Ultimately, all content is on-demand content. Even live events, like webinars, virtual conferences and hybrid events can — and should — be repurposed and republished for on-demand consumption. And repurposing content for on-demand experiences makes sense — after all, doing so provides brands with the opportunity to engage audiences around the clock.
But what does an on-demand content experience look like? It’s certainly more than a blog (though that can be a part of it). We’ve put together this guide to on-demand content to understand what’s possible.
Read on to learn how to use this strategic approach to maximize content reach.
What is On-Demand Content?
On-demand content is content available to users anytime, usually hosted on a website or dedicated content hub. This on-demand availability is convenient for visitors, who can consume the content independently.
On-demand content is the opposite of live content, which can only be viewed as it’s being broadcast. However, live content — like webinars and virtual events — can be made available on-demand. For example, you can host a recording of a previous online event on your website or content hub.
Practically all content formats can be used for on-demand assets, including videos, webinars, articles, and podcasts. Each one has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, so a combination of many different types of on-demand content can provide a solid foundation for a content strategy.
Differences Between On-Demand and Live Content
Live and on-demand content each has its pros and cons. The table below summarizes the main points affecting B2B marketers:
| Feature | On-demand content | Live content |
| Flexibility | Can be accessed at any time | Requires attendance at a specific time |
| Accessibility | Open to a global audience | Attendance is limited by time zones |
| Learning style | Allows users to learn at their own pace | Encourages focused attention |
| Interactivity | Lots of opportunities for audience interaction, though some functionality — like live breakout rooms — will be limited | Lots of opportunities for audience interaction |
| Scalability | Can scale infinitely with no added cost | Scale is limited by resourcing and regional capability |
| Technical requirements | Low to non-existent | Requires a live content platform |
Providing on-demand content is a great way to offer information that’s accessible to everybody. Live content is better suited to targeting smaller specific groups and can drive higher engagement rates.
Why is On-Demand Content Important?
All content strategies depend on on-demand content in some form, especially for businesses looking to engage a diverse global audience over a long term.
Enhanced User Engagement
With on-demand content, users are free to read, watch and learn on their terms and time. They can also take as long as they want to understand a topic, meaning they can get maximum value from your content.
This is one of the key strengths of on-demand content: it ensures your prospects and customers have constant access to valuable resources, which, by extension, increases engagement. This, in turn, helps you understand what your audience wants and in what format.
Extended Content Lifespan
Compared to live content, which initially only has a lifespan as long as its runtime, on-demand content can continue to provide value long into the future. In fact, certain types of on-demand content, like videos or blog posts that are search engine optimized, can generate better results over time.
Investing in on-demand content doesn’t just provide a potential immediate return but can pay dividends over the long term. For example, a blog post covering a specific topic can drive immediate engagement by distributing to an audience on social media or email. It can then attract organic traffic by ranking for its target keywords.
Greater Reach and Accessibility
Since on-demand content doesn’t require people to be in a certain place at a certain time to consume it, it has better reach potential than live content. In other words, it can reach a broad audience because it’s agnostic towards time zones and scheduling constraints. This makes it very useful for businesses that target a global audience.
The practically unlimited reach and accessibility that on-demand content offers means that it can generate maximum engagement, able to capture and nurture users from across the world at any time.
How to Create an On-Demand Experience to Increase Reach
On-demand content’s potential benefits mean that it should be a high priority for any businesses looking to drive engagement. Here are some top tips on how to create effective on-demand content experiences.
Identify Audience Needs and Preferences
Your on-demand content strategy should be based on your understanding of what kind of content your audience is most interested in. Two main ways to develop this understanding are by analyzing data from your website or engagement analytics platform or by carrying out audience surveys.
Either way, you aim to learn what content formats and topics your audience cares about. These insights should feed directly into your content production plan, with formats and topics prioritized based on your audience’s key pain points, preferences and interests.
Leverage High-Quality Content Creation Tools
Some many tools and platforms can help you create high-quality content, which becomes more important as you scale your on-demand content strategy to address larger audience sizes. ON24, for example, has various content creation features, including an AI-powered content creation engine that unlocks automation possibilities and the ability to repurpose your content into on-demand assets.
By using the right content creation tools, you can develop and roll out on-demand content campaigns more efficiently and benefit from higher production value. You can also use personalization better, taking advantage of automation features to make large-scale content personalization possible.
Optimize Content for Search Engines
On-demand content is defined by being constantly accessible to users, but that also means it has the potential to be accessible to search engines. By following search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, you can help your content rank for target keywords, which means it will attract valuable organic traffic passively.
The first step is to identify relevant keywords to target. You can then optimize your content around these keywords by ensuring it provides the right information to meet “search intent.” It’s also important to pay special attention to title tags and meta descriptions, aiming to include your target keywords wherever possible. Most importantly, ensure your content is accessible by building internal links that point towards it from other pages on your website.
Use Data Analytics to Refine Content Strategy
One of on-demand content’s biggest strengths is its long-term potential, but you can foster that potential by proactively refining your strategy. Data-driven analytics provided through a dedicated platform, like the ON24 performance analytics dashboard, constantly review content performance against key performance indicators (KPIs).
Tracking metrics like organic traffic, engagement rate, and conversion rate can help you understand which pieces of content are performing well and which need improvements. You can also feed these learnings back into your strategy to inform what content formats and topics you focus on in the future.
How to Promote Your Webinar with On-Demand Content
Live content formats like webinars have unique strengths, including the ability to drive excellent engagement, so using them in your overall strategy is well worth it. However, following these tips, you can use on-demand content to promote upcoming live content.
Create Teaser Content
If you plan to broadcast a live webinar, you can create teasers in an on-demand format for the promotional push. Put together a collection of short, engaging snippets from the larger webinar and distribute them through channels like your website and social media platforms. Just make sure to include information about how to register for the full webinar to drive signups.
Use Email Marketing Campaigns
Email is a powerful channel that allows you to deliver messages and content directly to your audience’s inbox. You can use it to distribute on-demand content in the lead-up to a webinar, whether to encourage sign-ups or nurture people who have already registered to attend. Focus on including content that will provide value to your audience before the webinar, and craft compelling subject lines to maximize clicks.
Leverage Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X all provide opportunities to generate engagement with your audience, which can, in turn, build interest in your upcoming webinar. Use on-demand content like existing blog posts, videos or webinar snippets to attract attention and provide value, and push users towards a webinar registration landing page to encourage them to sign up.
Ensuring Maximum Engagement with On-Demand Content
On-demand content can be a key element of your marketing campaign, combined with live content to help you build your audience, nurture leads, and generate conversions. To get the most from it, develop a strategy tailored to your audience’s specific needs and preferences and make sure to continuously learn from data to refine your approach.
The ON24 Analytics and Content Engine can help you to create impactful on-demand content campaigns quicker than ever, with AI features to automate and improve the content creation process, lots of options for content personalization, and a performance dashboard you can use to track your success.
Get in touch with us to learn more about how it can help you reach your marketing and engagement goals or to book a demo.