When you were a child, whether you were the chillest kid at PS116, or the one who insisted on wearing a cape to middle school, chances are you have memories that stand out. Behind each memory and moment, there is something that binds them together: words and concepts.
There are so many articles about content marketing, we often forget that life itself is formed from the content we’re exposed to. From the time we learn to talk, to whatever it is that propels your goals / lack thereof, is because of content that affected you.
There are so many “what is content marketing” articles out there, which ever shall you possibly choose?
Wonderful, effective life-changing content marketing uses words as catalysts to illuminate ideas and create sparks, not as a forum to blast your brand at supposed demographic faces. Whether your methods are missing the mark, or they’re already great, there’s always room to grow.
Marrying Reason and Emotion: The Key To Content Bliss
How many cutesy quips float around your inbox? How many insatiably clickable headlines float across your browser?
A typical social media user interacts with a whopping 285 pieces of content per day, about 54,000 words, more than 1,000 links and up to 443 minutes of video. In nutshell, we’ve got a lot of words hurled at us constantly. In fact, it would over 12 hours a day to read all the crap flung at us on the internet. So what’s the deciding factor? How do you stand out, get the clicks, and inspire interest?
While the specifics are different for every brand, the ability to frame content plans strategically, yet still, let emotion be the driving force is the key. In fact, it’s the blending of those two qualities that make content leaders. Marketer Neil Patel swears by the three Cs: “Consistency, Consistency, Consistency.” But how does that look? How does weaving this all together apply to higher traffic, more interaction, fanfare, and sales?
- Use everything you write with precise strategy: this doesn’t mean everything you write has to be worth its weight in gold, but ensure that it fits into your brand’s big picture.
- To become a leader, act like one: use what you learn. Next time you sit down to write content, any content, apply what you’ve just learned here and notice the difference.
- Challenge yourself: to become a content leader, mover, and shaker, step outside topics you’re comfortable with. Instead of aggregating other people’s ideas, take your brand to the next level by using content and topics that are not gleaned from other marketers.
Thinking Back, Moving Forward: An Unlikely Case Study
Everything that we’ve seen, heard and absorbed affects us is formed by words. “No shit,” you think. But how many people really take the time to think about the words and ideas that formed who you are?
Even if you’re so many tailored pantsuits beyond your childhood self you can’t even remember what a Froot Loop tastes like, there’s still always some memory that sparks your childlike sense of wonder. Content marketers who understand how to cultivate this self-aware whimsy and apply it to their brand can find remarkable success.
Most brands want their customers to associate them with positive emotions (I guess, there are some exceptions, like if you work in the marketing department of, say, a prison– you probably don’t want people jazzed up about your brand, but that’s probably the minority).
Case in point: America’s most prolific diner, Denny’s. Although Denny’s is a behemoth chain already, they’ve gained fans, followers and devotees through unexpectedly self-aware, whimsical content marketing.
when you pluck a grape from its cluster does it miss its family?
— Denny’s (@DennysDiner) August 28, 2017
Sometimes you’ve got to ask the big questions…
Denny’s blog and Twitter are hilarious case studies of a marketing team in touch with their childlike sense of wonder. From infographics of “The best Denny’s to watch the Eclipse from” to the iconic “Pandant” featured on the homepage of the blog, each piece of content says so much more than words. The interactive interface (on behalf of Tumblr) allows customers to ask questions, and the on-brand answers don’t disappoint.
When content moves away from telling audiences how great your brand is and showing them who you are with memorable, interactive campaigns, your audience will be over the moon(s over my hammy).
Now that you’ve set the stage for setting the “content” stage, stay tuned for more in-depth looks and case studies about more mesmerizing content strategies.
