You have probably heard the phrase ‘content is king’. Today though, I want to propose to you that it is more than just king, it is everything. Especially in times of uncertainty. As businesses continue to operate more and more in the digital HQ, pretty much every interaction we have is driven by some form of content. This cements it as a key pillar of any brand. 

From the emails we write to pitch decks we design, and every interaction in between, content is what drives business activity forward. As the bridge between the business and its end users, content is now business critical, driving revenue and growth. 

While uncertainty continues to drive the global economic narrative, maintaining a consistent, trusted brand is imperative. As the custodians of the brand, marketers must continue to deliver high quality content. It should speak authentically to customers during these periods. Customers should also ensure company-wide compliance and consistency across all business documents. 

More content means more risk 

Today, content is being created across all departments, making everyone content creators – not just marketing. Is content being created by those outside of marketing departments? This can make it harder to ensure the brand is being presented consistently. 

Without consistency, companies run the risk of losing customer and employee trust. It can mean failing to be compliant with policy and regulations and facing declining revenue. If incorrect or outdated information about your brand is shared in content, brand sentiment and trust declines – which is not what a business wants during times of uncertainty.  

Marketers must continue to safeguard the brand to mitigate against risks. It will help the business both survive and thrive through a tough economic climate. If content is not adequately managed, it can reflect poorly on their team and have longer-lasting damage. For example, the documents that marketers create often include critical information like customer data, disclaimer and regulatory language. When documents are holding sensitive information, it means that marketers must tightly manage this content to protect against risks for both the business and customer. 

To that end, this places a heavy burden on your branded business documents, messaging and images. These documents are the source of your brand’s activation and help you to build credibility with your customers. If marketers understand and prepare for the risks of content creation, they can prepare a strategy ahead of time. This ensures that the teams are best equipped for uncertain situations. 

Invest in the right solutions

Marketers should look to prioritise tech investments that solve problems across the entire organisation, rather than point solutions. By implementing technology that actively solves content pains, marketers can increase quality and efficiency and allow content to do what it does best – drive revenue and business growth. 

Content enablement solutions help to intelligently connect content to people and workflows allowing for employees to create better quality content more efficiently. These solutions also ensure that materials are current and that incorrect versions of company content are not slipping through the cracks. Allowing organisations to avoid small errors, like typos or out of date messaging, which can be a detriment to brand trust internally and externally. Recent research from Templafy revealed that 40 percent of respondents had mistakenly shared a sensitive document with a party that was not authorised to view it. There is clearly a need to invest in the right solutions to ensure document governance. 

For example, when leading global leadership acquisition and advisory firm Mercuri Urval undertook a global brand refresh. It invested in content enablement technology to help promote its brand and drive business growth. It also to protect sfrom non-compliant branded content production. By implementing content enablement solutions, Mercuri Urval standardised access to branded assets and improved efficiency of content production across the entire organisation. Investing in a strong content infrastructure meant that Mercuri Urval could drive business results by ensuring content was on-brand, compliant and measurable.

Create quality content 

To overcome uncertainty and gain control back over situations that are uncontrollable, marketers must ensure quality content. Today, creating quality content has become the rule for marketers, not the exception. Templafy’s research revealed that 78 percent of respondents agree that good content is the number one most important driver of business success. Although uncertainty brings challenges, marketers must still produce quality. This ensures that they stay ahead of the competition and continue to thrive despite the economic climate.   

Online vacation marketplace Airbnb provides content in more than 26 different languages to connect with its global audience. What did this result int? Airbnb growing its global brand value and worldwide appeal. The more people can identify with a brand’s message, the greater the emotional connection formed between the brand and the individual. This results in both brand loyalty and increased sales. However, this is only possible if content being created and shared from every corner of the business is consistent and compliant. 

Content is the lifeblood of business and especially marketing teams. In an uncertain world where everyone is a content creator, marketing teams must recognise the risks associated with content creation. These teams should invest in solutions that ensure quality content is produced. By doing so, marketing teams stay ahead of the competition and best prepare for uncertain times such as recessions. 

David Nemes is the Regional Director APAC at Templafy.