Image courtesy of Matthew Glover’s photostream
We are truly living in the digital age, where anyone and anything has the potential to go viral. The question is, how can you be a master content marketer like Weird Al?
You may have been lost in the rainforest or on a spiritual journey to unplug from the Internet, but chances are you’ve recently noticed musician Weird Al Yankovic getting a lot of press online. He had the brilliant idea of releasing eight music videos in eight days, turning news feeds into a parody paradise.
The premise was simple, and it caught a lot of headlines, but what was really fascinating to me was Al’s grasp on his material as well as his target audience. Parody songs don’t generally have a lot of staying power, and often are a hit for a few days and then we all go back to watching cats on YouTube. By dripping out eight videos over eight days, he kept us engaged and hungry for more content.
What Weird Al did was genius, but could you do the same? While we don’t all have the celebrity of Yankovic, surely there must be a way to follow suit, right? I’ve given it a lot of thought and here are the key elements you’ll need to create buzz like Weird Al:
1. Know your target audience. You may have a great message but if you’re not hitting your target audience, you are missing the boat completely.
2. Know your product/material/service. Knowledge of how your target market uses or interacts with your product or service will help you pinpoint how you should craft your messages.
3. Create unique and entertaining content. You do not have to be strictly business in your messaging. Try to add some tasteful humor or some entertainment, while still delivering your key points.
4. Give them a reason to come back. Create a social campaign that runs for a week. Do a daily giveaway. Do something that keeps your target market coming back to you for entertainment or information.
5. Change with the times. Weird Al is 54 years old, and he’s spoofing Lorde, Iggy Azalea and Pharrell Williams. While he may be fans of theirs, his songs are current. Even if you don’t like the music you know the songs, because they’ve all been recent hits. Apply this to your messaging. Keep it current and relevant and it will pop.
While there are other factors at play when it comes to content marketing, you can certainly generate more hits, more likes, more buzz and more followers by keeping my five key points in mind.
In the meantime, check out Weird Al’s video for ‘Word Crimes’. If you read my last blog post you’ll understand why this one was extra special for me.
As always, tweet at me @TheRealTomZobel and let me know your take on the matter.
Until next time,
-Tom