How to create super Hero content
Hero content to get your brand noticed and save the day
In our last blog we talked about Dzamic and Kirby’s HHH content strategy framework based on their findings that people engage with three types of marketing content – Hero, Hub, Help.
Your Hero content is going to have the biggest impact on the widest audience, bringing them in at the top of the sales funnel. It will most likely be the first time your potential new customers see your brand, so it’s important to get it right. As Spiderman once said, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.
Hero content at the top of the 3H or HHH pyramid should have the most longevity.
What does Hero content do?
The whole purpose of Hero content is to stop your audience in their tracks. They might be browsing the internet, scrolling through their newsfeed or watching TV, so your goal is to distract them and make them sit up and notice you.
If your audience hasn’t come across your brand before, this is your chance to make a good first impression. If they have, you’ll need to do something that will bring your brand back into focus.
Hero content needs to:
- Grab the attention of a wide audience
- Increase awareness of your brand
- Leave a lasting impression
The secret behind great Hero content
Behind all great Hero content is a great story. Unlike other assets in your content mix which aim to help and inform an audience who may already be engaged with your brand, Hero content needs to capture their imagination.
When you’re planning what you want to say, start with who your audience is and what interests them. Your content might be funny, entertaining or emotive, but make sure you use language and imagery they can relate to. Showing empathy with your audience will help you make a connection, so use your own customer data to understand how they feel and what they want.
WWF’s 2020 Christmas ‘Elephant trail’ advert is powerful, emotive and relatable. Using very few words focuses our attention on their campaign’s final call to action: ‘Join the fight for your world.’
Don’t be afraid to break the rules
One of the ways Hero content can attract so much attention is to throw out the rule book, as Aldi did for its 30th birthday campaign. While we were in the midst of a pandemic, its Hero content was a series of short, self-deprecating TV and social ads with a #NoOneCares punchline. They followed up with a virtual (and therefore Covid-safe) 30th birthday party on Twitter and invited all their supermarket competitors, as well as many household brands.
If you can’t beat them… Aldi actively invited their competitors to join in with their virtual birthday celebrations, which went viral on Twitter.
If you do decide to push the boundaries with your content, make sure you plan carefully and consider how your audience might respond.
Can you create Hero content on a small budget?
Big brands with big budgets can go all-out with their content, but what if you’re a smaller business or a start-up with limited funds? User-generated content is an authentic, trustworthy and reliable form of content and is also a great way to keep production costs low. If you can bring together your social posts from your community and let them tell your story, it’s a win-win.
In the height of lockdown, the University of Surrey posted a video from staff to say thank you, reinforcing its message of being a caring campus community.
Even though you could save on production costs, be prepared to put some money behind paid advertising. You need to make sure your content is reaching all the right people, which will involve ad spend.
Getting the right balance
Remember, your Hero content needs to work alongside your more regular Hub and Help content – no matter how good your Hero piece is, make sure there’s plenty of bitesize, targeted content out there for your potential customers once you’ve got their attention.
Need some help creating content? We’ll don our cape and help you create marvel-lous content that will get you noticed: hello@somethingbig.co.uk
