Creating the right content for the right channel.
Multiple channels, multiple formats, multiple algorithms, how do you know what content / channel is right for you and your brand?
First - where are you on your content journey?
Where are you at?
Post, post and post again. That’s the mantra, but why?
We all know it’s better to receive a heart felt gift than multiple bunches of petrol station flowers and yet online, we can’t resist the lure of the digital forecourt. We also think posting the same content on multiple channels or re-purposing traditional advertising will have the desired effect. In fact, it just leads to digital fatigue and if that’s directed at your brand, that’s not good.
So before posting or thinking about a new campaign consider:
Where does your audience watch content online?
What does the conte nt they like look like?
How much time / budget do you have?
Not all channels are equal and not all audiences live in the same place, but everybody likes and needs “how to” videos so before you start thinking about your content get to know your audience and what they’re into, specifically…
USE TRENDS
Whether it’s Youtube guides or challenges on TikTok trends can give your vidoes a pre-made format aka trends.
Think of trends as pre-existing structures. Structures around which you can build your content. Trends give you:
Video styles and length
Shot ideas
Soundtrack styles
They are also great ways to establish what people are searching for, watching, and what’s trending. If you’re aware of what’s happening out there it’s much easier to follow a trend than swim against the tide.
Take McConks. It was late September and most outdoor watersports were either shutting up shop or dusting off the drysuits for a chillier season. A lot of McConks competitors were still posting summer content and ignoring the changing season. McConks used the summer trend and turned it on its head to celebrate winter. They also used user generated content to stay loyal to their fan base.
CONSIDER YOUR CHANNEL
Like trends, considering your distribution options before launching into content creation can save you a lot of time in the long run. Not all channels are born equal but at the same time, with thoughful planning you can create multiple pieces of content to fit multiple channels. The trick is to make sure you know what and how content should feel for a particular channel.
For example:
Think long format or serial for YouTube
UGC long versus UGC cutdowns for TikTok
Changing up content with graphics or animation for paid or sales.
By simply considering your options you’ve basically created a content startegy without having to deep dive into loads of R+D because your audience and the videos they watch have given you your strategy. Of course this doesn’t work for all content which brings us onto original content.
Which style of content is right for you?
UGC has been around since YouTibe first starting allowing people to create and post their own content, that’s probably 16-18 years ago, not new. In a way TikTok is a short form version of the original format and now the popular longer version is often found on Tweitch. But if you’;re an advertiser how do you know what format is right for you? Back to basics:
Who watches what where?
What is the demographic of that audience
How much time and budget do yoiu have?
Are you willing to have fun?
The last point is almost the most important as, like trends, it will instantly tell you where you are at on the digital radar and if you’re ready for TikTok. Fun and branding traditionally don’t go hand in hand because brands often worry that not taking themslves seriously is bad. On TikTok that’s the reverse. Look at DuoLingo or RyanAir, both brands realised the power of entertainment and neither have info videos on TikTok.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be serious online. The American Leather and Hyde Association decided they needed longer vidoes to boost their presence and awareness and to complement their presence on Facebook. Working with the Netflix trend of episodic video they commissioned a 4 part YouTube mini series while overshooting footage which could then be used socially and on their Facebook channel.
It’s all about knowing your style and the syle of your distribution channel.
VIDEO NEEDS CONFLICT
Conflict - The Insiders guide to Storytelling in factual and reality TV is a great place to understand the power of adversity. Sadly the format has been done to death due to the misunderstanding that “fake conflict” will out.
Conflict can work well for online storytelling but the trick is to make it feel real or believable. To make it feel authentic. FDoing this means you need to combine some of the elements we’ve already discussed:
What’s the tone of your channel?
Does it fit the tone of your brand?
Can you be flexible?
Are the people of object you’re going to shoot in line with your brand identity?
ALWAYS BE TRUE TO YOUR CORE VALUES
Despite what the sales agents of various channels will have you believe, not every channel has the same demographic and posting a product which is aimed at an older generation on a youth platform will not generate sales. Posting the same content on the same channel if there’s a trend for older posting younger might.
Tone is a very interesting parameter. It’s also hard to measure because it can be subjective. Again the best way to judge is to compare your tone with the tone you come across online and then to see how popular that tone is. Tone will also tell you if your choice of content or channel is within your budget or representrs the values of your brand. You can combine these observations into an algorthm of your own:
Tone + audince = budget
Happy posting!