Last year 75% of marketers reported an increased investment in content marketing and 76% reported that they created more content than the year before. Clearly organizations have fully embraced content marketing as a strategy to attract audiences with relevant, high-quality content.
The rise of branded content has led to an overwhelming amount of choices for consumers. This creates a new challenge for marketers, especially for those using content marketing to boost their profits—content personalization.
Consumers are used to receiving personalized content experiences. Amazon shows home pages with content “related to” and “inspired by” items you’ve looked at, while Netflix suggests shows you might enjoy based on what you’ve watched before. Additionally, Google provides “auto-fill” search suggestions, and Facebook customizes your news feed based on the content you’ve liked or shared. Experiences like these shape consumer expectations for relevant content from brands consistently.
But are marketers delivering on these expectations? And if not, what’s at stake for their content marketing programs in 2017? To find out, we surveyed 1,500 consumers to understand how they value branded content and how personalization impacts their perceptions of and actions toward brands. Here’s what we learned:
Personalization positively influences how people feel about your brand
The data supports the notion that if you take the time to get to know someone and make the conversation relevant, it’s very likely that person is going to have a favorable impression of you. The same can be said for content marketing. 87% of consumers surveyed say that personally relevant branded content positively influences how they feel about a brand. Consumers want and expect content that’s specific to their individual preferences, especially when there’s enough consumer-specific data available to tailor the experience.
Source: OneSpot/Marketing Insider Group
Additionally, when brands do a great job delivering personally relevant content, consumers (72%) are more likely to believe the brand itself is relevant, thereby driving positive perceptions of the brand. 60% of consumers feel a stronger connection with the brand as a result of content relevance.
Source: OneSpot/Marketing Insider Group
But where personalization really impacts the bottom line is in driving consumer interest in your products and services. 86% reported that if a brand does a good job of providing personally relevant content, it makes them more interested in that brand’s products and services.
Personalization makes consumers more likely to buy from and recommend your brand
The study indicates consumers are more inclined to purchase and pay more for products from brands that personalize content marketing. 78% report that if a brand does a good job of providing personally relevant content, it somewhat or significantly increases their intent to purchase that brand’s products or services. 50% say that they would pay more for those products and services when the content experience is individually personalized. What’s more, 64% are more likely to recommend a brand if it does a great job of delivering personally relevant content.
The research suggests the only way to attract a customer’s attention today is by producing not only quality content but also content that is relevant and personalized to the reader. This imperative influences every aspect of content marketing—from how you build a brand-owned content hub, to how you distribute content across digital channels, to the technology you use to build and measure your content marketing programs.