Content People Crave
Tips for Creating Content People Will Love and Share
Karianne Stinson
Senior Strategist at Mediabrands Publishing
#SMX #32A @Karianne
Optimized Content Marketing
Content
Marketing
Social
Media
SEO
In order to be successful, SEO, social media and content marketing
should all work collaboratively.
#SMX #32A @Karianne
Media Consumption is Up
Listening to music is up
⏏200%
Reading of magazines
is up
⏏100%
Watching videos is up
⏏250%
Accessing social
networks is up
⏏150%
Reading of books is up
⏏66%
In media terms, your audience is consuming more and more content
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People Trust and Value Brand Content
90% 78% 73% 69% 68%
of people prefer to get
information about an
organization through
a series of articles
rather than in
traditional advertising
of consumers trust
brand content
Of consumers spend
time reading content
from a brand they
are interested in
of consumers feel
that organizations
behind the content
are interested in
building good
relationships
of consumers find
custom content
Source: http://blogs.salesforce.com/company/2013/06/content-marketing-stats.html, http://unbounce.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-stats &
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2013/global-trust-in-advertising-and-brand-messages.html
useful
#SMX #32A @Karianne
When asked,
people
are not
satisfied
with content
from brands
What:
The content is not always relevant to
what I want
Where:
The content is not in the channels
that I frequent
When:
The content is only available when
the brand wants to tell me something
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The Golden Rule
Treat Others
the Way You
Want to be
Treated.
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The Platinum Rule
Treat Others
the Way
THEY Want
to be
Treated.
Don’t create the content you or your company wants. Create what your
current and potential customers want.
#SMX #32A @Karianne
Know What Content Your Target
Audience Likes
Use the data to know what topics and types of content your audience likes.
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Even the Most Superficial Social Media
Activity is Driven by a Human Need
From the UM Wave 7: Cracking the Social Code – The Story of Why
http://wave.umww.com/assets/pdf/wave_7-cracking-the-social-code.pdf
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Content Should Appeal to a Human
Need
UM Wave research over the last 7 years across 65 countries found 5 human
and fundamental needs underpin all social behavior
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Diversion
40% of people who say they want entertaining experiences from brands say
that these experiences make the brand more desirable
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Recognition
Make your fans feel special! 65% of people who want brands to respond to their
complaints say that it makes them feel valued as customers when they do.
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Create content that is informative and useful
Progression
37% of people who want brands to help them develop their own skills and abilities
want to spend more time with the brand as a result
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Relationship
Give your fans more reasons to love your company and a community where
they can bond with one another
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Don’t just talk to your customers about your products,
listen to their needs as well!
Learning
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Why People Join Brand Communities
RELATIONSHIP
LEARNING
Learn more about
Get advance news
about products
Contact
companies &
influence
development
Get a personal
response to an
issue/complaint
RECOGNITION
It was
recommended to
Support a cause I
like
Get free content
DIVERSION
Feel part of a like-minded
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
community
Share my
appreciation with
others
me
Fill time/have fun
Develop my skills
Wave 6
Wave 7
PROGRESSION http://wave.umww.com/assets/pdf/wave_7-cracking-the-social-code.pdf
it
Associate with
something I think
is cool
While diversion is still strong, learning, relationships and recognition are growing
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Why People Unlike a Brand Page
11%
27%
24%
22%
21%
45%
Annoying & Irrelevant Content
Lets You Down
Original Competition Has Ended
Fake Behavior
Forgot Original Attraction
Page Dormant
Think about your fans and what THEY want if you want to keep them around!
Study done by UM London www.littlebookofcuriosity.co.uk #LBOC
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Brand Objective Meets Consumer Need
http://wave.umww.com/assets/pdf/wave_7-cracking-the-social-code.pdf
Find the consumer need which will also meet the brand objective
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Charles Schwab
#OwnYourTomorrow
The Ask: Video testimonials of people
who’ve switched financial advisors
The Insight: The reasons people switch
is emotional and personal
The Content: Videos that highlight
positive life changes
http://ownyourtomorrow.com/
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What Makes This
Campaign Interesting
• Each influencer told the story in their
own style
• Taps into people’s need for progression
• Mixed media
• Drove conversation about passions and
positive change
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Results:
7 weeks 9 videos
100+ pieces of micro content
1.5M+ video views 7K video likes
14K+ social shares
Vimeo Staff Pick
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AT&T’s
@SummerBreak
The Insight:
• Young Millennials love their
phones
• They don’t give a shit about
their phone carrier
The Content:
• Reality show told in a new way
through social media and
mobile technology
• Viewers were part of the
experience
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What Makes This
Creatively Innovative
• Real time reality
• Mixed media
• Always on
• Multiple points of view
• Multiple platforms
• Audience feedback drives the
story
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Results:
9 weeks 6+ hrs of content 84 videos
1000+ pieces of custom art 11,000+ tweets
644MM total impressions 15.3MM total views
10.4 MM consumer social engagements
350K subscribers
picked up for a second successful season
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Image credit: http://www.scuffletown.org/?p=1827
Diversion is the need state that most drives desirability for brands. 40% of people who say they want entertaining experiences from brands say that these experiences make the brand more desirable
Image credit: http://oldsweetwatercottage.blogspot.com/2010/03/crown-me.html
Recognition is the key need state for making consumers loyal to brands. 65% of people who want brands to respond to their complaints say that it makes them feel valued as customers when they do.
Image credit:http://www.integritymc.com/blog/2012/12/a-simple-philosophy-growth-solves-all-problems/
Progression is the key need state for encouraging people to spend more time with a brand. 37% of people who want brands to help them develop their own skills and abilities want to spend more time with the brand as a result.
People want to learn new things, grow and get better. Consider creating content that will help them with that desire. Content that educates and informs can be helpful and engaging for your fans. Can you teach your fans a new lifehack? Or how to use your product in a new way? Something they want to know to enrich their lives.
Image credit: http://bravurasolutions.com/blog/2012/12/creating-an-emotional-connection-with-retirement-savings/
Relationship is a key need state for driving recommendations. If a brand enables someone to help others they are also more likely to recommend it to others.
Build a community and create content that helps your fans connect with you and one another. Often people will connect with a brand online because they want to be part of the inner circle. Give them a behind-the-scenes view of your company and engage with them on a human level. Talk with them, rather than at them. That will help deepen their love for your brand.
How you give your fans an opportunity to contribute will depend on the brand. Some brands let their fans choose to which charity they will donate. Others ask for contribution by encouraging fans be ambassadors for your brand. Especially your most avid fans will want a way to spread the love. Give them content that they can share and acknowledge them for their contribution.
Image credit: http://www.print-and-publish.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Row-Of-Books2.jpg
Whereas to drive sales a combination of Recognition and Learning is key. Educating people about your product while at the same time listening to their own needs makes consumers far more likely to buy your product.
Content is not just shared online; it is also talked about in the real world. Keller Fay (a research agency dedicated to measuring word of mouth) discovered that 90% of consumer conversation about brands and companies still happen offline. People will naturally continue to talk about topics they are passionate about and ones that keep them connected to their peers.
If we want consumers to connect with our brands we need to consider these consumer needs and what they deliver. The challenge is actually finding the place where consumer need and brand objective meet. Find the consumer need which, when fulfilled by the brand, will also meet the brand objective. This place between objective and need we call the Value Exchange and it’s the Value Exchange that we need to put at the heart of our communication. Because only when communication is successful with both the brand and the consumer will we go beyond campaign based activity and build a lasting relationship.
Schwab wanted to create a series of testimonial videos of people telling why they switched financial advisors.
Fundamentally, the reasons why people leave are similar – whether they are leaving a job, a relationship, a city or a financial advisor.
The videos tell the stories of why people left something to make a positive change in their life. It goes beyond the testimonials and taps into human emotion.
In a world where investors have long-standing relationships with financial advisors that span decades, it is increasingly difficult to get them to consider another financial advisor. How can we get them to think about exploring what else is out there? Change is hard.
Partnering with Vimeo, we created 9 videos that reveal the challenges people face in making positive change in their life. The films range from animation to documentary and explore why people leave relationships, places, or even states of mind.
Young Millennials love their phones, but they don’t have brand affinity for their phone carrier.
@SummerBreak was a familiar style of entertainment, but told in a new way that involved the audience.
The series told the stories of teens just like them and made the viewers feel included and a sense of belonging.
A key moment in AT&T’s customer journey is when a kid moves off their family plan and gets their own for the first time.
AT&T battles to be relevant or liked by kids at this key moment (16-20)
This audience is also redefining how they consume entertainment. (For example: they like some TV shows but consume them on their own terms)
9 weeks 6+ hrs of content 84 videos
1000+ pieces of custom art 11,000+ tweets
644MM total impressions 21.3MM total views
10.4 MM consumer social engagements
8% youtube engagements 350K subscribers