If you’ve watched TV or been on the internet over the month of November, you likely saw Jon Stewart in a variety of content from shows and ads promoting Night of Too Many Stars for the organization, NEXT for AUTISM.
From the NEXT for AUTISM website, their approach is to, “Transform the national landscape of services for people with autism by strategically designing, launching, and supporting innovative programs. We believe that individuals with autism have the potential to live fulfilling, productive lives when supported by excellent services and connected to their communities.”
What is their approach? “While many organizations engage in advocacy or fund scientific research, NEXT for AUTISM addresses the needs of people with autism and their families across the country, right now. We create and support exceptional educational, clinical, and vocational programs, all cutting-edge, all with an eye towards affecting fundamental shifts in current approaches to autism services.”
This is an incredible organization supported by an over-the-top broadcast with so many celebrities; the show is aptly named.
After watching Jon Stewart on everything from The Today Show to Jimmy Kimmel Live! and viewing the show itself, I couldn’t help but think about all of the content marketing efforts put into promoting the show and lessons that can be learned from the event; keep reading to learn about these tips and lessons.
Repurposing Digital Marketing Content
As noted by the charity, “Since 2006, Night of Too Many Stars has raised almost $24 million, giving children and adults with autism the chance they deserve to learn, to contribute and to live the fullest lives possible.” This program first started more than ten years ago, with the same goal of raising money through celebrities and auctions. While you may think doing the same thing every time might not be appealing to viewers and donors, when you switch up who is on the show and offer a different experience it can achieve a new and exciting feel.
This principle can be applied to your content. As a business owner, when you write blog posts, create infographics and other marketing assets for your company, you know the kind of time that goes into each piece; wouldn’t it be nice to use that content again?
Here are three tips for repurposing content:
- Share across multiple platforms
After you upload a blog post on your website, it shouldn’t stay there. Share your article on social media channels and in your e-newsletter; this will expose your expertise with consumers who may not follow your blog. Plus, repurposing your posts in this way will remind followers about helpful articles you’ve written and drive more traffic to your website. - Add your expert thoughts
Did you recently share an interesting article on your company’s social media channels? Think about turning it into a blog post or e-newsletter or social media update by adding your own thoughts. This is a great way to position yourself as an industry leader and offer insightful tips and tricks to your consumers. - Update old posts
Many industry practices and statistics can change quickly; sometimes in a year or even a few months. If you wrote about a topic last year that has outdated information, this is a great time to update your post with current information. You likely won’t have to do too much editing; just change dated facts and figures to offer current information.
Use Guest-Bloggers and Influencers for Content
Like we’ve mentioned before, there were “Too Many Stars” at the event. Because many of us love celebrities, this is a major appeal to watch the show. To name just a small handful of stars who were at the telecast there was: Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Ellie Kemper, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and so many more. Not only are stars fun to watch, they offer new and interesting perspectives and appeal to the show.
For the average business owner, a celebrity may be a hard catch, but what you can do is find guest bloggers to add content to your website and engage in social media influencers.
What is guest blogging? A guest blog post is written by someone who works outside of your business, but still writes about your industry or expertise. It’s important to carefully review each submission to your website to make sure it is accurate and reflects your brand. Here are two benefits of guest blogging if you’re interested in having guest writers on your site:
- Increased Website Traffic
If you run an e-commerce website that sells fitness products and videos, for example, you should be accepting guest blog posts that are relevant to health and fitness websites. This will increase the number of visitors to your own site who are likely to make a purchase. - Increased Google Ranking
Your site’s ranking in Google is partly based on an analysis of the sites that link to you. The quantity, quality and relevance of links all matter. The more quality links you can create on external websites back to your website, the better your search engine ranking position is likely to be. This will, of course, drive a significant amount of traffic to your website.
You can learn even more about featured writers in this blog post: Guest Blogging: What You Need to Know.
Influencer marketing is another great way to help spread the word about your brand and engage with high-profile social media users. According to Forbes, influencer marketing is, “A non-promotional approach to marketing in which brands focus their efforts on opinion leaders, as opposed to direct target market touchpoints.” In other words, influencer marketing is about providing product context and expertise through an influential person. Forbes also reported that influencer marketing is the next “Gold Rush.”
If you’re unsure about influencer marketing and if you should spend your time on it, here are five reasons to engage in this form of marketing from AdWeek:
- It’s Powerful
A word-of-mouth recommendation is incredibly powerful to drive sales. A study by McKinsey found, “Marketing-induced consumer-to-consumer word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising.” And those that were acquired through word-of-mouth had a 37 percent higher retention rate. As mentioned above, when an influencer mentions and endorses your brand, your product is given more credibility as it’s shared with a wider range of consumers. - It’s Social
Social media users have come to expect that brands will talk with them rather than at them. Having a fun and engaging social media presence will persuade followers to interact with your brand, and possibly share and like your posts. - It’s Attractive
A couple years ago, 50 influencers posted an Instagram image of themselves wearing the same Lord & Taylor dress on the same day; that next weekend the dress sold out. Building a relationship with tastemakers and trendsetters can push your brand ahead of the curve and make you look like a leader. - It Helps Your SEO
According to The Social Media Revolution, user generated social posts account for 25 percent of search results for the world’s top 20 brands. The more people that mention your brand on social media, the more popular and relevant you will be on Google, making your business easier to be found online. - It’s Trackable
Every website visit, social like and picture posted online can be stored and analyzed, yielding large amounts of data that turns into valuable insights about your target market and your advertising performance. You will be able to see if a relationship is working or not and can make decisions from there.
Are you interested in learning even more about influencer marketing? Check out my previous blog post, How to Use Influencer Marketing for Social Media Success for more details and information.
Digital Content Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations
How do these strategies apply to non-profits? Whether your organization has a large or small allotment of money for publicity, social media campaigns are perfect for any budget. Some of the best charitable organizations have used social media to spread their message to more people than any other campaign type could. Here are three social media methods to use for your non-profit organization.
- Create Events
You don’t need a major celebrity event like “Night of Too Many Stars” to use this strategy. Facebook allows users to create events for their cause, which can be a great avenue for some non-profit organizations. Creating social media events allows fans and followers to participate in the festivities even if they cannot be there in person. Whether the event is on a national or local level, allowing fans the opportunity to engage will help in recruiting and awareness. Three Girls Media is happy to help your business create Facebook Ads for events to reach your local consumers. - Create Cover Photos
Social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, have created empty spaces on their sites for cover photos. This is the perfect opportunity to put your organization’s logo or message front and center on social media profiles. You don’t even need an expensive graphic design firm to create professional looking images. Websites like Canva offer easy to follow tutorials, templates and images for users to create their own graphics. These themes are a way for supporters to show their support and expose their friends and followers to your cause. - Create Videos
One of my favorite videos for “Night of Too Many Stars” comes from Omaze, Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon. They starred in a hilarious video that offered a chance to win an “uncomfortable meal” with them to raise money for NEXT for Autism.
While acquiring stars to participate in every campaign video may not be something your organization can do, studies have shown that images and videos are more likely to be shared than just text content alone. Creating videos and putting them on social media platforms will encourage others to share the videos and get involved.
Implementing Content Marketing Tips for Your Business
Even if you weren’t able to watch Night of Too Many Stars yourself, you can take the content inspiration I found from the show and use it to your own advantage. Repurpose content, find guest bloggers, influencer marketers and use my tips for non-profits to promote your content and brand. Contact Three Girls Media today for a complimentary 30-minute call to discuss your enterprises needs and start your own content marketing campaign today!