Breaking Through the Noise: Content Marketing and How to Reach Your Audience
Content marketing in 2023 is a much different game than it was even just a few years ago. Back in 2018, SEO-driven blogs were still the name of the game for marketing teams. Managing a well-curated, but also varied, blog for a targeted audience was on all marketing teams’ minds. And in the world of social media, Facebook, Twitter, and to a smaller extent LinkedIn were seen as the most important platforms to master.
Now, these previously paramount categories of content marketing are still important, but the industry has changed dramatically. Take social media as an example. Whereas a few years ago, mastering a couple of platforms was seen as enough, now that is not the case. A wide variety of social media platforms are increasingly viable, and every service is seen as a possible engine to market a company effectively. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are still important. But now there are also Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Clubhouse, Snapchat, podcasts, and more. All of these platforms offer opportunities for companies to reach an audience, and many brands are experimenting with tailoring their message to each service.
The question becomes: in a content marketing landscape with this many platforms that can be used, how do brands break through all of the noise to make an impact with their audience? The companies that can effectively break through stand that much more of a chance to survive and even thrive.
Grant Taleck, a recent guest on StudioPod’s Content Frequencies series, is someone uniquely qualified to talk about breaking through the noise. Grant is the co-founder of AuthentIQ, a company that repurposes podcasts by turning them into engaging video content optimized for social media. Grant joined StudioPod co-founder TJ Bonaventura to talk through how he thinks about standing out in the current world of content marketing.
Focusing on High-quality content
There are two schools of thought when it comes to keeping pace with the high volume of content in today’s content marketing landscape. The first viewpoint favors quantity: throwing as much at the wall as possible and seeing what sticks. Proponents of this strategy hope to find success by quickly iterating through different content approaches - probably with a good number of those that flop badly.
Grant is clear on where he stands. “We’re definitely on the quality end of that spectrum. That’s the strategy we go after.” For video repurposing content specifically, that means that Grant and his team spend time picking out the very best clips to use, usually 1-3 from a specific podcast episode. They measure their approach by editing the videos to make sure that each one has a strong hook to lure viewers. They make sure the graphics pop. Then, they add components such as music and sound effects to complete the video’s appeal.
To be sure, just because Grant and the AuthentIQ team focus on quality doesn’t mean that a quantity-heavy approach cannot work. But Grant’s approach highlights the allure of a focused, measured, quality-centered strategy.
Following trends: vertical video
While choosing the right platform is an important task that requires teams to think critically about where they succeed, it is also critical to follow certain trends, specifically when it comes to what types of content land with audiences of the day.
Being that his company focuses on repurposing audio content for video, Grant and his team need to stay on top of the latest trends in the video content space. TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts have ushered in a wave of short, vertical videos coming in at under 60 seconds of length. Given that viewers are digesting this content mainly on their phones, it is crucial for companies to deliver these videos in the right format for their audience.
Going back to the emphasis on quality output, though, simply following a trend like vertical video isn’t doing quite enough. Grant explains that for repurposing videos, for example, “identifying a hook that is going to capture someone’s attention, and then following that hook up with a quality point after the fact, will definitely give you a leg up.”
Breaking through with the podcast medium
Having Grant join the Content Frequencies series got us thinking more critically about how to develop high quality, targeted podcasts in the B2B space that are designed to break through. Our goal is to deliver content that will resonate for a brand’s audience in the audio space, with additive video and written elements.
Are you thinking about how a podcast can reach your audience in a new, fresh way? Allow us to help with the process of getting started. Contact us to learn more about StudioPod’s full suite of B2B podcast production that will level up your brand’s marketing tactics.
