Whether it’s a photo, video, or something else, these best practices can help maximize the impact of your content.
As consumers, we’ve all been exposed to countless hours of marketing content throughout our lives. Everything from the commercials on TV to the packaging on the products we buy is a piece of content crafted with a unique purpose. If you’re anything like me and you like to dissect every little marketing message you encounter, chances are you’ve comes across content that just didn’t do it for you. While reflecting on some of the better ads that I’ve seen, I realized that they all leveraged a combination of the following elements:
Representation is paramount in content marketing for a number of reasons. If a viewer is going to connect with your content, they need to be able to relate to it in some way. If they can’t, they might feel as though your product or service is not for them. Think about your target market. What do they look like? What do they wear? What problems are they trying to solve? That is the type of person you should feature in your content. It is important to consider the diversity of your target market as well. For example, if you are selling baby products and your target market is parents, be sure to highlight diverse parenting experiences in your content. Too often, members of marginalized communities aren’t fairly represented in media and that can have larger implications beyond just being bad for your business.
Every piece of content you create should have a clear purpose. Whether that is to inform, to entertain, to inspire a specific action, understanding the purpose of the content will guide each part of the creation process. It will also help viewers digest your message and inform their next move. The infamous “Live for Now” campaign by Pepsi featuring Kendall Jenner is a classic example of advertising without purpose:
The ad features imagery that seems to imitate that of a Black Lives Matter demonstration. When confronting the police, Kendall hands the officer a can of Pepsi. He takes a sip and smiles insinuating that peace has been made. Pepsi creators claimed they were trying to promote a message of “unity and understanding” but the video simply belittles everything that BLM demonstrators are fighting for. It can’t be solved with a can of Pepsi. Had the production team thoroughly considered the purpose of this content, they could have found a more reasonable way to communicate that message.
Your content should tell a story of some sort. I’m not saying that every photo series or video you make needs to have a beginning, conflict, resolution, and an end, but telling a story will help fortify the purpose and the relatability of the content. It can be as simple as this: imagine you are charged with taking photos for a coffee shop that is promoting a new drink. You could take a photo of the drink by itself on the counter, or you could snap a photo of a customer smiling as the barista hands them their drink. The story in the second photo is far more compelling, and allows the viewer to apply what is happening to their own experiences. The viewer can easily visualize how engaging with your product can improve their life in some way. The second photo will not only perform better on social media but probably lead to more sales than using the first photo would and it’s all because of the story.
In conclusion, I think representation, purpose, and story are three of the most critical elements to address in your content strategy. Obviously, there are other factors to consider as well that can greatly impact the quality of your content, but focusing on these three first can set you up for success. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!