Coming of age: 2015 will be the year of content personalisation

In 2014, we’ve seen the industry’s understanding of content’s requirements mature significantly. Content is in most cases being directly linked to business goals, and meaningful KPIs are increasingly defined ahead of content production.

Technology and device considerations are also made; more interactive and animated forms of data visualisation have overtaken infographics as the format of choice in content marketing.

Developed using HTML5 and CSS3 these assets not only allow for improved cross device user experiences, they also offer a plethora of opportunities for audience interaction, direct feedback and data gathering.

Further considerations are also made now

As in industry we are now making considerations beyond the idea itself; longevity, shareability, distribution and even redistribution are all taken into account as part of the blueprint, this is paradigm shift from thinking of outreach as an afterthought.

Content needs to self-propagate, live in its own right, and evolve beyond its initial immediate requirements. As we embrace these higher production values we will see a lower volume of content, with a growth of single concepts designed to fulfil multiple requirements, delivered in sprints and many formats.

Content measurement evolved

Content measurement is changing rapidly; performance metrics are now being defined prior to content ideation, conceptualisation or commissioning.

As content marketing budgets increase, organisations are beginning to demand more robust measurement of its value; we will see in 2015 a greater emphasis on attribution of this value in the context of its contribution to business outcomes, driven by a greater understanding of its true position within the customer journey.

Iteration, split testing and evaluation of performance metrics allow the shaping of content to reach its optimum potential, this when coupled with advances in sentiment and natural language processing technology which provide a greater understanding of how content is received, will lead to an enhanced development process with far less wastage and the death of ‘publish and pray’.

Consumers are also beginning to recognise online content by both style and substance, as belonging to a particular brand and in the same way as seasonal TV ads have become almost habitual, the level at which we match customer expectation grow to become a new content measurement benchmark.

Standing out from the noise

The acceleration in content production over the last few years has arguably already outpaced our ability to consume, as such now only content that truly stands out, and demands attention from the target audience has a real chance of succeeding.

As content becomes a brand’s reflection, becomes its ambassador; its primary route to market - anticipation, recognition and delight are beginning to become necessities, not targets.

What the future holds: Personal and tailor made

As content continues to evolve and the requirements we speak of today become fundamental expectations, as mediocrity falls by the roadside. We will witness an explosion in content personalisation as content morphs We will witness an explosion in content personalisation in 2015 into collaboration between art and science, and the struggle for relevance and attention will intensify.

Social graph integration will become the norm, like sophisticated versions of childrens’ books where the child’s name is substituted for the hero’s name.

Our social graphs will allow for the development of content, which appeals, in ever closer and more accurate senses to individual consumers. Coupled with infinite data points and the evaluation of reactions, content will become a tailored and a seamless experience.

What to be preparing for in 2015…

We are almost certain to see an uptake in wearable and embeddable tech in 2015; this new device frontier will offer content creators an exciting range of new feedback loops and data points.

We spend a lot of time on the creation of content but less time on understanding how we are going are distribute it, we can create the most amazing piece of content in the world but if we don’t think about distribution then nobody of value is ever going to see it and consequently it will fall flat on its face.

Lee Stuart, director of insight, Caliber

Tel: 0207 841 9100

Email: hello@caliberi.com

Web: www.caliberi.com

Twitter: @caliberi