As a digital content agency, we have seen a significant increase in the amount of brands now using content marketing. According to research by the Content Marketing institute, last year, 91% of companies distributed more digital content than in 2020 – and 2022 is looking to increase even more. And while more companies are producing digital content, channels where content marketing previously worked well, such as Facebook’s newsfeed, are constantly being tweaked, making it tougher for branded content to appear in front of a company’s own audience.
As the digital content agency adjust to meet the demand of clients needing to produce more and more content for content-hungry customers, while also adapting new strategies to conquer the ever changing distribution sites, the typical agency model also has to adjust.
In order for a digital content agency to produce content that gets their clients’ messages in front of their target audience online, the way they interact and work with each client needs to change. The agency models of the past can no longer work in today’s quick and transparent world, and digital content agencies that refuse to adjust will just be left in the dark.
In order to provide beneficial results for their clients, here are the ways a digital content agency model should work today:
Digital Content Agency delivering Speed And Agility
The increase use of technology and ease of social media has resulted in customers and clients expecting timely communication and faster customer service. Today’s digital content is becoming more targeted and personalised for each customer, allowing brands to reach potential clients who are more likely to engage or re-engage with their branded content.
This means, digital content agencies need to also be just as speedy and agile as the technologies customers frequently use. Trending subjects change quickly online and a digital content agency needs to be able to be reactive to this, producing relevant content for their clients that can take advantage of conversations already happening online. A famous example of this is Oreo’s digital agency, 360i, and their successfulness in producing content that ties into trending subjects, such as the Super Bowl and, most recently, the eclipse. It’s no longer acceptable for an agency to stick solely to a strict digital content plan.
In order to accomplish this type of activity though, it means that the agency has to change the way they work with a client. In order to be speedy and agile with the content they produce, they need to work with clients on an individual level, rather than the processes of the past. Collaboration and communication is key to allowing a digital content agency to have the speed and agility they need to produce successful digital content for their clients.
Which brings us to our next point…
Influencing The Wider Business
Since a digital content agency needs to collaborate and communicate often with the client, they should also understand the company on a more complete level. In the past, agencies worked with only the marketing department of a company, never really understanding the other parts of the brand.
However, today’s digital content agency must embed themselves within the business, becoming a part of the strategic decision-making processes of the company, to help the brands push themselves further in terms of marketing campaigns and goals. This will also help an agency understand the entire marketing agenda, allowing them to see the bigger picture and go beyond just one campaign.
The Influence Of Data on the Digital Content Agency
Data driven marketing is increasingly becoming more important. Not only does it help the business to measure the effectiveness of its content marketing tactics, but it also assists in understanding key market trends which the business needs to respond to. In order for digital content agencies to understand and execute a content campaign for a client that helps the brand achieve part of the bigger marketing goal, agencies need to look beyond just the last click. With the digitisation of media, content marketing is becoming more sophisticated than ever, and data is creating more efficiency and accountability for content agencies with each impression, click and share.
With the accessibility of data, a digital content agency must use that data to look across all channels and distinguish the countable from the accountable, looking at how each piece of content will affect the whole marketing effort, rather than just the amount of views that piece receives. As a basic example, using marketing data effectively will allow the agency team to deliver more affordable seo services by harnessing keyword and link based data. By utilising technology to their advantage, today’s digital content agencies are able to navigate the ever-changing waters of online marketing and publishers; successfully representing their brands across device types, publishing platforms and delivery systems.
Changing Pricing Models
Lastly, one of the major changes for today’s digital content agencies involves their pricing models. Not many agencies will be happy to hear this, but clients want transparency – not just in a content marketing strategy, but also with the agency’s pricing.
With so much information now available online, there’s pressure on digital content agencies to provide good information on their pricing levels, the services they provide and the activities they are willing to undertake. Keeping these things hidden for too long from potential clients could spell trouble, and lead clients towards competitors who are more transparent about their costs.
However, agencies still shouldn’t be too cut and dry about pricing. By providing a flat fee up front on a digital content agency website, clients could become slightly disillusioned about what services they’ll be receiving from that. As most agencies know, it’s difficult to correctly estimate how much a project is going to cost up front. Each project and request will vary, which is why personalisation is just as important as being transparent.
Digital content agencies that are honest about their pricing to potential clients, but are also able to personalise their services to meet their clients needs is the new way for digital content agencies to succeed in today’s market. For example, if an agency tends to offer “user experience specialists” for each of their clients, but one client doesn’t need it – then they shouldn’t have to pay for it, just because it’s fixed into what the agency typically offers.
Overall, these changes to digital content agencies are beneficial for both the agencies and the clients they work for. While it can be difficult to adapt at first, clients who work with digital content agencies that have these changes in place will be happier with the content marketing they receive, while the agencies themselves will be able to provide better work, with less hassle.
Ultimately, it all comes down to agencies and brands that work well with one another, nurturing their mutual relationship in order to successfully reach the same goal – excellent content marketing which turns readers into buyers.
