Quality content is more important than ever! That's why we teach SCRIBERS[HUB] also top-notch copywriters, authors and journalists for this.
In the "Content Buzzer" interview series, Sabine Fäth, founder of Scribers [Hub], communication professionals ask these questions every 14 days:
Laura Freutel, Digital Consultant
What does content mean for you?
Content is the foundation of all communication for me. It can be incredibly diverse and take many forms. It can be pure text, but it can also include visual elements like images or videos. Right now, there's a lot happening in the realm of music combined with visuals. There are no limits to creativity and individuality when it comes to content. I personally find that very exciting.
Content has always fascinated me. Even back in school, I devoured homework assignments that involved writing essays or analyzing poems. In my free time, I recorded my own songs with my cassette recorder (yes, I'm old 😉). With my first paycheck, I bought a camera and started making my own videos. This early passion for content led me to study Cultural Studies with a focus on Communication & Media, and later to my career choice, which I haven't regretted for a moment – quite the opposite, I love my job! For me, good content is generally informative, relevant, engaging, and above all, valuable to the target audience. The emphasis here is on "valuable." Valuable content creates added value for its recipients. This is especially important in social media, where I work extensively.
What was the worst content you met?
That's a tough question. You could certainly cite a few failed influencer campaigns or advertising campaigns that seemed questionable. But that's very subjective, because the success of content always depends heavily on the recipient. What personally bothers me, though, is when you work with agencies and hope for real experts, but as a "small" client, you're just given half-hearted treatment. This reminds me of a former client in the medical field. I was new at an agency at the time and was assigned a very unhappy client. The client was justifiably very disappointed because there had been no passion invested in their social media content. A strategy and a concept were lacking – fundamental things you shouldn't start without. The client was experimenting wildly with Photoshop, and half-hearted texts for questionable holiday posts filled the channel. The set goals weren't being met, and social media itself was being questioned. I could certainly understand that, given the results. A lot of trust had to be built up first to retain the client and achieve the goals.
How does good content succeed in times of chatt and Co.?
In my experience, the following characteristics are indicators of creating good content:
1. Relevance:
A few years ago, when I was working for a global camera manufacturer, we launched a camera specifically designed to appeal to a female audience. Surveys had shown that the brand's previous content was less engaging for female buyers. The writing was very technical, and the visuals were quite dark, to name just two examples. So, we created dedicated content for this new female target group. The content of these new formats focused less on technical specifications and instead included more tutorials on how to take specific types of photos. We even launched a dedicated Instagram channel, which quickly gained a large following and achieved high engagement rates. While this required significant resources, it was definitely a crucial step towards our success. Without this specific content, we certainly wouldn't have been relevant to the target group.
2. An absolute MUST – Visual elements:
Graphics, images, and videos should definitely be considered when creating content. When you think of content, you might initially think of pure text. But visual elements, in particular, increase attention, which is absolutely essential in social media. I wouldn't publish any posts without a visual element. However, I know that visual content like photos or videos can be a hurdle for many companies. Videos, especially, perform well on social media. But they are often more complex to produce and, in some cases, very expensive. During my time as a Digital Manager at one of the world's largest shipping companies, I faced this same challenge at the beginning of my career. Sending a photographer on board the ship helped us. This resulted in a huge number of photos and some videos. Employees also regularly sent in pictures, as did the ever-growing Instagram community. I would always actively involve employees and followers. Small challenges or contests with followers usually work very well for obtaining image or video material.
3. Target group orientation:
The needs and interests of your target audience should always be considered. I believe that the better you know and understand your target audience, the better your content performs. To better understand your target audience, and therefore, in some cases, your followers, you should definitely check your insights and analyze reports regularly. I used to find reporting a real chore. I'm not a numbers person. But then I turned it into a kind of personal challenge. My goal was to understand the community as well as possible. I asked myself what kind of content performed particularly well and tried to optimize the content accordingly. The aim was always to achieve even better results the following month. Eventually, I actually started looking forward to the monthly analysis of the numbers. It was like proof or recognition of my monthly activities.
And back to ChatGPT and similar technologies: I love them. They make everyday work so much easier. I currently use many of these tools for inspiration. But of course, the content still needs to be curated and given a personal touch. I think that's precisely the twist that AI and similar technologies haven't quite mastered yet.
Complete the sentence: Content is always...
…then successful, if it achieves the intended goals and offers added value to the recipient. This can mean that one might sometimes have to deviate from plans in order to remain relevant to the target group. It is precisely the opportunity to constantly empathize with new target groups that makes my job so incredibly exciting and ultimately leads to sustainable success.
