3 Content Marketing Lessons from the Oscars

This is a guest post by Lisa Zatulovsky of Straight North.

Did you get any content marketing lessons while watching the oscars?

The gowns, the jewels, the barrage of celebrities – all were front and center at the 2014 Oscars. But beyond the glitter and glamour, what can marketers learn from this event that benefits their companies? From fashion to food, here are three content marketing lessons learned from the Oscars to incorporate into your strategy…

1. The Power of a Great Image

Celebrities attending the Oscars understand the power of a great image. One tries to outdo the next with the latest designer gown, the most expensive jewels, the trendiest hairstyle and accessories, and more. What are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt wearing this year? Whose attire is doomed to the worst-dressed list? Fans can’t get enough. Live coverage of the stars arriving on the red carpet feeds into multiple news channels — all so that fans get a glimpse of the glamour. So much of the Oscar viewer’s experience is visual.

Here’s a look at some of the fashion comments from InStyle’s Facebook page. Just one gorgeous photo of Kate Hudson got over 3,000 likes.

And lots of comment too…

Content Marketing Lesson Learned:

Incorporating visuals into your content marketing strategy is crucial. Number 10 on Optimind Technology’s list of “26 Digital Marketing Statistics You Shouldn’t Miss” is “Articles with images get 94% more views.”

“You have to remember that as humans, we connect emotionally to images more than video, audio or text. People make decisions and take action more quickly when prompted by images, rather than by reading a lot of text,” writes Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner.

Whether you’re writing blog content or posting on social media, don’t underestimate the power of visuals. If you’re sharing an infographic or a photo, give your fans what they want — something great to look at. Visuals reinforce your message and draw viewers in. As an example, check out the Facebook post below from the Straight North Facebook page. It would be pretty bland without the enticing picture accompanying the text.

Need more information on how to take great photos for social media? Take a look at Convince and Convert’s post here.

For more tips on using images on social media check out the infographic How to Thrive on Social Media With Images.

2. Shareworthy

From the best- and worst-dressed celebrities to emotional acceptance speeches, the Oscars are full of shareable moments.

At one point during the show, Oscar host Ellen Degeneres told the audience she wanted to take the most retweeted selfie of all time. To help her do it, she enlisted mega stars like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, and she got her wish. The picture below had over 3 million retweets.

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

Content Marketing Lesson Learned:

Ellen Degeneres gave fans something that they were excited to retweet. She even crashed Twitter for over 20 minutes that night. Obviously, most content marketers can’t take selfies of megastars, but they can create content that excites their fans. Maybe that’s an infographic, Pinterest contest, or Slideshare – Whatever it is, cater to your audience and give them what they want.

Whether you use Google Analytics, questionnaires or another format, figuring out what makes your readers tick is essential to good content marketing. Excite your readers with the right content and see them share it with the rest of the world.

3. Show Your Human Side:

In one segment of the Oscars, Degeneres polled the audience to find out who wanted pizza. In the next segment she brought out a stack of pizza boxes and started serving the audience. Yes, seeing celebrities eating pizza at one of the most glamorous televised events of the year was entertaining, but Degeneres showed something else that’s important — everyone’s human side. Even celebrities get excited about pizza.

Here’s a look at the pizza fest from a fan’s perspective on the Oscars Facebook page.

Content Marketing Lesson Learned:

No one wants to read content that’s dull and impersonal. This is a surefire way to turn off readers. Breathe life into your content by injecting some personality.

“… making any topic compelling doesn’t have to be hard. Quick anecdotes, for instance, are a great way to spice things up and give readers someone to root for or identify with, whether the anecdote is about your personal experience, the process of developing your new product, a customer’s experience with your work, or simply an emotional moment,” writes Rosie Barry-Scott published on JeffBullas.com.

To highlight its human side, social network managing site Hootsuite gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the company. Here we see employees doing a lunch-hour workout at the Hootsuite office.

Plus, Hootsuite even offers employees a nap room!

The goal is to strike a balance between informative/factual content and personal/enticing content that engages your readers. Don’t be afraid to show your human side!

Your Thoughts:

Have these content marketing lessons from the Oscars inspired you? What success have you had incorporating these lessons into your content marketing strategy? Please leave your comments below.

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