Michael Jackson once said: “…ABC, it’s as easy as 1-2-3. As simple as, do re mi…”. Although he was teaching a girl all about love in this scenario, the truth is that this simple equation can be applied to most fields outside of cupid’s domain – including digital marketing.
The equation is simple. Repeat after me: Always Be Communicating (Bonus: Consistently). At this point, you’re probably thinking, “I know this. So, how do I achieve this in a time efficient way and connect with my audience? “ Here are a few ways to always be communicating consistently in your digital marketing campaigns:
Newsletters
I have previously written about the importance of newsletters, but it’s worth mentioning again because newsletters are underutilized. Seriously. Since you already know that newsletters are important. Let me highlight some guiding principles so you can have a rocking newsletter:
- Make it easy to read – This is not the time to impress people with your high vocabulary. People have enough going on in their lives. Make it easier on your reader by making your newsletter informative, fun, and easy to read. I’m not telling you to over simplify. I’m just telling you that you should think twice before using your SAT words.
- Fill it with pictures – A picture speaks a thousand words. When people open up your email they skim through it first to see what jumps out at them – this is particularly true for B2C industries. For most audiences, photos will go a lot further than text will. BONUS: People enjoy to spot photos of people they know. Extra BONUS: Try taking photos of people using your product, but don’t capture the faces. People like to see themselves in photos. By not showing a face, you highlight your product while having your potential clients imagine it’s them using your product.
- Be consistent – Pick how often you’re going to send your newsletter, pick a date, and know that life will get in the way. It’s OK, but still try and send your newsletter out as close to the original date as you can. You may be asking “but how is this consistent if I missed my due date?” Relax. It’s a newsletter, not a baby that you’re delivering. Your audience is busy too and they will be forgiving of your tardiness as long as you only do it sporadically.
Pick Themed Days
This strategy is best used on, but not limited to, social media or blog posts.
We’ve all seen the themed days on social: Woman Crush Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, or Follow Friday. With the crazy schedules we keep, having themed days make it easier for masses of people to remember you and your brand. Additionally, it gives them something to look forward to.
BONUS: it helps keep your hectic schedule semi sane. Usually, I recommend having about two to three themed days a week that are unique to your brand only. If you do too many themed days than you look lazy, risk running out of content, and having your audience grow bored of your cutesy themes. In all strategies, especially this one, it’s better to do just a little and have people wanting more, than to do too much and have people turning you off.
Take photos and short videos
We know photos in newsletters are important, but did you know that photos and videos are important in almost all digital marketing aspects? Why? Because, we’re busy people and it’s quicker to see if something is important to us by scanning an image or 30-second video first. Think of photos and videos as the icing and words as the cake. We need the words, aka the cake, for substance. The photos and videos, aka icing, are just precursors to the substance.
Also photos and videos help form a personal connection between you and your audience by humanizing your content.
Here are some guiding principles for your photos and videos:
- Be consistent in your filtering – I am the worst at following this rule. With so many different types of filters and apps available, it will help to build your brand identity if you use the same kind of filter 75 percent of the time.
- Keep videos short – I’ve previously noticed that I’ve received more engagement with 45 second videos than I have with 60 second videos. This timing may vary slightly depending on who you are and what you are saying, but just think of this next time you’re doing a video: most news reporters only have 90 seconds max to tell an entire story. If they can do it 90 seconds or less, you can too.
- Good lighting is your best friend – I never realized the importance of good lighting until I started learning about photography and realized it’s all about the lighting. No app or filter can substitute good lighting. Regardless of what kind of camera you’re shooting on, take a little extra time to make sure that you have some good lighting so that the quality of your photos or videos come out better. BONUS: whenever possible, use natural lighting. Or shoot outside. Your photos will look more polished.
These are just a few strategies to help you Always Be Communicating…Consistently. Have questions or feedback? Give me a shout on Twitter @agean6.
