Content vs. Conversation

According to John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka, If content is king, then conversion is queen.” I think that while both, content and conversation are important, it may ultimately be the conversation aspect that actually produces not just followers, but a community of loyal ones at that that will build a relationship with the brand. On the flip side, however, one cannot have conversation without the content so you do need both to co-exist. The emphasis comes in when considering which of the two to prioritize or place more emphasis on. Content is the initial feature that may attract one’s attention, but it is the conversation that draws them in and keep them tuned in to the site. Devaluing conversation can be detrimental to a brand, in that it is the conversation that ultimately drives and secures the sale. Valeri Montoni states that content should be one’s body language, as good content is a way for businesses to be useful and become attractive through both digital and social media. “People first need to believe, then they will support that belief in the way they behave-- and may eventually become ambassadors on your behalf,” she says (Maltoni, 2012). Content allows the opportunity to build an audience, attract customers through opt-in tactics. And develop advocates on behalf of the brand (Maltoni, 2012).

As much as a platform like Twitter is revered for its conversational abilities online and its ability to create “discursive, rather than simply distributive, relationships with news consumers,” several major news organizations are utilizing the platform as a means of distributing news informational content (Garber, 2011). According to a study released by Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, thirteen news organizations were studied from print, TV, and radio and it was found that “mainstream news organizations primarily use Twitter to move information and push content to readers” (Garber, 2011). Of those studied, fully 93 percent of the postings provided a link to a news story on the organization’s website. A major concern with their methods is if news outlets’ need to be institutional is disrupting their ability to be conversational. The organizations from Pew’s sample, did exhibit some audience engagement were also the smaller outlets, and/or the outlets with a more explicitly political orientation. While 1 percent of The New York Times’ tweets aimed to gather information from followers during the week studied, 21 percent of Fox News’ tweets did. And while 2 percent of The New York Times’ tweets used hashtags that week, 50 percent of Fox News’ tweets did (Garber, 2011). Though it is not necessary for an organization like the New York Time’s to mimic the efforts of Fox, it does show that while distribution is great, conversation is even more important to connect people with organizations, and not just other people (Garber, 2011). Organizations like the New York Times tend to value content more so than conversation. There are several more companies out there now that will argue heavily the importance of dedicating ample time and resources to creating relevant, memorable content for visitors; however, they should also be understanding the importance of actually talking to the customers and having a two-way conversation. An important note for marketers or businesses to remember is that customers are people first and buyers second; therefore, they thrive on conversation to maintain their interest and continue coming back.

 References:

Garber, M. (14 November 2011). Twitter, the conversation-enabler? Actually, most news orgs

use the service as a glorified RSS feed. Retrieved June 8, 2012, from http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/11/twitter-the-conversation-enabler-actually-most-news-orgs-use-the-service-as-a-glorified-rss-feed/.

Maltoni, V. (2012). Brand Content Strategy: How to Build an Audience, Get Customers, Create

Advocates. Retrieved June 8, 2012, from http://www.conversationagent.com/brand-content-strategy.html.