The Crave
Weekly tips and stories that will help you do your job and make you smile (or groan).
By Jerry Virta December 23, 2021
Is this a bad time?
When I first realized that my next newsletter issue would go out on December 23rd, I felt a tad sad. In December, most of us are drowning in emails, newsletters, ads, and other digital content, so why would someone engage with just my piece? I mean, will the email even find its way to anyone’s screen, or will it be buried under dozens of its flashy “thank you for the year and happy holidays” competitors? Will it spend the rest of its little life in Trash? I discussed this with my colleague, and he brought up an interesting idea: “Instead of skipping a week, what if you wrote about that?” He made a good point. There are a number of not-so-ideal times to publish and post throughout the year. Sometimes it’s hard(er than normal) to stand out from the crowd, and other times your audience might not even be available — for whatever reason. I feel like December 23rd kind of ticks both boxes. So, just like Adele, I used my personal pain as the basis for my craft.
In December, most of us are drowning in emails, newsletters, ads, and other digital content, so why would someone engage with just my piece?
So, what can we do to help our content catch our audience's attention? The most obvious (yet never the simplest) solution is coming up with something so extraordinary that it immediately makes our audience feel things. Think emotion-evoking video campaigns with pets and the elderly, or gamified ads that make your fingers tingle with nostalgia. However, big ideas often require big budgets and are not easy to execute on a tight deadline. In some cases, though, clever copy or visuals compensate for all that. I’m sure we’ve all seen Oatly’s ads: they’re fairly simple, but the reason they stand out is their unconventional anti-marketing and even self-deprecating approach. “Another ad for our oat milk providing no reason at all why you should try it”. Because it feels so odd — as if their marketing team actually hated marketing — it catches our attention. And it makes us talk about them. If you don’t have the time, headspace, or budget to create something show-stopping, you can always take a u-turn and try the opposite: strip it down and be personal. As marketers, we see the same marketing techniques and content used time after time and it gets tiring. In the worst case, it’s repelling. Another non-personalized email encouraging you to act fast — great, sign me up! So, naturally, it can be refreshing to see content that feels authentic. Try telling your audience a relatable story that’s not drowning in buzzwords and doesn’t need four camera angles to convey the message. You can talk to your readers or viewers directly and invite them to participate in the conversation. Skipping a day and saving your juices for a more fruitful moment isn’t wrong either. It’s better not to push out content than to push out underwhelming content.
I guess my point is that there will be days when you know that your content might not perform as well as it could because of the timing factor. But if you still want to get your content out into the world, there are some ways to give the best possible send-off to the lovechild of you and your keyboard. And hey, why not have fun with it? As a personal example, this year we at Foleon borrowed from a Dutch tradition to write poems to our nearest and dearest during Christmas time, and instead of the classic trite holiday email, we sent one of these poems to our customers. It was fun for us to create and it was fun for our customers to read. Every piece of content should have a goal, and sometimes, it’s just to make someone smile. If you see this, it means that you haven’t only opened my email but also read this story about the struggles of publishing your content at less-than-ideal times. And that makes me so happy because you know what: bad timing or not, it reached you. Happy holidays! (I couldn’t resist!)
Let’s talk about it together!
Share your thoughts on LinkedIn using #thecravediscussion This week’s topic: Share some standout marketing content that you’ve received or come across and let me know why it caught your attention!
Currently craving
- If you’re working with content operations, GatherContent has great articles on the topic. Content Operations - What is it and why should you invest in it? teaches you the very basics about content operations, and numerous articles, eBooks, and recordings provide you with more in-depth information and tips.
- From writing tips and best content marketing practices to Did Alanis Morissette Get Irony Right?, there’s something for everyone in Copyblogger’s extensive library of blog articles.
- I’ve entertained myself during the lockdown by re(binge-)watching The Office. For some reason, I’ve only just started listening to the Office Ladies podcast this time around, and I’m hooked. For The Office lovers looking for content to consume during the holidays, I warmly recommend listening to Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey dishing behind-the-scenes stories from the show, episode by episode.
Jerry Virta
Content Ops
About the author
I’m Foleon’s content governance police and quality gatekeeper. Besides telling people what to do, I enjoy creating written and visual content, wandering in nature, and consuming trash tv.
The latest from Foleon
- Foleon podcast series Perfectly Content, episode 2: From vision to brand: Bianca Belman-Adam on branding and rebranding