During at least ten years we have seen the rising and falling of multiple digital platforms. In this new order it is common seeing how the new platforms are acquired, copied or just buried before being able to consolidate their audiences.
Then, in the eagerness of being aligned with the digital trends, brands have aimed to the creation of its own platforms profiles, many times without anticipate the effort that requires manage those new communication channels. Therefore, many brands are working for the content almost in the day to day without being able to identify tangible goals and real effects on the brand's businesses.
In order to be more efficient in the creation and content-generation process –which aren't simple tasks– we work along three steps, whose are briefly represented below. They will allow us to have a vision apart from the day to day to focus on the tasks that respond to the equation Effort vs Return.
1.Identifying brand’s power: It helps us to understand the brad’s force to attract audiences, trigger reactions or just simply filling the expectations that users have. It differs from traffic metrics, impressions or views that many times are sold as digital assets’ strength. Brands, thanks to their communication efforts, have an average reactions or engagement index; even though the efforts on content are doubled, the return towards the brand (in terms of reactions) remains the same, or for example nobody misses brand’s posts when the brand stops publishing. Then , bran’s power identification must find inflexion point where a extra-effort in terms of content does not have additional effect on reactions or engagement index.
2. Proactive and reactive: As a second step we must define where to focus our proactive as well as our reactive actions in terms of platforms’ content. This means that for certain ones where our brand is strong we'll have a content program well defined and for others we'll simply wait to answer concerns or conversations from users to corporate communications. In the long term, this approach will facilitate the identification of platforms that in a future will be reinforce or deleted.
3. Automation: Although priorities are established in regards to the previously mentioned items , content creation and its tracking will continue to be demanding.
Then, try to automatize and, centralize as much processes as possible is an imperative step. In this sense, there are many tools in the market, so every individual will find their best match in regards to their own reality. The list of solutions can be endless since new tools come up as we move forward in this article. Naming some examples that we have explored:
- Content Generation : Contently, Contentwriters, Publicate…
- To administrate social media platforms: Hootsuite, Socialoomph, Socialbakers….
- For those who have expectations on Video Content: Wochit or Rocketium, Showbow, Promo, Animaker…
- To manage influencer’s content and projects: Klear, Traacker, Juliusworks, Neoreach….
- For those who have no interest in the process but measuring results and assessments: Adobe (although this can also be a match in Generation and Administration as well), Domo, Tableau, Datorama….
As I said, in this search each individual will find ideal tool, the important thing is to simplify to the maximum the times of process and the identification of the insights which are found spread in multiple platforms, in order to execute and follow our plan.