Using Content And Technology To Connect People With Their Passion

Are you sharing your unique business story was a question posed in a recent Sons of Sawdust column in the Southern C. Yes, it really is all about the story and, taking that to the next level, how are you connecting consumers with their passion via technology?

Facebook Live is the latest technology Forest Home Media, a Nashville area PR/marketing company, is using to connect with consumers. We did this last week for the DIY Network’s premiere episode of Nashville Flipped with team interior designer Julie Couch sharing her story click here. We are pleased to report the video had a reach of 8, 358 and 3.9 thousand views and counting. On Thursday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. CST, visit Forest Home Media‘s page for the Social Media Club Nashville where I’m a panelist on Content That Converts. As a former news reporter, I’ve always been fascinated with stories. Today, these stories are part of client content marketing where we dig deeper by evaluating unique stories to connect with customers in measurable ways.

National Trends

Trend wise, marketers are taking stories and targeting messages hyper local for impactful results says Aflac’s Digital Marketing Manager Ivey Evans. She recently was a panelist for the Atlanta Mobile Ventures Summit with CNN’s director of mobile and emerging technologies and the Gannett/USA Today Network’s corporate lead for shopper marketing and retail strategy.

“Brands are now competing with your friends in telling stories was an important point made at the conference. Brands want to gain access to your sphere of influence with smart stories using hyper local, near me search data with the Weather Channel being a great example of this,” Evans said.

So how are brands becoming better at telling their stories and how can you use their examples for your own small business or project? The message must be mobile device friendly because everyone is on their smart phone, and, Evans says, you need to provide good, snackable content.

“You no longer have to tell a better story than your competitor. You have to tell a better story than your target audience’s best friend…Our attention span is now compared to a goldfish of eight seconds of less. You have to provide a good story with frequency,  recency and in bite size servings like a good infographic which has a higher recall or a video with good content,” Evans said.

Provide Snackable Content

Aflac recently targeted millennials in a video produced for Buzzfeed with the goal of capturing interest within the first few seconds with fun, easy to digest content called “Things You’re Sick of Waiting For.” 

My example this week can be seen in the April 20 print edition of the Tennessean newspaper found here online. Builders of the 2014 HGTV® Smart Home, Carbine & Associates is launching a House for Hope Designer Show House in a new neighborhood. Peeling back a layer of this award-winning builder’s story, this week, we’ve shared their support of young men learning carpentry yielding a quality product for a Carbine custom home all done through a faith-based mentorship program. Here’s the two-minute video produced by Forest Home Media which was also shared on the Tennessean website – notice the cross-promote for the October show house tour in the end!

The Future – Political Desperation Driving Innovation?

Political campaigns are where you will see the next innovation as this election cycle heats up Evans gleaned from the conference. Campaigns are well funded with a very limited time frame with desperation driving innovation. So stay tuned.

And, as marketers work to enhance the consumer experience with hyper local, Evans said, virtual reality technology will become more common. Stepping through the next dimension, consumers can be part of the story and experience it. Here’s more on the Nashville real estate industry using virtual reality to sell homes.

We don’t all have Coke, CNN or Aflac budgets. The takeaway is to find the story which will resonate with your potential clients and customers. Create a SEO rich, interesting blog, produce a short, impactful video and consider if a traditional media outlet would be interested. And, share it using different nuggets of the story throughout social media channels. Don’t forget, frequency and recency.