There are countless ideation methods that Content Marketers can utilise to help them come up with exciting types of content.
Among their arsenal of creation methods comes the ability to tap into events – either live events, when they’re back up and running or more likely for now at least – online events – in order to produce identifiable and engaging content for a specific target audience.
Let’s take a closer look at why piggybacking off events is a fantastic way of strategising a decent and sustainable Content Marketing idea.
There are numerous reasons why creating content centred on a recent online, local, national or international event is worth pursuing.
Relevancy
Fully utilising an upcoming and well-known occasion, for example, a sporting event or festival, is a great way to be relevant and steer clear of creating content for content’s sake.
Thought-provoking and inspiring Content Marketing ideas can also cleverly pay homage to a past event or the anniversary of a historical triumph, paving the way for the entertaining use of parody and pastiche within content.
Where Can You Get Inspiration?
When it comes to events, there are many opportunities for seeking inspiration and creating great content.
Examples include:
- Sporting Events – for instance, the Olympics, World Cup, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Tour De France, the Ashes, and the F1 Grand Prix.
- Festivals – from music festivals such as Glastonbury Festival and Creamfields to world events such as Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival.
- World Celebrations – examples include the Rio Carnival, Chinese New Year, Spain’s La Tomatina, and Germany’s Oktoberfest.
- Historical Events – including general elections, coronations, royal births, Remembrance Sunday, and astronomical triumphs, such as landing on the moon.
- Charity Campaigns – Movember, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Sun Awareness Week are just a few examples.
Think about the events that are approaching in the coming months and how they can potentially tie into your own marketing strategy.
Establish A Connection With Your Audience
Making the most of relevant and recent events is a great way to create content that will connect with your target audience. After all, if everyone’s talking about it, they’ll be more likely to engage with content focussed around that particular occasion.
Tailoring content around an event means you’re already tapping into a popular, newsworthy occasion which is likely to be well-loved and followed by an in-tune and devoted target audience.
This audience is more likely to have a vested interest in the content, engage with what is produced, and shout about it as a result.
Piggyback On The Hashtag
Yes, in the dominant world of social media comes the unquestionably powerful hashtag.
Once just a simplistic symbol for a number, the # now possesses so much power and influence in the world of social sharing.
If you’re creating content which ties in with an online, local, national or international event, hashtags should become your new best friend:
- Use relevant hashtags to target where and with whom you want to share your content.
- Research hashtags surrounding the specific event prior to creation to decide on the format your content will take (e.g. Infographic, quiz, survey, interactive piece).
- Engage with key industry influencers using relevant hashtags to ensure your content gets seen by the right eyes.
Jumping on popular hashtags maximises the chance to produce inspiring content that works.
Promote Your Content
With events being so well publicised in the media, Content Marketers have many opportunities for PR, newsjacking, and outreach.
Whether it’s adding value to an existing news story, acquiring links, or sharing your content, there are a host of opportunities you can capitalise on when it comes to promotion.
Make sure you promote your content once it’s live to give it the full exposure it deserves.
Example: Wimbledon Time Machine
Although created way back in 2015 the BBC’s Wimbledon Time Machine piece is a shining example of event-specific content.
After users type in their date of birth they’re transported to that specific year, and presented with a host of facts, stats and information relating to the tournament, players and weather.
What This Piece Does
This piece is compelling for a number of reasons:
- It’s fun and interactive
- It instantly involves user participation
- It appeals to a broad age range
- It enables the user to identify with a particular player
- It buys into the nostalgic feel of tennis and echoes the tradition of Wimbledon
- It celebrates history, past success and triumph
- It works no matter which audience type is viewing the piece
- It’s highly visual
Use this and other live pieces of content to inspire you in your own creation efforts so you know who to target and how to engage with your audience.
Think Outside The Box
When it comes to using events as a means of content creation, don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
The Wimbledon Time Machine works so well because it cleverly mixes interactivity with fun, and celebration of tennis with nostalgia. Use the content that’s out there to inspire you and see if you can follow a similar formula if you’re creating content around an upcoming event in the future too.
If you would like to find out more about various Content Marketing methods, content types and techniques, speak to Koozai today.
