ICMA 2017: No brand can afford to ignore the role that video will play in its content strategy: Aparna Mahesh, CMO, FreshMenu

Content marketing is one of the hottest buzzwords in the media space today. And to celebrate some of the best work in content, exchange4media is holding the second edition of the Audacity e4m Indian Content Marketing Awards on August 30, 2017.

Building up to the main event, we caught up with Aparna Mahesh, Chief Marketing Officer, FreshMenu, on what makes a great content strategy. Excerpts:

What are the integral features of a good content strategy?

Firstly, I think it has to be closely integrated with the product, which goes without saying. I believe that it’s very important as you just can’t have one section called blog where you put all the stuff but everything else you do is very disconnected from it. It is about how seamlessly the entire content is woven into the product offering and everything else that the brand stands for.

How do you think videos are changing the entire content marketing space and how important will they be in the future?

People have really short attention spans and video does a very good job of presenting everything to you with minimal amount of effort from your side. So definitely, if you look at the way the trends are today, no brand can afford to ignore the role that video will play in its content strategy. It’s about judiciously making sure that you have enough video content going as well as long-form content.

Most content-marketing plans revolve around Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. So do you think there are other avenues that people can start exploring rather than being restricted to these social media platforms alone?

Social media platforms are like your media. It’s like if I create a TV ad, at the end I need channels to put it out. The content plan could be around creating various types of content that the consumer is likely to engage with and that fits into your brand. Now when it comes to distribution of video content, there are limited avenues. Then I have to start thinking about what would work for a YouTube or a Facebook. At the end of the day, great content also needs to be distributed right and so we have to think about the distribution vehicle and sort of create some amount of content for that.

Brands these days tend to create content which comes in a burst and then goes away. In that time, it goes viral and hits all the right notes but there is a need for sustained content-marketing as well. How do you suggest brands go about doing this?

It is all about the role that the content is expected to play in your overall business plan. If you are focused on acquisition you may try content because it creates a buzz but eventually you will realize that is not a great short-term tactic in bringing in new customers and you may give it up. On the other hand, if you are very clear that content right now is going to be an engagement sort of a medium and it is more aimed at keeping people interested in your brand then I think you automatically realise the necessity of content to be a long-term strategy. It is all about where the content fits in within your business strategy or your marketing goals.

Short-form content seems to be a rage right now. So can brands leverage it within this short time frame that they have?

I think it is about making sure that the content is engaging because it is the first impression that counts. Also does it make an immediate impression so that one doesn’t end up skipping it? So everyone needs to start thinking differently and make sure that the first few seconds count and create the needed impression.