ENGAGEMENT AND QUALITY EDIT

So yesterday I put forward the idea that online engagement requires an experience that drives physical activity -- clicks, rolling over, customizing the marketing experience.

I've gotten a couple of emails in response, finding my idea simplistic. And I agree, it is. But it is concrete and measurable, which is an excellent set of qualities for a topic as nebulous as this one. I deliberately suggested this measure because it is so binary -- something either requires physical interaction, or it doesn't.

Also, every piece of research I have ever seen indicates that the interaction rates of experiential messages are higher than for billboardy banners by a factor of 2X+. This is really significant because it means that physical activities are driving greater message processing. Which is the essence of brand engagement in my book.

Which got me think about what might be the ideal editorial environment in which to drive engagement. Does good content surrounding a marketing experience offer benefits, or drawbacks? Does great content enhance or distract engagement?

Well, in reviewing the available data on the topic, the evidence seems pretty clear that great content keeps people on a page longer, which invites more opportunities for the consumer to take physical action in an engaging unit.

Of course, there are exceptions. Content can be TOO interesting -- for example, banners on dating sites offer notoriously low click rates, because they are largely invisible to the user who is hell bent on getting a date. But in most cases, content that slows the relentless clicking of a consumer is likely to have a positive impact on brand engagement. When you measure page view time in the single seconds, there are hardly opportunities to engage someone with a brand.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.