Facebook, Snapchat most effective at integrating content

New York, NY—(May 12, 2016)—Digital Content Next (DCN) has released findings, in association with Magid Research, Inc., from its members-only “2016 DCN Content Distribution Impact Research” report. The report offers the first comprehensive examination of content distribution’s impact on premium publishers’ brand websites across content types, and examines the current market for content distribution, consumer motivations for interactions with various platforms and the impact on engagement with premium publishers’ brand sites.

Social distribution of content is a critical focus for premium publishers looking to engage with new and current audiences on the platforms where they now spend a large amount of their time. DCN’s research showed when known brands appear on the social platforms measured – Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram – they saw a double-digit net increase in engagement. The research also showed Snapchat Discover currently has the greatest ability to drive longer engagement with premium brands (53% between 10 and 20 minutes); and 51% of respondents noted they’re more likely to engage with a brand that publishes on its Discover offering.

Additional key findings included:

• Usage – Current events and depth of information on brand sites/apps drive usage.
• Impact – A majority of consumers are likely to visit a brand’s site or app after reading a story on a social media platform.
• Engagement – Viral and personalized content are hidden drivers for engagement on premium websites.

DCN provided a list of recommendations from the “2016 DCN Content Distribution Impact Research” report as a guide for its members, some of which include:

1. Brand at the core. Platforms will continue to fragment, making the strength of the available content brands and its unique offering even more important.
2. Different platforms, similar ideals. Trustworthiness, high quality and timeliness matter most for brands and social platforms.
3. Format matters. It’s not one size fits all, so brands must work to understand what works best for each platform and to analyze which platforms perform best for their brand.
4. Brand familiarity is important for 12-19 year olds. Survey respondents in this demographic click almost 50% less often than the overall market on unfamiliar brands’ content.

“It’s critical for premium publishers to strongly brand their content on social to create trusted relationships with new audiences and solidify existing ones,” said DCN CEO Jason Kint. “The platform playing field is always changing and they should keep a particular focus on the younger demographic as they are signaling the next rules of engagement with both platforms and brands.”

According to DCN Research Director Rande Price, the report found that nearly 75% of consumers access more information now that their favorite brands are on social media: Social is additive –respondents who plan on spending more time accessing information from brands on social media sources don’t plan to reduce their content consumption on brand sites and apps.

DCN and Magid Research, Inc. conducted the online quantitative research study in March 2016 with 1,000 U.S. respondents between the ages of 12 to 54 with home internet connection. The full, DCN members-only report includes findings across a number of content verticals including news, entertainment, music, sports, lifestyle, tech/science, educational and business/finance.

Since its relaunch as DCN 18 months ago, the organization has seen a record 45% growth in its membership. Now 75 members strong and exclusively comprised of trusted, digital content companies, the organization shares industry intelligence through its InContext website, public events and research. Follow DCN on Twitter.