There are those who define it as the perfect plan A, plan B and even plan C. Also, as the one that determines fashion, the topics to put on the table when there is a lot to talk about. But also, when uncomfortable silences arise.
Netflix is a brand name that is actually quite old, with a very recent reputation, and that marked a before and after in the way we consume audiovisual production.
In technical terms, Netflix is really a catalog of movies and series to watch unlimitedly on any device with internet and an open account , either with the first month free or with the $9.99 monthly price (and their respective prices according to the country).
Once upon a time
It was founded by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in 1997, United States. The idea for the company came after Reed rented Apollo 13 from the famous Blockbuster video store chain, and when he returned the film a few days late, he paid a $40 fine.
The two men came up with a plan that combined the services of a conventional movie rental store with the added bonus that they could rent movies from home without late fees.
As a brand, it didn’t achieve immediate success. Blockbuster was big and had all the public’s attention. Still, Netflix found its way to the top by being able to listen to customer complaints, such as how it took them too long to choose a movie to take away, compared to the time they could enjoy it at home.
Reed even had a meeting with Blockbuster to negotiate the possibility of local distribution that would make everything faster, but the company refused. An issue that must have weighed on him to this day, since he ended up losing the industry and the brand, by not meeting the emerging needs of the market, which was, at the time, to offer movies on demand and without fines.
Time is wise
For years, Netflix only recorded losses. However, to get out of this, it allied itself with a large number of advantages, such as the capitalization of the DVD and the emerging potential of the Internet for electronic commerce. So, in 1999, it created the first website where people subscribed, placed their order and paid for the film they wanted to see and the shipping costs. Finally, in 2003, it achieved its first million-dollar profit.
With its business model and the characteristic red envelope with which it made shipments to its clients’ routes, it attracted the attention of investors, with whom it was able to expand its offering to include documentaries, independent films, among others.
Step by step and with a futuristic vision, Netflix began to expand its offerings, streaming movies on the web platform. This gave it the opportunity to later enter television sets and even video game consoles.
The company began its internationalization plan in 2010, offering services to Canada and Latin America in general. It also changed its pricing strategy, which was based on renting and buying physical DVDs, which was already obsolete for its business vision, and began to strengthen its digital channel and subscription video transmission via the Internet.
Nowadays
With more than 86 million subscribers in over 190 countries, it is the world’s leading internet audiovisual network. With more than 125 million hours of television series, films and documentaries, subscribers can watch them whenever they want, wherever they want, and without interruption from commercials.
Netflix’s success is not given for free, but is the result of correct decisions, crossing variables, analysis and cunning in entering the market. For these reasons and many more, we can say that Netflix has lessons to offer us in content marketing.
Take note of how he did it and start applying!
Netflix:
Netflix still has a lot of time to teach us about many topics, such as content marketing, for example.
1. Content creation
The first step of any content marketing strategy , after prior research and knowledge of our consumer, is the creation of content.
We know that initially, supplying our brand and communication with unique and exclusive content is complex. Therefore, we must resort to content curation long before starting to create our own.
Netflix had the same experience. It started by buying original content from other companies to add to its sales catalogue and later to its web platform. However, as it began to acquire knowledge about its consumers, the industry and its competition, it was able to evaluate its capabilities and create what would become the first series with the Netflix seal in 2011, which they called: House of Cards .
From then on, he continued to create a long list of content that you can currently find such as: “Orange is the New Black”, “Peaky Blinders”, “The Fall” or “Stranger Things”; which, in turn, are the ones that have managed to consolidate Netflix’s success.
So, as lesson #1 … if you want it this way, you’ll have to pay the price, it’s time for you to shine through your own efforts and creativity.
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2. First of all: Quality
Netflix, in addition to the great effort to create its own content, is committed to quality above all else.
Quality is linked to creativity , vision and relevance in finding what to give the audience exactly how they are asking for it. He does not hesitate to make his team the best and to give the necessary incentives so that the final product is not only good, but the best.
Lesson #2: Only create content when it is relevant , has strategy and has quality .
3. Building relationships
Netflix had the option of continuing with the traditional model of distributing audiovisual content. But it didn’t do so.
What did this model consist of? Releasing series chapter by chapter. However, Netflix opted to build complete seasons and present them this way.
What does this have to do with relationship building?
Netflix, with its own content distribution model, began to generate long-term relationships with its viewers.
Lesson #3: Communication and content development strategies must be geared toward creating stable relationships with consumers, giving them exactly what they need to stay with you.
4. Leverage data to make decisions
Among millions of subscribers, Netflix is not short of data. It therefore has more than enough information to make good decisions.
By having the right information, Netflix knows very well what its users’ tastes are. Therefore, it can make investments such as creating its own series and other content because it knows, in advance, that they will be successful.
Lesson #4: Power lies in information. Give your audience what they want, learn to listen. Constantly gather feedback, information and data in general that your users can give you, then use it to everyone’s advantage .
5. Sale of content
It is no secret that marketing has as its ultimate function, to sell a product, service or idea. To achieve this purpose, different communication mechanisms have been created.
As for Netflix, we have already explained that it produces its own content. In this case, these are series, to mention just one example.
Although the service is not worldwide, in the United States Netflix offers its content in Blu-ray formats that users can actually purchase, even outside of the subscription they are already paying for.
Lesson #5: Content is meant to be consumed and to trigger an informed purchase. Make your content so rich in information that people ask you on their own to buy what you talk about in it.
6. Open to change
Netflix’s growth from the beginning of its history was based on variety and on responding to its users’ problems from a different point of view than that of its business category. That is, it focused on solving the problem of returning materials. In addition, it took advantage of the growing demand for the Internet.
Lesson #6: The law of survival says that qatar mobile database those who do not adapt to changes tend to disappear . Here again, the importance of information. However, it is useless to know what is happening around you if you are not going to do something about it. Without abandoning the essence of what your brand is, change constantly (at least enough) and strategically , and adapt to the demand of the moment . Dare to innovate .
b. There are things that never change
Netflix, despite constantly presenting users with changes or new proposals in its services, knows very well that there are series, films, characters, among others, that will not leave the minds and hearts of users and for this reason it continues to offer in its catalog, the classics of audiovisual production that can never be missed.
Lesson #6b: While it is true that everything must be done quickly these days, there are still things that endure regardless of time because they continue to be useful or because they revive important feelings in us .
7. Variety
Another factor that has favored Netflix’s growth is variety. Netflix is made up of original productions, as well as acquired ones, that cover all genres and themes:
- Drama
- Cartoons
- terror
- anime
- etc
Netflix, knowing its audience, manages to merging web design and Inbound marketing determine that it has many types of visitors and gives each one exactly what they want to find.
Lesson #7: Variety is the spice of life . It also happens that our brands are not necessarily huge companies like Netflix and therefore, our audience ends up being more specific or smaller. However, there are endless variables that make up that audience and each person there consumes your product, service or idea in a different way. Therefore, create varied content: extensions, formats , schedules , topics, among others.
8. Personalization
Netflix offers subscribers, once they log into the platform for the first time, the possibility of customizing the content they will see. How? Users have a questionnaire available in which they can select their preferences and in this way Netflix begins to suggest a series of titles according to that previous selection.
In this way, the user starts to save time in their searches.
Lesson #8: Everyone looks for ways to be original. Analyze your audience and take into account the type of content each of them consumes. And give each one what they are really asking for. Take your audience and start generating databases and send the information only to those who are interested and name each user as they want to be named.
9. People
If there is one thing that is important for any company, it is customer retention, and Netflix knows this very well. That is why it is so concerned about providing excellent service and always being aware of both positive and negative comments, as well as suggestions, doubts, or complaints from its users. It is always thinking about the customer.
Lesson #9: Without customers, there is no brand. Thinking about customer needs and meeting them is an important step in implementing marketing strategies . These actions allow you to make decisions and make the user feel comfortable with what you are offering them. In addition, they create a bond that benefits both parties.
10. Responsive design:
Netflix is aware of the rise of mobile devices and did not miss the opportunity to adopt a responsive design that can be viewed on tablets, cell phones, computers, video game consoles, and other possibilities such as smart TVs.
Lesson #10: Content marketing is primarily digital.
The most important lesson of all:
There is something very beautiful about betting email list marketing in its overall concept, and that is the ability to be taught in order to apply it. That is, marketing draws on a lot of knowledge and various everyday situations to build strategies that lead it to meet business goals and objectives.
This is ultimately what Netflix did with its marketing model:
Let yourself be taught by experience to ultimately become the example to follow for more than one company.
However, it is not about turning our companies and brands into another Netflix. On the contrary, we should use their examples as a reference so that each of us can build our own Content Marketing .
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