Love is all around: 8 tips romantic movies can teach us about content strategy (Part 4 of 4)
February 13th, 2015 | Published in Google Adsense
Welcome to the last part of our Valentine’s Day blog series. Today, we’ll explore what eight of the most loved romantic movies of the last few years can teach us about content strategy.
Romantic movies are always a popular choice for Valentine's Day. In the spirit of this special day, we watched some classic romantic movies (for research, of course) to see what they can teach us about content strategy.
Here’s the top tips we found:
1. P.S. I Love You - Have a single common goal
Gerry and his series of letters were designed to encourage Holly to move forward to a new life. Similarly, when you’re creating a series of content pieces, ensure that they have a single common goal or call to action such as email sign-up. All pieces of content should link together and guide your visitors toward a desired goal or call to action.
This one comes directly from the title of the movie. List-based articles (listicles) provide a great way to deliver your message in a structured and engaging way. Keep them short and easy to read to grab the attention of your visitors.
When you ask someone what they remember about this movie, it’s highly likely that they will respond with one of several key scenes. Why? Because the film masterfully creates scenes that are both embarrassing and hilarious, making them very easy to recall. When you’re creating your content, ask yourself “Does this content have at least one memorable moment? Is there something that will stick with the my visitor?"
Love Actually tells nine intertwined stories with a common emotion, “love”. Consider all of the content on your site pages in a similar way. Each piece of your content may target one particular theme or audience but in the end, they should serve the same purpose.
When you’re selecting your distribution channels for your content, make sure to use email. It can be an effective, easy, and inexpensive way to keep your visitors up to date. It also offers a great way to reach your mobile audience.
Pretty Woman is a modern retelling of the classic Cinderella story. Similarly, the subject of your content doesn’t have to be a completely original thought or subject matter. Your visitors want to see your personal opinion or a unique value in your content. Start by asking yourself “What is the unique value I’m adding to the subject matter?” or “What am I providing that no one else is providing?”
8. Forrest Gump - Provide a good user experience
Romantic movies are always a popular choice for Valentine's Day. In the spirit of this special day, we watched some classic romantic movies (for research, of course) to see what they can teach us about content strategy.
Here’s the top tips we found:
1. P.S. I Love You - Have a single common goal
Gerry and his series of letters were designed to encourage Holly to move forward to a new life. Similarly, when you’re creating a series of content pieces, ensure that they have a single common goal or call to action such as email sign-up. All pieces of content should link together and guide your visitors toward a desired goal or call to action.
2. 10 Things I Hate About You - Use list-based articles
This one comes directly from the title of the movie. List-based articles (listicles) provide a great way to deliver your message in a structured and engaging way. Keep them short and easy to read to grab the attention of your visitors.
3. When Harry Met Sally… - Make your content memorable
When you ask someone what they remember about this movie, it’s highly likely that they will respond with one of several key scenes. Why? Because the film masterfully creates scenes that are both embarrassing and hilarious, making them very easy to recall. When you’re creating your content, ask yourself “Does this content have at least one memorable moment? Is there something that will stick with the my visitor?"
4. Love Actually - Link content pieces to each other
Love Actually tells nine intertwined stories with a common emotion, “love”. Consider all of the content on your site pages in a similar way. Each piece of your content may target one particular theme or audience but in the end, they should serve the same purpose.
5. You’ve Got Mail - Use email marketing
When you’re selecting your distribution channels for your content, make sure to use email. It can be an effective, easy, and inexpensive way to keep your visitors up to date. It also offers a great way to reach your mobile audience.
6. The Princess Bride - Know your audience
For a particular audience, the Princess Bride is the most romantic movie of all time. For others, it doesn’t even rate. This is because the film resonates with a certain audience. In the same way, if you know your audience, you can craft successful content. Get to know your audience more by using experimentation, market research, and other tools.
7. Pretty Woman - Bring unique value to your content
Pretty Woman is a modern retelling of the classic Cinderella story. Similarly, the subject of your content doesn’t have to be a completely original thought or subject matter. Your visitors want to see your personal opinion or a unique value in your content. Start by asking yourself “What is the unique value I’m adding to the subject matter?” or “What am I providing that no one else is providing?”
8. Forrest Gump - Provide a good user experience
To refer to Tom Hanks’ iconic line in Forrest Gump in a modern content strategy way: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what screen you’re gonna get.” Thanks to the rapid growth of mobile traffic, your content is now viewed on multiple devices. If your site is still not multi-screen optimized, check out our Multi-Screen Starter Guide, and if you already have a multi-screen website, ensure you’re giving your audience the best visitor experience by using the Multi-Screen Implementation Guide.
To wrap up, try thinking about these eight tips and how they can be applied to your content strategy. Are you giving your content the love it deserves? Much like Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca will “always have Paris” together, remember that you and your visitors will always have your content, if you get your strategy right.
Posted by Chris Jones, Audience Development Specialist
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