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Great Content Experiences Powered by Tech

Though content marketers’ tools are expanding thanks to technology, the aim is the same: Create content experiences your audience won’t forget.

Looking to enhance your content experience in this unfolding world of artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), advanced imaging techniques, and high-tech tools? Start by learning from these four enterprise brands that always keep the audience in mind.

Formica Corp.: Search for better visitor experience

Laminate company Formica Corp. serves customers with distinct needs and purposes – from homeowners and interior designers looking for inspiring remodeling ideas to local architects and builders who need technical details to spec projects.

When analytics indicated its website visitors struggled with multiple, navigation-related tasks, the company turned to an AI and machine learning-powered site search system. It rebuilt the site experience and made it easier for visitors to find the products, access technical data, and order samples of available color and pattern options.

On the revamped Formica.com, predictive logic speeds up the visitor search process. It also delivers contextually relevant results that reflect use cases, on-site behaviors, and local regions. Pop-up overlays on those search results let visitors see ordering options for products in their area. Visitors also can download digital swatches to create more realistic and image-rich project plans and proposals.

This streamlined search experience made a meaningful impact on the business, as well as on its customers: According to Formica’s consulting partner on the project, Horizontal Digital, conversions skyrocketed, increasing over 80%, and a 200% growth in sample orders translated to a major jump in sales.

.@FormicaGroup revised its site search and saw conversions increase over 80%, according to its partner #HorizontalDigital, says @joderama via @CMIContent. #Examples #ContentTECH Click To Tweet

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Top of Mind: Extend customer relationships

Record low mortgage rates in the United States have meant booming business for mortgage lenders and their loan officers. But given that the low-interest bubble is bound to burst, how can loan officers hold on to their customer relationships until they’re ready to reenter the real estate market?

Mortgage CRM marketing company Top of Mind helps clients address those challenges through its Client for Life Workflow. It uses AI-powered marketing automation and personalization to distribute content assets that strengthen and sustain the communication between borrowers and lenders across a five-year period.

The assets run the gamut of formats and platforms – from interactive emails to direct mail pieces, voicemail recordings, and text messages. This deliverability and customization also add value for loan recipients – including those who have been pre-approved but are still searching for the right neighborhood and property.

Look at the Around the Neighborhood video created with Adobe Animate. By inputting an address or ZIP code, searchers get a snapshot of real-time facts and figures about the area – such as typical commute times, property taxes, and average cost of living – to inform their decision-making.

AT&T: Deliver targeted growth guidance

AT&T Business offers a range of IT solutions but struggled to drive purchases among mid-sized customers. Working with data-driven marketing agency Hearts & Science, AT&T created a series of four customized growth guides and powered its targeted distribution with AI technology.

The guides covered key topics of interest to small and medium-sized businesses and were published on Quartz, the business intelligence site. Using Quartz’s Affinity Engine (a proprietary machine-learning tool), Hearts & Science tracked visitors, analyzed their on-site activities, and grouped them into 16 communities. Visitors in these 16 profiles were served intelligent display ads that spoke to their group characteristics, as well as individuals’ distinct needs and likely use cases.

Hearts & Science grouped @ATT Business customers into 16 profiles to serve them intelligent display ads, says @joderama via @CMIContent. #Examples #ContentTECH Click To Tweet

The content also aligned with each user’s format preferences. For example, some might see an infographic at the top of the page, while others would find an article or a video based on their prior engagement habits. According to Hearts & Science, nearly every placement outperformed Quartz benchmarks.

TNT: Immerse fans in a world both old and new

New York City has seen its fair share of shady dealings – a fact that serves as the backdrop for TNT network’s popular original show, The Alienist.

Marketers for the show have created a deeply engrossing microsite experience, using multiple tech-enhanced features and functionality. For example, using AR overlays, fans can get a glimpse of the New York neighborhoods featured on the show, then scroll over the image to see how much they’ve changed since 1897 (the era shown in Season 2).

The experience also extends beyond the microsite. For example, a click on a hot spot in an image whisks fans into an interrogation room built as an interactive quiz on Facebook Messenger. Based on their answers to the chatbot’s probing questions, a personalized criminal profile is created and given to the visitor by detective Sara Howard.

An interactive @Facebook #chatbot acts as the interrogation room for an interactive quiz for the show, @theAlienistTNT, says @joderama via @CMIContent. #Examples #ContentTECH Click To Tweet

How will you use high tech to create high value?

These examples only scratch the surface of what brands can do with the power of visual and AI-based tools and technologies. But don’t forget: Before you explore the creative possibilities, make sure you understand the layers of process and added costs that may be required to execute these tech-driven initiatives.

While it’s always a good idea to wow your audience members with exciting experiences and give them better, faster ways to achieve their goals, make sure your efforts are based on a sound strategy. It’s the surest way to transform all that tech magic into meaningful content marketing results.

Learn more about how to use technology to make your content marketing program even better.  Sign up to watch the many relevant presentations from ContentTECH Summit 2020.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute