Branding doesn’t end with publishing content. After you’ve delivered a message, there’s a lot more work to be done in order to keep your audience interested. This can be done through incentives, billboards, copywriting and online engagement. Whatever the case may be, the story you’re telling should be a real life flight of fancy. But first, if you want your branding campaign to be successful, you should plan, plan and plan some more. Retaining an audience isn’t easy, but here are a few tips to help get you started:
- Tell the story
OK, this is a no-brainer. You can’t retain an audience if you don’t have one, so get out there and tell your story. Whether it’s radio/TV, your local newspaper, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc., there’s a platform for you – use it! But be sure that your message is reaching the right audience. Nothing’s worse than pitching a product that’s of no use to the consumer. You wouldn’t pitch cat food to a dog owner, would you?
- Don’t overwhelm your audiences
No one wants to be overwhelmed by wordy copy and long messages. Don’t be selfish! Everything isn’t about you. You don’t want to become the brand that loves talking about how great you are (even if it’s true). Your message should be relevant to the audience, include them! No one wants to feel like an aimless buyer or consumer, but instead, like contributors and producers. No matter what you’re pitching, it should be both beneficial to you and your audience.
Why will your brand take your audience to the next level? Ask yourself questions. Does your brand need a 1,000-word article? Probably not. If it does, you might want to think again: no one will read it anyway. Is there a way to sum up your product in 300 words? There’s a lot of content on the Web … don’t give readers a reason to scroll to the next article. For the best results, keep it short, sweet and simple.
- Include a visual
While social media has worked miracles for many brands, it’s also created a lot of competition. It’s important to make yourself stand out. Adding an image or video to your content is a great way to increase your success rate, especially on Twitter. Words are great, but visuals are even better. It’s not a myth; a picture is really worth a thousand words.
- Make it easy
Whenever you’re developing content, be sure to include the five Ws and one H – who, what, when, where, why and how (or at least as much as possible). Your audience will know if they’re interested in what you have to offer in a blink of an eye and, if they’re interested, don’t give them a reason to question their decision. An audience shouldn’t be asking questions that you should’ve already provided the answers to. If you’re using social media to promote an event that requires registration, include a link to the RSVP page. Making it easy makes it fun. Don’t cause headaches! For instance, if you want people to recycle, there’d better be a few recycling bins around …
Damon Mitchell, Social Media Intern
Alan Stamm
Smart stuff, Damon — especially the “five Ws and an H” taught in Journalism 101 before digital was a thing, back when letterpress printing way the only way publications rolled.
Your back-to-basics fourth item echoes a newsroom mantra: Don’t make readers do your work.
The fundamental things still apply, even as time goes by.