Last week I talked about what to do with stagnant content and how to scrap the old, try something new & rebuild your content-driven materials to work in favor of your business goals. This week I’m going to address how to navigate your business through the forest of cunning consumers and look at some non-traditional options to brainstorm & create innovative content.
Cunning Consumers~ Now I know that when most people see the word cunning they think of deception but cunning is also defined as displaying keen insight. And 2012’s consumers & business clients have exactly that. Consumers have a much more intelligent & discriminating palate when it comes to the content they choose to take in, examine and possibly verify. Now verifying the truth of media content might not be a big deal for you but it was a major deal breaker for naturalists who believed in all things pure for Kashi products. While many consumers initially bought into Kashi’s Seven Whole Grains on a Mission campaign, it didn’t take long for one ingredient savvy consumer to blow the lid of the box that Kashi wasn’t really “natural” cereal as it contains genetically engineered grains (GMOs) and pesticide residues. Kashi Concerns over GMO Subterfuge Consumers don’t like to be duped! So be careful in being creative with the “truth” of your content. As noted in another blog by a different blog happy author “Yvonne” Jones, “Today’s consumers are mostly savvy Internet users who actively search for content on the Internet that will enable them to make wise buying decisions.” So content mavericks beware –the game has changed! Consumers are bringing their A-game to their tablets when searching, reading and consuming the words we write and how we spin’ facts & fiction about an intellectual or tangible product.
Innovative Options~ Let’s start this section with a quote from an article I read that really resonated with my business mind & own business goals. “Once you decide that there’s something you can do better…stick with your core competencies and what you’re best at”. The tangible success of any business is often determined by the ability to innovate ideas, captivate customers (and keep them), which results in creating a constant evolution toward new business.
Innovate -to make changes : do something in a new way
Change is not always easily embraced in day-to-day life or business. How you go about creatively implementing any change has a strong impact on the end result. Speaking of implementing change, it’s important to understand that rarely does one person have ALL the answers and brilliant ideas. Keeping that in mind, consider “think kitchen sink” meetings as a great way to come together as a business and be a part of an ocean of ideas. One way to accomplish creating innovative and fresh content options is to get into a room with a white board and allow each member of the business team (represent all departments of our business) and allow each one to write a few words that come to mind when thinking about a particular topic such as what is great about a particular business sector and what they’d like to see change. Why an all-hands-on-deck approach? In this case it will give you insight into the full operative nature of your business and cause you to think outside the confines of just your vision box for the business. Do something in a new way. And remember, the goal is to turn these collective ideas into innovative content AND profitable business solutions.
Newsjacking! is about relating your content to a topic that is a major headline grabber & blowing up in the news media world. Check out The Inbound Marketer’s Complete Guide to Newsjacking for the industry inside track on implementing this innovative tool. It shows the consumer that you are tapped intravenously in to what’s going on in the world and relating that to whatever content you’re writing about. It inherently increases the credibility of your content.
