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22 Oct

Tales from the Front: Lessons Learned from Social Media Week Chicago

nancy pekala Social Media Chicago, Storytelling 0 0

This year’s sessions during Social Media Week Chicago served as an excellent reminder for content strategists and marketers alike when looking to craft compelling brand stories and content marketing. Here are a few key takeaways:

Behave like a Social Scientist.
Human beings naturally think in terms of stories. You can understand how consumers are likely to behavior through the use of personal, emotion-filled content and conversations. WHY lives in the human mind while WHAT can be found in data.
Lifestyle trumps demographics for consumer insights.
Demographics alone won’t give you what you need to understand the motivations of consumers and customers. Instead content and marketing is more effective when it’s tied to consumers’ life stages and lifestyles. Brands like Cheerios do an excellent job of targeting multiple life stages.
The Reader comes FIRST.
When crafting content of any kind, think of the reader first, last and always. Quality counts more than quantity and any content developed should be created first for the end user, not the search engines.
Cultivate a NIMBLE organization.
To be able to effectively take advantage of real-time marketing opportunities, you must have a flexible, nimble organization. Make sure you have the right structure and the right people in place.
Focus on creating GREAT content.
To get the attention of consumers who are bombarded with marketing messages and content, make sure you are creating great content that builds trust through usefulness, drives measurable consumer action and satisfies your brand’s business needs.
Do more than tell a story; tell YOUR story.
Share insights about who you really are as a brand. Customize content and tell the story behind the story.