Nothing for companies? What modern content hubs do
Many companies rely on newsrooms to structure their communication, set themselves up in an agile way and ensure a targeted distribution of their communication. For the Evernine Group, it is crucial to reinforce such a strategy with strong content hubs. After all, content hubs are something that upscale companies in particular will not be able to get around anytime soon.
Imagine two companies in the fashion industry want to express their stance on sustainability. The first company publishes a series of blog articles and news via its own newsroom in the environment of its own brand, which is simultaneously covered with other brand and trend topics. The other relies on various content formats, text articles, videos, podcasts, centrally collected in a content hub specially tailored to the topic of sustainability and thematically aligned to it in a neutral environment. Which company is more successful with its message?
Content, especially personalized content, has the power to influence people. Companies today rely on reaching potential customers through a comprehensive content strategy that includes different formats as well as the full range of available channels. The award-winning innovation and communications consultancy Evernine Group is convinced of this. At the same time, experience from numerous successfully established content hubs shows: a message becomes even more effective, even in the business environment, if it uses the halo effect, i.e. if it is presented in the context of a large context and not too much from a brand perspective! To take up the example of the two fashion companies again, this means that the company that relies on its own content hub will be able to present its message on sustainability more successfully.
Newsroom as a central part of corporate communications
However, this is by no means to say that newsrooms are obsolete and have had their day. On the contrary, they remain the most important component of a coherent communications strategy that every company must have. Newsrooms can be used to prepare topics editorially and play them out digitally via various channels. Communication is data-based on the basis of in-depth analyses, targeted and focused on the desired target groups, and centrally coordinated and controlled.
Newsrooms even go beyond their actual core topic of optimized corporate communications and promote cultural change in companies as a whole through agile working methods in flexible, self-organized teams, the elimination of silos through central control and the acceleration of internal communications as well as the overcoming of hierarchical thinking.
The advantages at a glance:
- Better organization and compilation of relevant information for journalists and other interested parties
- Ability to communicate current developments and events quickly and effectively
- Increased visibility and presence in the media landscape
- Increased credibility and trust in the company through transparent and professional communication
- Strengthening relationships with journalists and other relevant stakeholders
- Improving crisis management through a quick and targeted response to negative coverage or unforeseen events
- Possibility to strengthen and influence own positioning and brand awareness through a targeted content strategy.
Overall, as a central part of corporate communications, a newsroom can help improve a company’s reputation and standing and better connect with relevant stakeholders.
The advantages of content hubs
Newsrooms are therefore particularly well suited to presenting corporate communications in a comprehensive and brand-oriented way. Content hubs, on the other hand, are in the mind of many company managers at a disadvantage and are only relevant for SEO purposes.
But far from it, because content hubs should also be part of a successful communication strategy as targeted, topic-specific and KPI-optimized distribution organs!
As a content and technological basis, they thus form the basis for unique marketing and post-PR activities. This allows new paths to be taken in the digital world, for example, and innovative content formats such as scrollytelling, podcasts, or videos can be quickly and easily integrated into the overall concept. Content hubs are thus able to react agilely and at short notice to new trends.
By using content hubs, companies can take advantage of these benefits:
- Single point of contact for relevant content
- Better organization and presentation of content
- Greater control over the user experience
- Increased brand awareness and engagement
- Positioning as an expert in the field
- More effective content distribution
- More targeted content creation
- Analysis of user interactions to optimize content strategy
The importance of owned content hubs for content marketing campaigns
Content hubs are important tools in content marketing campaigns, as they provide a central point of contact for a specific topic or product category. By using their own content hubs, companies can better organize and present their content, making it easier for users to find relevant content and engage with the brand.
Another benefit of content hubs is that they offer companies greater control over the user experience. Instead of following users on social media platforms or other external websites, companies can use their own content hub to reach their target audience. This allows them to ensure that content is tailored to the needs of their target audience and that users have a consistent experience.
“By using their own content hubs, companies can also increase their brand awareness and engagement. By creating high-quality content and showcasing it in their own hub, they can position themselves as experts in their field and gain the trust of users,” says Sven Blaukat, Director Strategy Consulting at Evernine. They can also make their content available to a wider audience through targeted distribution on social media and other channels.
They can also help companies achieve their content marketing goals. By focusing on a specific topic or product category, they can create more targeted content and deliver their marketing messages more effectively. In addition, by analyzing user interactions on their content hub, they can gain valuable insights that can help them further optimize their content strategy.
Overall, the use of owned content hubs is an important strategy in content marketing campaigns. By creating a one-stop shop for relevant content, companies can increase brand awareness and engagement, more effectively achieve their marketing goals, and have greater control over the user experience.
Conclusion
Companies must think of content hubs in this way and see them as a supplement to their established newsrooms. Because these are suitable as a basis for populating content hubs with content.
“Especially when it comes to presenting a few, specific and also provocative topics detached from the normal brand-oriented communication and in addition in the form of novel content, tailored to the relevant target group and in an appealing environment, content hubs convince with their high efficiency,” confirms Alexander Roth, CEO of the Evernine Group.
The Evernine agency has placed successful content hubs and numerous best practices for corporate magazines on the market. “The key is to find the right strategy. You can thematically place it closer to a brand, it can be purely related to a product area, or you can build it just to attract new customers, for example,” says Roth.
Source title image: Adobe Stock / Sergey Nivens