The always-insightful Max Kalehoff of Nielsen BuzzMetrics has a provocative column on MediaPost about engagement. Basically, how do you determine the value of a media outlet as it relates to bottom-line sales? He notes that some websites and blogs have massive traffic but very low click-through rates, while other sites with much smaller audiences have far more activity. Which is more attractive to marketers?
This is the rule of small markets and it’s something marketers need to understand. An engaged audience is a much better target to reach than a mass market. Engaged audiences are interested and respond. They’re much more likely to buy because they have a meaningful interest in the topic.
Traditional media planning has focused on broad reach with an overlay of targeting. In other words, we now buy the Cooking Channel instead of the Today show. Web 2.0 lets you find the audience of people who specifically like baking brownies. This takes engagement to a whole new level.
But, as Kalehoff points out, measuring engagement is very difficult. Perhaps there’s a business opportunity there.
Thanks for the nice comment. I didn’t really open this can of worms in my column, but I believe mainstream media’s engagement debate is strongly influenced by a desire to maintain legacy power and dollar streams. In other words, engagement is not only a distraction, but a an attempt to intellectualize and avoid the inevitable: power is shifting. If we had to start from scratch, with no media legacy, the whole debate would look entirely different.