How Deep Is Your Media Research? Can You Go Deeper?
Research that reveals media consumption habits goes far beyond the linear media data we’ve been exposed to for decades. Before your nonprofit or educational organization can speak to its target audience, you must first understand their media user experiences.
Media avenues have become grossly diverse. What started as pay television has evolved into over-the-top (OTT) media, mobile video and audio streaming, and on-demand media outlets that can be difficult for traditional research methods to track. Only one-quarter of Americans say their traditional TV service provider gives them all the content they need, leaving three-fourths of the media consumers in the United States looking beyond linear options.
Evolving Data Analytics and Measurements
Constantly evolving technology has not only interrupted business models in a number of industries, but the rapid development is also changing consumer behavior and forcing companies to reconsider how they assess customer engagement.
Research from the 12th edition of Deloitte’s Digital Media Trends Survey finds it’s not just the viewing habits of the younger generations that are changing. Consumption habits across the board are diversified, with a streaming subscription in 70 percent of Gen Z households, mirrored by millennials at 68 percent and 64 percent of Gen X households.
The evolution of video streaming continues to change the way people consume content. Viewers are no longer tied to the preset cable TV or broadcast schedule to view the program they like. Alternative solutions offered by OTT providers are pulling viewers away from traditional pay TV. Platforms like Sling, Netflix, and YouTube TV are invading homes across the country and taking precedent over linear formats.
Where Is Your Audience?
Understanding that your audience has far more platforms to consume media than they did just 10 or 15 years ago means your media research and how you reach those people must also evolve. The organizations who win today’s audience are those who understand that nonlinear programming gives the consumer the advantage.
On-demand, ad-free content creates a challenge for organizations who are actively looking to get their brand in front of your potential audience. Organizations that are looking at the future, planning for the future of media are exploring alternative methods of marketing. Researching OTT viewing habits will help organizations craft a marketing plan that meets migrating audience members where they are.
To stay relevant among your audience, organizational leaders must build a team that is constantly engaged with the target audience. From social media and podcasts to OTT platforms and mobile streaming video, when your team understands the viewing and engagement habits of your audience on these platforms, they can better tweak the marketing message to increase your conversion rate. As viewing habits continue to fragment, your marketing strategy must stretch beyond the traditional demographic classifications that are proving to be much less useful in today’s multiscreen world.
Research surrounding consumer behavior will help dictate where your marketing message will be most effective. Understanding how your audience views your brand, their spending habits, and how they consume media helps formulate where your marketing message will be best served.
“Brand perceptions are reality. Know these perceptions. Know your brand media user’s experience. Create, strategize, develop, plan, and execute around these brand media user experiences, “ says Van Mylar, Vice President of Client Strategy and Growth at Vision40 Media.
To build a marketing strategy based solely on linear platform data is to neglect a large portion of your audience. It’s very clear that viewers consume more content now than ever before. But in today’s world, your audience (no matter their age group) has the luxury to consume content on their time and their desired platform. Construct a message that reaches each branch of your audience by extending your media research beyond traditional linear data. Evolving analytics and measurements make it possible to not only connect with your target market on various platforms, but to also create a presence that effectively grows your organization.
