OK, a quick quiz to get you started. How much do each of these cost to buy?
- A newspaper?
- A magazine?
- A book?
- An industry trend report?
On my way back from a trip to Galway last week, I nipped into a shop to buy a few bits and pieces for the journey, including a magazine. As it turns out the magazine cost a little over €7 (£6.50 / $9) which in turn brought on the inevitable gasp and disapproving looks from my better half. (I usually remember to remove the price tag first.)
To be fair I am a bit of a magazine junkie so the disapproving looks are probably warranted but it got me thinking about how we attach value to content based on its format.
€7 seems a lot for a magazine but that assessment is based on what we think a magazine should cost – not the value of the content inside. And it’s not a volume thing either – a newspaper could easily have several times the volume of content of a magazine yet will only cost a fraction of the price.
You could easily argue that this is down to production costs, supply and demand or a range of other factors but I’d suggest that simple expectation plays a big part. As consumers we make assumptions about both cost and value based on format – the same content delivered in different ways will carry a different perceived value.
As content producers then, businesses must be aware of how format and presentation affect the perceived value of the content we deliver.
Does calling something a ‘whitepaper’ make it appear more valuable than if you used the terms ‘ebook’ or ’special report’? Do visitors to your website value video content more highly than written content? Why does a printed book carry more perceived weight than its digital equivalent?
Before you develop your next piece of content ask yourself if there is another way to deliver that information that would carry more weight with your market.
{ 1 comment }
I like your blog and wanted to say keep up the good work. Do you plan on posting more soon?
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