Creative Social Media Content Strategy and Engagement through Improvisation

Content
Material, including text and images, that constitutes a publication or document
Improv
To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation
THX Dictionary.com

First of all, YEA you need to know what you’re doing before taking any step in social media. BUT keep in mind social media is about being in the moment (oh, improv is too!) so really it’s not that much rocket science.
Your content should be created FOR YOUR AUDIENCE and not for you – or your boss (sry).
If you’re anal retentive like me and NEED
lots of research to back up what you do, great. I love you for that. If not, just have an idea of where you want to go.

Create a content calendar that fits in line with the rest of your social media / web marketing strategy.
This is a typical process I use when

Don’t be afraid to “get out of your head” and abandon control of the future
Most of important of all…

If you have a smart social media strategy, your content should generally follow a specific theme derived from the interest and conversations of your target audience (this includes the format they consume the most – video, photos, infographics…)
IN IMPROV
Improvisers start off a set by requesting a suggestion. Now, that suggestion can either be used to start a scene or to inspire an opening that will inspire scenes. The audience loves to see the evolution of their suggestion and not just a regurgitation of it.

By participating in conversations, you are actually being social. Remember– your canned message isn’t always the right message – those you converse with can be advocates that support your POV whether it’s through the words you wish to use or not. Don’t scare people away by acting like a machine!
IN IMPROV
The best line ever might pop in to an actor’s head but given the “back and forth” nature of conversation, they have to be prepared to adjust / adapt (or drop) that linein order to not derail the scene and ruin what’s “in the moment.” You can maintain a POV without pushing an agenda.

Ride on the waveof trends that are occurring in conversations within your industry. Some of the trending topics may be enough to fuel a whole other batch of content you wouldn’t have imagined of. Believe it or not, you may not always know best.
IN IMPROV
Your scene partner will tell you things that you “didn’t know” about yourself that opens up a world of opportunity. When you work together in building your character, surroundings and situation at hand, you never know where you’ll end up. It stems from being interested, not trying to be interesting.

If you’ve found that your “pre-canned” content doesn’t seem to be meshing well with conversations, drop it. Changeit! You’ll figure out how often the interest of your audience changes (that can be at any moment) by monitoring their conversations / interests. And hey, don’t be afraid to follow what’s different to you – you can always find a way to tie it all together.
IN IMPROV
The process of give and take between scene partners allows you to build a situation. Within that situation a pattern (or “the game”) will naturally develop that allows the scene to move forward and for the improvisers to continuously experience new things. We can usually find a game by following what’s weird / different. Best part is, you’ll always know where you’ve come from.

The conversations you engage in can fuel a series of content you hadn’t planned on creating. If there’s a certain topic that is working well, you can start to move that conversation from a 3rd party network such as Twitter to something a bit closer – like your blog. Take advantage of being in the moment, if you hesitate you’re already behind.
(Alas, the bubble pyramid is almost complete.)
IN IMPROV
You can take one of the simplest things that is said or done and transform it in to something spectacular. It relies on not dropping what you have in hand and building it until you can’t anymore. And guess what, it evolves from there. If you don’t put 100% in to it and your partner does, you’re the one that looks like a fool.

Through all of this, your strategy calls out what you’re trying to accomplish. There’s a way to effectively listen and engage with your audience to support your pre-developed messaging. Believe it or not, in this day and age there isn’t a “one way” to say what you need to.
IN IMPROV
No matter what a character goes through in a scene, they always maintain a certain “want”. It’s their pursuit of this want that keeps them motivated and makes them genuine and interesting.

Follow with eyes on the side of your head and be prepared to change as the group decides it’s time to change

considerations
Your strategy can (and should) have multiple content themes going on at the same time for you to evaluate one against each other and to keep your profiles fresh and relevant.
Listen
Focus
Adjust to Adapt
Heighten to Develop
Don’t Give Up on Your Want

And please don’t ask an improviser to “tell you a joke” or “say something funny.”
That’s stand-up. Stand-up & social media would be a whole other story.
But hey, look at me.
You’re still cute. And we’re still good.

Frank McDade
FrankMcdade@gmail.com
@FrankMcDade
FrankMcDade.com

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Creative Social Media Content Strategy and Engagement through Improvisation

by Frank McDade on Jul 06, 2011

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Creative Social Media Content Strategy and Engagement through Improvisation — Presentation Transcript