An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Essay Example

An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Essay An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement Abstract With increasing communication in the world and acceleration of economic globalization, English advertising has found its way into peoples life. This thesis makes an attempt to explore the language characteristics of English advertisements so that we may be able to appreciate and write English advertising texts better. The thesis attempts to approach the main language characteristics of English advertising mainly from the angles of advertising and linguistics. First, the thesis defines advertising, clarifies its objectives, mentions its components, and discusses its lactations of English advertisement. Next, it investigates the main wording characteristics, concentrating on simple verbs, adjectives and compounds. Then it probes into the fundamental grammatical features, focusing upon the tenses and frequently employed sentences and constructions of English advertisements. The final part of the thesis body explores the most frequently employed rhetorical devices in English advertising texts, such as simile, metaphor, personification, pun. We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisement specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But what is advertising? What are the objectives of advertising? What elements does an advertisement consist of? How are advertisements classified? These are the questions of which we must have a good idea before we proceed to explore the language features of characteristics of English advertising. As far as I know, some books and papers concerning English advertising have been published at home and abroad. In modern society, English advertising has gradually formed its own unique characteristics and has also shaped an independent style throughout history of development. The language of English advertising is simple and direct. Therefore, an analysis of the features of English advertising is worthwhile. 2. Definition of advertising In English, the word advertise has its origin in adventure in Latin, meaning to inform somebody of something, to bring into notice or to draw attention to something. Baber Lasher, father of modern advertising, said that advertising was salesmanship in print. This definition was given a long time before the advent of radio and television. In the past, the nature and scope of advertising were considerably different from those today. The definition indicates that the ultimate objective of advertising is to sell. Obviously, it is not an all round definition, for it an not cover all advertisements. 2. 2 Elements of advertising An advertisement is composed of different components, which are either verbal or non-verbal. The verbal components consist of the headline, sub-headline, the body copy, trademark (including brand name, corporate o restore name and visual symbol) and slogan. The non-verbal elements are made up of illustrations, advertising music, advertising sounds, color and layout. Each element plays a role in successful advertising. However, an advertisement has no need to include all elements are discussed, not because they are more important, but because engage features in such elements are more conspicuous and much easier to be noticed by the general public. David Googol, a famous Australian advertiser, pointed out, On the average five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. The headline is with eighty cents of an advertising dollar. Therefore, if you havent done some selling in the headline, you have wasted 80 percent of your money. So, the headline should attract readers attention, make them read the body copy, show the benefit of the product and arouse readers desire to take buying action. Some headlines need no sub-headlines. The body copy tells the complete sales story. The purpose of the body copy is to provide clarification of the headline and proof of claims, to point out other competitive advantages. In short, to give the prospective reasons, implicit as well as explicit ,for action desired. A trademark is a sign used by an enterprise or an industry to distinguish quality, specifications and nature of the product they produce, process and sell. The name of a trademark often appears in the headline. The slogan has some similarities with the headline . Len fact, many slogans are developed from some successful headlines lagans are standard statements for sales people and company employees. For example, Fords slogan Quality is Job I explicitly states that the company makes high-quality products. The main purposes of slogans are to provide continuity for a campaign and to express a key theme or idea with concise and memorable words. Some slogans seem to be old friends of readers and become sparks of recognition on consumers minds, which create favorable impressions of the products or enterprises on the readers minds, so they are regarded as immense treasures for enterprises. Slogans are very common in English advertisements. . 3 Objectives of advertising The objectives of advertising are various. Association of National Advertisement (ANA) interprets its objectives as awareness, comprehension, conviction and action (CA). Firstly, advertisements should draw attention from the audience ; secondly, they should show and prove the advantages of the advertised products or services; thirdly , they should arouse interest of potential customers or clients and stimulate strong desires in them ; finally, they should encourage potential consumers to take However, most of us agree that the principal objective of advertising is to action. Ell products. But unlike salesmen whose sell goods in face-to-face or even voice -to- voice situations, advertisers communicate certain messages to particular groups of people who may or may not be known and who may be close or at a distance. Therefore, advertising is a specialized form of communication. In order to satisfy the marketing function, it has to provide the relevant information, to persuade people and to influence their choices and buying deci sions. Therefore, the message contained in any advertisement must be absolutely clear or easy to comprehend, ND the meaner of conveying the message must be effective so that the receiver may believe and understand the message properly and take specific action to obtain the product or service. Specifically, an advertisement is designed to dispose people to buy a product or service, to support a cause, or even to encourage less consumption(such as social welfare advertisement). An advertisers main purpose is to present and exhibit products or services, and to spread their influence to the extent that the potential purchasing population becomes real and actual. Generally, advertisers try by the various meaner at their espousal to get people to buy the product or service advertised. They attempt to construct an advertisement that will fully involve the attention of the potential purchaser and which will have a persuasive effect. So they will make full use of every word to attract readers attention. English advertising texts display many unique diction features, such as frequent use of monosyllabic verbs, compounds, as well as adjectives. Which will be discussed briefly and separately in this chapter? 3. 1 The lexical features becomes actual. Generally, advertisers try by the various meaner at their disposal to et people to buy the product or service advertised. They attempt to construct an advertisement that will fully involve the attention of the potential purchaser and which will have a persuasive effect. So they will make full use of every word to attract readers attention. English advertising texts display many unique diction features, such as frequent use of monosyllabic verbs, adjectives, compounds. 3. 1. 1 Monosyllabic verbs Verbs used in English advertising are mostly short and simple. Typical ones are: be, do , get, buy, make, give, have, see, come, go, call, try, know, keep, look, deed, love, use, show, help, prove, mean, meet, suit, save, feel, like, take, choose, select, start, taste, build ,grow, offer, provide, enjoy, savor, etc. Any advertisements in English you come across may contain a few or some of these verbs, no matter what products or services are advertised . III these verbs are common and simple, and most of them are monosyllabic. These common verbs make advertising in English simple and easy to understand. An umber of the above-mentioned verbs has varying grammatical functions and meanings that vary accordingly. The linking verb be is usually used to express the advertised product or service. The word do, which has many different meanings, can refer to the practical take, and keep are related to the possession of the advertised product or service; have and have got convey the idea of neutral possession : keep transmits the idea of continuing possession ;buy, get and take express acquisition and give denotes the conferring of possession on somebody else. Another group of verbs concern consumption: take (in one of its uses) and have (in one of its meanings). Meet and suit are associated with the practical functions of the advertised product or service. Like, love and need denote mental disposition towards the product . Choose/select and taste indicate some links between product and consumer. Look, feel and taste can be descriptive of the consumers sensation or feelings: with an inanimate subject, they can describe the sensible properties of the commodity being advertised. The verbs make, build and grow, tell about producer and product, or about the origin of the product. Offer, provide, present, and enjoy, are favorite items in estate and travel advertisements, where they are normally preceded by impersonal subjects. At least one or two of these four verbs often appear in an estate or travel advertisements. Frequent use of monosyllabic verbs can help kill two birds with one stone: on the one hand . Let makes the language of English advertising more concise and lively, and on the other hand, it saves space, time and money. 3. 1. 2 Adjectives G. N. Leech, a well-known linguist in Britain, lists in his Language in Advertising (1966:1 52)the following most frequently used (3)good/ better/ best (4)fine (5) free(6) big(7) fresh(8) great (9)delicious (10)real (1 1)full. Sure(12)easy, safe(1 5)special(16)rich. The first item on the list ,new, which implies the latest fashion or style or quality or type, or unique feature off product r service, and connotes progress and development, is a word applied everywhere, because it can almost describe all aspects of products, such as size, shape, look, brilliance, color, formula, also it can collocate with abstract nouns: contest, fashion, competition, ideas, trend, tide, wave, etc. It is frequently seen that new collocates with common nouns, such as booklet, bottle, car, fish steak, newspapers, shampoo, soap, toothbrush, type, weed-killer, tool, TV, cosmetics, and many more. Good/better/best might appear to be another all- purpose epithet, Particularly in its comparative and superlative forms'(Leech, 966:152). Admen often use good/ better/best collocating with two kinds of products: food and tobacco. Good also collocates with many nouns which dont denote concrete products, such as flavor, gravy, sandwich, breakfast. The use of good with cigarettes and tobacco probably reflects the difficulty of finding more suitable adjective. Good and new are much more frequently used than any other adjectives. Extra and special have a function similar to that of new, but they express the differences of products . There are other words frequently used relative to new products, such as now, suddenly, announcing, introducing, improved ,revolutionary, Just arrived, important, development, miracle, surprising, challenge. 3. 1. 3 Compounds In English advertisement, you can see compounds everywhere. Some compounds are written as single words and some with a hyphen, but others appear as two separate words. Because lexical restraints on compounds are few, the advertisers text. As a result English compounds become a conspicuous characteristic of English advertisements. As we know, compound nouns are coined in many different ways. In the following examples, we can see structural types of the most common compound *noun: high-fashion knitwear, top-quality bulbs: b)noun *noun :color freshness, economy-size shredded wheat: (e)adverb *noun: the any-time cereal, up-to-the-minute cycling:(d) present participle + noun: arriving time, chewing gum: (e)past participle + noun: purified salt, married couple. 3. The grammatical features As a particular branch of language, advertising language should be concise and attractive. It usually has its own characteristics in syntax, such as frequent use of simple and frequent use of interrogative sentences. 3. 2. 1 Simple sentences Whatever product or service may be advertised, the advertiser usually sets a limit o the length of the advertisement for the sake of space and money. Normally, he or she makes much effort to convey as much information as possible in a most concise and compact manner. Therefore, simple sentences are frequently used in English advertisements. Here is the example IT COMES WITH A CONSCIENCE Honda has always made good cars . People love them. But with a loved one things can sometimes get emotional. Honda understands . And on our own we have set up a third-party arbitration program with the Better Business Bureau to give you extra voice, if you need it. But Please talk to your dealer first. And follow the problem- solving procedure described in your owners manual. Honda wants you and your Honda to have a long and happy relationship . Example is an advertisement of Honda cars. It is mostly made up of simple sentences, which render the advertisement smooth and easy to understand. Simple sentences can not only make English advertising easy to read, hear and understand but also leave a deep impression on the readers minds. 3. 2. 2 Interrogative sentences In some English advertisements, interrogative sentences are used at the very beginning of the body copy, so as to hold the addressees attention and arouse their interest. Interrogative sentences often require people to give answers, by which to arouse their attention . Oleomargarine sentences break through consumers psychological screens at first, then require them to reflect. Lets observe the example:What will you do with the money you save using a faster, more efficient computer? Interrogative sentences are very much favored in English advertisements, because they demand peoples response and can arouse readers interest quickly. Positive rhetorical questions are even more attractive and more persuasive. 3. 3 The rhetorical devices Rhetorical devices are various forms of expression deviating from the normal arrangement or use of words, which are adopted in order to give beauty, variety or force to a composition. In order to make their advertisements unique and eye- catching, the copyRitter have to make elaborate designs and draw up remarkable verbal blueprints by working creatively and aptly applying rhetorical devices. 3. 3. 1 Simile It is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. To make the comparison, with one to the other. In other words, simile is a direct or explicit comparison between two unrelated things, indicating a likeness or similarity between some abstract qualities found in both things. The connective word like or as serves as a bridge linking up the two. The use of an apt simile creates a clear and vivid image of the advertised product or service in consumers interest and achieving their mental and emotional resonance. Lets analyze the example. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. State Farm Insurance) Simile is an important rhetorical device less frequently employed than metaphor, which is one of the most frequently used heterocyclic devices in English advertisements. 3. 3. 2 Metaphor There are some definitions about metaphor, such as It is like a simile also makes a comparison between two unlike elements, but unlike a simile, this comparison is implied: rather than stated. For example: Kodak is Olympic color. In example, Kodak is compar ed to the color of Olympic. Kodak shows the real color Just as Olympic shows the real essence of the sports. The metaphor in this implies that Kodak develops itself by the Olympic spirit higher, faster and stronger. Obviously, appropriate application of metaphors plays an important role in English advertisements, which can not only render advertisements attractive and picturesque, but also informative and persuasive. So metaphors contribute to promoting the sale of products and help make advertised service thrive and flourish. 3. 3. 3 Personification By personification we mean that something without life is represented or thought of as a human being, or as having qualities or feelings of human beings. Personifying the advertised product and giving it feeling and emotion which only people possess, make an advertisement more acceptable. Personification is often employed in English advertisements. Lets observe the following example. We are proud of the birthplaces of our children, the grapes of Allemande. On our classic varietals wines, you will find the birthplaces of our, In Example, the grapes of Allemande are personified: they seem to be children of grape cultivators and wine makers, the date of wine making seems to be the birth day of the wine, and the place of grape cultivating seems to be the home town of the wine. By Personification, the adman paints a vivid and imaginative Picture. 3. 3. 4 Pun Puns which are often employed by the manufacturers to seek first-hand attention, are almost the most attention-getting device of the rhetorical figures. The tauter of puns in advertising is :the pun is the product of a contest deliberately constructed to enforce an ambiguity, to render the choice between meanings impossible, to leave the reader or hearer thinking about products in semantic space. As far as I know, the pun is one of the most favored rhetorical devices employed by copy writers and one of the most common rhetorical devices used in English advertisements . For example: Make you every hello and real good buy. (A Telephone Ad) Example is very typical of this kind of pun. The copy writer makes good use of homophones good-bye and good buy to satisfy customers psychology, to attract them and to promote the sale of the product. A play on words in this advertisement is used to draw the attention of the reader to the product because people might be amused by such a pun. One obvious influence of English advertising on the English language lies in fact that English advertising contributes a lot of mew words to the vocabulary stock of modern English. And some products or services are so popular that they have significantly changed peoples life patterns. 4. 1 The effect of the advertising results Advertising language is the core content of advertisements. Socio-cultural infancy advertising language of a society will inevitably reflect all the aspects of the social and cultural. Advertising language is a social fashion language. One easy to remember and enjoys popular support, it has inherited social and cultural side, with the innovative side; a bound by side, but also affect the text oriented side. Imprecise language translation of advertising effect In addition to this difference of language itself, caused by the misuse of advertising solution, there are a lot of misunderstandings from the inaccurate translation of advertising, such as the Hong Smoke in the tar (tar) translated as bitumen (asphalt), the computers soft Parts (software) into a computers underwear (underwear) and so on; It can be seen that the language of communication in advertising is important.. Advertising is for the product to open new international markets; we must respect the objectives of language habits of consumers, or can only be counter-productive. 4. 2 The effect of the peoples life In life, we can see striking, with the ear can hear is the slogan introduce advertising overwhelming, filled with our lives, the impact of our brain, people love UT hate. The role of advertising is not Just the need to stimulate; it is a more subtle role in changing peoples customs. Advertising is as a bridge between production and consumption. If through the language to influence and stimulate peoples sense organs, To follow the commodity information to the impression that the process of intuitive sense, and gradually the deep into the consumer consciousness, induced the attention of consumers for goods and stimulate people to think better use of the product after the scene. Results in a purchase along with desire and action, up to sell researched, promote and expanded reproduction purchases. Therefore, the advertising language on peoples consumption concept is impact very obvious. Advertising language meet the consumers psychological, accustomed to promote sales at the same time, consumers will also consumer guide: instill a certain amount of consumption concept, provides a stylish consumer culture. One trend of English advertising, as many linguistics have feared, is that the advertising language becomes elusive and manipulative. Authors like Aloud Huxley and E. B. White have warned of its manipulative nature. As Barbara Stan aptly sanitations, the deceptive nature of advertising language lies in the fact that it frequently uses poetic license to say one thing and mean another, borrowing literary other trend of English advertising is :the language is getting oral and the grammar is getting simpler . III these changes, if carelessly used, may easily lead to ambiguity and misunderstanding, which affects the products image negatively. CHAPTER VI conclusion Today in China, while our economic structure is shifting from the entirely planned economy to the socialist market system, advertising is becoming more and more active and sophisticated . Nanny, Chinas advertising expenditure reached $862 million. Among the fastest growing countries in Asia. Now with Chinas entry into WTFO, this expenditure figure will undoubtedly rise up, which will support the view that advertising is an indispensable meaner for providing the information that all market-oriented industrialized societies need for economies to function efficiently, And as English is one of the most widely used languages in the world, it is necessary to study and analyze the language features o f English advertising. Current advertisements reflect radical changes in the technology, media, the social and economic relations, the sense of personal and group identity. For the insight they provide the nature of these changes: and for the way they prepare us for further changes to come. It is a particular valuable field of study. Acknowledgement Throughout the process of writing my thesis, I obtained much help and encouragement from my kindly teacher Miss Wan. I have benefited a great deal from her great attainment, and patient guidance. Her helps and support which accompanied me when I studied as a postgraduate. I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to her.

7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Yours

7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Yours Content calendars can make or break the successful implementation of your content strategy. Why? Because they help keep your team on track, let them see what’s coming next, and help them avoid the panic of having to write something at the last minute. In this post, we took seven companies across a variety of industries and reconstructed their blog and social media posting schedules  (based on manual research) to create example content calendars. Then, after you’ve seen each example, we’ll show you how to establish your own publishing frequency, and build a content calendar to keep it organized. But First, Who Are We, Anyway?: is an industry-leading marketing calendar software platform. Curious to learn how you can manage your content + social media (and all your other marketing projects), all in one place? Start here. Download Your Content Calendar Template Kit Before you continue reading, download your content calendar template kit. It contains: A social media scheduling calendar  to plan, write and organize all your social media messages. A content calendar template  to organize and plan your content in advance. A printable marketing calendar  for your desk so you can always keep an eye on what’s coming next. A best times to post on social media infographic  to take the guesswork out of when you need to be posting. A how often to post on social media infographic  to know the baseline amount that you should post on your social media pages. A best times to publish blog posts infographic that lets you see the best times to publish your blog posts to gain the most eyeballs.7 Content Calendar Examples From Awesome Brands to Inspire Your OwnWhat Is The Purpose of a Content Calendar? The purpose of having a content calendar is to make sure your content team stays organized and on top of your publishing schedule. Some specific benefits include: Keeping track of deadlines. Giving your whole team visibility on what you’re working on. Making it easier to plan ahead. Let's Look At 7 Content Calendar Examples From These Leading Brands We chose the following companies to reconstruct their publishing schedule. Each one of these organizations had an active blog and a regular social media presence. Red Bull: Red Bull is a publishing company that just happens to sell an energy drink. This makes them interesting because they publish a large amount of high quality content. Reverb.com: An e-commerce business that carries musical instruments and accessories. They create content that makes it easy to see and hear what you’re getting before you buy. Modcloth: An e-commerce vintage clothing brand. They publish a mix of promotional content that helps sell clothes and content that shows their audience how they might look when wearing their product. Disney Parks: An estimated 150 million people visit Disney parks every year. Their content helps those visitors have the best time. BMW: BMW is the most popular car brand  on Instagram. Their messages promote an aspirational lifestyle that people strive to achieve. Whole Foods: Whole Foods curates content that’s valuable to people who want to live a healthier lifestyle. They also share their own recipes. Concordia College:  The marketing department at Concordia uses the story of their current students to attract new prospective students. Each one of these organizations span a variety of industries and company sizes. No matter what your organization does you can see a variety of schedules to inspire your own. Red Bull Red Bull is a massive media powerhouse that just happens to sell an energy drink. As you can see from their content calendar, they publish a lot of stuff whether it’s blogs, social media messages, videos and more. What conclusions can we draw from Red Bull’s content calendar? Post your content where your audience is most active.  Red Bull’s audience of 20 to 30 year old males is most active on Facebook and Instagram. Therefore it makes sense that Red Bull would publish a larger amount of content on these channels. Reuse video content on social media.  Red Bull is known for their incredible video content. Much of that gets shared on Facebook and their other social platforms. You might not be able to shoot the same kind of video, but if you have video content at all, repackage it for social media for maximum mileage. Create content that looks and feel authentically like the non-branded content that your audience seeks out. Red Bull is so successful because it looks like content from a publishing house. They don’t feel like they are being sold too. Takeaway: Organic social media content doesn't always need to sell directly in order to be successful. Take a look at Red Bull's content and social media publishing schedule.Reverb.com Reverb.com is an e-commerce website that sells pretty much any music related instrument you could think of. They know their audience well and have a created a reliable and consistent publishing schedule that’s jam-packed full of content about musicians, new and old instruments and techniques their fans would find interesting. What conclusions can we draw from Reverb’s content calendar? If you’re going to publish a lot of content make sure you do it well.  One of the reasons that Reverb.com is so successful with their content is because of their ability to tailor it to their audience. They publish a lot of information, but all of it is executed well. Establish trust with your audience. By talking to industry experts, popular musicians and more they are able to establish a sense of trust with their audience. People can drop a lot of money on their sites because they can trust what they find. Create content that makes it easy to understand how to use complex products.  Reverb does a great job explaining what their product does and how to use it. Their product base can get overwhelming and stressful so Reverb makes it easy to understand and find the dream product their audience is in search of. Takeaway: Earn your audience’s trust through the content you create. Take a look at Reverb's content and social media publishing schedule.ModCloth ModCloth is another e-commerce website that sells women’s vintage style clothing. ModCloth caters to a very niche market place as the demand for vintage clothes falls to a unique group of buyers. What conclusions can we draw from ModCloth’s content calendar? Put your audience’s interests first.  Modcloth’s audience is interested in fashion. They aren’t satisfied with what they can find at the mall. By creating content that gives their audience fashion ideas by itself, it’s okay that the copy tells them where to find it. This is an exception where direct selling can work for a retail brand. Start small and grow.  You don’t need to publish 67 blog posts and 123 social media messages right off the bat. ModCloth’s publishing schedule is small but that’s what works for them. You have to walk before you can run and that includes your content creation. Your blog doesn’t have to be your main focus. Blogs are great, but they’re also time-consuming. If your team doesn’t have the resources or the time to publish a ton of blog content, that’s okay. Focus your efforts on creating great content on your social media pages,e-books or landing pages and slowly grow your blog. Takeaway: Organic social media content should not always look and feel like an ad. Take a look at Mod Cloth's content and social media publishing schedule.Disney Parks Disney is a behemoth in the hospitality and service world and needless to say they publish a lot of content. The Disney Parks blog is just one of several blogs, Facebook pages and more that Disney runs. What conclusions can we draw from Disney Park’s content calendar? Create content that creates FOMO. Disney has many massive theme parks that are packed full of attractions and fun family things to do. Their content creates a FOMO or feeling of missing out on all the fun. This move creates a sense of urgency and longing for your audience hopefully promoting them to take action. Show them what they will experience. Create content that shows your audience what they will get or experience when they purchase your products. Instead of letting them guess what will happen, show them instead. Help them have the best time when they do business with you. Disney’s content focuses a lot on the experiences that their customers have. You can do this as well by letting your content show them how working with you creates the best possible experience they’ll ever have. Takeaway: Show your audience how to create an experience when they visit you. Take a look at Disney Park's content and social media publishing schedule.Whole Foods Whole Foods is a natural grocery store that was recently acquired by Amazon. They’re blog integrates the products their selling with fun easy to read content. What conclusions can we draw from Whole Foods content calendar? If you don’t have enough blog content to supplement your social media messages, curate it from other sources.  Whole Foods doesn’t publish a ton of blog content throughout the month so to supplement some of its social media posts it will scrape content from other related blogs, news sources and even their own customers. Try publishing themed content. One thing that Whole Foods does well is post themed content. Whether that be new Halloween recipes or ways to used seasoned fruits and vegetables Whole Foods finds a way to make their content timely and themed. Don’t publish blog content just to fill your content calendar. If you’re experiencing gaps in your content calendar don’t randomly publish blog content trying to fill it in. Your blog content should always be strategically written. Takeaway: Everything that Whole Foods publishes is high-quality content that their audience cares about. They might do well to publish a little more but you don’t have to have a publishing schedule like Red Bull to be successful. BMW BMW is a world-renowned luxury vehicle maker. Their designs are timeless, classic, and out of reach for many pocket books. Their content marketing strategy however, is not. What conclusions can we draw from BMW content calendar? Use your blog to show behind the scenes stuff about your product.  People love seeing what makes a product tick. Use your blog to show them information that they may not get by seeing advertisements or use cases of your product. If you sell an expensive product, use social media to reinforce your brand not make a direct sale. People know who BMW is and how it makes them feel. Their product is out of reach for many of their audience members meaning that a link to a dealership in a post probably isn’t going to result in a sale. If your product has a pretty hefty price tag use your social media to reinforce the luxury idea of your brand. Make people feel like they’re part of the community.  BMW is great at making their audience feel included when they buy their product. They’re not just purchasing a car, they’re also becoming part of a community. Takeaway: If your product is a hard direct sell, create content that caters to your audience’s aspirations. Take a look at BMW's content and social media publishing schedule.Concordia College Concordia College is a small liberal arts college in Moorhead, Minnesota. Like many colleges Concordia keeps and active blog and social media presence to attract prospective students. What conclusions can we draw from Concordia’s content calendar? Reshare your blog content.  Concordia shares one blog post  multiple times on one social media channel. This can help ensure that as many people see your content as possible. Let current customers tell your story. Concordia uses their content to show potential student see what it would look like if they were to attend the college. Word of mouth is more powerful than what you could say about yourself as a brand. Once you’ve publish your content respond to what people have to say. Your content publishing schedule is not complete once it’s live. You need to be able to continue that conversation about your content with your audience. Find out what they think and take the time to show them that you care about what they have to say. Takeaway: Reinforce the idea that your organization creates a community. Take a look at Concordia College's content and social media publishing schedule.How Can You Build Your Own Calendar Like a Leading Brand? You’ve seen seven  different examples. The next step in your process is to create a content publishing schedule and a social media promotion schedule. So how do you do that? Step One: Figure Out Content Types and Publishing Schedule The very first step in developing your content calendar is deciding what types content you’re going to be publishing. Some common options are: Blog Posts E-Books Landing pages Podcasts Videos Social media posts Email newsletters There’s no limit to the types of content that your team can publish but remember to start small and grow into more types later down the road. Once you’ve decided what types of content you’re going to publish, you need to decide how often you’re going publish each type of content. For example it could look something like: Publish two blog posts a week. Publish one podcast a week. Publish one e-book each quarter. The publishing schedule that your company decides on can grow or shrink depending on For every content piece you publish you should include the following information in your content calendar: The date it publishes. The topic it covers. The content format you’ll create. In your content calendar template it would look something like this: