CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT: ART OF CREATING DYNAMIC CONTENT
Wishful plans and agency proceedings never work in tandem.
Baffled? This is what happened with every digital agency in the world during March 2020.
Just to give a bit of ‘insider sneak-peek’, usually brand communications for a month are completed and scheduled a month prior. This means days of brainstorming, ideations, research, content development, designing, client iterations culminated into the most coveted content plan for the next month. The same was the usual scenario during March too.
And, then, right when everything looked hunky dory , Lockdown happened — more than half of the global population was locked indoors; mighty humanity restrained by a tiny, seemingly un-defying virus!
Yes, it was an unprecedented situation. But, we marketers had another big headache! We had to redo the content work of every brand we catered too! We just couldn’t ask people to come out and grab a special discount on burgers, could we? Worse, this would be ‘seen as sin’ (To sell to consumers amidst those dire times)
The entire work of March flushed down the drain!
This 4th episode of our content marketing series is of course not about the additional gloom we marketers faced in addition to the pandemic impact of COVID-19. As they say, what cannot break you, makes you stronger. We had to be flexible enough to incorporate the shifts in our content strategy, redo the plans, stay awake overnights, and ensure that there wasn’t any disruption on our customers’ brand positioning.
This is a lesson how a paradigm shift was born in marketing, how the dark was converted into lights of value-based opportunities, and lastly how you, as a business owner, should be aware of such dynamic strategic shifts and make your content marketing strategy flexible enough to continually engage the audience and bring in revenues!
[P.S. If you want to read the last three episodes: read why content writing doesn’t mean content marketing, what are the strategic steps to convert the engaging audience into customers, and how to crack the audience psyche to develop more relevant content]
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Why Dynamic Strategies: Adaptable Marketing
Marketing is not about YOU. But, about THEM.
Long story short, content marketing moves as the audience wishes it to move. There’s no point communicating about something that viewers have no interest in!
Hence, though in-depth research, audience analysis, persona development would lead to chartering a strong foundation for the marketing plan, the execution should always depend upon the recent trends, topics, and subjects of interest with the audience.
Here’s a simple example. During IPL, a food brand could either give year-long discounts that are just but a drop in the ocean of such options available to the audience every second.
Or, leveraging Dream 11’s sudden rise, they could just set up a big LCD screen at their premises and invite teens and youths to a special ‘Dream 11 Tag Team’ Contest where the winner would get big discounts.
The ultimate OFFER is the same, but the campaign and its contextual content make all the difference.
Or, better still. A competitor just at the opposite block, instead of going all guns out for a different campaign, can just leverage the former’s successful contest in the following way:
“XYZ Contest Runners Up? Don’t Lose Hope. Lose Your Hunger Instead! FLAT N% OFF with one extra night to witness our special IPL screening” — How about that?
Did you notice how dynamic triggers or trends are identified or leveraged?
Yes. ‘Spying’ on trends adopted by competitors and doing something better instantly that not only reflects the trend but also the brand ethos.
Well, that’s the tip of the iceberg!
A bit of social listening (using tools to gauge what the audience is talking about the particular brand or industry in general from different channels) or setting account on ‘Google trend alerts’ can flood your mails with ideas to stay at par with what’s going on! ( OOPS! We won’t spill much. You need to e-invite us for a cup of coffee for the same!)
Below are some common triggers to make this crystal clear.
Keep an eye on the trends!
Dynamic Shift 1: Unprecedented Uncertainties
These are times when natural calamities are shaking the entire world and a ‘new normal’ is born.
Well, marketing was always linked with promotions and selling.
However, the ongoing pandemic wherein entire globe was under lockdown for a few months, the content strategy shifted to awareness and value-orientation. And yes, ZERO PROMOTION TONE.
Following were some of the main content themes:
· How to educate people on the pandemic and indulge in safety measures?
· Learn about immunity and how that can be a gig weapon to fight the pandemic?
· How we are helping in these difficult times?
· DIY tips to conquer the boredom of lockdown ?
On that note, many of the iconic brands resorted to unique messages to promote social distancing, washing hands, etc. This truly showed the power of effective, creative content creation that delivered the message and yet garnered huge audience recognition.
Amidst all these we collaborated with a leading national brand on education and came up with a national level movement ( #DisruptiveEducation ) that brings education leaders together to provide free live sessions on different subjects each day, even 2–3 times each day. Whatever happens, education shouldn’t be compromised as they say
Here’s an iconic moment when Dr. Kiran Bedi delivered such a lecture that was attended by tens of thousands
Dynamic Shift 2: Moment Marketing
Well, the above was an unusual case.
But, here’ something more common!
Things happen all the time. Due to the power of national and international media driven by the internet, people are exposed to interesting events daily.
Well, you might ponder, what’s special in that?
Here’s a leaf out of marketer’s Bible: these ‘happening moments’ garner multiple times more engagement than usual communications. One is more likely to respond to an offer generated due to the happiness of India winning a cricket match than on normal times.
Yes, that’s how you leverage moments to grab a bit of more consumer mindshare. Here’s a highlight from a legendary Indian brand that has become synonymous with moment marketing and is technically the longest successful campaign to date, spanning over four decades!
Source: campaign India.in
No prize for any guesses, the above represented Sundar Pichai’s rise in Google and Mr. Trump’s ‘famed’ ‘out of the dictionary’ words!
If there is any doubt about the power of moment marketing in creating a brand out of your business, let Amul show the way. And yes, it’s ‘buttery good’!
Dynamic Shift 3: Crazy Trends
We all are aware of how trends catch quickly on social media channels. Be it memes, challenges, the famed Instagram menu, or the now-viral ‘Coffin Dance’, trends are everywhere.
The great things about these trends are that they are already being munched upon the audience, spread like quick-fire, and could just be your shortcut to virality!
If marketing means to appeal to consumer minds, then it makes no sense as to why not dive into a trend that is already appealing to them!
For instance, this is how Brand Factory leveraged the ‘Did You Mean?’ Trend
Notice how they combined the trend with their promotional activities
Here’s an amazing form of art inspired by the coffin dancers. Notice the copy more than the design:
The Conclusion
Summing it all up, a proper content marketing strategy not only assists a business to develop a strong implementation framework to transform into a brand, but it should also be flexible enough to look for the above dynamic shifts and triggers: unforeseen disruptions, new moments, sudden trends, industry transformations!
But, a question remains.
How do we measure what we have implemented? How do we know if our strategy is working well basis business KPIs and goals?
Every action needs an introspection to take better action next time.
Stay tuned for next week — our final content marketing ‘BLOGISODE’!
