How to Create Content That’s Inspired by Your Community

There’s a whole lot that’s changed in the almost ten (!) years since Ignite’s been in the crazy, ever-changing social media business, but one thing has remained the same: Our dedication to the POST Methodology developed by Forrester.

POST

You can read all about it here, but the key takeaway is that as marketers, we really need to have a deep understanding of the people we’re trying to reach in order to create content that’s going to resonate with them—the stuff that makes them think, “Hey! They get me!”—people-first content.

The best way to do that? Get eyes and ears in the community! Our community managers are in our clients’ social channels daily, keeping a pulse on what’s going on, interacting with community members, understanding how fans respond to our content, and best of all, noticing any trends that can help us create content that’s going to speak directly to them.

 

Here’s a recent example from our client Outer Banks Visitor’s Bureau:

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We noticed a large number of Outer Banks Facebook fans commenting on many of our posts about their excitement for upcoming visits, even counting down the days. So, we took a beautiful sunrise image—taken by one of our community members—and gave our fans a forum to tell us when their next Outer Banks trip will be. The results? 10K reactions, 672 shares, 925 comments, countless opportunities to deepen the brand’s connection with the fans, and a piece of content that lets them know that we’re just as excited to have them visit the Outer Banks as they are to take a vacation there.

So, even in a landscape that changes almost daily, it’s good to have one thing to rely on. Putting your brand’s people first is the one thing that can and should stay the same, and when you look a little deeper, as we’ve seen here, it can even make your content a little easier to produce 😉 and achieve great results. Now go forth, watch, listen, and create! Rather have us do it for you? We’d love to get started.