How to give your digital content a makeover

In today’s digital society it has become increasingly difficult for brands to stand out and be seen by the right people. There is so much information online that it’s easy to get lost in the noise – our attention spans are getting shorter and our thumbs are clicking quicker. So, how can brands disrupt the digital landscape and really make an impact?

The answer: by creating thumb-stopping content.

Dare to be different

Content marketing is about being different and creating a new and interesting way of presenting information. Find something unique to your brand – that one thing that represents your brand and your brand only – and base your content around this.

As an example, Australian beauty brand, frank body have done a phenomenal job with their #thefrankeffect and #letsbefrank campaign. This feminine and flirty campaign has encouraged ordinary people to try the coffee scrubs and share their experiences on social media. Here’s an example from the frank body’s Instagram:

Helping @twocorporategirls enjoy some down time. #letsbefrank it’s just the kind of guy I am. #thefrankeffect

A photo posted by frank body (@frank_bod) on


The result? From 0 to 350,000 Instagram followers in 12 months.

Create unique and quality content

Products and services no longer sell themselves. We live in a world where the traditional sales approach is a thing of the past, and consumers are seeking timely and accurate information to meet their needs. This means brands need to be at the forefront of what their target audience wants. Very few people these days really read, engage with or trust those direct and pushy sales emails and calls – it’s often intrusive and lacks credibility.

Creating original content in the form of imagery, blogs, illustrations or videos is a great way to stand out from the crowd without being intrusive.

On Facebook, for example, you are competing with everything on someone’s News Feed: pictures of their friends, family, cats, birds, babies…you get the picture. So why should they click on your content?

Personally, I love food – creating and eating it. So I naturally am drawn to food videos. However, there is a big difference between the good and the bad.

This one, for example, is not my favourite. The food looks good but I start to lose interest after about 3 seconds as the video is just not interactive enough for me:

However, I will always stop to watch videos from Tasty simply because they are quick, fun to watch, informative and appealing.

Be prepared for active engagement

Talk to your audience and engage them with your brand. Humans are a very social bunch and want to be involved and participate in different things. So why not create your content in such a way that encourages an action? We don’t all have to be selling fluffy bunnies or makeup to engage with consumers. Even the more serious industries can create great thumb-stopping content.

One of my favourite examples to use is from Hubspot, an inbound marketing software platform. I receive emails from them on a daily basis and I open each email every day. Why? Because the content they supply is very eye-catching, informative, and gives me access to some great resources and events that make my job easier…all at no charge, meaning there is no trap or risk involved.

Being creative and standing out from the crowd is not as hard as you may think. It’s all about thinking strategically and daring to be different – but providing quality and useful content at the same time.

Don’t copy what someone has done – instead think about alternative ways you can reach your audience through social media, emails, or online.

Disrupt the digital landscape and give your readers a reason to click through.

Need some help? Write to us at [email protected].

 

The do’s and don’ts of social media

It should be no surprise that in this day and age our eyes are glued to anything that is square-ish, has a touchscreen, and fits comfortably into the palms of our hands. Chances are, the opened apps include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat – the works, if you will.

If we’re going to be spending this much time browsing through social media, we might as well do it right. And to all the millennials who think they’ve got it down – think again.

Social media can be used by almost everybody. You don’t need to have 10 social media accounts or post something every half an hour to be deemed active. To obtain and sustain a successful social media presence and witness the results you really want, first understand the following do’s and don’ts:

Don’t focus on the number of likes

What an outrageous thought, but let me explain why. What really matters isn’t how many likes you receive, but rather who liked your post. If you scroll through a list of ‘likes’ and realise that you really only wanted to reach 5% of them, the rest are as good as none. This is because you’ve attracted the wrong audience, resulting in a lack of engagement.

To put it simply, let’s say you run a small ice cream cafe and post on Facebook announcing that chocolate scoops are 10% off, praying silently that your customer numbers will magically double overnight. But instead of dessert enthusiasts, you realise that the ‘likes’ came from your co-owner, boyfriend, and mother. Sure, these are all people extremely dear to your heart, but they’re not who you’re targeting. The ‘likes’ may look impressive online but they’re not serving your business’ purpose.

Reach out to YOUR target audience

Some posts on Facebook may be boosted to become ads, meaning that you pay to reach a wider audience. Boosting essentially means selectively choosing the audience who sees your posts on their News Feed. It’s a very cost effective way to reach the right people, and Facebook’s Business Manager page gives you the complete rundown on how to fully utilise the functions to effectively promote your business.

Take a look at the example below:

Sponsored advert example for content

As a frequent budget air flyer who’s always looking out for cheap deals to Taiwan, this FlyScoot ad definitely appeals to me. FlyScoot consistently monitors footprints on their social media pages and website, and effectively churns this data to target audiences who need to save a buck or two but still loves to travel around Southeast Asia.

Don’t slap on texts and links

Humans on social media have attention spans even shorter than that of a goldfish – an incredulous three seconds. This disturbing yet very real fact should make you think twice about how you post. If you want to share a blog on your company Facebook page, you pretty much only have one shot to get it right.Just think about all the other pieces of content which you are competing with – you need to make your post stand out!

Customise the appearance of each post

Spot the differences between these posts. Which would you rather click on?

Social media advert examples - sabines baskets

 

There is so much flexibility with social media these days. Certain functions allow you to not only enhance the visual appeal of your posts but also increase your readership.

For example, posting as the Page Admin on Facebook allows you to:

  • Edit the post caption to remove any URLs
  • Replace the default photo that automatically comes with the link
  • Rewrite the main header of the link
  • Change the subtext of the link
  • And so much more

These simple yet effective tweaks transform a boring, black and white post into one which really displays the most attention-grabbing information. Remember, you’ve only got three seconds to reel in your audience, so make it count.

Don’t be the same

Companies usually make the common mistake of posting the same content across all their active platforms – meaning the exact same captions, hashtags, and images. Sure, you’re getting the word out, but you’re also annoying your audience. Don’t get me wrong, it’s alright to share the same information across all your social media, but be creative about it and tweak it to match your audience.

Be selective and get creative

It’s important to understand how each platform works. Instagram for example, leverages on jaw-dropping photos and hashtags to capture the right audience. While Facebook extends beyond this by allowing users to share their reactions or emotions.

Look at this example below from The Yard:

Social media advertising on mixed platforms

 

Both of these posts talk about the same thing: new trampolines. But, they’re customised to sit well within each respective platform. Doing this will allow you to reach the maximum number of users without turning anyone off.

Now it’s your turn – go create magic on social media.

Need help with social media? Drop a message to [email protected] 

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