Silly Season
Summer in the City used to mean in coms terms “the silly season”. It was a time when journalists wrote or recorded pieces in advance, media combined their July/Aug issues and everyone had holidays.
With the birth of 24 Hour Content the ability to slow down has ceased. The content calendars continue to be full, consumers of content continue to want new and interesting snippets whether they are lying on a beach in Kos or trekking up the Inca Trail. Content has never been so much in demand.
But how do we make that content relevant? Engaging? Not fake yet frequent? How does it turn into more than just a diary of our day shared out on a social platform? And as a business how do we weave our key messages without becoming a bore?
Content from the heart
The best content comes from the heart. It comes from people talking about their experiences (expertise) and their learnings (knowledge). Even if it is a product that is being promoted it is about how that product is being produced – the where? (where the idea came from), the why? (why it came to market?) and the how? (what makes it different).
We need to start with stories and share them. With larger companies with more employees the stories can evolve from factory floors out to the field, from board rooms to breakfast seminars. For smaller enterprises there are still many stories to tell, you just might have to look a little harder, maybe scratch a bit deeper.
People (that’s consumers and customers) like a story that they can resonate with. So that means bringing in emotion -whether it is empathy or passion. Tell them what motivated or drove you to what you are doing this week, this day, this hour. They understand emotions and situations. They understand actions and consequences. The left handed teapot born out of the frustration of spilling tea every morning. The taxi share service saving money and time that you discovered when you were in a new city. Sharing your business goals and journey can help them become interested in your company, your ethos and your service or product.
Considered but not curated
Don’t overthink it. Don’t oversell it. Content needs to be in the moment but considered. It needs to be relevant to today but not a masterpiece ready for peer review (although often will be read and hopefully shared by peers). It can be opinion led but should not alienate the opinions of others. It should be inclusive and ask for comments and thoughts. It of course doesn’t need to be read. It can be watched, listened to or interacted with. It can be live or recorded.
The end of Silly Season means that you don’t need to await September to start the conversation again. Yet it does mean you need to think your Summer Content plan thoroughly. Look at the stories. Allocate the authors and think about why the end consumer might be interested in that story. That way you can ensure you continue your content flow without losing brand awareness and engagement over Summer.