Once upon a time, Australian media personality and all-round nice gal, Deborah Hutton had me over to her house for a yarn. As lovely as Deborah was, this wasn’t a social visit. The advertising agency I worked for sent me to understand the reasons Deborah supports the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies).
That interview, and a series of subsequent and similar interviews with everyday people in the streets of Bondi, are among my favourite pieces of content I’ve ever created.
Why?
In case you don’t know too much about them, Vinnies exists to help people in need and combat social injustice across Australia. Our campaign aimed to showcase all the great work Vinnies does, beyond just the op shops they’re famous for in Australia.
Vinnies offer things like low-income advice, soup kitchens, housing and homelessness support and many other services that seek to mend the social divide in our community. What’s more, at the time of the campaign, 80c in the dollar went directly back to the work Vinnies did - higher than any other charity.
The interviews about why people donate were heartwarming but also, authentic and effective. Rather than focussing on a huge societal problem that can all seem a bit ‘too hard’ to tackle, the individual stories showed how Vinnies empowers people to make positive change in their lives. The power of storytelling (“Vinnies helped my family when we were in need” or “Vinnies helped my nan”) shone a light on the various work the organisation does, the people they support (who are just like us), and why donating is vital.
As a marketeer and brand strategist, I’m often asked by my clients - when it comes to coming up with content, where should I start?
It’s true that coming up with content that’s on-brand, clever and engaging can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are some of my tips for overcoming the content conundrum.
Start with purpose. What would you like your content to do for you? Are you trying to attract people to your website? Or attract more of your target audience to discover your business? And if so, what problem is your product or problem solving for those people?
Start with yourself. What are your interests and what can you talk about without engaging anybody else?
Start with your fans. Ask your audience on social media: “is anything bothering you lately? What can I do to fix it?”
Start with the low-hanging fruit. What killer content have you already created that you can recycle? Are testimonials a possibility? Who loves your product or services and would shout about them from the rooftops?
Start with the world. What’s happening at the moment that you can shed light on? Anything from political or cultural events to the weather can help you here.
Start with the 4 Ps of marketing - product, price, place and promotion. Learn about how the 4 Ps relate to your brand and how they can help enhance your marketing strategy.
And if all else fails? Contact a brand and marketing strategist to help guide your thinking to content gold.
Ready to chat?