Is multi-screen the new content queen?

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012

Go to article

Content is king and now there’s a queen according to Google—people are spreading their attention across multiple devices to consume content. 

Google released new research today that proves more and more U.S. consumers are using multi-screen experiences to consume content. 4.4 hours of our time is spent spread across four devices: 

• Phones
• Tablets
• Computers 
• TVs 

What are multi-screen experiences?

Multi-screen experiences happen exactly as described above: We split our attention between different screens to consume content in different ways. 

Do you watch a TV show with your smartphone or tablet in hand in order to talk to “friends” about the happenings on the show? We split our attention between the action on the screen and the reactions of our Twitter or Facebook friends.

These multi-screen experiences lead to multi-threaded conversations.

What are multi-threaded conversations?

Multi-threaded conversations are happening with multiple people at once, usually around different topics. Our attention is so divided we can braid our thoughts around multiple topics. 

The challenge for digital marketers is maintaining users’ focus on their content and goals.Delivering a fabulous content experience to an audience that is continuously shifting their attention focal point is what makes managing content complex.  

As audiences embarks on multi-screen experiences, and multi-threaded conversations, content itself becomes slippery, as our users move and consume along the information superhighway. According to the article linked above, it seems that this may allow content providers to link devices so that the experience of consumption is seamless for consumers.

What does this mean for you?

1. You need a content strategy

2. You need a mobile strategy

3. You need a content strategy for the mobile devices you produce content for

If you're a content creators and/or digital marketer, it's our job to figure out what this means from a technological and consumption standpoint, but it doesn't change what has always been the bottom line: users love content, and they love to share content they love.

Keep producing that type of content (and use the checklist [PDF] to make sure you are doing so) and you will increase your traffic as more users access your content using multiple devices.

Note: Some of this content originally appeared on a blog post called "Dominating the Mobile Landscape with Great Content."