By Sara Williscroft, ABC, CDMP
You know your goals. You’ve identified your measurable objectives. Your audience is defined and segmented. The next step: plan and execute your content.
In today’s pandemic reality, your content is still being read and digested. In fact, it could be even more popular as more people are spending their time online.
In a recent IABC/Calgary blog post, Heather Murray, director of content & strategy at Communicatto, gave us some tips on how to plan your content strategy so it speaks to your audience. Now, she elaborates on how you can come up with solid content that reaches your target audience during the pandemic.
- Be curious about data.
Organizations are really good at collecting data. Let’s say you have an annual report release on the horizon. What makes the data you are putting out unique? Did your costs go down? If so, how did you pull together as a team to make that happen? Create an opportunity to tell the story on some otherwise dry data.
- Use your imagination.
Communications professionals often have the advantage of meeting people throughout the organization just simply through our day-to-day activities. Connect with your colleagues and ask what they are working on these days. Be interested in how their teams are facing their challenges. The human side of your workplace is exactly what you are looking for – and sometimes those stories are unearthed over casual connections. Ask yourself: What would you like to read as part of your audience?
- Don’t rely on management.
I should actually say don’t ALWAYS rely on management. Sometimes managers have a great line-of-sight to successes and other business wins that could make compelling stories. If you can look beyond the managers and find the heart of the work – the frontline work perspective – you will often find that you have a much more emotional story that will appeal to your audience and grab their attention.
- Get behind the scenes.
People love behind the scenes content. We see this in the surge of content from closed museums and other venues allowing viewers to see what they normally couldn’t. This type of content feeds curiosity. In a workplace that spans many locations, search out the field perspective. Going behind the scenes at your remote locations is a great way to communicate transparency while telling the human stories behind the work.
After 15 years of experience in both corporate and agency roles, there likely isn’t a communications challenge or question Heather Murray, director of content & strategy at Communicatto hasn’t faced without a determined smile, a strong opinion and a laser focus on advancing strategy. When she isn’t overseeing the development of kick-butt strategies and compelling content, you can find her city-hopping to check out the latest greatest band, glued to her Kindle or devouring the latest news headlines.
