Why Timing Matters: How Publishers Use Editorial Strategies to Attract Audiences

by

Caolan Hunter
Pressboard contributor, NYC

Ever since Oreo’s notorious ‘dunk in the dark’ campaign, it seems like the goal for every brand is to produce reactionary content to current events. In a digital and social landscape, content is created, consumed and forgotten so quickly it’s understandable that we all want to ride the crest of the wave. This approach brings our brands to the forefront of people’s minds, essentially owning that moment.

However, just because you are ready to release a piece of content doesn’t always mean that you should shoot it out right then. In fact, it is the balance of perfect timing and relevance that lands you the greatest impact. So what does this mean? Essentially, you need to ensure that your audience is in the right frame of mind to receive the work you’ve done.

Try to imagine that your brand team like that of an editorial newsroom. Editorial teams pride themselves on knowing the context of what’s happening in the world to ensure their message reaches the right target, in the right mindset, at the right time. An example of a specific audience mindset shift could be demonstrated by the latest events in Paris. As the world reacts to the Charlie Hebdo and subsequent attacks, they are looking for answers and to understand the tragedy, not some humorous content or an innovative brand partnership. Posting at this time would be insensitive to your audience and a waste of the time and effort put into your work until this point.

The desire to create real time content should also not cloud the perception of what your brand is actually about. While having a fast and nimble team is a great asset, the ability to get something out quickly doesn’t mean that it automatically adds to the quality of the content. Indeed, AdAge notes that when done poorly, your brand runs the risk of coming off like “a child screaming for attention at the adult table.”  One of the best ways to avoid this? If you’re trying to create your own “newsroom” model, it can be very useful to employ team members that have some experience in an actual newsroom.

So what can you do if you want to start adapting to a more reactive model? The best real time content comes from the understanding of real time audience insights. Spending the time and effort with a great community management and analytics team can be the true key to understanding how to interact with your audience on the spur of the moment. This allows you to foster a relationship with your followers who then become more used to the flexibility and relevance of your content, so you don’t end up accidentally creating real time content out of something like, oh, I don’t know, domestic abuse. Reactionary content really lands, not when you simply grab on to a trending hashtag, but when you identify a real time need of a consumer. That could be the need for more information on a topic, some light relief during their lunch break or the perfect piece of content for them to share with their friends.

Adidas prepared extensively for these needs when they sponsored the Brazil World Cup, creating 1,000 images and 160 videos in advance that could be released in real time covering every possible combination of scenarios. This helped them to ensure that their brand vision was aligned well in advance, while still appearing relevant and timely to their fans.

https://twitter.com/adidasfootball/status/485187330085769216/

One thing that we all do in real time is breathe. Try that with your product or with your team: take a breath, step back and work out if that content you just created in fifteen minutes is actually as funny or relevant to your brand as you think it is. Taking that moment to stop and think can help you to survey the cultural context, allowing you to create targeted and relevant output. Be adaptive within your own team as well by creating a positive environment that allows you to test and learn from the content you are creating. The key should be to establish how you’re going to create a few, good quality, and meaningful real time posts, as opposed to content every day that somehow seems to miss the mark.

We hope you find the above a useful start to help you avoid the Real Time Marketing Sucks Tumblr. Get in contact if you’d like to learn more about partnering with newsrooms and storytellers on creating valuable content for your audience.

…

Hope you enjoyed the read.
If you liked this post check out The Shocking Secret to Writing Great Content