Since my invitation to the Content Marketing World meeting in Sydney apparently got lost in the mail, I’m attending vicariously through its web site and tweets.
One speaker that caught my eye (not my ear, as I wasn’t there and still bitter) was a rep of the Australian Football League, an organization’s whose AFL Media site is being lauded as a showcase for thoughtful content marketing on a huge scale. Among his tips that might apply to any business were:
1. Storytelling is at the heart of content marketing. Your company’s story may not involve scantily clad young men running around a elliptical field, but it likely has its own points of interest that can be used to connect with others. (To find them, however, you may have to work with someone not as close to the subject as yourself.)
2. Determine your content “dead zones.” For AFL Media, those were Wednesdays, when everyone was pretty much over what happened the previous week and not yet fired up for the next. As noted, these zones will be different for every brand, but company’s should trust their analytics to ensure posting when the audience is most engaged.
3. Tell it, warts and all. As the speaker and I share a journalism background, I can understand his desire for genuine, credible news – good and bad. That said, this particular tip might be best for the largest brands that remain under the public microscope and need to tell their story their own way.
4. Try, test and discard if necessary. The gaping maw of digital media can be intimidating, but its upside is the ease with which you can change and adapt your strategy as you learn. The bottom line: Be brave. After all, you could have the next “Barney Cam” (look it up).
