If you’ve been overexposed to the terms ‘we live in unprecedented times’ and ‘now more than ever’, you’re not alone. 2020 hit hard and 2021 was the recovery room where most agencies and brands around the world learned how to cope and adapt to change faster than you can say ‘social media’.
It’s now time to use those learnings to shape our social media and content strategies for the year. Here are some tips on how to unlock the best content approach for your clients or brands:
Your content should be data-driven
It’s time to go beyond data gathering. Take a step forward and analyse your data, go beyond numbers and typical demographics. For example, if your engagement rate is lower month-on-month, try to understand who’s consuming your content. What are their habits, their passion points, their challenges and their preferred tonality? There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to content; you’ll need to adapt and be where your audience is and communicate with them the way they prefer.
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Don’t underestimate the impact of search
What better way to deep dive into your audience’s interests than knowing what they’re searching for? Simply put, invest in identifying your industry’s keywords, look at your services and your competitors, and use tools to list down those keywords for you like SEM Rush or Google Keyword Planner. You can then measure the volume of search per keyword and identify the missed opportunities in your content to adapt accordingly.
Let experiment overcome FOMO
As a marketer, it’s important to avoid falling into the trap of ‘shiny new syndrome’. Sure, some platforms made a strong debut in the past couple of years, like TikTok and Clubhouse, but are they the right platforms for your brand? Not necessarily. The best approach is to experiment and learn as you go. New platforms require their own content strategy based on what audiences prefer to consume, so think about what’s best for your brand’s long-term objectives and measure whether it’s working. If you play it too safe, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on conversion opportunities in comparison to your competitors or industry trends.
Help your audience make the right choice
Think of it as a shopping experience at the mall. You’ll want to try out new items and visualise if they fit you best. The same applies to social media content. Help your audience visualise your products or services. Tell them a story, or showcase your product using interactive methods like augmented reality, gamification, quizzes and puzzles, and real-life imagery. Avoid sales-led calls to action and focus on audience-centric key messaging.
Go for key opinion leaders (KOLs). Thought leadership has always been a pillar for B2B marketing, but how can a brand affect its audience with thought leadership? Look at collaborating with key opinion leaders rather than your typical influencers. They tend to have a specific tonality and mindset that affects opinions rather than advocating purchases or products.
Keep it real
With so many trends and tools emerging in the digital world, it’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole of over-planning. Keep a reality check in place by answering key questions before building your content strategy:
What is it that we want the brand to say? What is your brand’s value proposition without fluffy messages? What does my brand want to change? Is it an experience? Is it a service that tackles a major pain point? Does my brand want to change a specific mindset? What does my brand hope to inspire its audience with? What do you want your audience to do?
Based on the above, you’ll be able to unlock suitable platforms, tools and journeys to dictate your content.
Be vocal about your values
Being the most diverse generation to date, Gen Z (and even millennials) are keeping an eye on brands’ cultural values. According to the latest research, 62 per cent of consumers want brands to stand up for the issues they care about.
Communicating your CSR activities, your brand culture, and the causes you and your employees stand for builds credibility and, ultimately, advocacy. Therefore, it’s important to go behind the scenes of your products or services. Tell the story of your business and the story of your people. Showcase what you stand for, who you support, and why you’re doing it. Aim to inspire rather than boast, and let your people speak on your behalf.
In conclusion, invest time and effort in deep-diving into who your audience really is. As marketers, we have the access to magnitudes of data, but that data will come off invaluable if not stirred into the right direction. The digital industry is dynamic, and with all the changes incurred on data privacy, it’s vital to learn how to analyse beyond numbers.
