The power of content lies in entering an audience’s heart and mind through a consistent story well told; one with people, not products, at its core. We all resonate with that. Your audience needs to connect with your content first. It’s the ignition of brand love. It’s what drives inspiration.
Successful brands heavily use written, audio, visual, and experiential content to drive full-funnel marketing campaigns: awareness, interest, desire, and action. Great content does not sell a product, but it creates an opportunity to show you how your life can be better.
Two factors that make content the leading competitive advantage for eCommerce brands.
1) Our long drawn practice of evaluating both brand and performance in the same lens
2) Biddable media levels the field across buyers big and small
Video content has been the lifeblood of a successful strategy, only the consumption patterns have changed. Here is an interesting model that adds a bit of a mathematical model between content and the response evoked.
Let's use the AIDA model for connecting content to commerce.
Attention: The content must stop the prospect
Three-second video views divided by impressions equals the percentage of people who engage. Above 25-30% is a solid benchmark, though the aim should always be to beat your best.
Interest: The content must hold the prospect
Video average watch times above three seconds on Facebook and Instagram, or above 30 seconds on YouTube, are great indicators that people are genuinely hooked by your creative.
Desire: The content must make the prospect explore further
Average outbound click-through rates (CTRs) above 1% mean the ad — it's content plus call-to-action (CTA) — was compelling enough to get someone to take the first step toward action.
Action: The content must effectively set up the desired result
Finally, for sales, it’s all about cost per purchase and purchases themselves — return on ad spend (ROAS)
As David Ogilvy once said, "if it doesn't sell, it isn't creative". Brands that do content and commerce best understand that when the story comes first, the rest follows.