Content Farming (part 2)
Getting the idea
To become a Content Farmer, you’ll have to dig a little deeper, and take a step back. There’s nothing worse than scrambling to write an article, or develop a campaign simply because “you need to stay in front of your customers”. It’s stressful for marketing folks, and unrewarding for your audience. You’ll have to think ahead a little more, and not become a slave to immediate marketing demands.
Don’t create content for content’s sake. Instead, develop an environment where neat things can happen, where new ideas can spring out of interaction, or where you can highlight cool things that are already going on. Spend more time formulating better questions, rather than pretending to have all the answers. Content Farming is the art of designing situations or synergies that have potential to yield good content. Much like a farmer who takes special care to prepare a field that has a good chance of yielding a good crop.
Let’s not get this confused with the idea of a promotion. A good promotion can be farmed out of the right environment, but in this context, I’m not advocating inventing them. Rather, consider the idea that they can naturally emerge from a lively culture where you’ve done the work of seeking to understand and interact with your customers, or developed interesting situations or synergies.
All along, though, be critical; answer honestly: will my audience really find this useful, interesting or entertaining? To provide good content you’ll need to get plugged into the culture of your audience, or what cultural influences they share.
Keep a finger on the pulse
There are many ways to stay in touch with the culture surrounding your audience and how/why they interact with your product or service, from online news sources and blogs, to short message-based feeds like Twitter. And, you don’t need a lot of time to get plugged in. Get engaged in the “chatter” coming out your audiences’ world. Follow your passion. Reach out to other professionals that seem interesting to you. Exchange ideas.
The world of communication is changing quickly; this presents both an opportunity and a liability. A liability, because the same old marketing song-and-dance doesn’t interest people anymore, and it’s easier than ever for audiences to filter content. On the other hand, things change so rapidly, that even experts admit they don’t really know what’s going to be effective; you can be on the cutting edge of finding a communication channel that your audience will respond to and appreciate.
Developing a Content Farming strategy
- Critically evaluate what your audience might want from you; what forms of engagement are they actually seeking?
- Consider what modes of communication are available within budget; this can generate ideas.
- Consider demographics, e.g., what sorts of information will appeal to this market segment. what should I avoid?
- Make a list of creative concepts. What sorts of situations, events or interactions would easily yield content that your audience can appreciate? Prioritize by the perceived possibility for appeal. Have some fun.
- Pursue relationships with other players who might provide critical information or entertainment value for specific concepts.
- Pursue your concepts. Make outlines and schedules for specific interactions or events.
- Chronicle the interaction. This can take the form of writing, audio, video or all of the above.
- Build a library of assets that grow from your farming.
- Edit and distribute your new content.
- Invite feedback from your audience; continue to refine your farming methods.
What Content Farming is
- Inventing creative situations where interesting things happen and entertaining content is generated
- Exploring relationships with people who are knowledgeable or passionate about something you or your audience is interested in.
- Inviting your audience to follow you while you pursue your passion
- Message before Mode. Let the content suggest the best avenue of broadcasting
- In line with the culture of your audience
What Content Farming isn’t
- Creating content “on the fly” based on an urgent demand
- Rehashing old content
- Content for content’s sake (e.g., “I think we should do an Eblast, now what should we say?”)
- Lazy in asking critical questions about what your audience wants
Examples of Content Farming
- Interviews (via podcast, etc.)
- Business synergies, e.g., finding someone in a complementary organization that can provide information to or entertain your audience, while promoting enthusiasm and goodwill toward your product or service.
- Designed situations that have potential for unknown outcomes, e.g. guest appearances, impromptu customer engagement (a’la a contest) or philanthropic event.
- Developing a public (but actively moderated) forum for customer feedback (blog, in-store response cards, etc.)
- Encouraging employees to get involved. While they are on the front lines, interacting with customers, opportunities for genuine, valuable engagement abound. Listen to their ideas.
Q and A:
My company is considering an anniversary promotion, after being in business 20 years. How can this be reevaluated in light of Content Farming?
A: Take a step back. Ask critical questions. What will your audience find interesting about your anniversary? The answer may be “nothing”. Maybe people are interested in anniversaries in general, though. Perhaps as a way to “pay the price of admission” for your audience to be interested in your anniversary, you could invite them to tell you about their favorite anniversaries. Make it a contest. The top 5 most intriguing anniversaries submitted get published on your blog/web site, and winners are awarded a weekend vacation. In addition to gathering content people actually find interesting, you may learn something about the values of your audience. With all of the talk about anniversaries, you shouldn’t need to say much about your own.
I’d like to initiate a conversation with my customers. I’m concerned, though, that most people won’t take the time to interact unless it’s to complain. I’m concerned about the time investment this may require, and the bad press it could generate.
A: First off, this sort of interaction (at least as it applies to the internet) will need to be moderated. Any forum can be a magnet for unsavory and downright naughty chatter. There are, though, online applications that can make it easier than ever to administrate customer feedback. A simple blog like Blogger or Wordpress can be relatively easy to maintain and invite comments. Next, evaluate how this interaction might yield valuable content. Imagine if your customers really believed you were listening, and open to changing your product or service based on their feedback? Chronicling this ongoing interchange could be hugely valuable. You don’t have to go as far as Skittles did, where you essentially say “we are what you say about us”, but the opportunity to share with your audience how customer feedback led to a tangible change in your business will build devotion. Also, make the venue of the interaction as public as possible; the interchange is largely the content of this campaign. Be brave.
Bringing it all together
So, to come full circle in providing an answer to my friend’s question regarding creating demand for online (or intellectual) “real estate”, it’s my assertion that as professionals, we ought to spend less time trying to create content, and more time designing environments where rich content can be harvested regularly, stored up and deployed through different modes of communication.
Now get out there and do some farming! If you have any ideas for situations that promise to yield good content, we’d love to hear about them.
Tags: content, promotions, web site