The digital information age has permanently changed the way brands communicate with consumers. Thanks to the Internet, brands today can connect with more of the people that matter to them, more directly, and more frequently than ever before.

For any business, this can play out as either a great opportunity for growth, or a threat to its relevance. In the digital era, the success of any consumer-facing company now rests largely on its approach to the quality of one crucial asset: content.

Content is king

The phrase "content is king" has grown increasingly popular in recent years, transitioning from a bold statement to borderline cliché. However, it couldn’t be more true. What a brand chooses to create and publish online – and beyond – defines its ability to connect, engage, and build relationships with its customers.

In other words: the need to consistently produce good, relevant, and useful content is not a trend that is likely to die down any time soon. It’s a defining aspect of the digital space brands now find themselves operating in.

The future of marketing

In a a recent piece for Forbes that discussed the defining characteristics of the future of marketing, Daniel Newman identified content – especially visual content – as a potent business asset, stating:

That last part of this statement – creating amazing content, at speed, on demand – is where the real challenge lies. In an age where we are overloaded with information on a daily basis, cutting through the online white noise and resonating with your target consumers is harder than ever. Moreover, many brands still face the challenge of adapting their skills, resources and internal mind-set to act as high-quality, large-scale content publishers.

Avoiding content shock

Consumers are becoming more adept at filtering out and ignoring what isn’t relevant or interesting to them. For a brand to earn their audience’s attention, they need to be at the top of their game. And the standards demanded are only getting higher.

Mark Schaefer discussed the growing difficulty of cutting through information saturation in his article on 'content shock'. Coining the term, he explains it as "when exponentially increasing volumes of content intersect our limited human capacity to consume it."

Quality over quantity

The marketing landscape continues to throw up new and complex challenges – a key example being content. In order for brands to get ahead, the focus must be on treating content as a valuable business asset rather than a cheap commodity to pump out: quality over quantity.

When it comes to content, quality is achieved through a relentless focus on the needs and interests of your target audience. Marketing automation will increasingly play a vital part in helping companies define and understand their customers in greater detail, in order to provide them with helpful, engaging content that builds relationships and grows business.

Find out how tools from censhare can help your business achieve these goals.