The Context of Contextual Content

The emergence of contextual contentFortunately in todayamp8217s rapidfire technological windstorm solutions to problems develop in days or weeks not years So thereamp8217s already a solution to content overload contextual content With contextual content the device youamp8217re using shows you the content thatamp8217s most relevant based on when and where you are A number of businesses are already capitalizing on the technology Target for instance rolled out an app update that includes an aislebyaisle mapping feature It uses GPS technology to identify the store youamp8217re in and maps out a shopping route based on your list Marsh Supermarkets is ahead of the game tooamp160 Apple Watch users receive their shopping lists right on their devices thanks to iBeacon technology And during a recent snowstorm Nick Jr sent parents in affected locations customized messages linking to snowday activity packsBut as cool as those initiatives are theyamp8217re just the first baby steps As usual Apple is looking much further down the road Starting with the new iOS 9 expected to be available in the fall of this year your Apple device will provide contextual content based on things like your time and location and what you did last time you were then and thereWhat does that look like in real life Well if you always listen to a certain playlist on your way to work iOS 9 will be able to start it up for you automatically by synchronizing your location with the time and your previous behavior patterns And if you always check your calendar as soon as you plug your iPhone in at work iOS 9 will pick up on that and show you your calendar unpromptedWhat does it all mean for marketersFor marketers the emergence of contextual content means that you canamp8217t just throw a variety of content out there and hope someone reads it Itamp8217s going to become increasingly important to think about how when where and why your customers use your app or read your content Once youamp8217ve got a good grasp on that the next step is to ask yourself some challenging questions about just how far you can push the envelopeFor instanceamp9679If you send customers a marketing email that contains a link can the landing page that link directs you to change depending on when and where customers are when they click Can you link to the store closest to the location where the customer clicked rather than to your corporate site If different stores have different operating hours can you direct a customer to an open store depending on where they are and what time it isamp9679If you run a news platform can you direct links coming from local roadways to traffic news while sending links from suburban areas to targeted community news And how could you capitalize on traffic patterns the knowledge of which way traffic will most likely move at a certain time of day or day of the weekamp9679What if your app was able to detect that a customer is driving the route that leads to one of your restaurant locations which he has visited several times previously How efficient would it be if your app could deliver a push notification asking the customer if he wanted to place his usual order so that it would be ready when he got thereamp9679Sell mortgage loans Why not send direct emails to customers who are sitting in a competitoramp8217s waiting room Since theyamp8217re clearly in the market your conversion rate could go through the roofThe takeawaysThe most important thing to remember is that the content that draws attention will be the content that is the most relevant Since amp8220relevantamp8221 can mean different things to different people it will be critically important to determine what that term means for your and your customers And as always marketers must balance the potential profitability of big data with customersamp8217 privacy concerns Increasingly customers will want something of value coupons discounts convenience etc in exchange for their personal information which increases the need for relevancy even moreThe rumors of content being on life support are greatly exaggerated content isnamp8217t going anywhere any time soon But going forward the keys to successful content will be context relevancy and personalization Itamp8217s time to stop thinking of content as a static repository of information and instead start thinking of it as a best buddy who provides helpful information when and where itamp8217s neededFor more marketingrelated insights on the amp8220new age of buyer behavioramp8221 visit wwwlearnedmediatumblrcomThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage management or associated bloggers

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The Context of Contextual Content

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