Posts in category: Content Marketing

Beyonce will play Nala in a remake of The Lion King, an Asda store in Greater Manchester was forced to ban sales of kiwi fruits to under-25s ahead of a Harry Styles gig and the Duke of Edinburgh is to feature in an episode of Desert Island Discs – one of these statements is ‘fake news’ from a deceptive satire site, while the other two are true. But can you spot which?

Fake news is now such a huge issue that the term has just been named the Word of the Year by the makers of the Collins Dictionary. The concept is a problem for everyone from President of the United States Donald Trump to the average person reading online content, but arguably most of all to marketers.

For content marketers especially, falling into the trap of fake news can cause potentially irreversible damage to a brand’s reputation. Here, we take a look at exactly what all the fuss is about and how marketers can avoid fake news in their content strategies.

And by the way, Prince Philip will sadly not be appearing on Desert Island Discs – that one came courtesy of The Daily Mash – but in recent weeks, it has been confirmed that Beyonce will be in The Lion King live action remake, while Harry Styles has actually had his personal safety put at risk by rogue onstage kiwi fruits.

What exactly is fake news?

Collins defines fake news as: “False, often sensational information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.”

Basically, it’s something that appears to be news and is being reported as such, but isn’t actually true.

Sites like The Daily Mash and The Onion have long been publishing satirical news stories, which are often shared widely across social media channels. Some fall for these stories, believing them to be real as they fail to check where they are from before commenting or reposting them – something that can be hugely damaging to brands.

However, the term has taken on a more serious meaning recently, fuelled partly by President Trump’s frequent use of the phrase when referring to news stories about himself that he does not agree with. In some cases, these are opinion pieces or stories that he is trying to deny, which creates something of a minefield for journalists and content marketers who are trying to report on events factually.

So, how can marketers figure out what is and isn’t fake news in order to protect their brands’ reputations?

How to work out what is fake news

Reactive content that responds to a news event is a great way for brands to boost their engagement levels, but content producers need to make sure what they are responding to is not fake news.

If you create a post in response to something that was meant to be satire and you haven’t realised, your brand will end up looking a little daft, as well as unprofessional and as though it doesn’t have a hold on its marketing department.

Always check where a news story has come from. A tweet that doesn’t seem in keeping with someone’s usual posts could be the result of a hack. Words that don’t seem as though they would come out of someone’s mouth could be quoted from someone else. A headline may be from a site that specialises in ‘fake news’ that’s trying to cleverly disguise this fact.

It only takes a moment to Google where facts have come from and search for the original article source. It’s much more wise for a brand to spend time doing this than on wasting money and other resources creating reactive content to ‘fake news’.

 Source: The Guardian, The Daily Mash, The Sun, Bilboard

If content marketing isn’t already a part of your company’s marketing strategy, it needs to be. Good content can help to attract new customers towards your business and can make people who had never even considered needing your product or service want it immediately.

But it’s not just enough to create or commission content – you need to make sure it is shared too. A strong social media presence can be integral to your brand’s reputation, so it’s vital that you’re thinking about where your content is likely to be shared and by whom when devising your marketing strategy.

However, it can be a challenge to work out what kinds of content are most likely to be shared and where they should be placed online in order to capture people’s attention.

What types of content are most likely to be shared?

Net Imperative has reported on a recent study from visual marketing platform Olapic, which found that one-third (33 per cent) share content from brands via sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at least once a week. More than half (56 per cent) of respondents reported doing so once a month on average.

Millennials were found to be the demographic most likely to share content created by brands, with 43 per cent reporting that they did so at least once a week, while ten per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds admitting sharing brands’ content several times a day.

Although often – perhaps unfairly – seen as not as tech-savvy as their younger counterparts, baby boomers were also found to share brands’ content online regularly. Some 40 per cent said they did so once a week, while nine per cent revealed that they shared third-party content more than once a day typically.

Facebook was found to be the site where millennials were most likely to share visual content with others, whether it had been created by themselves or by a brand. Meanwhile, the use of Instagram to share content is growing, indicating that this is an emerging area your company should be considering when planning its marketing strategy.

It’s encouraging to see that so many people are willing to share content created and posted by brands, but what encourages them to share it with their friends or followers in the first place?

What makes people click ‘share’?

Jonathan Freeman, managing director of i2 media research ltd, which reviewed the Olapic research, explained: “Why is sharing so popular? Results of this poll demonstrate engagement is a key motivation, but more often than not, sharing is strongly influenced by the positive feelings you get when someone responds to your posts: happy, engaged, loved and accepted.”

While emotional triggers were found to be behind many people’s motivation to share content online, others liked to share photos and updates with their followers because they like to spark discussions and seek out like-minded thinkers via their social media channels.

Jose de Cabo, co-founder of Olapic, commented: “When consumers share branded content on their page or feed, brands become associated with these carefully crafted representations.

“Moreover, if the content shared sparks social media interaction, brands will become associated with feelings of self-confidence and importance among their audience and potential customers.”

With all of this in mind, your company should be carefully considering how it can tap into your target audience’s emotions in this way, as well as how it can start discussions that will raise awareness for your brand.

What’s more, you need to be thinking about where your content is going to be placed, making sure it can easily be shared via Facebook and Instagram, plus others if your market research shows they are used more often by your audience.

It’s your turn

What do you think? What makes people click ‘share’? Share your opinion in the comments box below.

© FOME

Content marketing is the new buzzword for marketers, but many of you are probably wondering how to create a solid content marketing strategy.

First of all, you need to know what it is that you can achieve from content marketing.

This is the best strategy to use to communicate with your audience and share with them engaging content about the product or service it is that you’re offering.

It’s important to create a solid content marketing strategy before you just start churning out content, because it’s so much more than just writing something to fill your website or blog with.

Capture the attention of your audience and engage with consumers

You need to use it to capture the attention of your audience and engage with consumers, making them see why your product or service is going to be beneficial to them.

So, instead of just writing articles for the sake of it, think of creative ways that you can engage your audience. Think further than what it is that you offer, and try to come up with things that add to their experience.

Your content marketing strategy needs to extend to your website copy, social media and blog to ensure that your brand message is consistent across all channels and to make your content as transparent as possible for your consumers.

When you’re creating the copy for your website, you need to keep in mind that you’re not the only website a person will visit when they’re searching for a product or service. So, you need to make sure that your website copy can grab the reader’s attention from the minute they land on your site.

In addition to the copy, you need to think about the images that you’re using. Stock photos can be useful at times, but if you use that for your main imagery then you won’t be memorable.

Ideally, you want to be using your own images, as well as creating custom graphics and infographics. This unique content is what will really grab the eye of potential customers.

Infographics are a brilliant tool to deliver facts to people in more creative ways. A list of statistics, for example, can be relatively boring for the reader. However, put in an infographic, this information can immediately seem much more engaging.

The content that you use for your website can often be used for social media and your blog too, but broken up into bitesize chunks. Make sure you don’t just publish this though. Other things you can include could be local news and events, news and trends in your industry and opinion pieces.

The most important thing is to remain creative and consistent. Try to deliver content regularly and make sure that you mix it up a bit.

You’re competing with so many other brands that you need to try and find a niche – something that can make you unique.

Finally – make sure you know your audience. This determines the tone that you’ll use in your content.

Now, it’s just a case of getting started – create a strategy and plan your content. See what works and what doesn’t and take it from there.

© Fast Online Marketing Experts