I’m definitely a brunch gal.
Waffles, bacon, fresh fruit and smoothies can really make my day. On their own, these individual ingredients are noble and tasty, but together, they raise the breakfast bar to a collective next level: brunch. Oftentimes, brunch brings people together around the table to start a dialogue, debate viewpoints and delve into meaningful conversation. And there’s just something about brunch that feels more like an experience versus a time to simply fuel up for the day.
All this talk about brunch got me (hungry and) thinking about content. What are the key ingredients behind a compelling content strategy?
1. A fresh take
The rule of thumb for content on social media: add value to the conversation. Aim to introduce a fresh take on things – whether it’s through words, still pictures or images in motion. While you don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel time and time again (after all, top-up commentary on curated content can be just as effective), have something interesting or compelling to say or share with your community on social.
2. Meaty information to inform and inspire
Be genuinely helpful. Serve up choice content to cater to your audience. This helps to build your authority in the space as a subject-matter expert – but more importantly – to provide quality content to inform and inspire your followers. Better yet, choice content helps to elevate the conversation, expand your reach to new audiences, and identify and establish new connections in the social community.
3. Conversation to engage, educate or entertain
A solid content strategy is not simply about jumping on your soapbox to broadcast key messages. It’s more about engagement with your audience – whether it’s to educate, entertain, influence or persuade. Take the (tremendous) opportunity to discover and explore new perspectives by asking questions, polling for opinions and seeking feedback from your audience. If you truly embrace the opportunity to converse, you may be rewarded with nuggets of new insights and a camp of happy followers.
Take, for example, @kentofinglewood, an up-and-coming Canadian-based line of classic shave shops, with a social media presence that focuses on creating experiential and memorable brand experiences. Kent of Inglewood exudes the tradition and brotherhood of a well-groomed lifestyle for every man. The brand voice is confident, engaging and quirky with a hipster quality – playful yet educated, polished but not stuffy. The content featured on its Twitter feed stays true to its brand promise and serves up a good mix of original content, curated content (both user-generated and via third-party resources) and personable conversation with followers. Kent of Inglewood’s social media presence strikes a balance of thought leadership in the classic grooming space with witty banter and a strong customer focus.
These three ingredients -- adding value, being genuinely helpful and engaging in dialogue -- will help shape a solid content strategy for your digital marketing and social media efforts. Above all, be authentic and stay true to your brand voice.
Looking to craft compelling content and elevate the storytelling experience to engage your audience? Let’s keep the conversation going.
-michelle