The Bridge: A Meeting of Two Parties
A deep dive into the newest startup communciations platforms engaged by brands to walk the walk, and talk the talk
What happens when startups bridge the gap and become involved with brands, or even with agencies?
Spotlight centre stage: Content Marketing.
I sat in a neat little conference room at the front of NewsCred’s open plan office with two of their finest- Amber Van Natten and Erika Valezquez. Up on the 6th floor of Park Avenue South (I learnt the hard way that the South bit is important), it’s literally a breath of fresh air when the elevator doors open and you step out into the centre of their neatly designed, open workspace.
I’m here to learn not only about the Newscred platform but also their take on how startups are crossing the void and managing relationships not only with brands but with agencies too when it comes to a little thing called content marketing.
Simply put, NewsCred is a platform and a service that grew out of an opportunity to solve a distinct problem:
“Back in 2007, the founder of NewsCred was focused on creating a solution to a problem faced by many journalists: revenue was few and far between, and brands had begun to search for new ways to engage consumers.” — Amber
Content Marketing while a buzzword today, enables brands to build a deeper more meaningful connection with an audience. Quality engagement is the sentiment here. Sound familiar?
“At NewsCred, we’re obsessed with quality content. We believe that content should be at the heart of communications.” — Erika
NewsCred’s strategy is clear and simple: to simplify the process of content marketing for brands and also allow them to optimise their content in real time.
“It’s a platform that enables the brand to be organised, to see the bigger picture in a simple way: you manage the workflow, the channel and the calendar in one place.” — Erika
The platform is handed to brands and more recently, agencies, to plan, co-ordinate, serve and measure their content first hand. Prior to using the platform, journalists are selected based upon the brands needs- either from NewsCred’s in-house ‘Newsroom’ or an associated freelancer. It’s astonishing to hear the figures on the network of journalists and pure knowledge that is out there ready to be used, if only someone just asked.
I was lucky enough to have a peak at how it works, and to be honest, their platform looks a treat.
What is intriguing is that NewsCred is attempting to position themselves not as a publisher, not as an agency, not even as a consultant but something of a specialist in the field called in to work their magic, seize any opportunity and then move on.
While they work directly with brands, they are also partnering with media agencies in order to get a better handle on the distribution of the content that is produced.
Sitting in the little conference room, I had another light bulb moment.
It is clear that brands are not adapting the way that they work so much as bringing in external bodies that act as agile and responsive extensions on behalf of the brand instead.
This resonates with NewsCred’s focus on their forecasting and strategy services:
“We work for our client’s customers- we have a strategy team in house looking at the individual client and their audiences, and what they need in order to find opportunity and build more relevant content.” — Erika
In NewsCred’s case, it’s giving brands and agencies a tool that ensures a smooth ride on the content marketing wave, and with so many brands failing to engage appropriately with consumers via their content, you can see why a real-time content management and curation platform would be so sought after.
Contently: ‘Those who tell the stories, rule the world’
Navigating my way downtown along Broadway, I’m heading to Contently, a startup that specialises in brand publishing.
Climbing the stairs up to the 4th floor I find myself yet again in a neatly designed, open-space office that feels more like a giant share house than anything else. Comfy couches, a great kitchen, a library themed breakout room, guys wearing matching Contently branded t-shirts… office envy? In a word, yes.
Enter down the hall: Joe Lopardo
A member of the sales and marketing team, who’s also wearing a Contently branded t-shirt- I’m sensing a theme here.
While also a startup that has built a unique platform to aid brands tackling content marketing, Contently has their own take on providing a solution in the form of brand publishing:
“We help brands become excellent brand publishers. What we primarily work on is the talent side of things and the platform.”
Similar to NewsCred, Contently’s platform offers the ability to manage workflow, content creation, content calendars and ideas directly with selected journalists. Both startups are focused on bringing together high quality journalists and brands so that the content published into the world is something of greater meaning and value to both consumers, and to the brand itself.
I’ve spoken to agencies about engagement and new consumer behaviours, I’ve spoken to startups about the importance of storytelling and quality design- an ideal place for both agencies, brands and start ups to interact is in content marketing.
And why?
“Because content marketing actually works. Content became a bigger deal because there was a need for no bullshit, high quality content that actually resonated with the audience.” — Joe Lopardo
Brands work with Contently to position themselves as thought leaders, and this can be done, if you dive down deep enough and find a niche area that is relevant to both brand and audience.
“One of the common problems is frequency, just having the people who are able to produce enough content and secondly, having high quality content. Quality is the most important part.”
As I spoke with Joe, three themes became clear: expertise (having a niche), quality and frequency. These are the problems brands have been facing, and conveniently enough from previous interviews, they are the same themes that have been deemed essential when interacting with consumers.
When it comes down to it, the joining of talent and brand to engage an audience, it’s all about storytelling.
“Have your brand tell fantastic stories, have your voice and have your values.”
Diving into content market has actually provided the perfect example of what success looks like between startup technology and commercial brands in the communications landscape. This is where NewsCred and Contently have the upper hand.
