Love ’em or hate ’em, BuzzFeed has taken the Internet medium over. Since its inception 10 years ago, it has grown to be one of the most popular Internet media creators around with about six billion views each month, and dominates our social landscape. Look through your Facebook feed on any given day and chances are, you will see a barrage of content from BuzzFeed and their offshoots (Tasty being one of them).
And being that I am a social entrepreneur and content creator myself, when I was given an invite to the uber exclusive BuzzFeed Breakfast taking place a day prior to the locally successful Midwest Digital Marketing Conference, I had to be there so I could soak up some of the gems VP Brant McLean would be sharing.
The discussion, lead by Kelly Hamilton of ALIVE Magazine was namely focused on the importance of getting to the end user and not only capturing them for a second, but making them loyal followers and customers. Brant was very passionate (for the lack of a better word) out of the gate about the often-used but usually incorrect stance of formulaic approaches to social media marketing and content creation. BuzzFeed works because instead of calling their failures a fail, they learn from them through rigorous trial and error. It is the act of taking each project and making it a unique experience for the brand and end user that is where BuzzFeed soars—they don’t use a template cookie cutter approach often which is why they do so well.
So, if you’re looking for that magic formula—forget it. Instead, focus on drumming up loyalty from your audience with trustworthy and organic content that is served on different platters (i.e. platforms). In order to do this, you don’t have to be everywhere, just where your audience is.
Here are some additional takeaways from the conversation:
Bloggers: earn the right to be in people’s feeds by building trust and serving good content. #MDMC16
— Danyelle Little (@TheCubicleChick) April 20, 2016
In our entitled genre, many feel that they can get right up in the mix of things and be popular and monetize right out of the gate. WRONG. It’s important that remember that we have to earn each page view, each click, each follow if we are doing it the right way. And you do that by building a rapport and relationship with your end user. Trying to go around it or reinvent the wheel is just a waste of time.
Content creation can’t just happen on your website. It must be adapted for users on Snapchat, FB Live, Instagram, et al #MDMC16
— Danyelle Little (@TheCubicleChick) April 20, 2016
This is something I am learning, too, especially with Snapchat and Periscope. You have to serve people where they are. If you find out your audience and viewership is on Pinterest, then by golly, be there. Same with Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, etc. We often get caught up in what WE want and what WE gravitate to, but if you are in this for the long haul, you have to go to where your people are.
Don’t just aim to go viral. Aim to create long term readers and grow that relationship. #MDMC16
— Danyelle Little (@TheCubicleChick) April 20, 2016
Simply put, don’t try to make fetch happen. Serve your audience consistently, and let your amazing work and craft do the heavy lifting.
Snapchat really is its own television station w/ millions of shows. Your job: find a way to make people keep watching. #MDMC16
— Danyelle Little (@TheCubicleChick) April 20, 2016
I am still feeling my way through Snapchat, but Brant discussed it a lot during the chat, so it bears mentioning that right now for millennials and the younger crowd, it is the place to be. While I am still finding my way with it and how I will use it, I do see a need for me to be there to engage my audience and show an aspect of myself that’s not seen on my other social media channels.
The BuzzFeed Breakfast was informative and timely, and I am glad I got the opportunity to attend. It featured a yummy waffle bar from St. Louis based Start Right Foods, and was motivating start to my day.
Buzzfeed is not without controversy, however. Just recently, Buzzfeed came under fire for publishing a poorly thought out video called 27 Questions Black People Have for Black People that featured questions that I nor any of my black friends, family, or colleagues would even think to say. They’ve also been accused in the past of stealing photos and content. This has not stopped Buzzfeed from remaining highly relative in our social interactivity, and with their huge doses of daily content and viral videos, it doesn’t look like they will be going anywhere anytime soon.
Leave a Reply