At SourceBottle HQ, we keep banging on about 'Newsjacking', a term popularised by marketing strategist David Meerman Scott, which involves leveraging popular news stories or events to amplify your marketing message.
Anyway, we thought we should take you through the process in more detail. So here's how you could newsjack 'World Chocolate Day' *this July* presented in a step-by-step guide (with an example for clarity).
Step 1: Research & Preparation
- Timing: Start by noting *when* World Chocolate Day occurs (7 July each year) and, ideally, begin your preparation at least a month in advance.
- Current Trends: Do some general research on recent trends in chocolate consumption, production innovations, sustainability issues and/or health impacts related to chocolate. You can easily use tools like 'Google Trends' or check the keywords on social media platforms generally to gauge what aspects of chocolate are currently gaining attention.
- Target Audience: Define who you're trying to reach. Are they chocolate lovers, health enthusiasts, or gourmet experts? This is important as tailoring your message to the right audience enhances engagement.
Step 2: Develop a Unique Angle
- Unique Selling Point (USP): Think about what your business could offer that's unique for World Chocolate Day? Perhaps a limited-edition flavour or a chocolate-making workshop?
- Relevance: Ensure your angle relates both to the event and your brand. So, if you're a fitness brand, perhaps you consider promoting dark chocolate's health benefits. Or if you're in the beauty industry, highlight chocolate-inspired beauty products.
Step 3: Create Compelling Content
- Variety: Develop a range content or all types, ie. blogs, press releases, social media posts, videos, even infographics—that relate to your unique angle.
- Education and Entertainment: Use fun facts about chocolate, DIY chocolate recipe videos, or infographics on chocolate’s benefits.
- Engagement: Make sure the content you create encourages interaction. For example, run a contest where participants create their own chocolate recipes, or ask followers to post their favourite chocolate memories with a specific hashtag, like #chocolatemoments
Step 4: Partner with Influencers (optional)
- Selection: You might like to identify and approach influencers who align with your brand values and have a significant following among your target demographic.
- Collaboration: Invite select influencers to share their own chocolate-related content. For example, a popular chef could share a chocolate recipe using your product.
Step 5: Launch the Campaign
- Timing: Launch a teaser to your campaign a few days before World Chocolate Day to build anticipation. And if you're reaching out to media, you can embargo the content until 7 July (World Chocolate Day).
- Cross-Promotion: Use all available channels—email, social media, your website and even offline methods, like in-store promotions.
- Real-Time Engagement: On the day, be hyperactive on social media. Respond to comments, reshare posts from your audience and influencers, and keep the conversation going.
Step 6: Monitor and Adapt
- Analytics: Use social media and web analytics to monitor how your campaign is performing. Which types of content are doing best? What are people saying about your brand in relation to World Chocolate Day? Ideally you might run a direct-response campaign which can help demonstrate success or otherwise of your efforts.
- Adaptation: Be prepared to tweak your approach throughout the day to optimise engagement. For example, if a particular post is getting a lot of attention, consider boosting it with paid advertising.
Step 7: Post-Event Follow-Up
- Thank Yous: Acknowledge participants, customers, and influencers who engaged with your campaign.
- Learnings: Review what worked and what didn’t. These insights will be invaluable for future newsjacks.
Example Campaign: "Bean to Bar: A Sustainable Journey"
- Angle: Your chocolate company focuses on sustainability, from sourcing cacao to packaging.
- Content: Create a video series featuring your farmers, a downloadable guide on sustainable chocolate consumption and blog posts about the impacts of chocolate farming on the environment.
- Influencer Collaboration: Partner with environmental activists who can talk about the importance of sustainable chocolate.
- Engagement: Host a live Q&A on social media about sustainable practices in chocolate production.
So there you go; an example of how it could be done.
Hopefully this helps you understand the process so you can successfully direct your efforts in your own business.
By following these steps and tailoring your approach to your own brand's strengths and values, you should be able to now effectively newsjack milestone days (like 'World Chocolate Day'), to enhance your visibility and engagement.
We can't wait to see your name in lights!
PS: Are you receiving free publicity opportunities, straight into your inbox?
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