It’s making audiences think twice about which media sources they can trust and doubt how effective content is. For those leaders and marketers, it turns the conversation from “How can we make this content engaging and get it in front of the right audience?” to “Will our audience even believe us?” which takes up resources that could be dedicated to creating and distributing content strategically — if only so much fake content weren’t polluting the system. What does it mean for publications and media outlets as they try to maintain their own legitimacy? And what does it mean for the ways brands build trust with their audiences? That means people see a load of content that isn’t created for them — and isn’t engaging to them. If audiences do become skeptical, that will put more pressure than ever on publications to keep their loyal readers and maintain their trust. Research shows that when a trusted publisher features a native ad for a brand that’s viewed as untrustworthy, 43 percent of content consumers lose trust in that outlet. And the last thing that any honest media outlet or publication wants is to accidentally publish something and become a casualty of the “Great Fake Content Battle of 2017.” What’s Next Trust has always been critical to success in business (and life in general), but that doesn’t mean fake news is the end of the world. And brands that are doing content marketing will have to find ways to keep practicing authentic thought leadership and sharing the experiences and insights that make them experts in the first place. Consumers can rest and read easier knowing that these publishers and brands have done their part to distribute only the most engaging content.
Everywhere I look, it seems like the legitimacy of media outlets and content itself is being questioned. And if you’ve been on social media any time in the past year, you know what I’m talking about: fake news.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what fake news is — and that it’s a problem. It’s making audiences think twice about which media sources they can trust and doubt how effective content is. And that’s not good for thought leaders and content creators who know the ROI of content marketing.
For those leaders and marketers, it turns the conversation from “How can we make this content engaging and get it in front of the right audience?” to “Will our audience even believe us?” which takes up resources that could be dedicated to creating and distributing content strategically — if only so much fake content weren’t polluting the system.
So what does the issue of fake news today mean for us in the long run? What does it mean for publications and media outlets as they try to maintain their own legitimacy? And what does it mean for the ways brands build trust with their audiences?
How We Got Here
Before we can examine what’s next, we need to look at how we got here in the first place. To be honest, a big reason people question content is probably due to the amount they are exposed to and how little of it is actually targeted at them.
Content is everywhere, and it’s no longer limited to media outlets. Social media trends and platform changes make it easier to create and share content on the channels themselves. People now see content right in their news feeds because it was published there — not because it was created to engage them specifically or because it was distributed to them in the right way.
There aren’t a lot of brands that do a good job of taking engaging content and getting it in front of the right audience. That means people see a load of content that isn’t created for them — and isn’t engaging to them. With this garbage being passed off as an attempt…
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