Why content days are the future of content creation

In our opinion, content marketing should be all about relevant and inspiring content that’s original, organic, and quick to turnaround. Yet, so often we still see clients relying on stock photography. Either that, or the laborious (expensive!) process of briefing separate creators for copy, images, or videos in silo. This got us thinking, and led us to another one of our all-important ‘bright questions’: “How do you efficiently create a whole series of content, in just one day?”  And just like that, ‘Content Days’ were born.

What are content days and how do they work?

Content days are exactly what they claim to be: a day dedicated to putting together quality content. They package videography, photography, live social updates, blog posts, vlog material and networking events under one umbrella. The only rule is that all content is gathered in one day.

Of course, a successful Content Day relies on having the right team to carry it out. For example, our most recent Content Day in Leeds saw one of our team members well-versed in copy writing and live social media content, pair with one of our photographer/videographers. This resulted in a day filled with live updates about the best the city of Leeds has to offer. Including engaging image and video content ready for repurposing by @VisitLeeds for the #InLeedsWeekend influencer networking event. All this as well as a fresh bank of organic content gathered for any future need to talk about Leeds!

The multifaceted benefits of a content day:

The efficiency of creating so much in such a short space of time isn’t the only great thing about Content Days. As a result of our Content Days so far, we’ve recognised and measured plenty of other benefits:

• Improvement of photography material

Content days spell the end of stock photography! This ensures that images produced are unique, and most importantly, ownable. Instead of having to find copyright free images, we can take expertly composed stills in situ to use without copyright issues. This isn’t just a logistical benefit, it also adds a certain quality to your channels that stock photography simply cannot. The ‘real’ feel of organic photos draws in social media users, whether they know it or not! That’s why organic will simply always perform better than stock.

• Optimisation of video content and social channels

Relevant video can be recorded quickly and efficiently, then seamlessly integrated with live video channels. This ties in well with Facebook and Instagram algorithms that tend to favour accounts with live video updates. Any videos taken are edited to produce professional level video features that can be reused in future content planning.

• Boosting reach of social channels

Live social updates are also a great way of increasing online social media interactions. The more frequent updates are, the more they create a sense of narrative across the social channels. There is a vibrancy to constant activity that keeps your feed relevant and interesting to people who see it. Couple this with the fact that channel algorithms favour pages or accounts with frequent updates, and you’re on your way to a great boost for your channels. All without paying a penny on ads!

• Building industry contacts

Our Leeds-focused Content Day was such a great success thanks to correspondences with VisitLeeds. The fact that the Content Day matched up with their #InLeedsWeekend event meant it also doubled as a networking event. Building relations with VisitLeeds as well as a number of established travel bloggers will undoubtedly be helpful for the arrangement of influencer campaigns in the future. This is a prime example of how getting out and about to gather content can also result in meeting some very relevant and useful contacts!

• Making the most out of content

So much of the photo and video content we take during our Content Days will always be relevant to the subjects of travel or to the city itself. With the throwaway nature of a lot of social media content today, it’s vital to consider the longevity of content (whether it is developed quickly or not) when getting value for money from any form of social content.   

We have some more exciting Content Days planned and coming up soon so stay tuned to see what we get up to. If you’d like to discuss the possibility of a HDY Content Day to showcase your business or a particular topic you’ll be covering, just get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!