Content comes in many forms

7 years ago I was asked to redesign a course in Digital Marketing for Seneca College’s School of Fashion; then-Chair Gitte Hansen and colleague Michel Côté, now Chair, let me shift the course from ‘building websites’, to focus on:

  • understanding the power of (then fairly new) social media
  • deciding which SoMe venues were ‘high-fit’
  • learning how often posts were expected, by platform
  • strengths & weaknesses of the platforms wrt handling complex messages, visual/audio capability, ‘share-ability’, etc
  • calendaring SoMe activity
  • acquiring conflict-free site domains & building basic landing sites
  • ‘creating’ high-fit content for a fashion brand’s digital presence.

It’s topical again as students & colleagues build a digital presence amidst covid; sometimes one hears signs of despair as they struggle to create enough new ‘content’, I checked my notes and found my old list of different types of ‘content’

  1. New original content: eg trivia, how-to images/videos, info-graphics, tips, Top 10 lists, original articles we write, product or service news, published results, images, product shots, etc (This type of content is slowest to come up with, but most control & copyright friendly)
  2. Reshare category news without interpretation, just a link (I rarely do or propose this; other than for a news service, it seems ‘off mission’)
  3. Reshare category/industry news WITH interpretation (competitors, retailers, suppliers, consumer trends, PESTLE updates such as new regulations, etc)
  4. Events: let followers know what fashion show is coming up, the ‘game time’, trade shows, symposiums, group news eg reminders about CMA or AMA events, etc
  5. Solicit User input: this depends heavily on the brand, but it might consist of eg ratings, survey invites, goofy polls, Top Ten, Vote for Best, etc (ESPN/TSN are superb at this!).
  6. ‘Invite An Image’: cajoling pics/videos of users/supporters wearing your brand, using your brand, holding a sign, reciting a tagline, doing a trending dance step, etc (this also can lead to more of #5 ie ‘Vote for The Most Inspired…’)
  7. Anniversaries, celebrations, remembrances, etc
  8. Corporate Social Responsibility: use your digital presence to help a cause ie help raise funds, find volunteers, raise awareness of a cause, fill seats at events, participate in a charity auction, etc
  9. Promotions, Specials, Discounts, Offers, etc on your product line.

Has any of this gone ‘out of fashion’? Perhaps. The point is: let’s all remember that ‘content’ does NOT imply one needs to create all material from scratch.

P.S. See a problem here? Whoever heard of a ‘Top 9′ list? Help me out! Send ideas to strategysteven@gmail.com so we make this a Top10 list! Please!

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