Convenience in Content Marketing

by Andrew Schulkind

Audi is beginning a pilot program that will allow consumers in Germany to select their car trunks as the delivery address for goods ordered from Amazon. This caught my eye for a couple of reasons, not least of which is $500 electronic “keys” on most new cars now finally making (some) sense.

More important from a marketing standpoint is the idea that convenience, which has long been a key selling point for many consumer and B2B services, is becoming even more important. From concierge medical practices that eliminate the painful wait to phone numbers that follow us around wherever we go, to, well, packages that can follow us around, too.

How does this acceleration change the content marketing landscape? I mean, it’s long been the case that we have to bring our content to our audience. They’re simply not going to interrupt their routine very often to come to us.

That dynamic has fueled the rise of social media. (And social media has fueled that dynamic …) Email marketing also helps us make it convenient for our remain in contact with our connections. And SEO and PPC work the same principles in expanding our audience. You bring the content to them in hope of connecting deeply enough that they invite you into their inbox and social media circles and, eventually, into a working relationship.

The question we should be asking ourselves as marketers is how we can add to the convenience and utility of our work. Are there format changes we can make? How do we create context? Can we do that differently for different audience segments? (And even individual audience members?) How can we reach our target audience wherever they are ready for and receptive to our message?

Sadly, there’s no marketing equivalent to the GPS and electronics that Audi is using for the trunk delivery test, so we still have a lot of work to do. The world has come a long way from the old cable TV installation appointment, where they’ll be by two weeks from next Tuesday sometime between 8 and 6.

If your content is stuck in that model, you’d better change it quickly. Even your biggest fans only want you at their convenience. Your schedule just doesn’t matter.

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