Ever wondered why cool stuff quickly clicks on the Web? Attracting
and converting audience into loyal customers could do well if we look beyond
the traditional, canonical ways of producing content for marketing. While
original and honest content always remains classic, nothing stop us from reusing
and repurposing it creatively for different products, services, brands and
lines of business. Look at the Bollywood genre of movies, they have not only
carved a niche in world cinema for their content and style of presentation but
also remained unbeaten at the box office.
Bollywood, a moniker for Hindi film industry in India is one
of the largest film producers in the world. Now attracting investments from
Hollywood, it is synonymous with mass entertainment and popular culture, ruling
the hearts and minds of millions of Indians all over the world. From humble artistic beginnings over a century ago, the industry has evolved as the indisputable hub
of commercial cinema supporting several allied businesses like music, fashion,
travel, television, sports and so on.
The movies may be criticised for being inane and unimaginative with
stereotypical characters and predictable storylines. But then, how has this
vibrant industry sustained stupendous profitability for so long? It is
interesting to see how this content based industry has captures the imagination
of the audience and keeps them coming, asking for more. Here are 10 lessons
from Bollywood that can spell success for Content Marketing and contribute to
continued sales growth.
Just get into action:
Lights, camera, action! Understand the pulse of the audience; weave action into
your story. Don’t just tell, show how it’s done and how results are achieved.
Nothing like a fast-paced thrilling drama that drives the message and keeps you
hooked. Make your pitch in line with product performance and quality of
service.
Repeat the success
formula: You need not struggle to produce something unique all the time, why this obsession with thinking outside the box? Most people like things to be predictable; it gives them a sense of
see-didn’t-I-tell-you-that feeling. Consistent and quality repackaging hides
the age of the content, and you never know how clichéd stuff with same
ingredients contributes to brand recognition, retention and recall.
Keep the story to the
minimum: Who has the time and who likes to put in effort to understand
convoluted plots and hidden messages? Nobody wants things to drag on, convey
your core message without beating the bush. Don’t tax the mind of the audience
but let the story have its heart in the right place. It definitely helps in top
of the mind recall.
Break the monotony:
No matter how creative you are, popular stories have mostly been simple and sequential.
The path to build up the climax need not be filled with dead serious linear
narrative; intersperse it with light hearted moments, funny anecdotes, and
snippets of human follies. Remember Bollywood never misses plugging in a song
or a comic scene even in the most unlikeliest plots.
Think escapist and
aspirational: No harm in being an infotainer! Blend the real life with the
reel life. Weaving an incredible story with aspirational characters is sure to
keep your audience glued, let Bollywood style romance rekindle your passion for
your profession. This arouses curiosity
in the audience and gets them prepared to receive the actual marketing message
with a smile.
Emphasize on
dialogues: What is said and heard has lasting impact on our minds. Include
catchy one-liners, pet phrases that make the audience open a dialogue with your
brand. The success of movie is also reflected in how the characters and their
dialogues gets memorised, become immortal, how actions get aped and imitated
and how images get etched in people’s mind and how they become trolling memes.
Believe in heroes and
heroines: To make your brand the superstar people want to die for, elevate
it to a persona that has larger than life features and all the qualities
attributed to a super hero or heroine. But this should not sound like an
advertisement that verges on exaggeration. Forget about actors and acting, let
the star power do the talking.
Dream individually
but realize it with a team: Content marketing is a team activity. It is
interdependent. Sync up with the graphic designers, video producers, writers, client
and all other stakeholder to realize the goals. Remember, movie makers and
dream merchants have always had an entourage of talented artists and
technicians to support them.
Keep the box office
in mind: Numbers matter! What is the use of marketing that doesn’t lead to
sale? To ensure that your content converts, increase the size of your audience,
reach far and wide, go where they are, exploit different media, be social...listen
to them and draw them towards your mission. Only then you restore the business
investors’ faith in your marketing pursuits.
End on a happy note: It’s
all about making your audience happy, as it is said in Bollywood, if it’s not
happy, then it’s not an ending. Happiness is contagious and triggers positive
action. This is a great booster for creating huge fan base that can turn into sales
opportunities.
Taking inspiration from Bollywood, every brand has the
opportunity to become a part of the celeb-culture. The recipe for blockbuster
content is simple and sweet, it'll definitely ensure that your audience get converted to loyal fans.
