The document discusses the difference between "stock" content that remains relevant for months or years, which brands are good at producing, and "flow" content like tweets and posts that are part of the daily stream and remind people that a brand exists. It argues that brands struggle with flow content because their historic focus on durable stock messages breaks down in a world where content is consumed and shared constantly. The document provides recommendations for brands to compete in flow, such as understanding inputs and outputs, curating rather than always creating new content, giving proper attribution, and studying how humans actively share content.

1. SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
STOCK & FLOW
James Gross | percolate.com/james | @james_gross

2. Percolate is the easiest way
to access and share the content
you care about.

4. It’s awesome.
Get brewing.
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5. STOCK & FLOW

6. Stock
&
Flow

7. Stock
&
“Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the
content you produce that’s as
interesting in two months (or two
years) as it is today.”
Brands, in partnership with their
agencies, are great at producing
this content.
Source: Snarkmarket
Flow

8. Stock
&
“Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the
content you produce that’s as
interesting in two months (or two
years) as it is today.”
Brands, in partnership with their
agencies, are great at producing
this content.
Source: Snarkmarket
Flow
“Flow is the feed. It’s the posts and
the tweets. It’s the stream of daily
and sub-daily updates that remind
people that you exist.”
Brands struggle to create content
here and I hope to explain why.

9. Stock Flow

10. F
It is not an
either/or thing S
Source: huffingtonpost.com

11. What
do you see?

12. 1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
I see links 10
to stock 11
12

13. 1 2 3
4 5 6
The content of flow is stock.

14. The content of our communication
is other communication.

15. We express ourselves
through our interests.

16. Which means
production requires consumption

17. People are constantly consuming

18. Brands not so much

19. Which worked in a stock world,
when messages lasted months
instead of minutes

20. But breaks down
in a world of flow

21. How does a brand
compete in flow?

22. 1 Figure out your inputs & outputs

23. k
oc
St
Insights
Trends Look
Feel
Voice Brand
Inputs Messaging
Fl
ow

24. 2 Must-knows about curation

25. Linking away from
.com is okay

26. People won’t forget about you
if a logo isn’t on everything single
thing you talk about

27. 3 Credit goes to the curator & creator

28. Think about
your favorite blogs
or twitter feeds

29. Do they create
content or curate it?

30. People understand attribution
goes to the sharer AND creator

31. To succeed in flow.
4 Study how humans use it.

32. People stand out in flow
by brokering content (RT, like,
share, oh my)

33. Brands try to do it
by giving away coupons

34. Or
saying sorry

35. Instead of being signals...

36. Let’s change that.
Thank you.
www.Percolate.com