Content StrategySamit Malkani, Creative Head, Jack In the Box Worldwide

Let’s start by understanding one key point.

Thisis social media.

Thisis rocket science.

Thisis SPARTAAAA!!

What is content?Anything that keeps people coming back for more and opens a dialogue with them.

It could be read, watched, listened to or interacted with.

What you say

How you

say it

Social media conte

nt

The not-so-secret formula

What you say.Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and ask,

“What would I like the brand to talk to me about?”The expected, and the unexpected.

I could go on with some gyaan…Or we could actually answer this question together.

Now for the how.(This is how we social media junkies pay for roti, kapda, makaan and beer.)

You aren’t the only brand in your category.

You need to stand out from the crowd. Your content needs to look different and sound different. Think of your brand as a person.

And write the way that person would speak.

Don’t try to sell to your customer.Instead, tell stories about your brand and products. Amuse them, amaze them.

Talk about the world and the lifestyle that your brand portrays.

Be topical.Pranabda becomes President. The Olympics. Scams. Sherlyn Chopra nude.

Keep your eyes open, pick the topics that work best for the brand, and figure out how to repurpose those for your brand. Hint: Amul.

This day, that year.2001: Ian Thorpe won 6 Gold Medals at a single World Championships.

1929: Jackie Kennedy was born. 1983: Dhanush was born.Today is World Hepatitis Day.

Entertain them.If you think people are on Facebook and Twitter

to buy hair dye, you are kidding yourself.Or, as we say on Twitter, “Agar aap sochte hain ki log Facebook aur Twitter pe

hair dye khareedne aate hain…toh #AapChu****Hain.”

Content MixIt doesn’t have to be plain text all the time. Use pictures, videos, polls, links, hashtags,

games and audio embeds to vary your content and keep your audience interested.

The thing about social media is that people talk back.

How to respond is equally important.

A few tips.Be honest. Don’t overpromise. Apologise if you are wrong.

A little bit of humour, well applied, can ease even the toughest situation.Treat your audience as people you know and want to have a chat with.

Faster is better.On Twitter, aim to reply within the hour.

On Facebook, 12-24 hours is fine for most categories.

Tip: Set up Facebook and Twitter on your smartphone.

Facebook gyaan.

• Facebook’s hierarchy of posts:– Images– Text– Videos– Links

• Plan for 2-3 posts a day.

• Most people will tell you long posts are boring. I say there’s no such thing as a long post – only a “too long” post.

• Use apps and tabs to build engagement when you have something special to talk about.

Twitter gyaan.

• Have a conversation. Don’t spout monologues.

• Use TweetDeck as your Twitter client.

• Try to avoid telling people what you ate for dinner, how frequently you use the loo, which celeb you’re crushing on, etc.

• Build influence through networking, content and conversation.

• Use hashtags to create specific conversations.

Boo-boos to avoid.

• Rudeness and arrogance.

• Racism. Casteism.

• Gay jokes.

• Responding only to positive reviews.

• Knocking your competitors.

And so, with that said, let’s get down to the workshop!