US companies now have formal content marketing strategies, up from 28% in 2012.
• Another 27% say they don’t currently have content creation efforts in place but will by 2014.
• In 2012, lead gen was the #4 goal for online content.  Now, 44% say it’s their #1 priority.
• Customer engagement and awareness tied at #2 with 19%, while thought leadership was #3 with 11%.
• Asked what tactics help drive content marketing success, over half say social.  Company websites was #2 at 44%.

The read the full deal at Brafton.
Let us into your stream at @brandcontentst

Stiles Says: The public has absolutely no obligation to consume your content.  Zero.  Zip.  They owe you nothing.  Start caring what kind of content they want from you.

The Bullets:

• Marketers are confused about tactics and how to execute them to generate great content.
• Just because content is out there it doesn’t mean it’s going to get read.
• Consumers don’t need your attention…you need theirs.
• If your only purpose for creating content is to sell, your audience will recognize it straight away.
• Without listening to what consumers want, there’s little hope for your content strategy.
• The digital landscape has been bombarded with “invitation avalanche” – hundreds vying for Likes, tweets, follows and clicks.
• It’s more important than ever to stand out.
• Create your own voice by humanizing your brand.

Read the full deal by Haylie Pretorius at Business2Community.
Stalk @brandcontentst, we don’t mind.

The Bullets:

• The newsroom is a model for creating timely brand content quickly.
• Set the consistent mission, which serves as a filter and reflects what you stand for and who you’re trying to reach.
• The editorial calendar says what a newsroom should pluck from the millions of things happening.
• For brands and media companies, insight into what the audience cares about forms a skeleton calendar.
• Set the format.  The templates for how content is presented are what keeps you responsive and fast.
• Timely content must be in the supply chain because tomorrow, the cycle starts all over again.

Read the whole deal by @kunur at KommunikationsForum.
Stalk @brandcontentst

The Bullets:

• 71% of B2B tech marketers say lead gen is the most common content marketing goal. Thought leadership, marketing education and customer acquisition were also cited.
• Customer testimonials and case studies are considered the most effective content marketing.
• 24.5% don’t outsource any of their content marketing.
• The top metrics used to measure success are Web traffic and views & downloads.
• Marketing automation is used by 37% to generate leads and by 36% to nurture leads.
• 39% said they don’t use marketing automation at all.

Read the full deal at B2B Online

Stiles Says: You better buy in to content marketing’s value, because your content creators and strategists are becoming hot properties…and will leave you.

The Bullets:

• The Content Marketing Institute says 22% of B2B marketers have a hard time getting the C-Suite to buy into content marketing.
• Content marketing isn’t an expense, it’s building an asset that lives and assist forever.
• Both soft metrics and hard metrics can now be tracked thanks to tech
• Content marketing is a long-term investment that builds via valuable info.
• You’ll be much more valued at companies that believe in content marketing.
• LinkedIn currently lists 3,398 “content manager” vacancies.

Read the full deal at Business2Community
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