1. Creating Content That Stands Out
Social Media Association of Michigan | August 15, 2018
2. Director of Communications
• 11 years of experience.
• Specialize in communications strategy and
execution, utilizing a variety of internal and
external tactics.
• Publish The MichComms Report e-newsletter.
• Contributing blogger for Crain's Detroit
Business.
• Impact100 Oakland County executive
communications committee.
• Married & mom to 5.5 year old twin boys.
4. 5 W’s of Content:
•Who is this content for?
•What need(s) am I fulfilling with this content?
• Where am I going to share the content?
•When will I share this content?
•Why am I producing this content?
22. Instagram posts using at least one
hashtag receive 12.6% more
engagement than posts excluding
them. (Sprout)
You MUST have a social media ad plan. Relyingsolely on organic posts is
no longer aneffective strategy.
LinkedInposts withimages receive 200% more
engagement than text-onlyposts. (Sprout)
24. Match content to buying stage.
Gathering info: What are others in my industry doing?
Exploring possible options: What services are available
today? What do others say about them?
Product evaluation: How much does it cost?
Committing to change: What do I have to do? How will this
affect my clients?
Decision: What is the ROI? What will happen
after the sale?
Confusion & awareness: What is this? Do I need it?
25. Customer Buying Stage
Customer
Questions
Content Type
Blog Whitepaper Video Digital ad
Social media
post
Confusion & awareness
Gatheringinfo
Committing to change
Exploring possible
options
Product evaluation
Decision
26.
27. Great writing isn’t enough to cut through the
clutter of content that exists.
Graphic
Design
Digital
Marketing
What type of content draws you in? What makes you stop scrolling to read an article, watch a video or read a caption under an image?
Prior to producing content, make sure you can answer the 5 W’s
Needs: are you solving a problem, answering a common question, teaching an easier way to do something?
Data from Quinn Tempest Digital Summit Detroit workshop: 86% of searchers conduct non-branded searches - content needs to focus on non-branded terms.
Not searching Hudsonville Ice Cream – searching for “best ice cream made in Michigan”
Not searching Stafford’s Hospitality – searching “best hotel to stay in Petoskey”
Good place to start for content research is Google Suggest (which is simply typing in the search box and seeing what keyword suggestions Google brings up
Make sure you use incognito mode, or your results are likely customized based on your location.
When coming up with keyword phrases for content, think about how people talk – not keyword stuffed marketing lingo.
This is particularly important for voice search, like Siri.
100 million hours of video viewed daily on Facebook (Sprout)
How many of you watch video daily on FB?
Take your blog posts with highest traffic and turn those into short videos. Might be a series of videos.
Turn tutorials and step-by-step “how to’s” into video
Almost every Sephora product has a how-to apply/use video
I put a puppy and a cute kid here because let's be honest - these two things will make you stop scrolling
Capture attention immediately – within first few seconds of the video – to stop people from scrolling past.
Customer testimonials can be WAY more powerful in video vs. text format – opportunity to evoke emotion through video that you can’t in text
Make your video worth watching with the sound off.
If you’re recording from a smartphone, make sure the phone has a great camera, otherwise you compromise quality.
And, invest in a mobile tripod.
Build anticipation and excitement for a big launch – Netflix did this really well on the Orange is the New Black Instagram channel – posting a countdown with videos leading up to Season 6 streaming on July 27.
Create a video series – Jeff DeHaven and the Digital Mitten team did a great job with this
Inside look at his team, day-to-day happenings, client life, etc.
What does this stat mean? Experiment with live video on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook
Facebook Creative Hub has a lot of video ideas for inspiration.
Sprout Social
So how do we avoid this?
Follow the 80/20 rule – 80% of social content is informative/engaging/educational/interesting and 20% is promotional
Let influencers do the talking for you – create strategic partnerships with influencers who align with your brand. Work with them to create a content plan to promote your company, products or services. Give LDC, SEA LIFE, Hudsonville examples.
Don’t shy away from micro-influencers. A bigger following doesn’t always mean better. Micro-influencer communities are smaller, but often VERY loyal.
Repost images/videos from your customers who have an affinity for your brand.
There are more than 33 million voice-first devices (think Amazon Alexa or Google Home) in circulation in the U.S. (Voice Labs). Example: BCBS of Michigan built MI Blue Skill for Alexa:
As of early June 2018, there were more than 550,000 podcasts available to download (Apple)
- Similar to all other types of content distribution, you have to create a content strategy for your podcast – and a content distribution plan.
Most effective content strategy is employing the PESO method – paid, earned, owned and shared.
In the middle where everything converges is the sweet spot.
Anyone doing this? Want to share an example?
Something we’re doing at WGW right now
Your buying stage may look a little different
Consider the Content Marketing Hierarchy of Needs to help simplify the process of determining a strategy for your business.
Goes back to 5 W’s – what need are you filling with your content?
To create great content, think like a media publisher.
Stellar content requires a team of people who can handle copywriting, video production/editing, graphic design, content strategy, digital marketing, content testing/optimizing, branding/communications, analytics/reporting…