Struggling to find the time for interesting content marketing?

Cascading Content Can Refresh Your Brand

When were your audience last inspired or surprised by something you posted? If you’re struggling to get the content wheel turning, the secret is to use your existing content to generate the new stuff.

Leading brands are kept afloat by great content marketing. The skill of cascading content equips brands to refresh their content and connect with their audiences on a much deeper level.

Take a look at the world’s leading digital agencies (including ours); Content flows at a fast, unbeatable current. Their audiences are frequently caught off guard and swept up by unexpected waves of fresh, innovative ideas.

For agencies that are starting to sink, the problem is that their content drifts far too steadily. Sure, their audiences may be offered value, but their content never builds velocity. When content never offers anything new, audiences will start to look elsewhere.  

A fresh perspective

The quality of your content is still as important as ever; the next step, is to produce content from different angles. However, your audiences aren’t in the same place at the same time (that would be too easy!).

The real challenge is to create micro-content that aligns with the different segments of your audience and actually reaches them. Whether it’s a YouTube vlog to keep them entertained on the train, or a blog they can check out at lunch, your content needs to intertwine with their lifestyle, from the moment they wake up, to the moment they say they’re going to bed, and sit  scrolling on their phone for hours instead!  

The VaynerMedia waterfall

Think of your content marketing strategy like a waterfall; your content should flow down naturally, hitting each level along the way. Eventually, it should reach the bottom and follow new paths, reaching your different audiences at the times that suit them.

For some insight from the content expert, I chatted to the self-proclaimed “hustler” himself and CEO of VaynerMedia, Gary Vaynerchuk. Instantly, I was drawn to Gary’s skilful content strategy and wanted to take a closer look at how one of the world’s most dynamic digital agencies manages to stay at the top!

While the water was calm, Gary kept his head down for a few years, laying the foundations for VaynerMedia, which would later become the content empire it is today.

Once VaynerMedia was established, Gary’s drive for content marketing didn’t stop there. What followed next was nothing short of a content waterfall…

The #AskGaryVee Show

Building a presence on social media was the rebirth of VaynerMedia. It was the game-changer that ignited the layers of content that VaynerMedia are renowned for.

The #AskGaryVee show has more layers than you may think. From the outside, it’s a quick, informative video series that answers questions for fans. Behind the scenes, there’s a whole lot more to it. The show is predicated on the voice of the customer.  By asking a question using the hash tag #AskGaryVee, Gary’s customers have the chance to feature on the show, and have their voice heard.

Gary shared that the show attributes a lot to the growth of his social community. As Gary put it, “it’s a reverse engineered mechanism.” Through questions from fans, he’s able to extract a lot of thoughts and ideas that he wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

Not only does he the show create the opportunity to and give the VaynerMedia community value, but the community can give back too. The format allows Gary and his audience to work in unison. In fact, one of Gary’s fans brought to his attention that one of Gary’s favourite analogies in his presentations originates from the show. The voice of the customer has become a pillar to the messages Gary projects.

Content from the customers

The format of the show means cascading content can flow naturally. Putting the show together based on five audience questions provides Gary with useful content that his team can then transform into shareable quotes, video clips and micro content. Of course, coming straight from the mouth of the customer, Gary knows that the content is relevant and valuable before he even gets around to creating it.

“The best quality content in a supply and demand market place will always rise to the top”  - Gary Vaynerchuk

From the show itself, Gary is able to create posts for Medium, LinkedIn and Slideshare. This is a similar strategy to one we use at Ph.Creative. For our podcast Getting Goosebumps, each episode comes with the creation of shareable quotes and artwork. It’s an effective structure that helps to attract new audiences and keep our existing audience engaged and inspired!

A social media presence

Celebrities are able to cultivate an image for themselves on social media. Their fans are keen to keep up with what they do, emulate their lifestyle and take inspiration from their words. It’s tough for brands to create this same level of loyalty online. Audiences scrolling through Instagram will run a mile from salesy, corporate content…and that’s where Gary sets himself apart.

Think Kanye West and Gary Vaynerchuk; there are more than a few differences between these guys and their careers!  Gary may not send Twitter into overdrive with a clothing line, new music and Kanye’s rants and ramblings! -  yet, fusing skill and strategy together, Gary has created an energetic, engaged online fan base, achieving over 200,000 followers on Instagram and over 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. Now, if that isn’t a sign that something’s been done right, I don’t know what is!

So, what’s the secret?

Gary knows that each social and digital platform is different, and he embraces it. Rather than throwing social platforms under the broad category of “social media”, Gary takes on the challenge; he invests time in creating different pieces of content that resonate.

So, you need to think about what makes each platform unique. Ask yourself: who uses each platform? Why do they use it? What language do they use? How much time do they spend there? If your audience scroll through Instagram at 9 o’clock at night, tagging their friends in quote pictures, then it’s your job to make sure your shareable quotes are up there and ready for engagement.

All of these seemingly small elements of social media matter! So, keep up with the advancements in tech news and listen to what your audience are getting excited about. If you take this information and weave it into your strategy, there’s no doubt your brand will rise closer to the top.

 “If you build your brand and put out great content right now, you will have a better chance at breaking out than if you do it a year later” - - Gary Vaynerchuk

It’s never too soon to start experimenting with content and channelling some fresh ideas. If you’re looking for guidance or assistance with social media or you’re interested in grabbing the attention of your audience through video, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Ph.Creative to have a chat through how we can help!