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How to Produce Killer Content about Boring Stuff
Do you think you could convince a co-worker to play with an attack dog in the name of creating KILLER content?
Sarah O’Grady (Head of Global Social Strategy at Lenovo) pulled it off in an effort to create what she calls Extreme I.T.
Think Fear Factor meets explainer video.
She explains it as disruptive content used to explain technical concepts in a non-boring manner. At the end of the day, even an IT decision maker is a consumer and wants to be entertained.
In the most recent episode of the Social Pros Podcast, Sarah gets into the benefits of taking risks on LinkedIn, how employees make the best brand advocates, and why quality is far better than producing mass amounts of mediocre content.
Here are a few nuggets from the interview:
- (06:51) We often make the assumption that our audience always understands the way we explain a product’s features or specifications. In reality not everyone nerds out on the same things. We may need to find a different way to explain a tech-heavy subject.
- (09:00) Sarah explains how leveraging employees or team members in your content can produce better results than casting actors or using outside influencers. “Let them be the actual ones to bring this to life.”
- (15:10) LinkedIn is more than a recruiting platform. Historically, people have been pushing stagnant content on the platform. If you are a brand that’s willing to take a risk with content that’s different maybe even, shocking, there is a real opportunity to grab attention.
- (25:54) Instagram users are posting almost 50,000 photos a minute. Quantity is not lacking but the bigger issue is quality. Start focusing your energy on fewer but bigger pieces of content that can be repurposed into derivative content. Make the content work harder for you.
Lots to takeaway from this one. You’re gonna have to give it a listen…
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B2B Content Ideas: Tried And True Ideas For B2B Brands
Okay, okay, we know the title says “B2B” but there’s some good info for everyone in here, B2B or not.
Anyway…today we’re talking about content ideas. You know how it goes, you’ve spent all year coming up with amazing blog posts, but now you’re fresh outta ideas. What the heck do you do? Copy what your competitors are doing? Nah, that’s not cool.
That’s why Ross Simmonds dropped some great content ideas on us today. Here are some of our favs:
- Keyword-Driven Blog Posts. We could (and should) write a whole blog post about this tactic. Gonna be very clear here: you need to use Keyword Planner or KWFinder to come up with keywords that you should be writing about. If you’re not doing this, you’re fighting a losing battle with Google.
- Case Study-Oriented Blog Post. There’s almost no other piece of content that can be as influential as a case study. It shows you have a proven track record of doing what you claim to do. This post from Copyhackers is a perfect example: How I used quizzes to generate 10,000+ qualified leads.
- Research-Backed Blog Post. Data is great, but data that gives insight is even better! Well-researched, original, data-backed posts get more links and social shares. That’s a fact. If you don’t have any data, conduct a survey! It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but it’ll give you that sweet, sweet data that you need.
- Thought Leadership Blog Post. Aside from the fact that the Carnage writers hate the phrase “thought leadership,” this is a really good idea. Basically, all you’re doing here is introducing a new concept in a new way to your audience. The post “What is Conversational Marketing?” from Drift is a great example because it’s a concept they created.
- Take a Controversial Stand. Chat company, Intercom, was tired of everyone talking about growth hacking so they decided to write about why growth hacking is BS. This post received a ton of engagement and sparked some really heated conversations.
Still three more ideas to go, but we’re outta room here →
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Introducing EyeConic: A Better Way
This one is for all those rockin’ four eyes like Elton John performing on stage.
EyeConic’s new digital ad features a behind-the-scenes look at their business operations. We get introduced to several wonderful character-filled stages from the navy-like personnel processing orders to the whimsical shipping department. EyeConic emphasizes the alternative and more efficient way of purchasing eyewear online.
So what’s all this characterization alluding to? EyeConic shows in a unique and creative way that they take every order very seriously by handling every aspect of their business with extreme care. Regardless of needs, consumers should expect for high quality, cost savings, and most importantly painless user experience.
If you have the 90 seconds to spare, we sooooo recommend using it to view this one. Come on, treat yourself!
“We have to make sure everyone at every level of our business – from IT to retail – is working toward the common goal of removing friction from the customer experience.”
Dennis Maloney
