The first time I saw a measurable return on investment in content marketing was in 1996. No one was calling it ‘content marketing’ then but that’s what I was doing. I was writing case studies, magazine articles, and fact sheets to support products I was selling. It was easy to measure ROI because I had a big quota. The content was instrumental in convincing customers to sign contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and a few deals well into the millions of dollars.
You’ve got a cameraman and producer staring at you through a lens, repositioning you, fluffing up cushions or straightening your collar. Being interviewed on camera can feel like all eyes are on you, but it’s not just your appearance being scrutinised- everything in the frame needs checking out. What we see through the camera’s viewfinder is what your audience will see in the final product.
Having left Content Marketing World Sydney with content overload and bursting with advice and knowledge, I’ve taken away many ideas on how to succeed in content marketing. As well as discovering what I should be doing, I also found it fascinating learning what not to do.
One of my personal bugbears in content production is stock photos. They have a bad reputation, often associated with being bland, clinical and fake. Of course they have their benefits; we occasionally use them but almost always as a last resort. One photographer has taken the concept of stock photography and turned it on its head by photoshopping himself into the background. Read More
How often do you laugh at a video on social media, or read a news story and want to take action? Whether it’s a cat falling off a roof or a petition to stop a historic building being demolished, the publisher’s objective is always the same: get the audience to react.
We are regularly asked to film events and produce a video documenting the activities. This could range from an awards ceremony to a small seminar to a huge 3-day corporate conference. Documenting an event through video is an excellent way of maximising content and taking full potential of the hard work put into the production of an event.
‘Behind the scenes’ videos are a fantastic tool to engage and connect with your audience. The benefits include:
- Showcasing the team behind the project.
- Educating the audience on the length and depth of work involved, allowing for a deeper understanding and appreciation of a project.
- Offering an added ‘extra’ by providing material that supports and compliments the project.
There’s only so many ways you can advertise a block of land. After all, grass is not exactly glamorous, is it?
We were recently given this challenge for a company that is selling land to build on. Here’s an example of how effective drones are as a way of capturing stunning aerial footage.
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk….in a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks”
Mark Zuckerberg
In our business we are constantly confronted by anxious clients who have a fantastic brand and product/service, yet are hesitant to invest in a communications plan. Essentially, they know what they have is amazing but they don’t want to shout about it.
Five years ago when I first started speaking about content marketing, no one knew what I was talking about. Even two years ago, I was still being asked to speak and present to audiences where content marketing was a new concept. In the past year, we’ve seen a massive shift in Australia. Content marketing is finally getting the attention it deserves as a plausible strategy for business. While this is extremely encouraging, we still have a long way to go before business starts to see the benefits associated with a content marketing initiative. So what’s holding us back?