New By SEOWEBMOUNT Technology
Why try creating your own media attention when you can use what’s already happening instead? Instead of re-inventing the wheel, as they say, by creating content designed to garner online media attention, you’ll have more consistent success if you create content based on already-happening or destined-to-occur events.
It’s not just as easy, though, as being plugged into current events, identifying an event that is getting a lot of attention, then creating content that adds to the noise. It takes some planning and work so you’re ready to go right when the event occurs.
Here’s how you can prepare your online marketing campaign for future events so you can sit back and enjoy the increased exposure.
1. Plan Ahead
When a hot topic is everywhere, jumping in on the conversation will render you almost invisible. There’s just too much buzz going on for you to effectively stand out from the crowd. The only way you can achieve the visibility you need is by jumping ahead of the line.
This means you need to be one of the first responders and, perhaps more importantly, to make one of the first creative responses. By being first or presenting more interesting content that piggybacks on an attention-grabbing event, you get your spot in the limelight.
How do you get ahead of them? By guessing the outcome and preparing your creative content before everyone else does.
2. Identify Upcoming Events
The key is identifying the best predictable future events to become a part of the conversation. But what does “best” mean? It means those events with the least amount of competition yet the most amount of buzz.
Annual or seasonal events, such as national holidays, are all overdone by your competitors. Trying to get in on that will leave you buried in the conversation. The only way to stand out there is with some extremely novel take on the event. Chances are you won’t have much luck standing out from this already-large crowd.
Even announced events, such as festivals, award shows and sports matches – the Olympics, for example – are crowded with your competitors vying for attention. Everyone does something for these events, hoping to get increased exposure. The outcome is a lot of effort with little results.
The best events are those that get talked about but very few plan for. Yes, your competitors are planning for the Olympics and that award show. Everyone is. But what really gets talked about at these events?
We all know some situations are bound to occur at some point, from record number of festival attendees to riots after the big game to an actress falling on the stairs before she can make her acceptance speech. The key is identifying an outcome with relevance at these events and attaching your content to it.
Another tactic is by planning for the inevitable. Plan for those events that are going to happen but no one else is thinking about.
Go ahead and plan for an older celebrity’s death. Chances are, your competitors aren’t thinking about the next impactful death. Although it’s morbid, you will be the one ready to go with relevant content when the inevitable occurs. Get in on the conversation quickly with content that moves readers. Whether it’s a timeline, video montage or infographic of the impact his or her life had in the world, now’s the time – before it happens – to start getting the content ready.
Less morbid but still holding the same potential reach is a famous figure retiring. When that person steps down, whether a sports figure or politician, it will get people talking about the impact. And what the future will hold.
Same goes with celebrity and political scandals. There’s always one right around the corner – get your content ready for when it happens.
Movies, games, albums and concert tours are always announced and can receive substantial buzz. Get ahead of that, and you might just garner the attention from the event marketers themselves for some joint efforts.
3. Create Content that Stands Apart
Now that you have a list of the inevitables, start creating. It all comes down to creative content.
While being ahead of the race is essential, you have to have something stellar out of the gates to garner the attention you need. It can be a video, photo or infograph. The bottom line is it needs to relate to the event while being interesting to the audience.
Take Distracted Driving Awareness month, for example. Every April for the past several years has been used for this important message – nothing new there. What is new, however, was that the Department of Transportation creating its first-ever ad campaign designed to target those who text while driving. The result was a somewhat graphic video, which was used as the basis of their campaign.
To take advantage of this powerful – and attention-grabbing – campaign, the law firm of Katherman, Briggs & Greenberg launched a clever infographic about the dangers of distracted driving. The idea was to get involved in the conversation early on with creative content. That way it would be shared alongside those articles that are bound to be written about this important safety issue and the hard-hitting campaign created by the Department of Transportation.
When it comes to getting in on the conversation, you need to plan ahead for those events your competitors are least likely to be planning for. Then, create the content that makes an impression – and connection – with your target audience.
resource: http://www.sitepronews.com/2014/04/24/use-current-events-fuel-online-marketing-campaign/
