The Power and Promise of a Microcontent Strategy

4 minute read

Upland Admin

In the not too distant past, companies used a push or traditional strategy to engage buyers at the top of the funnel—and some industries still do. We’re talking print, TV, radio, direct mail, display ads, and the good old fashioned phone call.

And while these marketing components are still useful parts of the mix, they are expensive and can’t deliver the tracked analytics the C-suite now expects from marketers, which we need in order to legitimize our marketing spend.

Plus, our audiences’ needs have radically changed in the past decade. Today’s buyers are online, engaged, empowered, and in full control of their journey. They’re far less responsive to push marketing, and they’re far less likely to give you a second glance unless you appeal to what they need and want—when they need and want it.

This presents a two-fold challenge for marketers.

First, it revives the critical need for you to research and document the personas of your target audiences. Second, it makes it imperative to collaborate with your stakeholders and agree to a content strategy that maps to all the timed needs of your prospects—from the top of the funnel to the bottom. This means an examination of every content touch point: from teasers, to high profile marketing assets, to drip campaigns, to the microcontent that serves as your messaging glue and grease.

Every piece must be vetted and examined for its storyline power and impact. Gone are the days of tossing non-strategic content at audiences because we feel pressure to fill a Tweet or Facebook pipeline, or blog daily, or weekly newsletter. Quality content, authentic content, creative and engaging content—represents the brass ring we all aim to possess.

Here’s an interesting stat:

On average, buyers consume 10 pieces of content before making a purchase. – Google ZMOT Research

If we break down that stat, the power of thoughtfully created and curated microcontent is immediately evident; it’s fast and easy to produce, and can boost the mindshare and brand equity of what we’re selling. These smaller assets fan the flame of our high-value long-form assets like whitepapers and demos—and keep a steady stream of relevant messages circulating through your social channels.

To get a better idea of the power of microcontent, check out some of the samples in this eBook from Visage.

Microcontent: Designed to Be Clever, Memorable, and Personal

As marketers, most of us have learned the hard way—through failed campaigns and wasted budget—that audiences will reject content that does not respect their intelligence or thirst for cleverness, originality, and authenticity. For your strategy planning, here’s a quick reminder about what microcontent is not:

  •        It isn’t self-congratulatory messaging that touts the brand for the brand’s sake
  •        It isn’t about the hard sell
  •        It isn’t solicitously pushed onto audiences
  •        It isn’t an overt “pitch” of your products and services

And, for your strategy planning, here’s a quick reminder about what microcontent is:

  •        It respects the intelligence of your target audiences
  •        It is high impact, real-time content that entertains, educates, and builds awareness
  •        It is primed for sharing on social platforms
  •        It draws from your larger assets or inspires original creations, all with the goal of meeting the prevailing needs of your target audience

For some companies, creating microcontent as part and parcel of your bigger strategy represents a radical sea-change. But because of its cost-effectiveness and speed to produce and publish, it is the new smart way to meet, head on, the consumption demands of your audiences. And like all your produced content, the goal of microcontent is to successfully riff off your well-vetted themes, customer needs, and business initiatives.

Who doesn’t love that?

Reliable products. Real results.

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