Let’s face it, getting the attention of your target audience isn’t easy in today’s marketing environment.
The concept of viral content is a modern enigma. It might appear as though videos of singing babies or fascinating deep-dive profiles of Instagram influencers suddenly gain millions of views. When it comes to viral material, there is frequently an unexplainable element of luck and timing, but for the most part, it boils down to planning, thinking, and attention to detail.
Here are four tips to create content that goes viral:
1. Know your audience
Successful content is entirely dependent on your audience and how they respond to it.
The first step to “virality” begins with your audience. Understand why your followers follow you, understand their background, then deliver posts that fulfill what they’re looking for. It’s hard to grow an audience without first establishing your brand and deciding the sort of follower you want to attract. Determine your desired niche or area of expertise, such as industry expert, social media maven, or brand influencer.
It’s hard to grow an audience without first establishing your brand and deciding the sort of follower you want to attract. Determine your desired niche or area of expertise, such as industry expert, social media maven, or brand influencer.
People will see your title and choose whether or not to click through. Include precise and actionable information in your headline to make it more appealing. Use a statistic in your headline or inform people how many tips they will receive.
People actively seek out information that guarantees a reaction because we know that if we respond, others will most likely react as well, ensuring that your shared content receives guaranteed views and likes.
3. Create content worth sharing
Another way to create viral content is to write content that people can relate to. Once you’ve captured the attention of your audience, you must deliver on the emotion or content promised in your hook.
People watch silly cat videos on the internet because they feel something when they watch them – a sense of levity in a chaotic world, a connection to a cherished pet, or just the opportunity to chuckle. The video of a cat about to pounce isn’t life-changing, deep, or even somewhat significant, but it does evoke emotion.
The most current trend in internet content is toward authenticity, which acts as an emotional hook in and of itself. After the audience complained that they didn’t want to see picture-perfect versions of life, the Influencers or content creators are now sharing about their hardships, life lessons, and day-to-day lifestyle.
Their content is effective because people can connect with and relate to it, and they believe that others in their networks will as well. This is how content becomes popular: the creator understands what their audience wants to see and delivers it in a way that encourages the audience to share it.
4. Make it visual
The packaging of everything needs to be pretty, isn’t it? Can you imagine the value of video if a static image is worth a thousand words?
Many industry professionals propose producing video content across social media networks to promote engagement lately. You might believe that making a viral video is risky, but there are a few things you can do to help your content take off.
To begin, keep in mind that longer isn’t always better when it comes to videos. The majority of individuals use mobile devices to access social media. This indicates that people are probably on the go or multitasking while watching your video. The key to a good video is to quickly hook viewers with an engaging title or thumbnail image and then end the video before they are bored.
Bottomline
In today’s oversaturated digital market, making viral content is more difficult than ever. A great social media post requires a combination of attention to detail, planning, and chance. A solid hook, good content, and an awareness of what your audience wants to see are the three components of viral content.
How you approach social media now should be an extension of yourself — an extension of who you are. Don’t try to be something or someone you’re not. Don’t try to hack the algorithm. Just show up as your true authentic self and watch what happens.
🔓 Unlock Success With 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency. Elevate your brand’s online presence and drive results with content marketing services from our expert content marketing strategist. Explore today for a winning strategy that delivers. Supercharge your content now!
Content marketing is one of the most diverse and involved sectors of the digital marketing industry. In this issue of the Marketing Expert Series Sendhelper’s Dheepu George takes us on a deep-dive into the world of content marketing and writing. A dedicated and award-winning journalism graduate, Dheepu has been working in the digital content sector for many years. His passion for journalism – especially for writing – has allowed him to work at the heart of digital marketing. So join us for this issue of the Series as Dheepu takes us on a journey, sharing his knowledge and experience.
Welcome, Dheepu! Excited for you to join us on this issue of the Marketing Expert Series. Let’s start with something easy. Tell us a bit about yourself! How did you get to where you are today?
Hello, I am Dheepu George. I am an award-winning journalism graduate from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Prior to pursuing journalism studies, I was at the helm of launching Sendhelper, the best home services brand in Singapore now, in 2015. Since then I had been leading its business operations and partner management before I went on to explore my passion for journalism, and writing in particular, in 2018. Post my graduation, as chance would have it, I returned to Sendhelper but this time as the Head of Content Marketing. I am proud to say that this homegrown startup is one of the top 50 rising tech startups in Southeast Asia. I am also a creative writer who happens to be a confessional poet although I pretend not to be one.
Currently, you’re the Head of Content Marketing at SendHelper. Tell us about SendHelper and your role there.
Sendhelper is one of the top 50 rising tech-enabled startups in Southeast Asia. We are a managed online marketplace that connects verified and trusted home service providers with households in Singapore. We offer a range of services like cleaning, cooking, laundry, aircon, handyman, home improvement and renovation, pest control, disinfection, elderly care, and tasks and errands. I am the head of content marketing at Sendhelper. My role is to devise strategies to create and market value-driven content that connects with our potential and existing customers and service partners across all brand platforms and social media channels. We create digital content – images, videos, articles – that answers questions and provides solutions to problems around household chores. Ultimately, our objective is to build a brand name that households can count on through delivering connected content experiences and thus helping them make informed decisions through their buying journey.
As a content marketer myself, I often get asked this question: what is content marketing exactly? What role does it play in brand development and digital marketing in general?
Content marketing in simple terms is creating and distributing relevant content to reach and nurture new customers with an objective to convert them as well as to retain and delight existing customers. Good content should address a customer’s pain points by providing them with appropriate solutions and helping them in each step of the buyer journey.
Content has always been at the core of every consumer-centric organisation and their marketing strategy. Only the methods of creation and channels of distribution have evolved or changed. Content marketing allows organisations to tell their brand stories to potential customers. In the long run, it helps you build brand awareness and authority. To grow as a voice of authority in a given domain and construct a positive brand image in the minds of customers, a focused and connected content experience across channels is necessary. Innovative content ideas will help you stand out from the rest. You have a clear affinity for content development for customer acquisition – in your opinion, what is it about content marketing that you find best helps drive customer acquisition?
Content marketing is about telling stories, stories that will resonate with your target audience. At Sendhelper, we create content that provides easy and convenient solutions for tackling household chores. We create content that provides customers solutions to enjoy an improved and stress-free lifestyle.
Content marketing helps you to build relationships with customers and enhance brand trust. Once you earn the trust of potential customers, they will eventually stay invested in your brand. What I like about content marketing is that we provide customers valuable information in a way it is easy to consume without demanding them to buy from us. There is less noise of hard-selling.
Say, for example, an expat living in Singapore might not be well educated about local rental agreement and different clauses in it. These clauses suggest mandatory home maintenance, regular aircon servicing etc. To help them understand these requirements, we write articles, create visually appealing and shareable infographics about it. Someone who moved in recently will definitely find this content informative and helpful. Content marketing attracts or pulls customers to like and trust brands.
Being said that, content development for customer retention is as important. It wouldn’t be right to say I have a clear affinity for customer acquisition. As much as we focus on the top, middle and bottom of the funnel, we must keep creating interesting content to nurture and engage with existing customers. Newsletters and social media engagement are great examples of this. It will bring you opportunities to upsell as well as more referrals. Any content marketing strategy should equally focus on both customer acquisition and delight after purchase; tell stories to delight them so they never will have to regret choosing you.
Social media requires a different approach than say, writing copy for websites, or developing articles; how would you suggest that a newcomer to the content marketing field learns how to navigate these different channels?
Whichever channel you choose to write for or create content, the key is knowing your audience. On social media, a more conversational tone is preferred over something formal. You can incorporate humour and friendly banter to draw the attention of your target audience and thus improve their engagement with your content. Finding your voice is necessary here because that is going to be the brand voice people will recognise eventually. Although Facebook allows for long-form writing, I would advise you to keep written content short and simple on social media otherwise. Writing articles is a different ball game. It is more like writing a journalistic piece, a feature story, I would say. Here research is important. Decide on what to write about based on search queries your target audience performs on search engines, feedback from regular customers or any topic you think is relevant to your business. You have the luxury to adopt flowery prose instead of simple sentences. However, make sure you present content in a digestible form with proper headlines and signposts. Using an appropriate and focused keyword based on your initial research will optimise your article for search engines.
Website copywriting must be to the point that will convert customers. There is no room for long-winded sentences and flowery words. Remember how your target audience will land on your website page. They would search for a solution to their problem on a search engine using a keyword and end up on your website. Once they are on your website, you should provide them with the exact information they are looking for. Otherwise, they will quit the page immediately (bounce off) and go in search of other websites. Consequently, a higher bounce rate will adversely affect your SEO rankings. Ask yourself, have you got all the necessary information on your landing page that a potential customer wants to know about you, your product or service offerings? Eventually, you need your website visitors to take a desired action like navigating to another page or proceeding to make a purchase. Lack of enough and easily consumable information shouldn’t break the deal. Who are you writing for? What is the objective of the content? Why are you writing it? How and when do you want your audience to take action? – These are the basic questions you need to keep in mind when writing for different channels.
Can you share some tips on how one can develop compelling content on social media or other platforms?
The first and foremost thing required to develop compelling content is to know your audience or who your customer is. Have a persona in mind. If you are creating content for everyone, you are creating for no one. The way you communicate to a stay-at-home mum is different from talking to a professional who is a bachelor. The language, choice of words and topics will be different while crafting content for different customer personas. Also, you must have a thorough understanding of social media platforms on which your target audience is more active and engaging; know where they are! You need not necessarily be on every social media platform. Choose the ones relevant to your audience, understand the nature of the platform, its algorithm and create customized content for each of them. You should also understand that what works on one platform may not be as effective on another. For example, articles and infographics work well on LinkedIn and Facebook whereas videos are effective on Instagram Reels, Tiktok and YouTube, and images on Pinterest. Once you understand your audience and learn the nuances of each platform, look out for real-life experiences your customers have shared with you on social media or the customer service team regarding your products or services. Solutions to their pain points can be turned into a blog topic or infographic, videos of happy customers are great additions to your social media, important days, festivities and observances every month are topics for content creation- these are some of the tips I can tell you from the top of my head.
2020 and 2021 have been interesting years, to say the least; as marketers, I think we’ve all seen a shift in how our audiences approach to content. What sort of new opportunities and/or developments do you believe will continue to grow, or indeed, develop based on the world’s experiences with COVID-19?
From my personal experience, I realise that customers value ‘trust’ more than ever. They wish to engage with reliable brands that assure quality and safety. From this standpoint, I would say creating high-quality content is the way forward. Content that evokes a feeling of belongingness, a sentiment of camaraderie and consideration, a sense of safety and care, a desire for endurance, and a need for empathy will play a vital role in every step of a customer journey moving forward. Consumers will only engage with brands they trust in a post-Covid world. I don’t think they will take chances with businesses considering the physiological and psychological challenges they endured in the past year or two. Brands that promise peace of mind will succeed.
Any advice you’d give to young and aspiring marketers, particularly those with a knack for storytelling or content development?
If you wish to grow as a storyteller or a content developer, keep your eyes and ears open. Consume any content that comes your way and try to make sense of it. Read as much as you can – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, articles, journals etc. Pay attention to content created by global as well as local brands so that you can adopt some of their best practices when you create your own content. This is how you learn until you find your own style. Improve your writing skills – learn to write without spelling or grammatical errors, learn to write in simple sentences and paragraphs. Pick up some basic image design skills (Photoshop or Canva), video making and editing skills (Adobe Premiere, Canva or VN Editor) and an understanding of content management systems like WordPress.
Thanks for taking part in this Series, Dheepu, and for sharing your experiences with us! How can people connect with you if they’d like to know more about you?
You can contact me on LinkedIn. Feel free to send me a connection request. If you are interested in poetry, send me a follow request on my Instagram handle, @dheepugeorge.
The Marketing Expert Series features marketing and communications experts from across every industry. Every month, 2Stallions will showcase the stories and expertise of marketing experts from around the world, join us as we explore how marketers navigate the challenges of the regions and industries they work in. If you’d like to be featured in the next issue of the Marketing Expert Series. Please reach out to us via email.
Looking to take your marketing to new heights? Look no further than our content marketing agency based in Singapore. Our team of experts, armed with data-driven strategies, will help you attract your dream audience, increase engagement and elevate your brand to new heights. Let’s kickstart your brand brilliance – reach out to us today!
Content Moguls 50, or CM50 for short, is the largest recognition platform in JAPAC region that awards and facilitates leading content practitioners throughout the region. Facilitated by the Content Marketing Summit Asia (CMS) and supported by the Asia Content Marketing Association (ACMA), this year, like 2020, CM 50 went online and hosted virtual award-giving ceremonies to continue their tradition of honouring content leaders in the region for their hard work and dedication to their field.
“To be awarded an honour like this is a big deal, particularly in the Content Marketing world,” Olwen stated on LinkedIn, “it’s really gratifying and empowering to know that the work I’ve done with 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency on initiatives like our Marketing Expert Series is really making waves, and is appreciated for the impact it has.”
The work Olwen has done for 2Stallions so far has already helped increase our lead generation by more than 200%, and we are very happy to celebrate Olwen’s well-deserved win with her and her fellow ‘Content Mogul Champions’.
As can be imagined, this award is an inspiration for the entire team, and, we hope, for our clients as well.
If you’re out there, wondering how you can drive sales and increase your lead generation, perhaps it’s time to look at improving your own content marketing. If so, get in touch today, we’re happy – and clearly equipped! – to help.
Content calendar (or editorial calendar) is a simple concept: a schedule of when and where to publish future content (posts, video materials, podcasts, etc). An efficient content calendar normally includes dates for publishing upcoming content, planned promotions, social media promotions and posts, and updates to previously published content.
A content calendar is of extreme importance for businesses because it helps devise and track marketing strategies. Not only does it help a business stay organized, but it also helps with monitoring SEO performance.
How to Use a Content Calendar Efficiently
That being said, even the finest of content calendars won’t be efficient if they are not used to their full potential. In plain words, creating a content calendar and not following up and updating it is not the way to go about things.
The most common goals a content calendar should help achieve are, as follows:
Ensures that planned tasks are going as planned
Provides overview of upcoming tasks
Ensures ideal content distribution
Ensures that collaboration is taking place
Additional features may be added as per specific goals, but these are the very basic and essential ones.
Elements of a Good Content Calendar
As is the case with everything in life, there is no universal rule when it comes to content calendars. However, while they are highly customizable, they still should feature a number of elements that are crucial for every marketing strategy. These include editorial, promotional items, platform and upcoming ideas.
A content calendar should be planned well ahead and created in such a way that it can be easily customized as needed. To ensure best results, stick to yourOKRs.
Editorial
Editorials should be the starting point of every content calendar. Namely, their goal is to list the posting schedule and all content planned for publishing.
Promotional Items
Promotional Items are pieces of content that will promote your services. They can vary in form and usually include a mixture of posts, podcasts, newsletters and various announcements.
Platform
Choosing the best platform where to host your content calendar is paramount, especially when there are multiple contributors. The calendar should be easily accessible to every contributor at all times.
A goodemail marketing calendar relies on swift responses, so if you’re running a large business, a suitable platform is essential.
There are numerous options when it comes to the choice of a platform and other content calendar tools, the most popular of which we will list hereby:
Trello (for marketing teams)
Asana (for marketing teams)
Slack (for marketing teams)
Coschedule (for marketing teams)
Google Sheets (for individuals)
MS Excel (for individuals)
Google Calendar (for individuals)
Certainly, there are other options as well, but there is a good reason why some tools are more popular than others.
Upcoming Ideas
Finally, note all ideas as they come as these can be later turned into efficient strategies. Keep in mind that audiences change (and so do trends), so the ideas you get along the way are extremely significant.
Whether it’s the newGmail templates or customer feedback, make sure to note all of the important insights in your content calendar.
How to Organize Your Content Calendar
Organizing a content calendar is a serious undertaking, especially for businesses with many contributors. However, it is not impossible and there are some best practices to help you in this matter, too.
First of all, make sure you have chosen the very best platform for your needs. Immediately define the dynamics of posting.
Content calendars for small-scale marketing plans may include only post titles and the dates when to post them.
On the other hand, complex content strategies should best feature all the steps of the content creation process that are easily understandable to all contributors.
Calendar Templates
Creating a template is always a good idea as it serves two purposes:
It simplifies the process.
It helps contributors get used to the routine, making the whole process faster and more efficient.
Again, no rules are set in stone, but some elements are simply logical to include in a content calendar template. Here are some tips:
The topic
Content-type
Publishing date and time
The channel where the content is to be published
Person in charge (for marketing teams)
Remember to follow through to ensure your content strategy is going as planned.
The Frequency of Publishing
This is a tricky question, especially since feedback is essential in this matter and is often one of the toughest elements of a marketing strategy.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, we will still provide some ideas in hopes they will help you make better decisions.
I.e., social media posts can be published more frequently, as they also include reposting of older content that new followers haven’t had the chance to see.
It is generally recommended to publish at least one new blog post weekly, as you’ll want to keep your audience engaged.
Recycle Older Content
As mentioned above, there will always be new customers and followers who haven’t seen all previously published content. Hence, it is always a good idea to recycle older content.
In addition, it is highly recommended that you update older posts with new information, so re-sharing the updated versions is simply a must.
Be clever in your approach. Even if there won’t always be new information to add, you can make an infographic using the existing blog posts. You can go one step further and turn them into video material, a podcast… ideas are endless.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to brainstorming your content calendar. It is an inspiring process, but don’t forget to simplify the steps that can be simplified.
It is of utmost importance to ensure that the entire content team is on the same page and that all new content is relevant.
Keep updating older posts and recycling the content for best results, and your marketing strategy will flourish.
Guest Author
Viola Eva is passionate about digital entrepreneurship, flow, and mindful marketing. As a marketing consultant and founder of Flow SEO, she has worked with clients ranging from individual digital entrepreneurs to software companies to multi-national corporates and government institutions. She is a speaker, educator, and specialist on all things SEO known from Search Engine Journal, UnGagged, Pubcon, Wordcamp Europe and many other events and publications.
📈 Looking to take your digital presence to the next level? Look no further! Our top-rated SEO agency in Singapore is home to a team of talented and innovative minds who are dedicated to helping you stand out online. Don’t wait any longer to make your mark – get in touch with us today!
Welcome back to another edition of #2STeamStories, a monthly serial that lets you get to know more about the 2Stallions Family and what they do. From internships, UI/UX design, to content marketing, #2STeamStories aims to help everyone get a better picture about life at an agency. We also hope to provide insights into each speciality and encourage aspiring marketers to join this dynamic and exciting industry.
In this edition, we dive into the world of our Head of Content, Olwen van Dijk-Hildebrand. True to the long-form that is her specialty, Olwen shares her journey into the marketing world, coming into it unexpectedly. Join us as she takes us through her career history and her arrival at 2Stallions and learn what it takes to generate content that connects and inspires individuals.
Hi Olwen! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, everyone, I’m Olwen. I’m Dutch-Indonesian born, but I’ve spent the majority of my life living all over the world. My father worked at the UN, and as a result I spent my childhood travelling from country to country with the rest of my family – parents and a younger brother. I spent the first 5 years of my life in Yemen, and have fleeting but fond memories of the place; after that we lived in London for a year, and Africa for eight years following that – first in Ivory Coast and then in Mozambique. I finished high school in Fiji, and finally went on to university in Australia, where I finished my tertiary education and met my husband. After close to a decade in Australia, we made the move to Malaysia where my parents had retired.
Can you share your marketing journey with us? How did you first start marketing? How did you find your way to working at 2Stallions?
I stumbled into marketing more out of necessity than choice. In 2012, my husband and I bought a small cafe in the Dandenong Hills in Melbourne. We ran the cafe for three years and during that time, I managed our Facebook page, and thus my introduction to marketing. I didn’t think about it that way, of course; at the time I was simply trying to drum up business and raise what I would now call brand awareness.
In 2015, we sold the cafe having earned a wealth of experience in the culinary and barista arts and customer service, and moved to Malaysia. It was a big move, and neither my husband nor I knew exactly what we were going to do when we got here, but we wanted a change and so we made a change.
I applied for jobs and eventually found my way into a marketing executive position in Kuala Lumpur at AQ Services International, a mystery shopping company. I was with them for five years, really until the pandemic kicked in. When I left I’d gone from executive, lone wolf marketer to the senior communications manager with a team of six. I was really quite proud of the work we’d accomplished and it was a shame to have to leave it, but circumstances being what they were there wasn’t much choice.
Luckily for me, I’d worked with 2Stallions since 2016 – AQ Services had been a client for several years – and Daniel Heerkens reached out to me in mid-2020 to offer me a job.
Can you share with us a little about what’s expected in your role?
At 2Stallions, my role as Head of Content is essentially expected to create all the content for internal marketing efforts and to help with client projects where needed. I develop and adapt the content strategy for internal marketing and create the content to go with it. Content marketers generate content and content concepts for all marketing channels, including our company blog and our social media channels.
What are some of your favourite things about content marketing?
I have a passion for words. I love what they can do and how much power they have when used in different circumstances. Content marketing is essentially knowing how to use words to inspire emotional reactions – what you see on social media or read in a blog are all driven by that same concept. What I love about content marketing is that it lies at the heart of all marketing – I might be biased, but really without content, digital marketing is an empty vessel.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Speaking the right language, whether visual or words, is the trickiest part to get right. Content marketing is about speaking to a target audience, so the hardest part is trying to find the way to do that. You have to reach people in a memorable way, and sometimes the most powerful way to do that is through the right word choice.
How do you like to spend your time away from work?
When I’m not working, I spend time with my family – that is, my husband and our two cats. We enjoy watching movies or shows together. On the weekends, especially at the moment with the pandemic lockdown, I write, fiction mostly. To destress I play video games – currently, I’m really into the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game Mobile Legends, but I’m a massive Skyrim fan as well. I also spend a lot of time online, scrolling through social media feeds, constantly looking to learn about current content trends and preferences. If I had to pick a favourite platform, I’d go with LinkedIn, but I enjoy Instagram and TikTok as well.
Get to know our #2StallionsFamily with the #2STeamStories tag. Discover the works done by our diverse team of digital marketing professionals who’ll bring your ideas to life with impactful designs. If you’re looking for a content marketing expert, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Content creation is at the heart of marketing, feeding digital marketing strategies and driving brand awareness. When you break it down, without content, marketing is reduced to empty strategies that don’t go anywhere. Creating engaging content takes skill and experience, it also demands a strong understanding of target audiences and markets. Luckily for Dulux/AkzoNobel, Sunny Naresh is the right man for the job.
From the newsdesks of TODAY newspaper to the well-known stage of the brand that is AkzoNobel, Sunny has come a long way and built himself a strong, enviable career. With a background of sports journalism, social media, and content creation, he has the experience and the passion that all digital marketers need to truly make a difference. Join us for this issue of the Marketing Expert Series as Sunny takes us through his career and the experiences that brought him to where he is today.
Hi, Sunny, welcome to the Marketing Expert Series!Let’s start with some of the basics, can you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you get to where you are now?
I started my career in the newsroom of the TODAY newspaper and was assigned to the digital desk where I was part of the team that handled the website and social media platforms of the newspaper.
After spending four years there I felt it was time to move up the ranks and moved to Lagardere Sports, where I could combine my love for content creation with my love for sports and help our clients expand their digital footprint across Asia.
The move to AkzoNobel was a lateral one as I wanted to break out of the sports industry and gain some experience in the consumer goods sector so people could see me as a digital marketer instead of a sports marketer. I’m still doing what I love when it comes to content creation and the added challenge of being in an unfamiliar and competitive industry really drives me to improve myself and my contributions to the team.
How did you end up in this line of work? Was there something that drew you to it?
I’ve always enjoyed creating content and I’ve enjoyed writing from a very young age. My stories were published frequently in school publications and in university I worked as a freelance writer for sports websites, helped people tidy up their resumes and even wrote wedding speeches to help pay my way through school.
That love for writing helped me land a job in the newsroom and I worked with a great team who helped expand my skill set by teaching me how to shoot and edit video and photos, and how to share all sorts of content on websites and social media.
Those skills helped me evolve from a reporter to a content producer and eventually into a marketer. As I gain more experience I do less writing and editing and more presentation decks and media plans instead but that working knowledge has allowed me to be more understanding to partner agencies and also come up with more realistic production timelines for projects.
Right now you are the Digital Marketing Manager for Dulux/AkzoNobel. Can you tell us a little about your role and what it entails? What’s it like working for such a well-known brand as Digital Marketing Manager?
The focus of my role at AkzoNobel is customer engagement and my scope of work includes managing the social media platforms, overseeing the development of digital content and working with the media planning agency to ensure our campaigns are running smoothly and hitting all the KPIs.
It is a sole contributor role so I work with several agencies to carry out the operational tasks while I work on a more strategic level to chart the next phase of the company’s digital content offering and find out new partners and technologies which we can leverage on.
Working for a well-known brand has its perks and challenges. On the bright side you do have generous budgets to work with and this allows you to go that extra mile to ensure the content produced will work with the target audience. Testing digital content and data analytics are just some of the additional steps we’ve taken to quality-check our work. Bigger companies do tend to be more risk-averse when trying new content ideas but the testing and reports play a big part in the decision and approval process.
On your LinkedIn profile, you mention some of your job aspects in this position. For example, you talk about introducing YouTube optimisation, influencer marketing, centralised social media and brand-led digital media campaigns across eight markets in South East Asia. Is there a campaign or singular moment you are most proud of?
Definitely the roll-out of influencer marketing in AkzoNobel. We introduced this when the Covid-19 lockdowns were first announced around March or April last year and we wanted to maintain a brand presence online despite all our campaigns being put on hold and budgets slashed.
Thankfully it worked out brilliantly for us. We had a minimal budget to work with so we targeted micro-influencers in the home decor space and we were able to reach more people and generate more conversations than competitors despite having fewer pieces of content. The success of this trial led to other markets asking to be included in the programme, which has expanded to five markets now.
What are the biggest challenges you face when marketing to such diverse markets throughout the region?
When it comes to social media everyone has their own opinion on what works best and it can get difficult to convince them that how they use social media personally might not be the same way the rest of the world consumes media. Using data has been one of the most effective ways to get around this problem as it helps us take a more objective and results-driven view towards our social media and content strategy.
Another challenge is maintaining the balance between centralised, regional content and local content on social media. Having a standard content plan shared across several markets is efficient in maintaining brand integrity but there’s no doubt that content that’s created based on local trends is among the best performing content on social media.
We try to maintain an 80-20 ratio between the number of content pieces between regional and local content but the budget split for boosting that content is split 80-20 in favour of local content.
Before Dulux/AkzoNobel, you were the Digital Manager Lagadère Sports, and before that at MediaCorp as a digital producer/reporter. You’ve got a very prestigious CV! Was it difficult to shift gears from one industry to the other?
Not at all! The industries were very different but the skill set needed to succeed in all these roles were the same.
At MediaCorp, being in the digital team exposes you to various industries and you do need to understand the news that’s coming in from the local, business, global, entertainment and sports desks to be able to decide which one gets more prominence online. I also wrote articles on sports and technology for print and that helped me build a little niche for myself to stand out.
The transition to Lagardere was easy for me as I am a huge sports fan so I already understood what the client wanted from Day 1 and could get down to executing the social media strategies that I believed would work best for them.
The job scope at Lagardere Sports and AkzoNobel is very similar and there was an orientation programme to help new staff understand the various products the company sold.
The biggest change was understanding how different an agency operated compared to a multinational company. There were a lot more processes in place at AkzoNobel and several approvals are needed to move forward in projects but that helps ensure everything is within brand guidelines and all bases are covered.
You have many years of experience marketing to the diverse citizens of South East Asia. Have you noticed any significant changes in how we market products over the last decade?
Definitely, people are increasingly making their purchase decision based on emotion so it’s becoming more important for brands to strike up a conversation with the target audience and building the brand reputation instead of just pushing the benefits of your product.
The digital world has also changed the way we market products by providing us so many platforms and formats to use. From memes to carousels to collaborative ads to search engine marketing, there’s a format to suit every specific need a brand would need. The challenge for marketers is to pick what works best for them instead of indulging in the whole buffet laid out for them.
Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the elephant in the room, the global pandemic. Clearly, COVID-19 has impacted a lot of companies and industries all around the world in the same way. Have your own marketing strategies for Dulux had to change because of it?
When COVID-19 first struck it led to several of our dealers closing their outlets and like most companies AkzoNobel took a cautious approach and stopped all ongoing marketing campaigns.
But the pandemic resulted in digital marketing becoming the central pillar for further marketing efforts. We started using influencers, we optimised our YouTube channels with the help of 2Stallions and we even developed other services like Dulux Painter Marketplace (which is like an Uber for painters) and AI-powered Preview Service which generates colour proposals for your home in less than 24 hours.
What about for you, personally, when this pandemic is over, what’s next for you?
The first thing I would like to do is take a holiday and travel out of Singapore. My wife and I have drafted our itinerary for a trip to London which includes a flight up to Liverpool to watch my favourite football team play. The only thing that’s missing on that plan is the date when we can actually travel.
On the bright side the additional time at home brought on by Covid-19 has allowed me to finally go ahead with some personal passion projects such as a children’s book series which I hope gets picked up by a publisher.
Any advice you’d give to young and aspiring marketers in the region?
It’s never too early to start. If you’re still in school, try exploring freelance opportunities or internships to understand the industry and how to manage the relationships between agencies and companies.
The second piece of advice is to be brave. New ideas are shot down every day and the most common reason I’ve heard is “we have always done things this way”. Take that as a challenge instead of being discouraged and use that as motivation to build your case to convince your colleagues that your idea will succeed.
Thank you, Sunny! It’s been a pleasure to ‘speak’ with you and learn more about your experiences and insights. How can people connect with you if they’d like to know more about you?
The pleasure is all mine. Look me up on Instagram (@sunnynaresh) or LinkedIn if you’d like to connect or find out more about myself or other personal projects I’m working on.
The Marketing Expert Series features marketing and communications experts from across every industry. Every month, 2Stallions will showcase the stories and expertise of marketing experts from around the world, join us as we explore how marketers navigate the challenges of the regions and industries they work in. If you’d like to be featured in a next issue of the Marketing Expert Series. Please reach out to us via email.
🚀 Elevate Your Marketing Efforts With a Trusted Content Marketing Agency in Singapore. Take advantage of our team’s knowledge and data-based strategy to attract your goal traffic and engagement and amplify your brand position. Get in touch with us now to ignite the brand’s brilliance.
In the first part of our content marketing series, we discussed the what and how of content marketing. In this article, we’ll bring you through 5 easy steps to build a personalised content marketing strategy that works for your brand.
By now, you already know that content marketing is essential to take your business to new heights.
This method of attracting and nurturing leads has been proven to be one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways of establishing brand awareness, build trust with your target audience and even acquiring new customers.
When planned and executed strategically, content marketing can boost web traffic to your business site, increase social following and establish yourself as an industry leader.
An effective content marketing plan is strategic in both its production and delivery. Without a well-developed execution plan, your content would lose all its meaning.
The difference between content marketing and having a content strategy
Content marketing strategy is an overview plan you have for every piece of content related to your business. In other words, it is the blueprint that maps out the production and delivery of content for your brand.
If you’re unsure of how you can start your content marketing strategy, look no further. In this guide, we will walk you through 5 simple steps that will help you develop a content marketing strategy that’ll drive results and grow your business.
5 Essential Steps to Help you Develop an Effective Content Marketing Strategy:
Step 1. Set Your Goals Strategically
Step 2. Understand Your Audience
Step 3. Streamline Content Process
Step 4. Distribute Content Effectively
Step 5. Optimize Content for SEO
1. Set Your Goals Strategically
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.” This inspirational quote from Tony Robbins, an American author and public speaker is what you need to remember when you kick-start your content plan.
To know what content pieces work for your brand, you need to first map out an overview of your strategy (setting clear and defined objectives), establish ROI targets and outline a clear direction for your business’ growth.
Here are some goals to help you get started:
Increase website traffic
Attract new prospects
Convert leads to customers
Gain influence and authority
Increase visibility in search engines
These are measurable andquantifiable goals which will help you measure the effectiveness of your content strategy in the long run.
Using tools such as Google Analytics will help you measure key metrics such as web traffic and top viewed pages. With these data, you’ll know what content works and what doesn’t. This will help you make informed revisions to improve your strategy progressively.
2. Understand Your Audience
After setting your goals, the next crucial step would be to identify and understand your target audience.
This is important because a customer’s purchase decision is highly dependent on whether they find your content valuable and helpful. Therefore, content marketers have to keep in mind their target audience in order to create content that sells. Otherwise, you might fail at creating content that your customers care about.
If your content resonates well with your customers or you helped them understand what to buy, they’re likely to purchase from you.
Using data to segment your target audience
One way to can create the right content that reaches your customers is by collecting demographic data. Web analytics and social media sites are a reliable source of audience data. They often provide customer insights such as audience demographics, interests, education, income, and so on.
Here’s an example of how you can use Google Analytics to collect audience data to plan topics and create content that suits their interests.
To obtain these sets of data, go to Audience » Interests » Overview. In that page, you will see the market segments of your site visitors. Under overview, take note of the affinity categories (that are grouped by interest) with a greater reach (higher percentage). These are topic categories that most of your audience are interested in and topics that you should be creating.
Google Analytics can help you identify your audiences’ interests
Social networks also offer similar data. For example, you can get demographic information on your Facebook fans via Facebook Page Insights.
Facebook insights allows you to understand the demographic of your audience such as age and gender
From these data, you can move on to categorise your audience into broader categories and create customer personas. Customer personas are extremely useful to help you identify the needs and wants of your customer. Knowing who your customer is will also will help you craft the right message that speaks to them directly, thus humanizing your marketing communication.
3. Streamline Content Process
Once you’re done with the first two steps, you may begin planning your content production. This is where you will streamline your content marketing efforts to produce fast and efficient content.
Start your plan by defining the buyer’s journey. In most cases, you can base your strategy around these funnels: top of the funnel, middle of the funnel, and bottom of the funnel.
The first one is the awareness stage, where people seek answers to their questions through research. The middle funnel is known as the evaluation stage, where people conduct extensive research on whether your product or service is a perfect fit for them. Lastly, the bottom funnel or purchase stage is where people figure out what it would take to become your customer.
You should take these funnels into account when creating content. There should be content pieces (i.e. product guides, blogs, social posts, research studies, etc.) specifically designed for each stage of the funnel.
Next, you must plan an editorial calendar. Brainstorm content topics with your team and assign writing and editorial tasks to your key team members.
It’s ideal to keep all your content ideas in a spreadsheet. However, spreadsheets have their downside. They lack automation and commenting functionality. If you want to see everything in place and avoid missing deadlines, you can opt for content calendar tools such as Google Calendar, Kanban Flow, Trello, Contently, and more.
4. Distribute Content Effectively
Content marketing isn’t only about developing high-quality content for your target audience. It also deals with the process of promoting and distributing your content through different channels.
If you fail to distribute your content effectively, it would be impossible to reach the widest audience possible. You’re also likely to fail your ROI targets such as driving traffic to your website, attracting new prospects and customers, gain authority, and more.
But how do you build an email list? Here are a few tips on how to encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list:
Include CTA buttons on every landing page on your website
Add pop-up images or slider on all your landing pages
Send out pop-up surveys while visitors are browsing
Add email captures at the end of your blog posts
Re-engage contacts inactive subscribers
To learn more about creating a mailing list for your business, click here.
Once you created your email list, you may proceed with content distribution. You can create a paid subscription model for premium content, send weekly newsletters and exclusive content (i.e. How-to videos, invitation, etc.), offer exclusive coupons or discounts, and more.
This will help you engage and connect with potential and existing customers at a lower cost (compared to paid ads to boost sales). Due to its greater outreach, conversion rates are also likely to improve.
2. Social media is another powerful platform for distributing content.
Globally, around 3.8 billion people use social networks including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn. This means you should establish your presence on at least some of these channels in order to attract a greater pool of customers.
Here are some tips to curate content for your social media accounts:
Repurpose and curate your own content
Be consistent with your updates
Share your blog articles and other content on social media
Post engaging visual content such as videos, infographics, slide presentations, and more
Create content based on the latest trends or news and share it across your social networks (increasing “shareability”)
Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) are intertwined. The two might be different in concept but they are an essential combination for content marketing to generate results.
While the former focuses on creating and distributing content for a targeted audience, the latter helps to make your content visible in search engines. This combination is also known as SEO optimised content which will result in 2 main benefits for your business.
First, it will help your site rank higher on Google.
Quality content is what engages your target audience. As more readers pick up your content and shares it with their network, it creates greater engagement and traffic to your site.
With more engagement and clicks on your content, Google recognises your site to be relevant and valuable to users. That is because Google thinks online users are searching and liking your content, therefore prioritizing your page over others. Consequently, Google rewards your page with a higher position in their search results page (SERP).
After building a strong web presence with a higher site ranking, you will start to attract more targeted traffic and increase your customer base.
Over time, your brand can establish a strong brand presence online and become a reputable source of information when users search for content you posted about.
Secondly, SEO-optimised content like landing pages can prompt higher conversions.
SEO optimization is important to decrease loading speed of a page in order to provide a pleasant user experience for your audience.
When your webpages load fast, are easy to navigate, and optimized for desktop and mobile, site visitors may stay for a while and continue browsing for a longer time. In this case, you have a better chance of holding their attention and turning them into paying customers.
Optimizing content for SEO requires both the technical and content writing skills to ensure you enhance the effectiveness of your content for the search engines.
Search engine optimization typically involves the following procedures:
Perform keyword research
Write content based on keywords
Optimize content for main keywords
Build backlinks
Update links and keywords
Analyse rankings and traffic
To bring in more traffic to your website and achieve better results, hire a competent SEO specialist or SEO agency. SEO experts can help you to facilitate web results and monitor your campaigns.
The Takeaway
It will require some time before your content marketing strategy takes effect.
Nevertheless, you should still make your content marketing strategy the heart of your marketing initiatives. It’s crucial for building your brand identity and winning the confidence of your target audience.
Whether you’re new to building a content marketing strategy or you’ve been using the same approach for a while, it’s important to constantly revise your strategy to ensure it stays up-to-date, innovative, and engaging for your customers.
Make use of our 5 steps guide we’ve provided, and you’ll be able to develop a strategic approach to drive online visibility and growth for your business.
🚀 Elevate Your Digital Approach with 2Stallions: Your Route to Content Excellence! Discover top-tier content marketing solutions to elevate your brand’s visibility through our unmatched services. Step into a world of limitless possibilities – contact us and embark on this transformative journey with us today!
If there’s
one overused cliché in content marketing, it would be “Content is King.” As
cliché as it sounds, this phrase speaks the truth because any kind of content
(i.e. blog posts, infographics, videos, etc.) can help brands in endless ways.
Words and
visuals, in particular, are powerful communication tools. They help to
establish your brand identity, build a connection with your audiences, boost
awareness of your brand, and generate qualified leads among other benefits.
This is why
every company should make content an essential part of its marketing arsenal. Businesses
should utilise content marketing to improve awareness, leads, and sales.
If your
organisation hasn’t developed a solid content marketing strategy yet, now is
the time to jump on the bandwagon.
Keep reading to learn more about content marketing and how to make high-quality content pieces that work for your business.
It
aims to capture the interest of audiences and solve their pain points by
creating content that serves these goals.
This blog you’re reading right now is a form of content marketing. That online survey you answered, the email you opened and social media posts you liked is also another form of content marketing.
Other
types of content marketing include:
case studies
infographics
webinars
podcasts
videos
Why Content Marketing Works
Content
marketing works wonders because of 3 major reasons: it delivers value to audiences, builds trust over time, and attracts the
right target audience for your brand.
Think
of blog articles as an example. These content pieces are written for a certain
group of audiences to address specific needs, pain points, and desires.
When
the readers’ problems are addressed and solved through your articles, your blog
site establishes an authority. Readers will keep coming back for more, thus
allowing your brand to engage better leads and customers.
Still not convinced that content marketing works? Take a look at these content marketing statistics:
Content marketing statistics
Content Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Next Campaign
You
now know what content marketing is all about. You are aware on how it can help
your marketing efforts. Let’s take a look at some successful examples that can
inspire you into action!
Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign
Coca-Cola company personalised its cans with 250
of the most common names and people around the world went crazy in search of a
can bearing their name. The campaign was a major success because it appealed to human emotions, inspiring
shared moments of happiness among friends and family.
In Australia alone, the soft drink manufacturer sold more than 250 million(that is 10 times of its population size!) bottles and cans within 3 months.
Superdrug challenges beauty
standards with the campaign: “Perceptions of Perfection Across Borders”
Superdrug Online Doctor is a
website offering prescription and medical consultation services. The brand asked
designers from 18 countries to retouch a woman’s photo according to their country’s beauty standard.
The project aimed to better understand potentially, the unrealistic standards
of beauty and to see how pressures on women’s bodies vary around the world.
The
project turned out to be a success because of the body positivity message it
left: there’s no such thing as the
perfect body.
These pictures quickly made headlines when they were first published and sparked lots of conversations online which boosted the brand awareness of Superdrug.
BuzzFeeds Tasty facebook page –
Building a juggernaut with short video content
BuzzFeed’s instructional cooking
arm, Tasty, is one of the biggest publishing brands on Facebook and it’s also
the juggernaut behind the success of Buzzfeed’s video marketing.
Tasty successfully captured
people’s interests by publishing recipes and other food-related content
consistently. The brand also began the
unique 60-second video format, making it popular on Facebook feeds.
In September 2016, Tasty’s main Facebook page was the third-biggest video account on Facebook with nearly 1.7 billion video views. Today, Tasty has grown into a multi-stream revenue model with over a 100 million followers, receiving an average of 300,000 views for each of its new video.
Remember, content is an essential piece
of information. All the information presented in it can help you succeed at
persuading and entertaining your readers. With that in mind, it is important to
create a content marketing strategy that
focuses on producing quality content.
There are 4 qualities to a great piece of content:
1. It Should Be ReadABLE
First things first, your content should be
readable. It should be easy on the eyes.This means it should meet the
following readability factors: font
size, text and background colour, white space, and more.
You can’t expect your target audience to stay
on your website if your content is written in tiny fonts. Troublesome colour
combinations can also result in headaches, which can tune your readers out in
the first few minutes of their site visit.
Also, white space should be your friend. Make
sure the column width, vertical spaces between lines, and space around the
images aren’t too tight for easier reading.
For content to be readable, it should also be easy to understand. Audience’s attention span keeps shortening over
the years. That’s
why you should convey your message simply to avoid alienating readers in the
first few minutes or seconds.
Secondly, follow the KISS principle. Keep it short and simple. Steer clear of complex
words and jargons to get your message across. It’s also ideal to reduce the
length of your sentences.
While there’s no definitive rule on the ideal length of a paragraph, a great way to paragraph would be around ideas. Split your paragraphs into sections to make chunks of information easy to read.
2. It Should Be ShareABLE
The best content gets more eyeballs not only
because it’s readable but also because it’s shareable. Oftentimes, content
shareability depends on one significant factor: the topic itself.
If you want to get your content shared, come up
with content ideas that resonate well with varied audience types. You can begin
your topic research by looking into the following: emotions, trend, and identity.
Creating content that elicits emotions such as excitement, joy and awe can your make
brand or campaign viral. Strike these positive chords to connect with your
audiences emotionally and eventually attract more likes, clicks, or shares.
Finding trending topics and building upon them is
another sure-fire way to make content shareable. Provide your target audience with content that speaks to their
interests and this may help inspire discussion and connection among
like-minded individuals.
Let’s say you’re targeting people who love to
travel. This type of audience has various interests—destination, experience,
food, and so on. You may write a blog article that features a list of vacation
spots and activities in a specific location.
People are also more likely to share content on their social media profiles if they can relate to and see themselves in it. Try to understand what your target audience believes in and create a piece of content that affirms their points of view.
3. It Should Be ActionABLE
For a content
marketing campaign to be effective, the content should not only spread information to a specific
audience, but it should also prompt
action and explain to the reader how they can achieve a certain objective.
This is known as actionable content.
When
creating actionable content, you must understand your prospect’s dilemmas or
problems. You need to recognise these
problems and provide answers, solutions or helpful advice.
So how
do you actually create this kind of content?
First,
you should focus on the ‘how-to’ element
of your content. Instead of only presenting a list of ideas, explain how to
execute them or guide readers on how to choose the right one.
Next, use
visuals (i.e. images and videos) to
explain your thoughts and ideas. The human brain is hardwired for
visual content. Adding visual elements
to your content will help your audiences process the information easily.
Also, actionable
tips that are backed by real-life
examples can convince your readers to take action. Include examples and
statistics within sections of your posts to make your content trustworthy.
Lastly, use clear calls-to-action (CTAs). Keep them short and sweet but make sure you get the message across whilst evoking a sense of urgency.
4. It Should Be MemorABLE
Great
content leaves your audience in awe. It lets readers hang on to your words or
message not just for a moment, but for a long time.
Tapping into a single emotion such as
happiness, sadness, anger or fear is one way to make content stick with your
target audience. In a study conducted by Psychology Today, it was found that people respond to the emotional part of the
ads than the text itself.
That is why tear-jerking and humorous campaigns
tend to leave an impact on audiences. The strong emotions they convey help to
engage, influence, and inspire people, making the campaign viral and memorable.
Apart from using emotional triggers, there’s
another method to leave your audience awestruck- a cliff-hanger.
There are a few steps to create cliff-hanger
content. First, begin with writing strong and magnetic headlines. Your headline
should give readers a glimpse of your content’s purpose. Next, craft a
promising introduction. Tell readers why they should care about your post and promise
them a solution to their problems.
Then, leave them with a question that will make them reflect on how they can implement the knowledge you provided. The question should leave them wanting for more and clicking your call-to-action (CTA) button.
Back to You
Behind
every successful brand, there are high-value content pieces designed to promote
its business.
If you want
to stand out or at least keep up with your competition, then develop content that’s readABLE, shareABLE,
actionABLE, and memorABLE.
Fun fact: Those
four words all end in ABLE. That means you have a bigger chance to achieve your
goals if you’re able to create content that meets the above qualities.
Here at 2Stallions, we recognise the value of content marketing and uphold the above practices. If you need assistance with developing content that engages and sells, we would be happy to help.
🔓 Unlock Your Brand’s Potential With an Expert Content Marketing Company. Elevate Your Online Presence, increase engagement, be at the top of the minds of your targetted users, and Drive Results. Get in touch with us today!
Globally, people are choosing the internet as a way to access information, communicate and carry out daily tasks such as shopping and banking. With over half of the world’s population using the internet, it’s no surprise that companies are going digital to sell their products and services online where their consumers are found.
According to Forbes, 70% of companies in 2019 already have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one. 52% of marketers around the world also made digital transformation as their key focus for driving growth.
The rate of digital transformation is accelerated when the world is hit with COVID-19.
Digital marketing is likely an area of growth right now and a potential career path for many. Many companies may not be hiring right now, and you may be anxious about a job opportunity. Instead of worrying, focus on developing your skills and building your portfolio.
Don’t let the speed of digital marketing change outpace your ability to adapt and expand your skills. This is the time for you to brush up your digital marketing skills and make yourself a potential hire after the pandemic situation improves.
If you are a fresh graduate or someone looking to enter the digital marketing field, here are 3 ways we recommend for you to upskill yourself and learn more about digital marketing.
3 Ways To Learn Digital Marketing
1. Make Use Of Online Resources To Self-Learn
Google and Facebook offer free certified courses
A great way to get started is to use online resources for learning.
Google’s Skillshop and Facebook’s Blueprint are popular platforms among aspiring digital marketers. Not only are they reputable and credible sources for learning, but they also offer a huge range of current and updated courses. Additionally, you can earn recognized certificates upon completion of the lessons!
Let us take a look at Google Skillshop. It offers important – and FREE – courses for their products such as Google Analytics and Google ads– all of which are essential tools used by digital marketing agencies and ad specialists today. Thus, it will be beneficial for you to learn how to use these Google products to their full potential and earn a Google product certification to showcase your expertise to future employers.
The lessons and content are also categorized according to their difficulty level, which will make learning easier for a beginner. One thing to note for Google Skillshop certification is that they typically last for 1 year, so you’ll have to recertify annually. Not to worry, Google Skillshop will send reminders for you to recertify before your certification expires.
Other than Google Skillshop and Facebook Blueprint, another favourite learning platform for marketers is HubSpot. You will find on their website, that HubSpot hosts a vast library of free training and online courses. The courses are taught by industry experts that are typically less than 4 hours long, which also makes learning easy and less time consuming for everyone.
General assembly is another well-known educational site, which is currently offering “Free Fridays”- a list of free courses meant for digital marketing beginners. Although these are not certifiable courses, they are nevertheless informative introductory courses for anyone looking to enter the field of digital marketing.
Take advantage of discounted digital marketing courses
Equinet Academy, ClickAcademy Asia and Udemy are also great alternatives. Click Academy Asia provides public and corporate training in the areas of digital marketing, media and advertising, as well as leadership skills and professional soft skills. A great course series we recommend is the Certified Digital Marketing Strategist (CDMS) programme that will be up to 90% subsidized for self-funded Singaporeans. It’s a course that will help you create a good overview of all digital marketing areas.
For a more detailed course into UI/UX design, you may take a look at Udemy that is currently offering a promotion for their web design courses.
Whether it’s running an Instagram page, writing articles or shooting videos, it’s important that you have practical skills beyond theoretical knowledge.
You might be an avid reader and have a passion for writing. Consider starting a blog and build a list of articles you’d love to share with readers online. You may refer to our guide on the ways you can improve your content marketing skills and get some of our copywriting tips. The more you write, the better you’ll be at content creation.
If writing is not your strong suit, but you enjoy shooting and editing videos, you can work on improving your video marketing skill which is also an important skill needed for many businesses these days. It’s not necessary to have a professional camera. Start with your smartphone and experiment with different frames and angles. The more you practice, the more familiar you will be with the art of videography.
As you start working on your projects, you’re also building your portfolio which will help showcase your best works to your future employer. This way, you’ll gain a competitive edge over other candidates who lacks a portfolio because you have actual projects to demonstrate your level of knowledge and skills.
The best way to learn is still to get hands-on experience through an actual job. That is because it’s the chance for you to ask questions, work on real projects and measure the actual results of your work.
However, in times where we work from home, this might not be an option yet. But you should still use the opportunity now to improve your digital marketing skills. Build your portfolio and equip yourself with knowledge of the industry to make yourself more attractive as a potential hire.
After the pandemic situation improves and companies start hiring again, you will find yourself better prepared to land a job with a digital marketing agency. If you’d like to explore a digital marketing career with us, take a look at our job openings!
Wrapping Up
When we talk about Digital Marketing, we refer to everything from copywriting to enhancing customer experience through better UI/UX design. There are many fields for you to become an expert in and many ways for you to do so. Make sure to check out the online learning platforms we recommended and get started on your digital marketing journey! Remember to follow our blog to stay up to date about all things Digital Marketing.
Supercharge your brand’s online presence by partnering with our dynamic digital marketing and advertising agency. Our team has expertly incorporated a comprehensive marketing system that expands your reach across various platforms. Enjoy a personalized strategy that delivers tangible outcomes and enhances your brand’s influence in the digital realm.
Daniel was invited to give a guest lecture to a group of communications students at Singapore Management University (SMU) on content marketing. During the lecture, Daniel shared his expertise on the importance of communications and brand storytelling.
Additionally, he shared the trends shaping the marketing industry and gave tips on what makes a compelling story in the eyes of clients and businesses.
He also highlighted that content marketing is an essential part of any marketing strategy. It is an affordable way to maximize their online visibility, create authority and build trust between a business and its customers.
The difference between advertising and content marketing
How content marketing works to create impact for businesses
Daniel went on to add that marketers have to understand consumers and craft content that engages their audience. Quality content helps a brand to introduce its products and services as a solution, to steer customers into the sales funnel.
When a brand successfully creates content that engages and value adds to its audience, the brand will encourage conversions. That is because the brand’s content over-delivered by providing useful information to educate their leads. This will help them stay informed to making a purchase decision.
Furthermore, the benefit of creating content online is that amarketer can plan their content with keyword research and search engine optimization (SEO). Marketers can also measure the results of his or her content’s reach. From brainstorming and researching to knowing who has read your content, everything can be measured online. As such, content marketing is a necessary and critical strategy for any brand to connect with its audience and increase conversions.
If you would like to learn more about content marketing, click here.
Daniel and his engaged class of communications students at SMU
Bridging the gap between knowledge learned in the classroom and the real world
After sharing the blueprint for a successful content strategy, Daniel led a Q&A session with the students. Mark Chong, Associate Professor of Corporate Communication (Practice) teaching the class, went on to emphasize the value of what Daniel had shared with the class. He stated that the insights given by Daniel during the class will help to bridge the gap between the knowledge learned in the class and the workings of the real world.
We are glad to have helped the students learn some tips and tricks for effective content marketing. At 2Stallions, one of our core values is to learn continuously and we are heartened to see this spirit in a class of young aspiring students as well.
Kudos to the participative students who contributed to an interactive discussion during the lecture!
Daniel ends the lecture with a Q&A session and calls for interns
If you’re currently an undergraduate and looking for an internship opportunity this summer, you may write to our HR team here with your resume and internship availability period.
Discover how 2Stallions services can transform your online approach and enhance your brand’s visibility. As the leading content marketing firm, we offer unparalleled expertise and a track record of success. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to collaborate with us today!
Singapore 
Singapore
Malaysia
