What Does Intelligent Content Mean for Connecting With Your Audience?

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Networking Event: What Intelligent Content Means for Connecting with Audiences

Join the discussion on Twitter Spaces on Thursday, March 24, at 4 p.m. ET.
How do we, as content creators, reach out and find our viewers in a crowded landscape? Discover how intelligent content can make connecting with our audience a whole lot easier. RSVP here.

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We all know that the way audiences consume content has changed beyond all recognition in the last few years.

Traditional ways of viewing have been replaced by multiple new platforms, clever technology, social media and smart devices. We’re still glued to screens but just not in the same way or even the same screens. It’s no longer about the box in the corner of the living room. It’s about what entertainment we can find on our computers, smart TVs, phones, tablets and other devices whenever we want it. And how easily accessible that content is.

So how do we utilize intelligent content to locate and reach our potential consumers? In a wildly different landscape with multiple outlets for content delivery, how do we target and find our viewers? Let’s look at some options.

Traditional broadcasting still exists, of course, but it has had to diversify and modernize in order to stay relevant. So is TV really dead? People have been asking this question for the past 10 years… but here is a genuine attempt to answer the question of TV’s status.

Social media has gone from a place where we share photos of our food and cat memes to a credible content delivery service.

And social media knows how to use intelligent content to reach a huge audience. Consider Tiktok and A.I. and Snapchat, A.I. and augmented reality. Plus, all the buzz about Instagram and big data, as broken down by Bernard Marr.

YouTube has become the go-to place for entertainment for millions of people worldwide. Apparently, individuals spend one billion hours every day watching content on YouTube. Here are some mind-blowing statistics.

And of course, streamers have taken over the world. Just when you think there can’t possibly be room for one more, a major company brings us yet another platform filled with must-see content. Here’s how relative newcomer Disney+ is punching above its weight in an established marktet.

Once again, we find ourselves inevitably coming back to Netflix. They were the first. They are the most successful and the most copied leaders in connecting to audiences in this new landscape. They’ve gone from posting out actual DVD’s (remember that?!) to delivering content on demand and they’ve made it look effortless. We all probably find ourselves thinking at some point (or we probably should be asking) WWND? – ‘What would Netflix do?’

Why not go down this Netflix-focused rabbit-hole?

• Discover how Netflix uses IC and social listening to stay on top of the game.
• Learn how Netflix’s recommendation system works.
• This paper analyzes Netflix’s use of analytics.
• A previous VP of product explains the streaming service’s 2020 strategy.
• Case study: How Stanger Things went above and beyond in its audience engagement strategy.

So how do you engage with audiences in this new landscape, and how does IC come into play when trying to get viewers for your content? For a simple breakdown, check out this infographic.

Let’s consider how intelligent content can help us understand who our viewers are and how they find content.

How do we punch through and get our content noticed, consumed and engaged with when the competition is so steep? Everything we watch and consume, no matter what platform, is generating data to tell who, how, what and where people are consuming content.

Here’s an overview of how the media and entertainment industry is using Big Data.

Analytics can help us refine our content creation and delivery to make sure the right shows, movies and videos find audiences who will love and share them.

A.I. and machine learning can sort and identify existing content (and micro-content) that you can re-use to reach a whole new audience. It can also make searching archive footage less time consuming and more focused.

We all know that algorithms used to help us find the content we love. And we’ve seen them get more refined and accurate over the last few years. Intelligent content is helping to make it even more precise.

Here’s how one relatively small player is using A.I. to up its game.

And here’s some tech that can make your search for something to watch a whole lot easier.

Go down this consider-focused rabbit-hole for more on this subject…

• Everything you need to know about media content recommendations and algorithms.
• Here are some content marketing predictions and links to useful tools.
• How will Web3 transform digital marketing?
• Remember, this is not a new thing. Here’s a case study explaining how the BBC used A.I. to find new audiences for Sherlock.

And here’s a mini rabbit-hole to go down for all things connect.

How do we campaign in order to make sure our content reaches viewers?

We have to reconsider how we reach out to potential audiences in a way we haven’t before. The battle for viewing time is extremely competitive, and there is an exceptionally diverse range of methods we can utilize in order to reach consumers. Content creators are getting smarter about how they reach viewers.

Here are some clever links to help you market your content:

• Six digital marketing techniques you should definitely deploy.
• Algorithms can help you target potential viewers, and also answer multiple questions for content creators.
• A.I. can even create direct marketing and copy.
• Using influencers and their own algorithms in your campaigns can help boost followers and therefore audience. Like this — or this.

Why not head down this campaign-focused rabbit-hole to see what it’s all about…

• Foxtel and Monty case study: Foxtel had a problem to solve in their delivery of cricket content, and they had a clever idea to solve it. And if you’re curious, watch this video to see how Monty works:

• Here’s a UK-focused look at ingenious TV marketing.
• Check out these Squid Game brand tie-ins.
• Consider these tips for how to market your content.
• Or these ideas for increasing live viewers by 800%.

Intelligent content can help us connect via new streams and find ways to deliver content quickly and easily to the best audience. The direct-to-consumer approach is more pertinent than ever before. Intelligent content is creating immersive experiences that make viewers feel involved in the content, which leads to better engagement.

Fan engagement and better, more involved connections are critical to success. Sport is one of the areas rising to the challenge, particularly because the pandemic meant that live experiences weren’t possible. So, they got creative…

New methods of delivery including streaming, channels, online and in-game are being created using smart technology. And content creators need to reach out to their audiences in a genuinely diverse way. It’s not just about the content, it’s about the “noise” that surrounds it. How do you create chatter and engagement above and beyond the content itself? Platforms like Discord can help you to do that.

Curated viewing and gamified content experiences can reach viewers in a highly individual way. Here’s a breakdown of gamification and how it can be used to gain more viewers/followers.

If you want to know more, here is a connect-themed rabbit hole for you to go down…

• Check out this special report on free streaming and how it works.
• Here’s a breakdown of what OTT delivery is all about.
• How entertainment providers will diversify to reach audiences in 2022
• This gaming creator used A.I.-generated storytelling to hook in new players every month.
• Seven secrets to shareable content.
• How to grow your YouTube channel with some links to helpful IC tools.
• A case study on how a live and on-demand sports streaming company utilized intelligent content to improve their reach.
• How Cameo strives to connect more deeply with its fanbase.
• And here’s another mini rabbit-hole to for all things connect.

To wrap up: Connecting to your audience is paramount to success. And intelligent content can help you do that. We have to rethink how we reach our viewers. And be smart about the various means of doing that. The world has opened up in terms of finding our audience and there are now no limits to how we connect.

Continue the deep dive with this cool things rabbit hole and join the debate:

• Learn how CGI influencers are connecting with consumers.
• How Star Trek is attempting to connect to a wider audience.
• Read this think piece about the future of TV.
• Check out this breakdown of streaming’s Big Four.
• Understand how fan engagement can help content get renewed.
• Dig into the unpredictability of SVOD performance.
• Five trends to watch in media and entertainment in 2022.
• How game companies are leveraging A.I. to increase reach.
• Watch this analysis of why Squid Game broke through to be a mainstream success.
  

Are you interested in contributing ideas, suggestions or opinions? We’d love to hear from you. Email us here.