Essentially what we're doing is layering content on content on content.
Gary Vaynerchuk, who coined the term "digital sawdust," has said, "The article you're about to read was made from a video, that was made from the making of an article, that was originally based off a video." Follow that?
This is content marketing on steroids - it's challenging, intensive and incredibly rewarding on so many levels.
It sounds deceptively simple: Create content from content. But where to begin? We start by creating three to four content pillars: a 3 to 5 minute video, a web article, a microsite and photography, for example. Then we build your strategy from there, using sawdust from each of these to build out.
Think of it this way: You choose a really choice block of wood (your brand). You carefully carve it into the perfect creation, a masterful representation of who you are. As you're doing this, sawdust cascades around you. While not attached to your piece at the moment, it's no less a part of your process - and no less valuable.
Use that sawdust to build your brand. Here's what we mean:
- From the 3 to 5 minute video, create 15 second microvideos, and then animated GIFs, to use on Facebook and Twitter. "
- From the web article and photography, build quote cards, short animations or 10 second stories for Instagram - the aspirational tone and vertical format of Instagram stories lends itself perfectly to it.
It's not the first time we've seen such a transition from medium to medium - even back when strategists were switching from radio to TV, they began by first trying to simply run radio ads on television. Not too successful - and the same thing happened in the evolution from print to digital; running print ads on the web lacks impact. This strategy is all about understanding the psychology of the user - respecting it and then creating content for that. It's especially effective for reaching the younger generations, with a more in-depth approach that speaks to them differently wherever they are. In other words, the same message won't appear on both Twitter and Facebook - you run the risk your audience will see it both places and tune you out or turn you off.
Leveraging your sawdust means understanding your core pillars above all else. And the proof is in what you build - practitioners of this theory have built $100 million companies, racked up 3 million followers.
