After reading an eMarketer article, “Americans Want Brands That Inform, But Don’t Get Too Friendly” I realized how important it is for businesses to utilize their marketing strategy to provide their audience with news. If your brand can be a reliable source of information, you will succeed in winning your clients’ trust and loyalty.
So what makes news? As a journalism degree holder, I can tell you that news incorporates seven different qualifiers: timeliness, impact, proximity, controversy, prominence, currency and oddity. You can read more about each qualifier here, an article from the Handbook of Independent Journalism.
You may be saying to yourself, my business doesn’t have enough content to enlighten consumers on a regular basis*. But never fear! I decided to offer a free, all-encompassing brainstorming session of content ideas applicable to a wide range of industries:
How can a brand inform its consumers?
1. (Timeliness) What’s going on in the news in relation to your industry? Relate that back to what your company is doing! How are your employees reacting? How will your company be impacted? How can your consumers affect change? Do your employees have a fun tradition that they enjoy the same time each year – Monday Night Football happy hour, Halloween costume contest or a New Year’s potluck? You get the idea!
2. (Impact) Think about your customers. How is their life affected by your industry? How does your day-to-day business affect them or their neighborhood? Does your company have a green policy that keeps energy costs low, allowing you to pass the savings on to your customers? Does your company have a volunteer program? Explain how your employees are a part of change.
3. (Proximity) What’s going on in your community that involves your industry? Is your company participating in a local event? Will you be sponsoring a fundraiser? Do you support a local/national charity? Are any of your employees volunteers? You could share their account of giving back to the community!
4. (Controversy) Have you or your competitors faced a conflict? What is your reaction? Could that happen to you? What does your company do to prevent situations like that? How are you assuring your customers that your company is strong in the face of the controversy?
5. (Prominence) Has your business seen a celebrity lately? Has a local official or well-known community member endorsed your business? Sure, we don’t all live in Hollywood, where star-sightings are more frequent, but maybe a well-known executive buys coffee and a newspaper each morning from your shop. You can highlight this (with his or her permission of course) and even ask for them to write a blog article for you!
6. (Currency) What is important to your customers? What are they talking about? Are they concerned about the current state of the economy? Listen to what they are saying and you will find a topic that is affecting your business!
7. (Oddity) What makes your brand worth knowing? Everyone loves a good “believe-it-or-not” story. What has your company done lately that is unique or different from your competitors? What service that you offer amazes your customers? Incorporate that in your brand whenever possible!
Finally, as you plan your newsletters, blogs, email blasts and marketing collateral with informative material, do not forget to include photos and videos to make your message stickier! With consistently educational and revealing content, your brand will earn the trust and loyalty of consumers. They will look to you to stay current on the industry. What more could you ask for?
*If after reading this article, you still think your company/brand cannot inform consumers, I challenge you to comment. We, at Serendipit Consulting, will respond will additional brainstorming ideas. There is no industry for which we cannot develop content!
1 Comment
January 21, 2010 at 8:37 am
This is so awesome thanks for sharing!