Isn't it frustrating to spend time on content, especially when you wear ALL the hats in your business, and it drowns in the Algorithm sea? It's likely that it's not finding the right audience. And so, it's not attracting the appreciation it deserves (read: likes, shares, comments etc)... I feel that pain and a solution I came up with seems to be working well so I thought I'd share it with you!

As I mentioned in a post on Valentine's Day, it's easy to rely on the seasonal trading period to direct your marketing content. If you are reading this post it's likely that you are ready to challenge the status quo and stand out from the crowd! Was it just me or did it feel like everyone was posting red roses next to their product on Valentine's day this year? Snore. As consumers, we love narratives that resonate with our lifestyles but to be frank red roses make-me-cringe. Controversial, I know, but I am not double-tapping on those Insta posts, so I immediate disassociated from the products I was being shown.

I switch on to marketing that speaks to me on an emotional level. Content that shows an understanding of my struggles, aspirations and goals. How can we pivot our content from less generic to more relatable, so that it gets on the right side of the algorithm?

Let's stick with the Valentine's Day theme. While everyone else is posting cartoon hearts, it doesn't mean you should too. Stop to ask if this is that relevant to your aesthetic, your client and your brand? If it is, ROLL IT OUT! Go big or go home; stand out by being bold. If it's not, don't do it. Consider feelings, chore or other recognisable elements associated with the time of year. perhaps even go to the opposite, if that's what would appeal to your clients. Let's say you are an Empowerment Coach. Talk about self-love rather than relationship love, or ways to nurture your self-worth. If you are an interior designer, you could share the love by giving away a 30 min consultation to help a client destress by talking to a professional. If you have a coffee shop, ask for memories of first dates spent in shops like yours. Do you see where I am going with this?

• What are your client's doing on the day?

• What do they need to do in the build-up?

• What about after?

• Are there any emotions attached to the time you can play up to?

A nod to the season with content relevant to your ideal client will cause interaction. That, in turn, will let the algorithm know your content is important, without the cringe hard sell. Magic ✨ As you’ve seen with the images I have used with this post, Awards Season is another way to join in with seasonality and in this case, at Kurt Geiger we came up with a concept of having our followers vote for their favourite shoes in each category and then we awarded the shoes on Stories, whether they were on the red carpet or not.

Just in case you were interested, I helped the team with ideation, art direction, briefing the photography and post-production teams and designed the social media assets for Facebook and Instagram. Here’s what we prepared for Instagram Stories:

If you want any more ideas or want to chat slide into my DM's. Can we all agree to less generic "I-should-post-something" content and more stand-out "let-engage-our-audience" narratives now? If you are with me, I want to see those posts... tag me in a comment on when you are switching things up and making those seasonal moments work for your brand.

L

Xo