When people hear that something is “binge-able content” usually they will think of TV shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad. But content doesn’t have to be from the entertainment industry to be binge-worthy.
On the Marketing News Canada podcast Ted Lau, Ballistic Arts CEO, asked marketing director and content creator Matthew Royse “where is marketing heading in 2022?” His response was unique, educated, and thought-provoking; “you need enough content to be binge-worthy.”
To be binge-worthy means that your platform of content is worth mass consuming in one sitting. A person can watch an entire season of their favourite show on Netflix without leaving the couch, they should be able to binge your business’s online content the same way.
What does it take to have binge-worthy content? How can your business benefit from changing its content to be more binge-worthy?
With a strong understanding of your audience, good content creation planning, and persistence, you can succeed in having binge-worthy content in the years to come.
Becoming a Content Creator
Matthew Royse stated in his interview that all marketers should be content creators, and everyone can benefit from being a content creator.
Similar sentiments have been stated by famous entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on having a
‘media company mentality. “There is no reason to do anything other than act like a media company in today’s digital age… Never before have brands and consumers had the ability to create and consume content at scale.”
To be a content creator, you do not have to dive into Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Blogs, Podcasts and TikTok all at the same time. Start with your strengths, relate them to the audience, and build from there.
An old photographer hobbyist might excel at making Instagram content. Someone who enjoys telling quick, funny stories? Try TikTok. A great speaker? Making a podcast for your business can be a great form of binge-able content.
Making high-quality, valuable content, is one of the makings of creating something binge-able.
Understanding your Audience
Content can only be valuable if it is shown to the right people.
Similar to most work in marketing, understanding your audience is key to success. Having a detailed persona with life goals, daily routine, and alternative interests will greatly help content creation.
These next three steps to understanding your audience are the golden ticket for binge-able content creation.
Know what your Audience is doing while Interacting with your Content
To make binge-able content consistently, get a good understanding of what your audience is doing when they are engaging with your content.
For example, a make-up company might be targeting a younger demographic who listen to up-tempo music while scrolling Instagram. Making content quick to digest could be the perfect choice for these readers.
Alternatively, someone listening to a podcast might be likely to be working at the same time. Breaking the podcast segments into small discussions that can be easily zoned out, without reducing the quality of the listening experience, makes a huge difference for these audience members.
Give the Audience the Value they are Looking for
People looking at online content are trying to get something out of it. Sometimes they want to be entertained, other times they want to learn how to improve at what interests them.
Content creators need to make content that leaves the person engaging with it feeling rewarded. Having content worth people’s time is key to them wanting to re-engage with the rest of your platform.
Try making the value as easy to access as possible. It does not make sense for someone watching a show to need to work to be entertained. Do not make someone have to work to find the learnings in content either.
A way you can ensure your content reflects this is by talking to your audience when making new content. If your content is good, they should be able to tell you what is valuable in a reasonably quick amount of time.
Be up to date with Relevant Trends
If something current is happening and you can create valuable content around it, this is the opportunity to get new eyes on your platform and previous people re-engaged.
A new change in technology is going to change the way users interact with your business? Make content about it. Are Winter holidays important to your readers? Write about it.
Some simple solutions are out there to stay updated with trends. Online event calendars can be inserted into your Google Calendar as reminders; alternatively, make a slack channel that automatically notifies a month in advance of fun or important dates.
Creating a Content Plan
Having binge-worthy content will not happen overnight. Creating a plan is the best way to set yourself up for success.
Scheduling a posting cadence is critical for engagement and appearing trustworthy on any platform. Establishing the right level of quantity is important. Try to at least have content appearing on the same day every week. Multiple days if possible.
The plan should start based on your strengths. Have an old photography hobby? Take eight quality pictures on one Saturday, schedule two posts per week for the next month.
Once a plan gets into its initial rhythm, look into utilizing other platforms. Planning a one-hour video shoot for one day can turn into 4 YouTube videos, 8 Social posts, and a couple of blogs. Determining how to repurpose content and keep it relevant to different audiences helps keep valuable content flowing rather than relying on creating hundreds of ideas.
Content creation can be time-consuming. There is no need to tackle everything by yourself. Matthew Royse has blog contributors submit content for him to post while tackling some of the posts himself.
With any marketing strategy, being agile will help stay ahead. If an event happens relevant to people engaged, take advantage of the opportunity and quickly create new content.
Keep in mind with the plan that quantity is only part of the equation. Quantity and quality are equally important when creating content. It is not worth pushing for more content in a plan until it has been determined how to make the new content valuable.
Stay Persistent
Luck rewards the hard-working. Stacey Kelly, when interviewed on Marketing News Canada, stated that anyone who says they can guarantee a successful piece of content is lying.
Kelly, an exceptional branded content marketer, described creating content as setting out multiple buckets at a time to see which one finally catches the right audience.
By setting up a wide variety of content it increases the likelihood of having a successful post. Additionally, viewing the analytics on posts testing different aspects of the content helps highlight what is valuable to people who engage with the content.
If you are turning one hour of video footage into 8 social posts, 4 YouTube videos, and a couple of blogs, you are increasing the number of buckets and getting more data on what is valuable to your audience.
The personas created for content marketing are similar to making a hypothesis. With new information, your educated guess should transform to reflect that data.
Final Thoughts
Creating a platform where people can consume hours of valuable information is powerful for the results of your business. Know your audience and stay up to date with relevant information in a way that is easy and convenient for you. Success is not going to be an overnight success no matter how much you try to do. Start with your strengths and stay persistent.
Did you find value in learning how to create binge-able content? You can binge on more of our blogs here.
Want to see great marketing interviews and hear from the top minds of marketing? You can see all past episodes of the Marketing News Canada podcast here.
