10 things pancakes and content have in common
One of the best ingredients for success when it comes to creating exciting digital content is to ‘compare your subject matter with something you are passionate about’. For the reader, this provides something unique and interesting whilst also making it enjoyable for the writer. With that in mind especially for Pancake Day, we present…digital content and pancakes!
1 – The basic ingredients
Pancakes are simple to make; with just three ingredients of milk, eggs, and flour, it is quite easy for anyone to whip up a batch. Naturally, there are a multitude of recipes available that people can use to spruce up their pancakes – but, if we stick to the basics, a pancake is not a pancake without those three key ingredients. To this point, a piece of content is not a piece of content without the inclusion of three vital components, a message, a structure, and a purpose.
2 – Your headline is your most important topping
What makes you excited about pancakes? For some, it’s keywords like ‘chocolate’ and ‘Nutella’. For others, it’s the notion of coming up with unique and quirky combinations.
The same principle applies to content headline keywords. Consider what will make your audience want to click and find out more.
Creating engaging and enticing content headlines is one of the most crucial aspects of digital content. Think of yourself in the same way as your digital audience, we are all exposed to huge amounts of content daily, so what makes us choose to click on a specific article? The title needs to stand out to the reader as saying, ‘you must read me!’
3 – Always think of the ‘consumer’
Everyone is different when it comes to what they have on their pancakes. Some prefer a sensory overload with Nutella, ice cream, and maple syrup whilst others may be more subdued with the classic lemon juice and sugar. Some even opt for the savoury approach! Before preparing content – or pancakes – for your audience, you must consider what it is they want so you can create the best possible experience.
From a content perspective, consider the market your audience is operating in. Are they looking for educational content or entertaining content? Are they looking for a social commentary or inspiration? Some audiences are looking for a nice story to brighten their day, whilst others are strictly looking for facts. This must be carefully considered before producing content.
4 – Eyes on the prize – strategy and goals
Just as in pancake making, when it comes to digital content your desired results will naturally dictate the approach you should take. If your aim for your content is to drive awareness to a new product or service, your recipe will be different than that of content aimed at converting, just as fluffy American style pancakes follow a different recipe to a thin crêpe.
5 – Is your kitchen/digital workforce set up correctly?
It is quite difficult to manufacture a pancake without a pan, the name pan-cake gives that away. Digital content is similarly difficult to create without the right tools. In the same way that you might get all your utensils out before cracking eggs, you should make a checklist of requirements for your content generation. Do you have the talent in-house to plan, create, manage, edit, distribute, promote, and analyse content?
6 – Engaging content – enjoy every bite
All content that we share across our digital channels has a purpose and needs to add value to our audience with a distinct focus on quality over quantity. Whatever type of content, or indeed pancake, you are creating, every bit(e) should count!
7 – Making it interesting
No one wants to stick to plain pancakes. Simply adhering to the basic combination of ingredients may well create the fluffiest, most perfectly rounded pancakes in the world, but few people are likely to see a plain pancake and happily declare “I want to eat that right now”. We add toppings, sauces, and ice cream to make the pancake tastier and more appealing. Similarly, without a catchy headline, an engaging message, or strong supporting visuals, your content will not be as appealing for anyone to click on and read through to the end.
8 – Presentation is key
Like many things in life, the presentation of pancakes is what makes them more appealing and shareable, just like the formatting of content. Whilst a messy mound of pancakes and toppings still has the same ingredients, the sloppy look is not inviting to eat, and this is true of a brain dump of insightful thoughts in an article, which is difficult to read and digest.
The more we design content to be visually appealing, the more likely it is to be engaged with and shared. Eye-catching visuals, creative formats such as infographics, animations, and videos are a great way to stand out.
9 – Evergreen Vs Timely trends
Tradition is a staple of the pancake making world. Fierce debates rage on, even now, as to what the best toppings are, what the best pancake style is (it’s obviously a crepe), and ultimately, who makes them the best. Naturally, the big hits turn up across multiple households, but we also see new novelty spreads and trendy flavours popping up – chocolate orange remains an incredibly popular flavour, whack that in a pancake and let’s see what happens!
This mix of tried and tested flavours with new and timely interludes also applies to digital content. We recommend a strong combination of these two approaches to our digital content clients – where the classic evergreen content that consistently remains relevant balances nicely with more up-to-date commentary and insights on trending topics.
10 – Measure your success
The tried and tested formula of the correct quantities of each ingredient, or the harmonious simplicity of lemon juice and sugar on a pancake didn’t come from the sky. Over time, people have fine-tuned these much-loved methods and fantastic flavour combinations and used them time after time. But, there is always room for improvement, even if it is incremental.
The same should go for your content marketing. Your key metrics that show content performance can be used as a guide to develop and improve your digital content recipe.
Interested in discussing your content marketing (or pancake flipping) strategy? Check out the Velo formula here or click here to start a no obligation conversation.
