Content marketing has been under the influence of Internet of Things in ways beyond our imagination. The IoT technology or Internet of Things is a network of things which can communicate data to an audience without human involvement, such as smart appliances, electronics, and machines. This technology has taken the world by storm because the buyer is no longer confined to any specific location. He may access information through a host of devices, including smartphones and laptops.
The consumption of huge volumes of data and the increased dependence on data are responsible for IoT’s dominance over content creation. When more things can be interconnected, there is an increase in the volume of data being generated everyday by people using these things. This increased data leads to smarter data, and this in turn leads to enhanced audience engagement.
[bctt tweet="When you can target the right audience, you can create an effective marketing campaign." username="relevance"]
Custom campaigns are only possible with improved targeting, and improved targeting is possible only by using Big Data. When a specific product is web-connected, the marketers not only get relevant information about who is using it and buyer-behavioral trends; they are also equipped to provide solutions to problems that product may have.
It is possible to send buyers useful messages concerning the product based on factors such as weather, location, or product interactions. For instance, content creators of retail websites can send messages to their buyers on what they can wear to stay warm. Environment and location are perhaps the most relevant data for marketers which allow them to send targeted messages that can help shoppers locate and buy things that they really need.
The best way to make use of this information is to find out the buyer’s proximity to your product. So, content marketers of businesses can help shoppers locate products which are close to them and choose the right products in a retail store that they may be shopping in. It helps to improve customer engagement with the website, loyalty, and even sales in that area. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest uses of the IoT as far as content marketing goes.
The device may also be able to transmit useful data for content marketers. For instance, any health device which belongs to the IoT can send health related information like current heart rate or pulse rate to users.
Businesses may use IoT devices for alerting their users about important announcements in real time. These alerts about emergencies and other significant announcements can be highly beneficial for the user and may even be used for providing public service.
[bctt tweet="You get to see reports from the IoT devices round-the-clock while systems are monitoring and tracking KPIs." username="relevance"]
Since marketers spend much time on campaigns, a huge benefit from IoT applications is getting such alerts on status of these marketing campaigns so that they can adjust these accordingly.
Since these smart devices are connected to the Internet, it means that content marketing must be focused more on contextual targeting. This has been the case with mobile marketing which has adapted to the context which buyers may be browsing on the go.
Smart content is capable of automating conversations and dealing with common buyer queries, thereby successfully delivering real-time responses and updates which are important for the buyers.
IoT devices are extremely popular and this has brought about experiential marketing where buyers are keener to use content depending on how they “feel” it rather than by reading about it. So, more and more companies are using this tactic to promote their products instead of marketing them in a traditional way.
[bctt tweet="IoT data lets content marketers personalize customer engagement so that engaging experiences can be easily shared." username="relevance"]
In this way, the IoT is expected to bring forth myriad opportunities for content marketers. In the near future, content marketing is expected to travel beyond social media and blog posts. And this is why it becomes necessary to examine the existing content marketing strategies. Companies must understand the value of creating smart content which is formatted and correctly adapted, regardless of the device in use.
It may be possible for content marketers to deliver exactly the content their audience is searching for because of the IoT generated data. Whether it is smart refrigerators which are collecting data about what kind of foods people wish to buy and eat, or smart watches which can track the user’s exercise habits and vitals, these content creators are now going to have access to much more data than they could earlier. This means they can now use this information to generate much more customized content for their clients.
With growth of the IoT technology, companies can see a huge change in the kind of content which they must now create to stay connected to their audiences. In short, today’s brands have to come up with smart and meaningful content and personalized content which is possible only when they can properly utilize the huge volumes of data generated by IoT devices. This shows how deep an impact the IoT can have on content marketing. It not only offers content marketers incredible opportunities to create unique and relevant content; it also poses a challenge to them in doing so. This is exactly why it is imperative to stay abreast with this emerging technology and pursue innovative strategies to create better and smarter content for audiences.
