Research is content. Content is King.
I had an epiphany last week. In a world where content is king and attention is scarce, research is a cost-effective approach to gather compelling content for the purposes of paid and earned media.
In the past, I’ve counseled smaller clients with limited budgets away from formal research because I thought their dollars would go further if spent on media. Two recent projects have changed my mind on this.
Conducting just one proprietary research study can provide captivating content for a whole year, all while positioning the brand as a thought leader. A single survey can inform 3-5 persuasive whitepapers, a collection of infographics, exclusive content for pitch proposals or presentations at conferences, and enough intriguing headlines to power a social media content calendar for 50+ weeks.
In this way, the attention economy and shifting media landscape have given research a new purpose. In addition to providing insights, research can be an extremely cost-effective way to derive new, enticing content to share in the marketplace.