The Creation and Management of Operational and Rich Content
I wrote this blog, originally in 2014. While looking at today’s business landscape, I realize how valid and urgent it is to meet reseller and end user demands. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Content Is King.”
The creation and management of operational and rich content requires strategy, creation and integration to effectively impact sales. Time, creativity, discipline and an understanding of how content is syndicated in the industry is required.
Operational content is either accurate or inaccurate. Managing the correct size, width, depth, etc. of a product(s) requires discipline. As critical as operational content is to selling a product, operational content alone is just the starting point.
Rich content requires a very different investment than operational content. Producing and managing rich-selling copy, images and video requires creative thinking and execution to clearly show the key selling features and benefits of a product or product category. Rich content demands the combination of an effective sales presentation and a creative concept to self-educate the end user.
In the process of creating rich content, we always start with a strategy keeping the end user and reseller(s) in mind. This process may be for a single reseller with specific needs or a broader development for a variety of resellers. We encourage the collaboration between our sales and marketing staff on the development of rich-selling content.
Often we will develop rich content based upon the collaboration of sales goals and objectives for a product or product family. For example, a strategy might be to reduce return rates while increasing customer loyalty via consumer reviews. During a recent presentation, we identified that negative reviews on a product were a result of several end users expressing concern over a product’s tendency to rust. The manufacturer immediately responded that the product has now been now powder coat painted to avoid rusting. Unfortunately the copy, image and lack of video did not adequately explain the product changes since the last review was posted. As a result, we are confident that the manufacturer will be creating a series of infographic images to address the negative comments. The rich content needs to ensure that the end user clearly understands the product application. We can do that by simply answering consumer questions before they are asked.
It is vital for the long-term success of any product in distribution to have robust selling copy, images and video. The integration of the new rich content needs to be carefully executed. Rest assured, our long in-depth industry knowledge is backed by a clear understanding of content syndication. This complex selling process has resulted in significant growth for many of our industry partners.
It is important to proof and verify that the investment made in rich content is executed by the resellers.
We love rich content and the significant impact it will have on increasing sales while reducing operational expenses.
– Steven Glass, Principal