You know what they say, fail to plan, plan to fail… and this is certainly the case when it come to scheduling the content you share online in advance.
When planning your content, you should always try to work at least three months in ahead of schedule. To be able to do this effectively, you should always ensure that you are in tune with upcoming popular events, in order to share content that will resonate with your customers.
And if you’re struggling to connect and engage with your customers effectively, have you considered investing in animation?
Impactful, memorable and highly engaging, animation is a great way to deliver your messages in a way that will capture the attention of your clients.
However, animation takes time to create. I often have clients needing animation urgently, which puts pressure on both parties. If we take our time, we will be able to achieve the very best results that we are both happy with. If you are set on investing in animation but you have no vision when it comes to determining what you want to achieve, then it can take around 6 weeks. But if you already have a script, then it can take a fortnight.
This also takes into account the time needed to absorb your new animation and feedback any preferred changes.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Sports
Wimbledon and other tennis events have increased in popularity due to tennis stars such as Andy Murray becoming the World Number 1. A simple animation to wish him luck could be shared and seen by many.
Winter Olympics is this year, and we have already seen an increased interest in Women’s football, could rugby be next, could you be ahead of the trend?
But that’s not all…cycling has also grown rapidly in the UK – should you be leveraging this? Your customers could also be keen cyclists or even cycle daily on their commute to work, therefore showing you are a fan is a great way to grab their attention.
Find out what sports make your customers tick and go for it!
TV
Some programs have highly anticipated returning series, and it is these series that the majority of fans talk about on social media or on their dinner break at work.
My personal favourite is The Walking Dead, which is set to return from its mid-season break very soon in February!
Are you a Bake Off fan? After all, everyone likes cake, right? Could this capture the attention of your audience? Sharing animated baking footage is always a hit and you can even take advantage of the Bake Off hashtags when sharing your content.
The return of Game of Thrones is also highly anticipated. With lots of plot twists and characters to get to grips with, it’s worthwhile considering whether any of them are like your team members or do the twists apply to your brand? This will allow you to create playful content that is a great way to connect with your target market.
Films
Just like the TV programs, there are also a number of films that are already creating much excitement ahead of their release dates.
Avengers:Infinity War. Awesome team work, does this resonate with your business?
X-Men Dark Phoenix, are you also fighting a dark phoenix within your business?
Solo: A Star Wars Story; hopefully you are not a space cowboy like Han!
This is just a taster- what kind of films do your dream prospects like? I also happen to often go to Food N Film– so if you are a film fan in Manchester, you should come! Check out the blog I wrote for them!
Look at the calendar
Of course, there are also a whole host of other calendar events that can spark a new idea, and can present a number of opportunities when it comes to creating engaging content. Think about Pancake Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, and other dates such as International Women’s Day and Small Business Saturday. If it has relevance or resonates with your audience, then go for it! Oh and don’t forget to check your local calendar of events!
Significant birthdays and anniversaries
For example, this year is the centenary of the end of WW1, and the first time women had the right to vote. On a softer note, this year is the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, which is a novel I studied for my ‘A’ levels- remember Frankenstein was the creator not the name of the monster!
What significant anniversaries are there specific to your sector? You can plan to acknowledge this on the specific day – whether it’s a thank you, a nod of respect, point of interest and engagement. Or maybe other anniversaries mark your values and ethics.
If you serve your local community, research local anniversaries.
Let’s start 2018 by forging a strong relationship with consistent animated content and position your brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds, and a good way to start is to sign up to learn 3 ways animation helps your business!
