At some point, pretty much every marketer has heard the idea that “content is king.” And most would say that’s absolutely correct. The content companies and organizations choose to share is what helps really communicate a particular mission or concept and helps shape their brand. But some experts urge marketers to dig a little deeper when considering the actual root of their communications; they say look to the community building process.
In a recent interview with SiliconANGLE’s The Cube, NetApp’s Head of Strategy and Development Annalisa Camarillo discussed all of the other factors that contribute to a fully fleshed-out communications strategy, all stemming from the communities that are being built.
Camarillo explained, “I don’t think content is king. I think customers are king, audiences are king. I think context is queen. And then I think content is just the result of what we’ve done as a society to now allow the microphone to be given to communities. Let them share their perspective.”
The ecosystem that manifests as a result of community building is really something to behold. It’s become increasingly apparent, as a result of the adoption of social networks, that consumers value personal endorsement and word-of-mouth more than ever. They no longer just look to advertisements or even search engines to gather the information they need about a product or a service. Instead they look to their community. And thanks to social media, that community grows larger every day.
The importance of digital assistants is also something Camarillo touched on in her discussion. She noted, “Voice assistants, digital assistants. All of those types of technologies that have now been brought to market are going to be the new ways that audiences and communities engage with content.”
Understanding the roles of those new technologies in the realm of community building is imperative. It’s just as crucial to grasp how audiences engage with content as it is to be able to know what content they value. It completely shapes the type of content that’s being created.
You can watch Camarillo’s full interview here and listen to what she has to say about the importance of community building as a whole.
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