Where do you find inspiration from for your marketing content? Managing Director of Coconut, Paul Clegg, discusses how there are opportunities all around us, for content creation.
When it comes to creating content for social media, the landscape is constantly changing. What worked last month may not work tomorrow. So, how do you stay on top of your social media, and add content your followers want to see?
We know things changed massively in 2020, and the biggest attraction continues to be Lo-Fi content which either educates, or entertains… or both! As TikTok continues to dominate the market, other platforms are following suit by favouring short form videos over most other types of content. Even LinkedIn is picking up on this trend.
And – mainly because they want users to populate their sites – most platforms “advise” posting daily – sometimes multiple times a day! But, let’s remember who our primary audience is, before we start bombarding our social channels with tons of content!
On our Coconut LinkedIn page, we did a quick poll to discover where franchisors are finding content ideas. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive poll, and you may have other ideas, but generally speaking, most of our respondents seek inspiration outside franchising, either by watching other businesses, or seeing what the experts are doing or saying.
Not many of us feel inspired by others in our industry, which speaks volumes about how far we still need to go, as a sector, when it comes to making the most of social media for our franchises. But this is a different topic for a different day!
But, as Jane James commented on the poll, “I honestly can’t answer that question; my inspiration for content comes from everywhere – things I see, hear, witness, scenarios that happen. Inspiration is everywhere.” And she’s right, in a way. We should be finding inspiration for our content in every direction – including within our networks.
But, it’s time consuming!
Anything worth doing, is worth investing time and energy into, so you can do it well. One of the World’s largest content creators and marketing agencies, Ogilvy, said in a recent webinar our Head of Copywriting attended, “Those brands who focus on delivering brand experience on their socials, saw their ROI increase by 80%.”
Obviously, any brand working with the likes of Ogilvy has a much larger investment they can put into their social channels, and keep their users engaged, but even so, there are lessons we can learn, for our franchises and how we “do” social. Which comes down to one thing:
What’s your priority for your social media usage?
- Sales?
- Leads?
- Brand awareness?
- To make you famous?
- Something else?
Your priority should influence your content
This comes down to what is being seen across social media: brands who know what matters to them, are creating a single narrative which feels authentic to those following them.
If your goal is to generate leads for your franchisees’ businesses, then your content should give prospects an at-a-glance overview of what they can expect from you. Not just in the products you’re selling, but in the experience of what awaits them, if they do buy from you.
This is why short form videos – especially user-generated ones – are proving so successful. I’m not having to trawl through lots of words and footage to understand what you’re selling me. I can see someone else’s experience, and it inspires me to want to experience the same.
Would this work for franchise recruitment, too?
Yes! Psychologists consistently tell us we’re mostly the same, when it comes to what influences us. We want what other people have, especially if it’s someone we like; and we have a deep-seated fear of missing out, or being rejected.
A person-centric approach to your content will have a much bigger impact than those slick, polished posts ever will. People will always buy from people – so show the people new prospects will be engaging with. Show them how likeable people in your brand are. Show them who they can expect to talk with, or meet on their franchise journey. Show them around what your franchisees are doing in their day-to-day.
Most of us hate surprises! So, take the element of surprise out of your content to show people what to expect. Even, give your franchisees or your staff the freedom to create content for you to include!!! That’s a risk, but it could well pay off in your favour!
In the same webinar mentioned earlier, Ogilvy highlighted how Snapchat are leading the way when it comes to brands giving prospects an immersive experience. The lesson here, for us in franchising, is the importance of offering our followers a more immersive experience. Make it easier for them to know you, to find you, or to understand what you offer them.
So what do I do now?
Find out what inspires you, or people around you, in order to understand what inspires your followers. Then armed with this knowledge, create content which attracts them, and hold their attention with content which either educates or entertains them. Raise your profile to raise your brand awareness, using the right kind of content which people want to see in their 10 minutes of mindless scrolling. In between calls and meetings, I don’t want to be preached at or sold to… would you?!
Want some inspiration?
Talk to me, or any of the Coconut team, and let’s see what we can do to help you make the most of your social media, this year!
