The Drake Guide to Taking Your Content from 0 to 100 Real Quick

Drake’s rise to fame was so flawless it felt as if it happened overnight. One day he was Jimmy Brooks of Degrassi: The Next Generation and the next day he’s hailed ‘rap’s new superstar’ and writing lyrics for some of the industry’s biggest names.

I’m a fan of Drake’s music, his ability to turn most songs into hits and most rappers into household names, and the brand he’s created for himself with his OVO record label. But beyond all that, I respect Drake’s ability to hustle from the world of Degrassi to the top of Hip Hop and even into the world of the NBA. Throw in the fact that similar to Drake, I’m Canadian and it should become pretty obvious why I’m taking lessons from Drake for this one.

In his music, Drake teaches us about love and loss, rising to fame, the fight to stay there, and the importance of family and never forgetting where your roots are. Drake’s lyrics are smart, clever, sometimes thought-provoking and always have the ability to resonate with his fans. His ability to consistently create content that his fans go crazy over, teaches us a lot about creating content that resonates with your audience.

Despite the overwhelming challenges the digital age has introduced to the music industry, Drake has sold more than 5 million albums worldwide, won a Grammy Award, three Juno Awards, six BET Awards, and set several Billboard records.

Content marketers face similar challenges as the marketing industry in getting content in front of the right audience. Millions of pieces of content are being shared every day. Songs, movies, literature, eBooks, whitepapers, blog posts, photos, new websites…you name it, it’s there. With so much content being created, it’s a constant challenge for marketers looking to create content that stands out.

To stand out in this world of noise, our content needs to be better than awesome. It needs to matter, to surprise, and it needs to be high quality. It needs to go from 0 to 100 real quick. This Drake-inspired guide includes seven tips that will take you there…

Tip #1: Know Your Audience Better Than Anyone

“I got flows for the Marilyn Monroes / Who was there before it all, I guess that’s how it goes” — Thank Me Now

You must have a deep understanding of who your audience is in order to deliver the most effective content. You need to know your audience better than the competition and be willing to give them exactly what they want.

I believe that much of Drake’s success can be attributed to the fact that he knows his fans well. He makes great club hits, romantic tunes, and even some amazing chill with your crew kind of records. It’s this combination that allows Drake to transcend into different cultures, demographics and psycographics with little challenge.

The good news is, it’s never been easier for brands to get to know their audience on a similar level. The insights we need to create great content are at our fingertips with software like Moz.com, SEMRush and so many others. Until you know who you’re talking to, you can’t possibly create content that appeals to them.

Understand where your audience is and listen closely to what they are telling you. What social networks do they use? What communities do they belong to? What do they identify as their biggest problems and pain points? What other brands do they have relationships with?

Gather content intelligence surrounding your audience and use this information will help you segment your audience and build meaningful relationships with each one by delivering content that meets their unique needs and addresses their unique problems.

Disclaimer: I’m building Crate. A product in this space.

Tip #2: Be Authentic In Your Storytelling

When it comes to creating content, stay true to yourself and your brand.
Authenticity & transparency are two of the most important elements in creating content that gets noticed. Authenticity comes most naturally when you truly understand your audience. Transparency comes most naturally when you’re willing to be comfortable getting uncomfortable.

Whether you’re new to content marketing or a seasoned veteran, you’ve likely come across some of the more transparent companies in the industry such as Moz or Buffer and most recently MatterMark & Mixpanel. These companies have done a great job with content marketing but were able to go from 0 to 100 by being radically transparent about everything from their salaries to pitch decks. Showing your cards is a great way to establish a transparent culture but also drive engagement and conversation online.

Another great way to ensure your content is authentic is to personalize it. People like do business with people they like and trust. In order to gain trust you have to talk to your customers in a human way.

Tip #3: Include Visuals Assets In Your Content

“Ya and the visual is stunning / I hope they document what I’m becoming” — Congratulations

Visuals help people connect and understand. For marketers the same is true.

No matter what you’re writing about, try to include visuals whether pictures, infographics, videos, or diagrams. Using visuals to drive home key points and break down complex information is an effective approach and can enhance any content that you’re creating.

Visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text. Visual content also experiences more engagement than any other piece of content. In fact, just one month after Facebook introduced timelines for brands, visual content saw a 65% increase in engagement.

Drake has more than 6.6 million followers on Instagram. He regularly shares photos and videos with his fans, but the content isn’t always directly related to the music he makes. He shares content about his childhood, his family and friends, and documents his daily activities. This type of content gives his fans something to connect with outside of the music.

For brands, this tactic is the idea of showing what happens behind the scenes. Organizations like , Steam Whistle Brewing & TechCrunch have used Instagram to do exactly that. Consumers want a peek behind the curtain to know who is behind the social account and brand.

Marketers who embrace visual content are seeing massive gains in terms of more exposure, leads and profits.

Tip #4: Be Strategic With The Content You Create

A lot of people thought that Drakes launch was luck. In reality, his commitment to putting out back-to-back mixtapes with amazing records was nothing more than a perfectly executed strategy. He understood that he would make more buzz by releasing his music for free online than he would by launching it in stores with a price tag.

The most successful content marketing initiatives are rooted in strategy.

If you want to take your content from 0 to 100, the single best thing you can do is have a plan. Build a content strategy (or revisit the one you have) and set very clear objectives for your content. From there, develop a strategy that is rooted in those objectives and look for specific tactics that align with your thinking and can drive meaningful and measurable results.

Giving away free content similar to Drakes mixtapes is a great strategy for generating awareness. It’s this approach that is being used by many marketers around the world and resulting in both leads and new visits. Including call to actions at the end of these pieces of content are just one of many other ways to help your content go from 0 to 100.

Tip #5: Be Relevant & Deliver Consistently

“If they don’t get it, they’ll be over you / That new s#!& that you got is overdue / You better do what you suppose to do / I’m like why I gotta be all that but still I can’t deny the fact that it’s, true” - Headlines

You have an understanding of your customer’s interests, so deliver content that they can get behind. By making your content relevant to your readers, you motivate them to share it which gives you the exposure you’re craving.

Don’t leave them wondering where you are or make them search out new content from you. Align your content to the segmented needs and interests of your audience(s) and deliver it consistently.

Set up email campaigns and subscription options on your blog to make it easy for your readers to access your new content. Be accountable to them and produce great content frequently. The second you lose their attention, your competitor has room to capture it.

Tip #6: Make Meaningful & Authentic Connections

“I’m just tryna connect with somethin’ babe I’ll be here just swangin’” — Connect

Like being featured on an artist’s new single, the best brands & content creators feature each other in the content they produce. Whether it’s something as simple as a backlink to a friends website or a feature highlighting some of their thoughts; cross promotion & collaboration is an effective way to build stronger relationships.

Your audience is more likely to see your business as credible when you connect with someone they recognize and respect. An effective way to create 100 level content is to connect with industry influencers and collaborate.

Try co-authoring an eBook, interview influencers, co-host a podcast series, offer your product to influencers and ask for testimonials or reviews, and look for opportunities to co-brand content on a regular basis.

These connections can help take your content to another level, but be careful with how you do it. Be intentioned with the influencers and industry leaders that you connect with and nurture it like you would any other vital business relationship.

Another powerful approach is to incorporate user generated content. Your customers can be a great source of fresh and interesting content for your brand. Integrate customer testimonials, photos and videos captured by customers and fans, and success stories about customers who benefited from your product or service.

Tip #7: Learn From Your Failed Content

We don’t always get it right. Some of our content outperforms others and we don’t exactly know why. Every now and then we deliver content that doesn’t ride the wave as long, doesn’t get the engagement we hoped for, and doesn’t deliver on the results we planned to achieve. This happens to the best of us. But, great content marketers use their failed content to learn something.

Was it a bad headline or unclear CTA that resulted in this piece of content falling flat? Or maybe it was a lack of distribution that resulted in your content falling flat on its head?

Great content is the result of practice, intelligence and distribution. Dive into your analytics and study what’s working and what isn’t working. If you’re not measuring performance, how can you effectively improve the quality of your content the next time around? How can you improve? How can you make educated decisions around your topics or CTAs? You cant.

If you want to go from 0 to 100, you need to know why you're still at 0 in the first place.

Conclusion

“Don’t get impatient when it takes too long / Drink it all even when it tastes too strong” – Light Up

Success doesn't happen overnight. As technology advances and content marketing picks up speed, we must be agile and ready to revisit our strategy, establish new goals, and be responsive to the environment in which we exist.

It won’t always be easy, we may get frustrated at times, and it might be overwhelming, but the key to long-term success is patience and consistency. The tips presented above are the core to any successful content marketing initiative and will be sure to help you go from 0 to 100 real quick.

Wondering how else you can improve your content marketing efforts? Download Stand Out: The Ultimate guide to Content Marketing. In this guide, you’ll find a variety of case studies and insights from myself and industry leading marketers from across the country.