Here’s what all dance professionals need to know about Content Marketing.

Does every time you hear about ‘Marketing’ make you feel like you’re diving into an infinite ocean? Are you never sure about what a marketer does? After the boom in digital marketing back in the 1990s, this area has never stopped growing and finding new ways to reach strategic goals more effectively. One great example is Content Marketing, which has been popular among social media marketers.

According to a 2020 blog from HubSpot, there are now over 41 different types of marketing; from social media marketing to relationship marketing, you can define your marketing strategy according to your needs and objectives. However, there is one simple yet very important rule: you cannot focus on them all at the same time. So, here at diagonal dance, when we commonly talk about digital marketing, what are we talking about? This wide range of marketing types is the reason why this is an area surrounded by loud digital noise and, sometimes, lack of clarity. 

Focusing on one type of marketing at a time can help you clarify your goals and draft a more effective plan to reach them. Today we are sharing one type of marketing that we love to apply to dance: Content Marketing. 

• What is Content Marketing?

Following the standard definition from Content Marketing Institute, it’s “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”. Without relevant content, the audience might not understand who you are, what you do and why they should consume your work – either it’s a performance, a dance class or a workshop. Content can tell your story and highlight your branding, which will grab the attention of your target groups. 

• The 5 Rules of Content Marketing

There are 5 important rules you need to consider when you are planning a Content Marketing Strategy. These will help you creating content that adds value to your community and keep them engaged with your work:

1. Know your audience

This is an absolute *number one* rule. Without knowing your audience, you can commit the mistake of communicating everything to everyone. Even though we all want to reach wider groups of people, we need to be aware that what we have to offer is relevant to only a certain number of individuals, who are the ones that might be engaging and consuming our products and projects more easily. When you are planning your marketing, this is the first premise you should bear in mind: who is my target audience? Start writing down on a paper who your current audience is, considering their age group, gender, geographical locations and interests. This helps you shape the type of content you can produce.

 2. Be relevant

Your content should make you stand out from the crowd. Your work is unique, so make sure that your audience knows that! Think about what you can offer that will be relevant to your target groups; Some ‘behind-the-scenes’ or interviews are a great way to prove the value of what you do. At the same time, think about topics that you can both connect to your work and to your audience interests. Are you a specialist in a particular area? Are you researching a specific topic? Share it with your community. Be bold. 

3. Find the right channel

Lately, we have been hearing loads of dance professionals wishing to be on TikTok. Good news: it’s hot right now. Bad news? Maybe your target group is not there. After understanding who your audience is, the next step of your research is where they are; Are they on Instagram or Facebook? Is it more efficient to reach them out via email? Time is precious, so don’t waste your time on channels where your audience is not present. Remember: don’t communicate everything to everyone (and) everywhere! The more specific you are, the better quality your content can have.

4. Create and keep the right voice and tone

Welcome to our favourite rule of content marketing! The way you communicate is a very strong point of your brand. Would you like to be formal? More engaging? Choose your words wisely. Once you define the right tone of voice, make sure that you keep it consistent. At the same time, don’t forget to think about how to incorporate a diverse and inclusive tone of voice with which your community can feel connected.You are establishing conversations with humans, not robots. The way you write and speak to your audience can make you closer to them. Be human.

5. Make sure there’s value in the content you do 

You are about to implement your strategy, but you are not sure if you have the right content. Ask your audience! The best pieces of content are the ones that will add value to your community, so make sure you hear from them. Moreover, testing is key: after releasing your content, check the Insights on your Social Media channels and how your audience is engaging with it. Adapt the plan and the strategy regularly to make sure you are giving the most valuable content you can give! 

• How to Connect Dance with Content Marketing

You’ve made it to the fun part of the Blog. We are sharing some tips and examples that you can use to improve your marketing strategy. You are a dance expert, right? So make sure that you use all your know-how and skills to produce relevant pieces of content for your Social Media channels, website, blog or emails. There is a wide range of content you can create inspired by both our previous 5 rules. Here are our top tips to use content marketing in dance:

1. Build a community beyond the stage: make the audience feel they are part of your artistic process;

Your audience wants to hear more about what’s behind the movement. As dance artists, sometimes we tend to be so involved in the creative process that we forget to tell our community about it. They want to know the ideas that are inspiring you, the development of your project and the relevance of what you are doing. Sharing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ through videos and pictures is very important. Keep your community updated. At the same time, create conversations around your artistic journey: why not write blogs about the process or go live on Instagram for a Q&A with your audience about your work?

2. Dance is an intangible and unique experience: and you should communicate that!

How does your audience feel about experiencing your work? Ask them to give you feedback and share it with the rest of the community. It’s a very useful way to highlight the impact of experiencing dance. You can also create a list of reasons why people should engage with your work. They will be easily motivated to consume your project if they are excited about the experience they can get. 

3. Use the visual impact of movement to create your content

Dance is such a powerful way to communicate – use this idea on your content! Video is our lifetime favourite content to promote dance. Make sure that you keep quality in what you share – images and videos. This is also a very important part of your brand identity! 

Want to build a content marketing strategy to promote your dance work? Not sure if you can make it on your own? We can collaborate with you in planning, creating and implementing a content marketing strategy aligned with your strategic goals. Get in touch with us if you have questions or if you would like to work with us.