In today’s competitive world, why is quality content so important?

The importance of quality content is about standing out in a market that’s overly saturated with online media at the moment. We see advertising almost all day, especially when surfing the web, and the only way to really capture people’s attention is to do something fresh.

What are some common pitfalls in content marketing?

Content marketing seems easy: make a film, upload it, wait for the views. But, of course, it’s not that easy. The hardest part about getting exposure is how you target the right market. I think the trick is being quick and sure about the message you’re trying to get across. Then, in order to catch and keep the viewer’s attention, the content needs to be attractive.

How do you measure how successful a piece of content is?

How far it’s reached and how many people have seen it.

Examples from South Africa of great content?

The Video Cartel is a local film company creating some fantastic online content across the board.

And globally?

I’m loving all the channels that are creating music content. Being a drummer, I tend to stick to the educational content.

While content marketing isn’t new, the digital revolution has changed the way people perceive, consume and use content? How?

It’s everywhere. It’s in your pocket, it’s at airports, it’s in sports stadiums, it’s on billboards, it’s in what you read and the movies you watch. It’s literally everywhere you look. You can’t really hide from it unless you go camping. I go camping a lot.

 

Next time: In the second of this two-part series, we talk words and images with communications specialist, PR consultant and strategy veteran Maria Oosthuizen, and senior writer and editor Tracey Hawthorne.