Reinvent Your Content…Part I

All Posts, Content & Copywriting

Bright Lights Big City…NYC – it beckons hope, energy and creativity.  I remember arriving for my first big job at NASDAQ -I felt like I could do any & everything with hard work, tenacity and a great resume.  Some years later I started a small home-based business which grew considerably in the first 6 months and I was pleased with its progress.  But then after the first full year, it just…leveled off.  Not down, not up – just…STAGNANT.  Leveraging those experiences, I now assist new & ever-growing companies with their content strategies as well as those stuck in their own quagmire of stagnant content on their website and branding materials.  As a result, the lessons I learned about the success & initially unnoticed failures have helped me help others avoid the quicksand.

We all start out the gate at top speed – shooting on all 4 cannons with creativity, hutzpah and the excitement that surges like the jumbotron in Times Square.  But knowing that as any business grows, you need to keep focused on consistent evolution in both your business model and the content on your website & marketing materials.  In the Reinvent Your Content series, I will highlight some of the key elements worthy of consideration, to move your content (and business) forward on a consistent basis so that as time, Social Media and technology evolves, you will be on board with progressive motion.

Realize Stagnation When You See It~ Pond Scum…Ouch!  Now I would never refer to the content on anyone’s website or marketing materials in such a tasteless manner. However, a business website can’t just put some stellar content on there and think thats it!  I’m all set – ready to grow like eBay’s IPO.  Even if you have William Faulkner-like skills when it comes to writing (or employing someone who does), one go around the bend will not be enough to reflect a business/company that is evolving with the times & technology.  Fresh content on a regular basis is an ABSOLUTE MUST and that’s not always easy to get across to clients who are happy with the work you’ve done the first time around.  When we think about the success of let’s say Apple (dare we?),we all acknowledge that Steve Jobs was nothing short of sheer genius-bubbling with overflowing creativity & endless ideas.  But it was his appetite for constant evolution and challenging his whole company to make Apple products better, faster with seemingly limitless capabilities.  It is this tenacity that consistently kept (and continues to keep) the company wow’ing the consumer while driving sales to unprecedented heights. So the moral here is to know that your content MUST GROW, EVOLVE & MORPH to keep the attention and business of your consumers.

Trial, Error & Rebuilding~ Most people are familiar with the word “troubleshooting” and many understand it in the context of problem recognition & solution.  The same approach should be taken when looking at your business, it’s success or lack thereof.  If your client base is not growing (or your profit margin), if client retention is an issue, or if sales are stationary, these are all red flags that require some assessment, realigning your goals and then plan implementation to chart your business boat in a new direction.  A quote from my own business & life philosophy = There’s no shame in failing – the shame is when you recognize it but don’t react to it.  And remember, data never lies.  Want to know if your content strategies are working?  Just look at your analytics, ROI and how many new customers you’ve gained in the last 6 months.  There’s nothing wrong with scrapping the old, trying the new and testing the waters accordingly.  Not every piece or facet of content works all the time.  Be willing to find out if its working or not, go back to the drawing board to figure out why and jump in the think tank to come up with creative ways to solve the issues.  This is where your pull from your team resources, be willing to hear multiple ideas and put the best ones into play.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Henry Ford

Join me in the discussion by commenting on this blog and letting me know how you reinvent your content or would like to.

 

Content Olympiads-Coke Gets the Gold!

All Posts, Branding, Content & Copywriting, Marketing, Social Media, Web Design

We know that Content is King…yes, yes, yes – we’ve heard that over & over again.  But let’s talk about the content strategies being implemented by brands and media leveraging this great sporting event taking place right now.  I’m confident it was a full on sprinting event for various brands & powerhouse marketing firms to get their client products or just their in-house writing talent to be considered for this years’ event.  Whether submitting product designs or being a head content writer for the television promos or print campaigns, all were gunning for the gold.

Leading the pack of those trailing close behind, Coca-Cola (Coke) has certainly won the coveted spot.  I have read that Coke created more than 120 pieces of content for this years’ Olympic Event. But the company’s most brilliant move was capturing Mark Ronson, an English DJ, Grammy award-winning producer, musician and co-founder of Allido Records, to blow away the competition with its “Move to the Beat” campaign for the London 2012 Olympic Games. http://bit.ly/QZoW7L  Using the video platform of YouTube, Coca-Cola created an entire series of videos to extend the value of their brand for the Olympics and reach customers in an interactive way.  While some companies may still be hesitant to embrace video due to budget or ROI concerns, the forward-thinking marketers of Coca-Cola are diving headfirst.

This campaign has broken the ribbon with their concept of recording the sounds of Olympic sports events and transforming them into music. http://bit.ly/NQMDvF The motivation behind Move to the Beat is to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games while drawing inspiration from London’s musical heritage and connecting the two in a very tangible way. http://bit.ly/MOzd68. Doing so resulted in a cool, interactive corporate sister-website solely dedicated to this Olympic campaign at http://bit.ly/QLBOKf.

Knowing that Social Media would play a key component in their ability to gain worldwide access & participation, they coupled with Facebook on this venture allowing the brand to blast worldwide and engage the masses to create their own music beat! http://on.fb.me/OxDuau
Wow, talk about leveraging Social Media elements with written & video content!  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at that team meeting!  Just when you realize the enormity of this project & campaign, scrolling through the website you realize that this concept allows all of us NOT IN LONDON to engage outside the normal screaming from the couch or bar stool at the TV, to tap our fingers, dance while cooking or wield our musical talents (novice or expert) TO BE A PART of this historical event.  That’s right YOU can create your own beats and let the whole world know you are part of the London 2012 Olympics.  Sweet right?

So kudos to the marketeers and content creators at Coca-Cola for taking content creation to another interactive level.  And based on the numbers of those Moving to the Beat on this venture, I’d say it’s proven that this campaign was destined for the podium and the #1 spot at that!