In the Analytic World of News, Brands Still Matter - Josh James-Domo

Thanks to the infiltration of analytics into everything digital we the audience are now the engines of the news business And many of us are also the producersAt my previous company Omniture we saw the beginning of this transformation as sites used our analytics software to optimize content consumption Today analytics still define and direct a healthy portion of the stories that are written However the power of brand strongly influences what gets consumedIf you think about analytics as bringing an audience to water brand is often what makes them drink Brands built by news outlets news reporters and the people in our networks whom we respect all go a long way in determining what content makes it through our human filter after technology has done its job serving it upThe changing nature of news ensures that we get more of the information we want and less of the noise that we don39t want For the CEOasaconsumer segment the importance of brand is clearly evidentIn a new report from Domo and CEOcom The Wall Street Journal held its place as the leading source for business news among chief executives It was number one ten years ago and it remains number one today Clearly the brand still wields tremendous influence despite the rise of countless online publicationsThe enduring success of The Wall Street Journal represents an important lesson for all publishers stay true to your brand If you are known for great writing and reporting don39t abandon that for quickhit pieces just because they may drive more shortterm traffic to your site Always make sure what you deliver is onbrand for your audience Even if you open up your online platform to outside voices your core offering must remain a vital part of who you areAnother key lesson for media brands trying to reach this elusive audience of business leaders get to the punch line quickly Our report found that 57 of CEOs prefer to consume business information in text format while only 8 prefer to sit through a video This is not surprising given that one of CEOs39 most valuable resources is time Indeed 70 admit they seldom read an article from top to bottom amp8212 preferring to scan the main points insteadWhile the Journal has kept its edge in the digital world other traditional sources of business information have not been so fortunate A decade ago nearly 25 of CEOs relied on local newspapers magazines and TV for much of their information But today those data sources are less important to CEOs according to our studyInstead social media and the pervasiveness of analytics in web content is taking our relationship with the news to the next level Personally I like to know what people in my business and personal networks are reading or know That39s why tools like Twitter LinkedIn and Flipboard are so valuable to me and why according to our report they are gaining in importance to other CEOsThis has massive implications for media It39s also why I believe publications such as Forbes and Fast Company and new media sites like LinkedIn are looking less like traditionally staffed media outlets and more like fullscale publishing platforms They are part of the openworld order that allows people get more of what they want and less of what they don39tI believe the social nature of news is unstoppable amp8212 not only because it39s smarter but because it is based on a level of trust that has already been established by the personal brands of the people who produce or recommend the content Beyond the analytics content connected to trusted entities amp8212 people publications or companies amp8212 creates the ideal environment to foster meaningful engagementWhat39s also unstoppable is the shift toward content consumption on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones Our report found that 92 of CEOs still use a laptop daily But 60 access business information on a smartphone every day And 35 now spend as much time on their tablets as they do on their laptops That means publishers must make it easier and more intuitive for executives to consume content on mobile devicesAnd while analytics social and mobile technologies are helping us more effectively reach the right consumers the Wall Street Journal39s staying power is a good reminder for media to keep nurturing their brandsJosh James founded Domo in 2010 to help CEOs and other executives transform the way they manage business and drive value from the tens of billions of dollars spent on traditional business intelligence systems He also cofounded and was CEO of web analytics powerhouse Omniture Under his leadership Omniture helped more than 6000 customers worldwide including the world39s most recognizable brands in media consumer goods and advertising leverage their web data to optimize their business Josh can be reached at joshjamesdomocomCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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In the Analytic World of News, Brands Still Matter - Josh James-Domo

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