What should go under your branded content Christmas tree?
With the holiday season upon us, we asked our team to tell us about the content essentials that they’d like to find under their Christmas tree this year. From tailored and unique narratives to thoroughly checked assets, here’s what they had to ‘sleigh’…
1. Saskia Mair, managing editor
The key to finding the perfect Christmas present is understanding the person who will receive it – and the same goes for content.
Imagine swapping around the gift tags on the presents under a Christmas tree. The limited-edition vinyl for a music-loving friend may not be as appealing to a brother who doesn’t even have a record player. The cloth-bound edition of Wuthering Heights that you sourced for the family bookworm might mean less to your one-year-old niece – no matter how well it has been wrapped.
If you want your content to make an impact, dedicate time to understanding the people you want to engage. What channels do they use? What format will suit them best? What information will they want to find out?
A high budget or stylish visuals won’t count if you haven’t considered your target audience’s needs. It’s the thought that counts – so make sure your content is carefully considered!
2. Sarah McGrath, junior content producer
Something that can instantly ruin any holiday cheer is the presence of misinformation. It might not seem like the most exciting (or festive) aspect of content creation – but it’s a crucial consideration for any comms team.
Why? Because sharing false or misleading information is the equivalent of receiving coal in your stocking: not a gift that you’d remember fondly. It’s vital that every piece of content leaving your newsroom is proofed and fact-checked by at least one other team member.
At Speak, rigorous proofing and checking are a core part of our processes – to help ensure that no spelling, grammar or factual errors slip through the net. Just like Santa’s Christmas list, remember that content needs to be checked twice!
3. Gabrielle Bridle, account executive
As the year draws to a close, it’s really important for comms teams to review analytics and audience feedback to understand how their content has performed.
It’s crucial to find out what your audience engages with, as this will help you create the content gifts that keep on giving. By crunching the numbers and taking stakeholder feedback on board, you’ll get a better steer on what makes your audience tick, helping to guide your content sleigh.
This is why data and analytics have earned a place under my Christmas tree this year. Not all of the feedback your brand receives will be holly or jolly – but it’s crucial to listen if you want to create informed content for your audience going forward.
4. Ellie Gascoigne, producer
Decorating the Christmas tree with tinsel, trinkets and twinkly lights is a staple of many families’ celebrations. Among the collection of festive ornaments, there are often two varieties.
Filler ornaments – typically in the form of baubles – help to set the tone and colour scheme, but they don’t necessarily stand out because the tree is full of them. Cherished mementoes are the other type – decorations made at school or special ornaments that you have collected on your travels, which often take pride of place on the tree.
It is these special moments that I think are essential for great content. At Speak, we help to achieve this top-tier spot on the tree by bringing content to life with striking visuals and stand-out imagery. To help us stay ahead of the curve, we put together a Picture Desk roundup to showcase some of the most innovative visual content produced across the industry. This helps us to identify new ways to capture imagery, present infographics and approach filmed content.
5. Charlotte Willis, senior account manager
Two vital ingredients for brands wanting to create high-quality content? A solid comms strategy and a strong team. Much like a theatre director putting on a festive pantomime, it’s important for team members to collaborate, work in sync – and sing from the same hymn sheet.
Applying this same mindset will help comms leaders push out content or marketing comms with a coherent and impactful message – which is why collaboration is the star on top of my tree.
At Speak, we work together with our clients to develop a clear understanding of their comms strategy, helping us to deliver high-quality content that is on brief, on brand and best practice. This collaborative approach helps us create a cohesive storytelling experience that will leave a lasting impression on the audience – much like the final song in a spectacular Christmas show.
6. Sophie Parrott, senior content producer
For me, the key to creating great content centres on having a unique story to tell. What makes your story so special? How does it differ from other companies? Why should audiences consume your content? As a comms leader, you should ask ‘your-elf’ these questions.
With countless articles and blog posts on the internet, the need for distinctive copy, individual ideas and creative flair is important for brands trying to cut through the noise. Of course, the quality of your content will depend on the strength of stories available inside your business – but if you have a bank of brilliant tales to tell, they’ll be worth their weight in gold, frankincense and myrrh.
At Speak, we help our clients find and tell the stories that matter to them. Through a combination of in-depth research and interviews, we help our clients bring each story to life in an engaging, informative and unique way.
Want to find out how to implement a best-in-class editorial strategy that connects your organisation with your always-on audience?
Contact Gabrielle from our client services team: gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk