Your Magical Content Wand by Tara Hunt
“We need to be on Instagram!”says random non-social media using executive
stolen stockphoto of random
executive withwatermarkstill visible.
what are any of these properties without content?
no content content
A social platform without content is like a glass without wine.
(And yes, the glass enhances the body of the wine, so you should use the right glass.)(Not to mention, bad wine, like bad content, will leave the drinker with a bad aftertaste.)
“Content marketing is the only marketing that’s left.”Seth Godin, 2008
i’m quoting thisguy seeking your
validation, but you’ll understandwhy this is ironic
later on...
why content marketing?
• It focuses on the customer’s needs
• it creates and sustains long term bonds
• it encourages sharing and word of mouth
• it cuts through the noise
• it’s more fun for both you and your customers
• you can see the impact instantly
• people aren’t listening to/believing/giving a darn about advertising anymore
good content informs, listens & responds, tells a story, entertains and enhances your customers’ lives.
here are some examples (my favorite little company who uses content brilliantly + two of my own works of content art) ...
just a blender
great audience!
entertainBlendtec’s “Will it Blend?” iPad episode 15,666,175 viewshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko
the ultimate goalselling high end blenders
starting from scratchwent from around 100 likes to 1,146 in 5 months. minimal ad
spend (80% earned)
inform
pinboards to inspireand share research
foursquare lists toguide users to
locations + leave tips blogging to provide deeperinformation + inspiration
in home design
the ultimate goaldrive traffic + signups to
their website
growing a personal/political brand
more than doubled likes, signed up 165,000 supporters, 11,000+ volunteers and raised $1.2M (in 4
months). No ad buy.
telling a story
the ultimate goalgetting out the vote
instagram hashtags encourage audience
participationsoapbox for great
policy ideas
flickr for on the road coverage of the tour
google+ hangouts for live/interactive broadcasting
the dryer, more formulaic part of this presentation...
PRODUCT(that thing you are selling + the facts: who, what, when, where,
how)
BRAND(how it will change your life/how you
identify with the product)
LIFESTYLE(associated common threads - ie.
holidays, current events, etc)
COMMUNITY(highlighting your customers, your
vendors, your employees)
types of content
the balance of these content types depends on your audiences preference
but if you are spending most of your time on this, you are using cheap tricks and it won’t
sustain...even Oreo will get old soon. ;)
magical content needs to be:• consistent (pick a schedule and stick to it as
close as possible)
• frequent (some platforms require more frequency than others - I’m not talking 5 posts/day...but don’t post every few months)
• balanced (how much are you selling and how much are you listening?)
• interesting (goes without saying)
• relevant (do you know your audience? do you know your own brand?)
• pro-active (understand the trends and needs of your audience before they happen)
• reactive (take feedback with a grain of salt. listen. improve)
• interactive (get in there and have conversations)
• quality (means more than a fancy camera and set...means you give your audience an experience)
• evolving (improving every single day)
• authentic (not manufactured authentic. authentic authentic)
• /have personality (don’t be a machine or a PR bot)
• positive (positivity always wins. defensiveness loses)
• right for the platform (don’t cross-post unless it’s applicable. PLEASE)
• awe inspiring (when you can, inspire and take it to the next level.)
• GOAL ACHIEVING (at the end of the day, doesn’t matter how awesome you do, if you aren’t achieving your goals, you need to rethink your strategy)
plan
postlisten
learntoo many people get hung up here + even more people start here scratching their heads.
truth is...you need to plan to fail. plan a few weeks out with some ideas from research...test them. be consistent. see what works
and what doesn’t.
and remember...it takes time. keep your eyes and ears open for opportunity and listen more than anything in the first few months.
here is a comparison of magic and not magic
case study: luxy hair vs. traditional beauty brands
888,355 subscribers126M+ video viewszero advertising $$
how did they grow this channel?
1. consistency - they committed to posting a video each week
2. relevancy - they started by watching trends - what their potential audience liked/wanted (oscar hair?), then as feedback came in, they answered requests
3. balanced - they do not make this about their extensions, but if you want those quadruple braids, it helps to use them! ;)
4. interactive - they acknowledge their audience (thanking individuals for suggestions)
5. quality - they take time to create great content. yes. it looks good. but it’s warm and genuine, too.
and the traditional beauty brands?a custom YouTube
template like this costs$50,000 in advertising(because it’s Canadian)
majority paid for
high viewslow subscribersmostly paid for
(average 90% paid)
a custom YouTube template like THIS costs$200,000+ in advertising
how did they f&*k it up?
1. (over) produced a bunch of adsvideos up front to throw up over a campaign period.
2. didn’t do much to listen. hired an outside firm to do ‘community management’ which consisted more of management than community.
3. threw a bunch of money at the adsvideos so they’d look like they were super popular
4. focused solely on product, themselves and their own needs (screw the customer, she is there to buy my product!)
5. thought quality meant high-paid fashion models and celebrities and HD cameras...didn’t think about what the ‘new’ quality means. don’t care, really.
lots of people ask me, “but, Tara, what brands do it well?” and instead of giving you the same list of 5 companies you’ve already heard of and are getting tired of hearing of, let me offer this additional metaphor...
https://www.etsy.com/listing/60007735/woodland-animal-pair-hedgehog-and-fox
are you a fox?are you a hedgehog?
HEDGEHOGS FOXES
Focus in on one thing Look at lots of different things
Like formulas Take a new approach to every situation
Mimic what others are doing (“best practices”)
Learn from others, but say, “It depends” a lot when asked what
is the best waySpecialized, stalwart, stubborn,
order-seeking, confident and ideological.
Multidisciplinary, adaptable, self-critical, tolerant of complexity,
cautious and empirical.
Seek out information to support beliefs.
May seem to people to be a little scattered...not ever *quite*
satisfied.
Old school traditional marketing way of thinking.
Emerging social era of marketing way of thinking.
best at content + social era marketing!
best at getting cushy, highly
paid corporate brand job!
severely misunderstood
and undervalued in corporate
america
which is why
very very few brands
‘get it’
show me a successful
corporate social campaign and I’ll show you a big, ass ad budget
behind it.
reasons why foxes leave
those jobs or drink heavily
here is a great example of those unemployable foxes that are doing it right...outside of corporate america...
In less two years:945,392 subscribers142M+ video views
$0 advertising...make a living on YouTube ad revenues
how do they do it?
1. work their friggin tails off - they were either ‘on’ and filming or editing the entire time I saw them.
2. filmed everything they did and made it interesting because they were interested in it
3. were ruthlessly critical of their own work - always improving, listening to feedback and growing
4. hardly planned anything - took advantage of the moment
5. pumped out content like a factory - but with a great deal of respect for their audience (asking them what they wanted)
“if you start using rules, you stop using your instincts.”
when asked about the secret sauce, Roman said something to the tune of:
(actually, it was more like, “that’s a dumb question. we just do stuff and some stuff works and some stuff doesn’t, but we learn from it and don’t follow any stupid formulas. Just our guts. Formulas are
for out of date marketers who have lost their common sense.” but my interpretation is snappier. ;)
how to hone your instincts + become foxier
• Put down the content calendar, the Seth Godin book and any blog post that lists best practices.
• Stop thinking of your audience as consumers. They aren’t sitting with index fingers hovering over the like button, eagerly awaiting your next witty post. It’s your job to earn their attention.
• Get outside of your industry and your comfort area. Talk to strangers. Read books about stuff that has nothing to do with your work or industry.
• Let go of fear. Don’t be afraid to fail. Embrace criticism. Lose control.
• When you fall on your face, celebrate it. You just learned something.
rinse and repeat until you are completely lost. then get drunk + write insane babble (don’t publish it online). read it sober. you may start to see an inkling...
and the magical content wand?
the truth is:
there is no magical content wand. there is only authenticity, hard work, trial and error, consistency, humility, empathy,
passion, desire and love. go ahead and pay for it if you want, but what you are buying isn’t real and comes at a higher cost than you think.
if you want real magic, put that money into making a better product and spend more time and effort on becoming a fox. hone your instinct. love your customers. don’t think of it as a content marketing strategy, think of it as the most delightful
thing in the world because you get to interact with the people who can help make your product better. this is the world’s best, most interesting, most accurate focus
group. and it’s free.
now that’s magical.
tara hunt (@missrogue)
author. speaker. entrepreneur. karaoke lover. pug owner. mom. digital & social strategist. boat rocker. fox with a hedgehog façade. dabbler. rambler.
[email protected]/missrogue