2022 has
arrived and it is time to review the past 12 months and take the learnings into
the new year
Content in
the form of authentic story telling remains the pillar of modern PR. The
pandemic highlighted the need for truth and authenticity as we sifted through
the clutter to find the correct facts to keep us safe and navigate our way
through the Covid experience (which we will continue to do going into 2022)
When the
world went into lockdown in the first quarter of 2020, digital marketing became
the key messenger to reach customers and clients, which resulted in the need
for continuous and high volumes of posts. Not only did Marketers have to
be heard above the clutter, but new brands mushroomed as outlets were unable to
sell their goods exclusively.
This
resulted in an ad-hoc and sometimes fragmented approach to content creation and
therefore mixed messaging and an element of confusion occurred.
Fortunately the days of learning and pivoting quickly are here, but many
companies took time to make amendments in 2021 based on many reasons, including
wheels turning slowly or continuing to flog that dead horse as things
just might come right.
What the
Intune Communications teams foresees in 2022
The
right strategy - an integrated approach to content!
Every
public relations and marketing team knows their market pretty well. But
in times when change is happening so rapidly it gets challenging to keep up,
and a more agile strategy is needed to help create those ever increasing
posts. Even more challenging is crafting different strategies for the
various target markets, which doubles the number of posts.
Reaching
GenZ needs to be unique as they have developed a strange sense of humour,
thanks to TikTok and the mounds of influencers they follow. Talking about
TikTok, many PR teams and marketers do not have a strategy for this platform as
yet, and perhaps it is time to dabble in this unknown and work out a
plan. Every strategy starts with the business objectives and goals then
divided into the different LSMs, age groups and of course the social,
Behavioural, Demographic, Geographic and psychographic groups.
The key
point to remember in 2022, is that generating sales from existing customers is
up to five times easier than enticing a new one, and a re-engaging strategy is
extremely valuable for these loyalists. It is all about improving brand
quality perception.
What
content technology to use – this can be confusing!
This is a
tough one as new technology is breaking into the market on a continuous
basis. Many content creators and writers are often complaining that so
much of each day is spent learning something new that the company has decided
needs to be investigated. Most content creators can choose from a
multitude of technology apps to help create a posts. These will be used
based on requirements, speed and visual perceptions. The workman with the
best tools will get the job done quicker and it will look better. In 2022
it is time to retire the older systems and deploy the new fit-for-purpose
solutions aimed at minimising the burden that comes from administration.
AI,
ROI or Content Intelligence – we cannot do without
No modern
public relations department or marketing team can do without analytics, it is
the core of what we do and how we progress. Here as well, 2022 will focus
on how we decide to analyse our social media posts. It is time to ditch
the old and introduce the new, of which there are a multitude. In fact
there are so many excellent ones it can create analysis paralysis!
Automation
– helps to cut down on time
Automation
is still in its infancy and we are learning every day, but there is no doubt
that this is essential as it can cut through our congestion of posts and it
gives us time to breathe, review, evaluate and pivot when necessary. We
will have a little time to look at those posts that are not working and enable
us to pull them quicker than we did in 2021! It will also help alleviate
any bottlenecks that constantly crop up and create the block that prevents us
moving forward.
Video
– is critical and doesn’t necessarily need to be the best quality
The
short-form video is trending. It takes 7 seconds and our customer is onto
the next video. The first 7 seconds has to attract the customer to want
to watch further, but not 30 minutes further! The pandemic normalised
authentic ‘real-life’ video with real ordinary people. Brands don’t need to set
aside days for shooting and editing to put the best series of videos
together. Low-Cost authentic and real videos are well received by the
customer. Examples of their best use include promotions, launches, specials,
gift vouchers etc.
Influencers
– GenZ follow hosts of influencers and nano influencers, all at the same time
Influencers
sell! There is no hiding this fact. They grow awareness and
generate sales. However, GenZ’s are cynical and hate ‘fake’. Select
influencers strategically and bring them in to help craft posts as they must be
authentic to them. They can sell your brand in their own unique way!
Special
campaigns– Over the top thinking to generate sales
Many brands
deviated from their normal brand strategies in 2021 by putting unique and
creative campaigns together that proved unbelievably successful. Some
included the now trending NFT’s, as well as dancing, cooking, singing and music
competitions giving away lucrative prizes. All these were aimed at
showing customers that they truly care for their communities that support
them. Brands that sponsor sport, for example the NFL in the USA,
put together campaigns that were far removed from the conventional
tried-and-tested strategies to create awareness and ultimately drive
sales.
In
conclusion, content creating is now a specialised art and it is important to
have the RIGHT content creator and writer in place to ensure consistency and
success. The time is over to bring in the new-kids-on-the- block to create
content just because the person understands technology. Bring in the
experts to take a fresh look at the strategy, technology, AI, automation and
craft expert and focused content for all target markets – existing customers
and open up to new markets. Finally, metaverse (not Facebook’s Meta)
started trending at the end of 2021 and it is something content creators need
to consider when putting plans together.
The next 12
months will throw up all sort of new interesting trends. We are looking
forward to the journey.
Join is and
we will help craft your content plan for 2022
kassey@intunecom.co.za or shawn@intunecom.co.za
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