Content is Currency

Originally posted on LinkedIn as an article.

I get asked often about what we do at Digital Rover.

The short answer: we are a social media and creative agency, which means we create content for companies, manage their social media, their websites, their ads, etc.

Which also means we answer a lot of questions about content.

I am not always sure I like the word “content” in the way it is used, in the same I am not always sure I like the word “creative.” It sometimes feels like a way to isolate your abilities or styles compared to the opportunity to just simply create, document, or express things for yourself.

I have discovered that oftentimes people are not sure what content to post only because they do not use their own life as their reference point for social media. Maybe this is why Instagram is starting to hide likes and is moving away from vanity metrics (likes and followers), so people will focus on their own creativity and life compared to… whoever it is we are comparing ourselves to.

Your content, your life, your story, isn’t any more valuable because of your camera, your lens, or your follower count.

Go back and read that again.

This is why people keep taking breaks from it; they think it's Instagram’s fault that they compare themselves to everybody, until they delete the app and realize they are still criticizing themselves and people who walk down the street. If we are broken internally, all that we use runs the risk of appearing broken as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break from social media but if the problems follow us around, we have to stop blaming outlets and then using those same outlets to express ourselves. A practical step here is instead of writing a long Instagram post to say you’re taking a break, write it in your notebook, and share it with… nobody.

If this is something you deal with, unfollow all the people that make you feel weird or insecure. Don't ask why, trust your gut, unfollow them, and if they ask you about it they are losers for having an app that told them you unfollowed them (which is also a huge sign you unfollowed the right person).

But the reverse can also be true. I love Instagram. It’s a huge part of my career, job, opportunity, and an outlet of creativity and communication. There are so many pages to pull positive influences from, creative inspiration, tips, tricks, connections, leads, and new abilities, and so many ways to connect with people.

It's important to acknowledge that we can't get mad at Instagram philosophically for promoting quality and engaging content. That's what it was created for.

But let’s get back to content.

Here are a few thoughts I have shared and discussed with our clients, ranging all the way from our corporate accounts to personal brands.

It’s important to understand that content is indeed king, but the best content to post is the content that you have available to you and that you are capable of consistently producing as a brand or company. Whatever content you use to attract your following is typically the style of content you will need to keep creating to maintain engagement and attract new followers, leads, clicks, etc. This is true on every level of marketing and it is fascinating if you explore the idea of what pulls you in personally to a brand or company and makes you purchase something from them. You may find branding, connection, and status at the core of it.

Even though there are A LOT of content creators on Instagram, there are still A LOT of companies not using quality and creative content to tell their story and showcase their products or services. This isn’t on purpose; it typically comes down to time, resources, or not being comfortable with the platform (typically a combination of all three and is where Digital Rover comes in). This is important because a large percentage of users on Instagram are 40 and under (it’s getting higher) and quality content grabs their attention, makes their thumb stop, and allows you to leave an impression on them.

Overall, it’s important to not overthink your content production while also striving to build a strong brand identity as your online presence evolves. You can absolutely stand out with a unique page and style, but you have no chance at all until you start posting.

More important than the style of content is the purpose of it.

When we are creating new content for a client or page, we filter it through a series of questions to see if the content can curate the result we are looking for.

The first and most important question is:

How do you want the user to feel?

We always begin with this question. It’s the design thinking question, the emotional question, the culture question, the connecting question. After answering this question consistently you will notice your personal “why” in following other pages on IG and in your purchasing decisions. Some purchases are brand related, based on connection, affiliation, and status. Some are just because a product was on sale.

If you can track what connects your action to “follow” a page, you can then create content that connects you to your ideal user. If this question and process is skipped, you run the risk of using social media solely for sales and your content and copy will reflect it, and your first impression will be missed and the platform and audience will not embrace you. Even though it is an online platform, the human and social connection must be established. Marketing today is communicated visually through stories. Content has the opportunity to act as a bridge, a currency, and as a language. Content is communication.

I try my best to explain in meetings that if we can move away from understanding content as only reserved for the elitist, or the ultra creative, then an opportunity for storytelling, authenticity, and connection will emerge.

This does not mean that quality, unique, and professional content is not important.

It’s what we do, and probably what you do.

Let’s just remember it’s our what, not our why.

Talent does not always equal a business solution.

A high follower count does not always mean a high number of zeros in the bank account for that person or their brands or clients. It’s the mistake everybody (and our egos) keep making.

But solve a problem with your talent, and you will have work forever.

The next question then becomes:

What do you want them to see?

Once you know the emotional connection you are looking to create, you can pinpoint what style, design, and images need to be created in order to evoke that feeling. Spend your time creating content around your “why” and what your ideal user is looking for. This isn’t always complicated, but it is always creative. What makes you hungrier: a low quality picture of a cheeseburger from an overhead view? Or a close up picture of a cheeseburger with melting cheese and bacon with a beer in the background? Both may be important and needed, depending on who you are targeting, but both present a different view to your followers, which evokes different feelings as well.

After you determine your “why” and the style you want to portray, you can move to the final question:

What do you want them to do?

You have created the feeling, and now you are creating the content that asks a question which the user is looking to answer. “Where do we want to eat tonight?” “Where can I find new shoes for this event?” “I need a new desk for my office.” You can essentially answer this question regardless of industry. “I need some ______ for _______.” What successful pages and companies realize, whether it is articulated or not, is that by answering the first two questions properly, you have created solution-oriented content for your followers.

The end goal becomes quite simple: Create connections and content that fill in the blanks.

If the blanks you look to fill with your content provide value to someone’s everyday life on a practical level, you win.

Add in the process of expressing it, documenting it, and creating it, your branding is now intentional and proactive compared to being reactive, insecure, and only trying to compete with other pages and brands.

What's fascinating is that today people already have an idea of your brand in their heads; the opportunity we have then is using content, creativity, and storytelling to reinforce that idea, to change it, ignore it, or improve it.

Create for yourself, your market, and your ideal customer, and embrace the tools available to you.

How do you want them to feel?

What do you want them to see?

What do you want them to do?

“Your most generous and insightful work needs help finding the people it's meant to serve. And your most successful work will spread because you designed it to.”

Seth Godin