Digital content discovery: a market analysis

1Executive Summary

Digital content discovery has always been a matter of cutting through the clutter. That’s true whether it’s a user looking for content or a content creator trying to expose his wares to a relevant audience. Portals gave way to search engines and social media, and recommendations became more personalized. The advent of content discovery networks takes those concepts and improves on it – suggesting content that more precisely meets the needs of readers in different contexts like time, interest, and device.

Content discovery engines help publishers expose their content and grow engagement on their own sites, and tap into desperately needed revenue streams. This report investigates the best ways publishers are using leading content discovery engines as well as marketing vehicles like native advertising to thrive in an increasingly challenging publishing environment.

Key findings from the report include:

  • All types of publishers, including prestigious media companies such the New York Times, CNN, and the Atlantic, use content discovery engines and networks effectively, both for revenue generation and content promotion.
  • Midsize publisher brands can use content discovery networks to cut through the clutter of search – both organic and paid – and social media to acquire traffic. Some sites derive more visits from these networks than search and social networks combined.
  • Not only do publishers enjoy greater traffic, more engaged readership, and enhanced revenue, but they can use the data generated by the engines to curate content more accurately and choose which types of material they should focus on in future.
  • Publishers need to balance revenue requirements with overall content experience. Readers will not respond well if they feel overwhelmed or if ads and suggestions outweigh the main content.
  • Publishers need to be cognizant of all the different ways that readers want to consume content and how discovery engines provide links so that the publisher or content provider can deliver its material in multiple formats (including video) on multiple devices.

 

Thumbnail image courtesy: iStock/Thinkstock

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Mike Dover

Managing Partner Socialstruct Advisory Group

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