Mini-manifesto on the emergence and practice of real-time content marketing. Serves as the basis for the book, "Search and Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content Marketing," (Wiley/Sybex, 2012)

1. Real-Time Content Marketing
in a Connected World
by Rob Garner, vice president of strategy, iCrossing (@robgarner)
In the new world of real-time information sharing, there are many concepts that
CONTENT MARKETING @ ICROSSING
businesses must embrace in order to be successful in their digital marketing
Audiences expect brands to support them
efforts. At the root of this revolution are the following basic elements: throughout their purchasing journey with
• Seeking and finding behaviors entertainment and information in real time.
As a result, brands need to create content on
• Real-time interaction and active participation
a massive scale and deliver it when and where
• Consideration for both audiences and individuals
consumers want it. iCrossing’s holistic approach
• Social network distribution
to content strategy combined with our partnership
• Instantaneous information sharing, collaboration and engagement with Hearst gives us an edge in creating content
• Content promotion to help brands succeed in this new world of
real-time marketing. To learn more about how
Real-time information sharing demands a more finely tuned approach from marketers, one
iCrossing is helping CMOs build connected global
that includes a redefinition of the word publishing and also brings a business alive on a
brands through content, please scan the QR
24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis. While brands are becoming increasingly connected, the
code to download our white paper, co-authored
aspect of being present and acting “in the moment” most often falls by the wayside. What
by Hearst, titled, Building a Connected Brand:
brands need to do now is identify and acknowledge the chasm that exists between a brand’s
How Brands Become Publishers in a Real-time
live presence and connectedness with its audience, and begin to start navigating across it in
Marketing World. The paper explores how the
order to become more alive in the digital realm. In considering this scenario of acting “in-the-
traditionally distinct roles of brands, media,
moment,” let’s paint a picture of the current online landscape:
and consumers now overlap, creating new
opportunities and expectations.
The changing content landscape is not so much about “social networks,” as it is about
society being networked. With the world buzzing 24/7, the surfacing reality is that a brand
that is not interacting fluidly, or lacks in-the-moment presence, might as well not exist. The
compilation of many missed moments in this new landscape will be the death of some
brands, and this embracing of “right now” will be the ascension of many others.
The entire Web is evolving into a real-time, networked and synaptic environment.
Algorithms and humans are now disseminating published content instantaneously, and the
networking of society has hit critical mass. Things are moving so fast online (and will get
even faster) that the network is looking more like a living organism every day; one that fires
off impulses that cascade throughout its entire being. Acting with the agility, fluidity and
sincerity to ride with these synaptic connections will be the lifeblood of marketing efforts.
“People” aren’t just “searching;” real people are searching for something right now.
Behind every search there is a real person with complex problems and search intentions.
Search is everywhere, in both the online and physical worlds. In search there is also an
entirely new opportunity to connect, if not passively, in a profoundly meaningful way with the
person you wish to connect with.
In acknowledgement of the changing landscape (in that society has become socially- and
search-sophisticated both online and offline), here are some of the basic considerations
that brands must embrace in core marketing philosophy, in order to act in a more in-the-
moment, fluid and agile manner:
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2. Brands and marketers should be acting as publishers. Brands and businesses will ultimately have to start viewing themselves as media companies to
resonate in their core marketing efforts. The definition of publishing is wide and varied. Depending on the brand, the best publishing and media solution
might be text, images, video, conversation, status, CRM, or applications, etc., and could include all, or any combination of the above. The challenge for
brands is in identifying their audience, and becoming a publisher of assets suited to that audience on a massive scale.
Brands must embody the spirit of their audience. Brands must engage through the spirited and like-minded voices in their organizations, in a
meaningful and sincere manner. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is simply by embracing the natural language of your audience in search,
social, and real-time content efforts.
Brands must engage with audiences and networks in a meaningful and present manner. Whether it is connecting via content in a profound way, or
talking directly with your audience in the network, the engagement must be defined, sincere, purposeful and long-term. Engagement can mean many
things, from passive connectivity through content and search intent, to active and direct conversational one-to-one dialogue.
Brands have an obligation to listen to their data. Brands no longer have the option of mining data – it is an obligation to their audience. This data, on
both internal and external sources, tells you what your audience seeks, and may or may not already be finding. Brands also have this obligation to mine
the data to determine who their audience really is, what they want, and how to engage with them.
Brands must recognize their primary networks – both their target audience, and their own organization. Keep in mind that your audience is not your
only network. Your organization is also networked, and empowering advocates throughout this existing network can pay huge dividends.
Why now is the right time for a change to a real-time view of content marketing
Many of these strategies have been addressed by digital content marketers for years, and have been a core element of various types of online
marketing strategies. But the point now is that the Internet has come full circle to a degree that these elements can no longer be ignored. Those
brands and businesses who fail to embrace the present may not only just fail in their marketing efforts, but they may even fail in their business. And
for those who are ready to embrace fluidity and agility in marketing, there is an opportunity to not only be successful, but to also transcend marketing
and branding efforts to an entirely different level.
Rob Garner is VP of strategy for iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency. He serves on the SEMPO
board of directors, and is working on a book for Wiley/Sybex entitled “Search and Social: The Definitive
Guide To Real-Time Content Marketing.”
He is also presenting on the Content Marketing World panel, “Content Discovery: Strategies and
Tactics to Make Sure Your Content is Found,” on Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 3 p.m. Eastern.
You can follow the conversation on Twitter (@thecontentlab) and join the conversation at
http://thecontentlab.icrossing.com to learn more about how companies can use content
marketing to build connected brands.
Available now for
pre-order on Amazon:
http://amzn.com/111826438X
EMAIL findout@icrossing.com | CALL 866.620.3780 | VISIT www.icrossing.com | FOLLOW twitter.com/icrossing | BECOME A FAN facebook.com/icrossing