Rule of Thirds in Content Marketing

Rule of Thirds in Content Marketing

Rule of Thirds

“Three. That’s the magic number. Yes, it is. It’s the magic number” De La Soul

“In nature, things occur in threes. When was the last time you saw a four leaf clover? In photography and art we see countless examples of how division of a scene by thirds, provides a visual balance and comfort. And so it is in social networking, where balancing the 3 core content elements, provides a simple yet highly powerful flow of engagement.”

PERSONAL – Add personality to your marketing:

One third of everything you publish should be about getting to know you. You being yourself, your team, your company or your brand. The clue is in the word ‘social’. The more you can make it personal and about people, the more effective this third. It’s vital in both service and product driven organisations that the people behind the organisation are seen by the audience as real, authentic and true.

POINT – Inform, educate and entertain your target audience:

One third of your content should be pointing; signposting to current, relevant and informed content that adds value to the audience’s experience. If something stopped you in your tracks and you were informed, educated, entertained, then perhaps it’s likely that your audience will be too. If you intimately know your audience’s needs, wants, desires and habits (in other words you have created a clear and defined audience persona) then you are in with a good chance of spotting and publishing highly relevant, third party content, for them. This third is critical in the content rule of thirds, because it makes you unpredictable. There is nothing worse than talking all the time about yourself and your products and services without interspersing it with thought provoking things that add true value. Avoid being disconnected or hidden by sharing great stuff.

PROMOTE – Use social media as a tool to promote your products:

One third of what you publish can be overt promotion of your products and services. If anyone tells you that you should not be using social media for promotion, then they are wrong. You can, but only if you have already added great, engaging value with the other two thirds.

Content Strategy (Hootsuite)

Know your post anatomy
Build the perfect post
Curate and re-purpose existing content
Know your networks
But WHAT should I publish?
Publish at the “right” time

Key elements, (Hootsuite)
Caption: Describe your visual, or draw attention with a statement, question, or headline. Research shows that an average of 150 characters, or about 15 words, gets the most clicks.
Emoji: Include relevant emoji to add tone and visual interest.
Call to action: Ask a question to encourage comments, or share a link to invite your audience to learn more, try, or buy.
Mentions: Mention other accounts (yours or others) for added visibility and reach.
Hashtags: Add topical and relevant keywords for added reach. For hashtag recommendations for each social network, see Know your networks.
Images or videos: Include one or more (depending on the social network) compelling, high-quality photos, GIFs, or video clips, tailored to your brand and the tastes of your audience.

“Remember, the content rule of thirds applies to both social networking and other forms of digital marketing like your website and your email newsletters. So the next time you want to write, vlog, blog or email all about yourself. Stop and think again of the Rule of Thirds. 3 really is the magic number.”

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