In a world of short attention spans, earning positive attention and giving people a reason to share is a strategic way to maximize marketing efforts. What do we think is the best way to attract positive attention? By creating content with heart.
Content with heart begs to earn media. People are drawn to compelling stories. Whether shared through social media, blogs or picked up by traditional media following a press release, audiences love authentic content.
Make no mistake, earned media isn’t free. It takes dedicated resources and time to show and tell stories worth sharing, in a way media influencers will run with. Take the time to be authentic and don’t underestimate the power influencer audiences that may be small by comparison to traditional media, but just the right people you want to reach. Earned media is valuable to marketing efforts because it is not controlled by brands, so it is less biased and more trusted.
“The most credible advertising comes straight from the people we know and trust. More than eight-in-10 global respondents (83%) say they completely or somewhat trust the recommendations of friends and family. But trust isn’t confined only to those in our inner circle. In fact, two-thirds (66%) say they trust consumer opinions posted online—the third-most-trusted format.” (Source: Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, September, 2015)
Radiate positive. Positive content doesn’t mean it has to be all rainbows and unicorns— it can take many forms. From useful information to testimonials from delighted customers. A 2014 study by researchers at University of California, Yale and Facebook found that positive emotions spread faster than negative ones through social media sites. (Source: Detecting Emotional Contagion in Massive Social Networks, PLoS ONE, 2014)
Content with heart will pay forward and earn the positive attention valuable to your organization.
3 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO EARN MEDIA:
#1. Delight your customers.
Really happy customers make really great brand ambassadors.
#2. Create content with heart.
There’s a multitude of ways to generate great content—Sometimes it is as simple as looking at what you already do through a different lens. Share your expertise by creating a useful infographic that can easily circulate online. Leverage events you host or sponsor by promoting how it uniquely benefits your community and your target audience. Highlight how you partner and make a difference to a charitable cause. Or, if you are a non-profit, tie each and every message back to your mission.
#3. Show customers and potential customers you care on social media.
How? Join in relevant conversations. Give shout outs to your best customers and supporters. Share the ways you are going above and beyond.