Staying Relevant in a World of Constant Content Consumption

After leaving the world of local broadcast news, people asked me how my experience would translate in the world of social media. I had an answer for them then and more of one today. Content is king and continues to be.

We are in a world of constant content consumption. People scan their Facebook timeline, scroll through their Twitter feed and browse any of their other favorite social media channels for information that’s relevant to them. As a brand, how can you make sure your content is resonating with your customers? As the Director of Media Relations for TWIST Creative, Inc., I revert back to my days as an executive producer and think of what made news.

If a piece of content could hit one or more of these points, I found people would generally accept it as news:

• It has a unique quality
• It is a new trend
• It evokes significant thought or emotion
• It is a first
• It contains people, children or animals in an interesting manner

Our generations are conditioned to the newscast and its presentation. As you plan your content for your social platforms, think of yourself as a newscast producer. Would the people watching your show stay tuned to your content or will they seek out another source for the information? Are you providing your audience with good content that will hold them through the commercial break?

I will never forget a question posed to my college class by a guest speaker. He asked “What’s the number one thing that you need to do if you run a restaurant?” The answers ranged from “Provide good service” to “Make sure the food is amazing.” The guest speaker said that we were all wrong, claiming the number one thing you needed to do was get the customer to return for another meal. He claimed everything else just contributed to that goal. I often thought of that question while producing newscasts. I simply needed my viewers to tune in the next day – that was my goal.

Does your content that you are posting hit those filters I mentioned or could they use a tweak that might help satisfy what people have become conditioned to accept as relevant information? Plan your content accordingly to get those followers continually engaging with your brand and feeling they cannot live without your content and product or service.