No matter how advanced things get, content is, and will always be, king. The problem is, there’s never quite enough of it. The trick is in creating quality content, while remaining within the guidelines of a brand.
When I started teaching my blog class at Louisiana State University, I was shocked at how many of my students came in with specific ideas on what they wanted to blog about, i.e. saxophone jazz albums, Halloween antique collections, etc.
I’ve always found that when you start with such a tight theme, you back yourself into a corner—until I started one myself. Now, I can say that working within boundaries can be liberating.
For example, let’s say you need to do website content, blog entries, and social media posts for a grocery store. Types of content could include recipes, how-tos, chef profiles, restaurant reviews, tips & tricks, and healthy eats, among others.
Even though that’s a decent list to get started, eventually you’ll run out of content. That’s when creativity comes into play. I tell my blog students to start looking at their lives through the lense of their blog, asking themselves, “Could this be content?”
Attend a restaurant opening? Post pictures on the grocery store blog. See a new movie? Find out the extreme diets the actors had to participate in for their roles. Holiday coming up? Create a menu. Developed a food allergy? Write about it.
Before you know it, you’ve got loads of ideas, and you never have to complain about writer’s block.
At LSU, we have several different channels to “feed” with content—websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Tumblr, just to name a few. I am constantly looking for content, and of course, I always start by looking at the calendar to see what’s coming up: events on campus, holidays, and any major academic happenings (final exams) are always first on my list.
Of course, there are always sporting events. However, LSU athletics has their own social media channels and websites; so I only promote sporting events as a last resort, unless it’s a lesser-known team (sand volleyball).
Next, I look at other social media channels for groups on campus such as Greek Life, the recreational center, or the Student Health Center, to see if I can’t find something different to post. And finally, it’s important to post the “fluff” stuff—quotes, pictures of campus, alumni shout outs, and fun facts (“Today in history…”).
I was pleasantly surprised when I posted some facts about Bengal Tigers (which is the LSU mascot) as a series of 5-6 Tweets, and they did great with a high number of Retweets and Favorites (anything >50 I consider a huge success).
If content is particularly low, I try to jump on a trend, even if I’ve got to twist it. When #Velveeta was trending due to a cheese shortage, I Tweeted that the LSU Dairy Store was open, with cheese! Things such as #MyFavoriteThings or#ThingsWeTakeForGranted are easy to use while also remaining within the LSU brand.
That’s where the creativity comes in again. Yes, we are a university, so we do have to post about academics, but there are also 30,000 people on our campus. Anything that concerns them is something we can post online.
Until you’re able to get a grasp on your audience, content might be trial and error—see what works and what doesn’t. Once you start thinking in terms of brand-related content, you might be surprised to find you’ve got an endless supply.
