Content-tech: Why it is all about a better content experience

While the Covid crisis brought along with it an immense digital disruption, agencies at the forefront brought on the table all new tech-based solutions to make the digital environment more conducive and profitable for the brands.

As many adopted such solutions for their marketing strategies, experts argue that these technological tools are needed to start with an effective content strategy and that they can help optimise the costs.

Content experts told BuzzInContent.com that the content space will see a very fast adoption of technology to create and deliver better content in the crisis.

Petal Gangurde

Petal Gangurde, VP Marketing, XYXX Apparels, said that from wearable devices to 3D printers, there is going to be a massive shift in how technology dictates content in the next few years.

While the idea will still remain core to any content effort, technology will enhance its performance.

“We are seeing a wave of automation already in every industry conceivable. In our business too, which is still pretty traditional by nature, we are exploring chat-bots and voice interfaces to reduce dependency on manpower, especially to offer more real-time support to consumers. The pandemic has amplified the presence and penetration of digital, which means that tech sophistication, from being a distant dream for most marketers, has become a mandate for the new world of marketing,” she added.

Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh, CEO and Founder, FLYX, said the crisis definitely accentuates the importance of a great content strategy and proper use of technology.

In crisis, the first thing that generally gets affected is the marketing budget and one of the best ways to still get in front of your potential customers without breaking bank is through organic reach of your content.  

Tech solutions can always help content consistently get ranked on top on popular search engines, he said.

Ritesh Singh

Ritesh Singh, Co-founder and MD at ARM Worldwide, said technology has always been an enablement layer for content.

Technological capabilities are enhancing learning capabilities, helping in understanding consumer consumption patterns, aiding in finding right moment and platform for delivery of relevant content, he added.

Tech-based tools can help content marketers identify and define their audiences. While it will automate content distribution, it will also help in identifying content needs and gaps, thus organising a content piece/initiative.

Atul Hegde

Atul Hegde, Co-founder of Rainmaker Ventures, and a Board Member at YAAP, said technology is a facilitator, be it as medium or an enabler, to bring alive the content. 

He said the industry will see a very fast adoption of technology to create and deliver better content amid the pandemic. 

Technology can analyse one’s content against a number of key metrics before he/she plans to publish it. These metrics can be based up on the content clarity and accuracy, tone, consistency, brand standards and much more.

Well it’s not just the crisis that’s pushing content heads to adopt more technology.

Ankur Pujari

It’s the genuine need to deliver more personalised content that is pushing marketers to dial up technology in creating content at scale, delivering content at the right inflection point and ultimately drive measurable commerce with it, said Ankur Pujari, Co-Founder and Growth Lead, Hyper Connect Asia.

Gangurde said that any marketer who thinks beyond the realm of traditional content marketing, and is good at spotting opportunity before it becomes mainstream, will win the ROI game.

The nature of content is going to change. We don't watch traditional television anymore. The speed with which content travels today and is being built for conversational interactions itself means it needs to be experiential in every way possible.

She added, “If you think life-like simulations fall outside your strategic goals (or your content budget); consider incorporating AR technology as an enhanced alternative to standard, static content experiences. Nobody took podcasts seriously but today it has a huge following with serious consumer attention and podcast advertising will be the next big thing.”

Any content piece can either make a brand or break it.

But it is the tech-powered tools, solutions and analytics behind the content that can be the difference between a great content that performs well and an asset that disappears without a trace.

But are our content marketers equipped enough to kick-start their tech game?

It goes without saying marketers, whether in content space or outside, need to keep updated with new technologies and platforms that are evolving.

There are enough tools and technology out there to start a decent content strategy and optimise them.

But majority of the leaders are now out-dated and are still using old tools and hoping they will get the results, Shashank said.

“In my view the future is all about applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise the content strategy or even personalise content to your prospective customer. Marketers need to be data savvy and should know how to apply the insights. There are three essential keys to a success content strategy, i.e. to get the right content in front of right customer at the right time,” he said.

Ankit Chaudhari

Ankit Chaudhari, Co-founder and CEO, Aiisma, suggested content marketers to keep evolving.

He said, “There was initial resistance to adapting but we have seen the leadership adapting to the new normal pretty fast. And it’s not the marketing leaders alone learning; the content creators, influencers and consumers themselves are contributing to the learning of technology as well.”

Hegde pointed out that nobody is ideally equipped and that’s what makes it interesting for all brands irrespective of their spending power. 

“Technology and content have always been great levellers. The best idea is not dependent on large marketing spends and similarly the best use of tech as always come after being pushed to the wall,” he said.

He feels brands and marketers will rise to the occasion and we will see some great work in this space.

The market size of marketing automation in India is estimated to be at $500 million. And this statistic itself, according to Ritesh, should tell us that the Indian market and leaders are already exploiting the capabilities to work with content and technology together.

Technology is the backbone. The more one experiments with content and technology, the more we will learn to use it better, he suggested.

Gangurde said we were always moving in the direction of being tech-first as a marketing community.

“We are inherently more ROI-driven and tech is the best way to bring in that optimisation. Smart algorithms that power marketing-automation tools and manage programmatic campaigns were already fast gaining acceptance. The market that has been prepped in the past five years is ripe today,” she added.

XYXX has shot its upcoming campaign remotely with the advanced tech tools available today.

Indian make-up giant Lakme had introduced image-recognition technology in their app Lakme Make Up Pro.

Even food delivery apps such as Zomato and Swiggy have AI-managed push notifications, with which retailers can today deliver everything, from personalised welcome messages to on-the-fly discount offers or customised product recommendations, making it a compelling buy for consumers.

“To drive personalisation for instance, we will soon explore an AI-based tool that with the right input mechanism can make messaging topical, targeted and valuable to our audience members on an individual basis,” said Gangurde.

Pujari believes these are still early days of experimentation, but Indian marketers are not risk-averse and hence they are open to deploying technology to create, deliver and measure content.

“The cohesion will be more seamless and more content technology players take the first lead in showcasing the possibilities to the content creators,” he said.

Experts agreed that although technology is category and brand-agnostic, it has to be best utilised to one’s advantage while having a clear purpose in mind for it.