“The banner has not died, but each time it is complemented more with content generation strategies to develop and / or protect the online reputation of SMEs and recognized brands”

We interviewed Antonio Gimeno, serial entrepreneur, co-founder of the startups Coguan, first online advertising marketplace in, and hoyreka! specialized in content marketing products and services in several languages ​​for all types of companies.

After half a lifetime immersed in the online world, and the last 10 years working in activities related to content marketing in several continents, this speaker, trainer, manager and unique in the list of “Top 100 CMOs on Twitter” published by Social Media Marketing Magazine in the United States, recapitulates about the content sector in, tells us its vision of where digital content is going and its relevance for any type of organization that wishes to develop a presence on the Internet.

What has changed in the last 5 years in the digital content sector ?

It is a question that would lead to write a book, but I will focus on the last 3 and a half years that I spent in Madrid, since I lived the previous 9. Digital content is experiencing an evolution, and particularly an acceleration to the speed of the Internet, while the traditional contents of offline media in  continue to evolve more slowly and withstanding the downpour with significant drops in advertising investment in general that are reflected in the reports Infoadex annuals, and with very few alternatives unless they are integrated more and better into the online medium, to offset their income statements. It is also important the tendency of brands to create their own content to attract and retain users and customers,

The market for audiovisual content has also evolved enormously compared to what existed before. This has been due mainly to factors such as the analog switch-off of TV, broadcasts in high definition, the adoption of video on demand, or the universe of possibilities, information and entertainment that opens up the technology and IPTV or Internet services. TV. However, we are not a reference in terms of adoption of digital television technology and services, because I think we are 5-10 years behind in terms of markets like the United States in terms of consumer expectations regarding services such as: connect and share the contents between several televisions and devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc. In the home,

Is content marketing then a priority among brands?

In a recent article entitled “content marketing, the highest priority among brands and companies for 2012”, he highlighted the importance that is being given to this topic. It is not enough that the media speak about our brand, we must generate our own, original contents that allow us to show the personality of the brand with practical and useful content.

Appearance, the continent of brands, gives way to content so that users know not only what brands appear to be, but how they really are, how they express themselves and interact with them on the Internet. For years, major brands such as BMW, Coca-Cola and Movistar have placed a strong bet on telling stories, especially that they convey emotions. For example, Movistar’s “shared, life is more” slogan has given rise to several successful advertising campaigns that show a greater focus on giving a brand image that gives importance to emotions, rather than the product itself.

This content is not limited to the audiovisual field. Every day it is more common to observe brands developing text content in corporate websites, in their blogs associated or not directly with brands, in their social media channels, etc., which are complemented by the inclusion of images, videos, infographics, podcasts, etc. Content marketing in its purest form, although there is still a lot to do in, especially at the level of SMEs.

Should traditional companies and communication professionals adapt to the new times? The traditional press releases with an exclusively commercial focus Do not sell anymore? Are they still effective?

I think everyone in a certain way, both those of us who have been working in online marketing and communication for a while, as well as those who are recycling and come from traditional media, or who join the labor market, should bear in mind that the times they have only changed but are constantly changing and require constant re-learning. To give an example, the first time that one of the companies for which I worked in the United Kingdom appeared on the gigaom.com technology blog, it went unnoticed inside that company, because gigaom.com was not the Financial Times, or some traditional means of reference in your sector. Nowadays, it is beginning to give the bloggers of reference the importance they deserve, but it has cost.

Innovation in technology and in the business models provided by the Internet forces us to go with the times. In this regard, I have witnessed a disuse of press releases, in favor of quality sponsored content, and other formulas such as interviews and invited firms that PuroMarketing uses very well.

It would not be unreasonable to estimate that 90% of the “old” press releases that are received by our blogs end up in the trash, or the spam folder, and will never be published due to lack of knowledge of the blog, and by using methods of unidirectional communication more typical of the 20th century, than of the 21st century. Give me something that I really like and motivate me to publish it in a format adapted to blogs for example, and then we’ll see if it has managed to attract my attention. It is an important message for communication agencies and departments that are still anchored in the past, although there are fewer and fewer.

What should a company do to develop its presence on the Internet?

Companies are faced with the double problem that not all online advertising works, so they are forced to perform tests and draw conclusions to optimize results, and also have to distinguish themselves from the rest in terms of generating content strategies and SEO that allow you to position your company in search engines, and turn it into a reference source in your sector, so that if one day you decide to stop advertising, your company will not disappear from the Internet. Hence the importance of developing marketing strategies that combine the “push” effect of advertising push, with the “pull” effect of content marketing, to attract its customers without selling aggressively.

The banner has not died, but it is increasingly complemented with content generation strategies to develop and / or protect the online reputation of SMEs and recognized brands. For this reason, content marketing allows the use of a multitude of channels to communicate, converse and share information and opinion in the online medium. Blogs and social networks are nourished by content adapted to those channels that allow highlighting the activity or online presence of a brand. In this sense, I liked the vision of Sebas Muriel of tuenti that highlighted the fact of “Know how to listen, communicate and share experiences: the challenges of companies in social networks”, because it summarizes in a phrase what many companies They must still do in Social Media.

What kind of initiatives are being developed to promote this type of strategy?

At the level of associations, we have the IAB based in for example, which represents the interactive advertising sector and promotes advertising, marketing and digital communication. If we address the subject of content, the reference is the Content Marketing Institute, in the United States, as it is a more specialized sector that is in its infancy.

At the institutional level, chambers of commerce and other organizations linked to the state organize events and conferences bringing together groups of SMEs so that they can listen to outstanding speakers and better understand the benefits that these strategies bring to their businesses.

At the training level, specialized companies, universities and business schools are including training programs that are aimed at meeting these needs of constant recycling both professionals and students who want to make their way in the world of marketing and online advertising. We ourselves have launched an interesting initiative through a new  training course in content marketing that will take place in three different cities.