‘Browse and binge’ – the new approach to content consumption you NEED to understand

The modern content consumer

In the past, not that long ago, it wasn’t unusual to sit down and read a newspaper or magazine from cover to cover. We’d read the information that was presented. Editors determined the content we’d see, and the order in which we’d see it.

Times change.

As content consumers we are now faced with almost unlimited choice. With the enormous volume of content available to us it’s no wonder that our attention spans have become so fragmented.

Today it’s all about ‘browse and binge’. We flick, flick, flick through the channels, stories, videos, movies and more. And when we find something that sparks our interest, that matches a particular pain point, we binge that content like there’s no tomorrow.

It’s how social media works, from LinkedIn to TikTok. It’s how traditional media works – think BBC ‘Long Reads’. It’s how modern media works – think streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +.

And there’s a reason for this shift in consumer habits – with personalised experiences so easily accessible in the B2C space, it’s hard not to get sucked into the whirlwind that is content bingeing.

B2B has to get on board

When it comes to B2B marketing, the user experience has traditionally been much less tailormade and far more ‘off the peg’. But in order to keep up with the times and capture the attention of the modern content consumer, something's got to change.

B2B marketers are starting to embrace this shift and there’s increasing pressure to offer a unique journey for each of your prospective buyers, because personalisation yields excellent results.

So, what are the implications of binge culture for marketers in the B2B landscape?

1. Content must be short, relevant, and compelling

What captures our attention when we’re browsing? Funny cat videos? TikToks of sea shanties? Yes they do rank rather highly, but a personalised and relevant message that targets your audience's specific pain points in an interesting and engaging way is top of the list. What works? Well, that depends on the audience you are targeting, but format wise think short and snappy, with attention grabbing and on point headlines.

2. Your business must be accessible

Love ‘em or hate ‘em – live chats and chatbots help you respond when your buyer is ‘in the moment’. Setting up these functions, routing towards the right individual and enabling buyers to have their questions answered out of hours can make the difference between them staying on your site and consuming your content, or flipping over to the next channel.

3. Serve good content – and serve it fast!

Traditional nurture tracks drip feed content on a periodic basis – every few days. And yet buyer behaviour indicates that when we’re engaged, we want to receive content faster and in volume. We want to binge on content, consume whatever we can get our hands on and be sucked into a wormhole of engaging topics. This is one to test. Consider accelerating push-based nurture tracks to satisfy urgent buyer needs, although truly engaged buyers won’t be waiting for you to serve them content, they’ll be self-serving faster than you’re dishing it out, which leads us to our next point…

4. You need to enable self-service

Buyers are increasingly resisting sales engagement. The trend towards self-service is here to stay, with 44% of millennials saying that they prefer no sales rep interaction in a B2B purchase setting.

Content tracks feed that hunger.

Rather than offering a single piece of content, direct buyers to their own specially tailored content hub or landing page and offer them a fully branded and personalised experience, feeding them the best and most relevant content for their needs.

These kind of content tracks encourage buyers to binge on your content. Technologies like Pathfactory, Uberflip and Paperflite offer excellent options for building customised content tracks or hubs and they’re making it more accessible for marketing teams of all sizes. They aim to help you deliver the Netflix-style experience that encourages buyers to follow the path and binge on your content, while utilising AI to recommend next steps and offerings.

Browsing and bingeing content is not a new phenomenon, but it's increasingly the way we find and consume content. And with consumer behaviour finding its way into B2B, and buyers faced with a wide array of choice, finding tips and tricks to set us apart from the alternative options can be key.

And although I still enjoy occasionally reading the Sunday papers or watching the news – it’s on my terms now!