Here at TypeA, we are constantly churning out new content—which means keeping up with the changing tide of social media on a regular basis. That’s why we recently attended the BlogWell conference at USC’s Davidson Continuing Education Center. On December 5, 2012, socialmedia.org hosted more than 150 representatives from multi-million dollar brands. We met with our colleagues at Coldwell Banker and listened to some great brands speak about their social media strategies and tactics—including McDonald’s, Raytheon, General Mills, Microsoft and MGM Resorts. The half-day event was not only super-fun and educational for our team, but we also got a free candy bar out of it! (The quickest way to a social media manager’s heart is chocolate?) To cap it all off, our founder, Alyson Pitarre, even got a shout-out from Fandom Marketing in their recap. Not bad for an afternoon spent doing what we love. Thanks guys!
Here are 5 great tips we learned for developing engaging content at Blogwell.
1. Content + Context + Timeliness = Engagement
This is a good equation to keep in mind when developing your social media content. What you say. How you say it. When you say it. Simple enough. For example, you wouldn’t post a picture of a Leprechaun with a pot of gold for Christmas, would you? You may, however, post that same picture on March 17 for Saint Patrick’s Day.
2. Don’t be afraid to take your print media campaigns digital.
Use traditional methods with modern methods to take your content farther. For example, MGM Resorts used traditional methods of print and TV campaigns to launch ARIA, a new resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. They also incorporated a digital component to the campaign to tell the “story” of ARIA and to engage their audience, which they knew really well. Get creative…and when in doubt, use hashtags. They help create buzz on Twitter.
3. Make it interesting and shareable. Don’t make it complicated.
You don’t have to make your Facebook posts as short as 140 characters, but it helps to keep them short and sweet. After all, the average person is not likely to spend time reading through paragraph-long posts. They want something quick and interesting that doesn’t require much work. If they like it, they can express it in a single click. Done and done.
4. Don’t be afraid to try something different.
Times are a-changing and this means we will be constantly integrating new platforms and strategies into our social media campaigns. It is OK to try out new methods. If something doesn’t work you can always try something better tomorrow. In other words, “Fail fast.”
5. Don’t Lie.
This might be a no-brainer—but you’d be surprised how many brands have made this mistake. Rather than hide behind social media and use the computer as a shield, it’s important to conduct any form of online interaction with integrity. That means: 1) Never pay, 2) Real disclosure and 3) Don’t lie.
As you can see, the Blogwell conference was jam-packed with useful information and case studies. We can’t wait to start adapting some of these ideas for our clients in 2013!
What is your favorite Blogwell tip?
