In conversation with Digital and Content Strategist Cecile Stefanova

What's your role here at HG?

I'm a Digital and Content Strategist. 

What has been your favourite project to date with the team?

I love working on our Social Listening reports which we do for multiple clients across different industries. At its core, the Social Listening report is a trends based report, but the reason they are my favourite projects to work on is that each one is uniquely tailored to the client’s needs. We review content performance, consider consumer sentiment, analyse competitors and the market, and from there propose a handful of key content strategies for the quarter ahead. It's a holistic and detailed approach to content strategy and I'm always left feeling inspired and excited after presenting each one. 

Could you give us some pointers on how to use insights to inform digital content? 

Insights are the cornerstone of any idea or strategy as they inform the consumer sentiment, and ultimately the consumer is at the epicentre of everything we do. My approach to insights is to use them as a storytelling vehicle. When pitching an idea, a concept or a strategy, the insights we use provide the stepping stones for building a compelling argument. In essence, they are the evidence to support the idea. 

I have two distinct ways of using insights day-to-day. I either start with a key insight that I use as the anchor for the concept, and build out the rest of the strategy from there. Or, I have the final idea in mind and I reverse engineer the strategy by finding supporting insights to validate the idea. There is no right or wrong way of using them but it is our responsibility to bring insights to life and tell a compelling story. 

What are 3 things that people should consider when refining their social media / digital strategies?

1. The 'Why?' - The very first question to answer when refining any social or digital strategy is “why?”. What is the central reason for this content type? You have to know the intended purpose and if the execution will deliver on this.

2. The 'Who?' - The second question to answer is “who is this content for?” As marketers, strategists and social media managers, we need to have a deep understanding of our target audience. We need to know their preferences, likes, dislikes, how and where they consume content, and we need to be sure that this content will resonate with them. As more social and digital platforms are competing for our time, there is a real attention deficit. So, knowing your consumer is integral in ensuring that the content you create will be of value to them, and will therefore yield authentic engagement.

3. The 'Where?' - In a society where new platforms are constantly being released and the algorithm is continuously being updated, we must always be thinking about “where?” content is being posted. Also, the way apps are being used is ever-evolving, and content placement needs to be aware of this as well as anticipating future shifts.