How to plan an operational topic by taking advantage of hot topics?

Following hot topics is an essential skill for content operators, but those who have just started content operation often run into this problem: Faced with so many hot topics, how can they use them to plan a content topic?

In fact, there is a way of thinking about chasing hot spots, which can help us chase hot spots more efficiently. The main points are as follows:

1. Hot spot sorting and screening. Among the many hot spots, which one is most worth following?
2. User needs analysis and topic formulation. Why do our users pay attention to this hot topic? Which dimension would you rather focus on?
3. Content distribution and organization. How to distribute hot topics and produce better results?
4. Results tracking and optimization. How to optimize and further improve its effect?

Next, based on the music products I am responsible for, let’s take a look at how to plan a content topic by following the thinking path of hot topics.

1. Hotspot sorting and screening

Have you ever encountered such a problem? I worked overtime to chase many hot spots, but the final result was not good. The reason behind this is that we have underestimated the process of hotspot screening. Not all hot spots are worth our energy. We need to screen out the ones that are truly worth pursuing and put more energy into polishing them to maximize their effectiveness.

So how do we screen out valuable hot spots? It can be divided into two parts: hot spot sorting and hot spot rating.

1. Hotspot analysis

Hotspots can be divided into regular hotspots (Spring Festival, College Entrance Examination, World Cup, etc.) and sudden hotspots (natural disasters, celebrity revelations, etc.). When it comes to content operations, we should first choose conventional hot spots, because these hot spots have higher certainty and can be planned in advance. On this basis, sudden hotspots are also taken into consideration.

We can use hot marketing tools, tables, mind maps, etc. to manage hot spots and sort out the hot spots for a period of time in the future (which can be weeks, months, or quarters).

Case: Taking a music content platform as an example, plan the hot spots for November in advance.

This planning used hot marketing tools, focusing on screening out hot topics related to our content, such as "celebrity-related", "general festivals", "IP content online", etc.

1. Evaluate hotspot levels

Assess the priority of hot spots to help us determine which hot spots should be invested more energy, which hot spots need less energy, or which hot spots should not be followed up.

Rating based on:

• What is the influence of this hot spot? We can use tools such as Baidu Index, Micro Index, WeChat Index, etc. to help us judge
• How is it relevant to us? Including concerned groups, related resources, etc., you can make judgments based on actual conditions

Combining the above two points, we can determine which quadrant this hotspot is in (as shown below)? So that we can prioritize.

Case: Taking a music product as an example, the sorted hot spots are managed in a table, and the hot spot level (S/A/B/C/D) is evaluated by resource relevance and hot spot heat. Finally, we determined that the focus we need to pay attention to in November is "Jay Chou's 18th anniversary of his debut." The reasons for selection are as follows:

1. In the historical data of "Baidu Index", related keywords are higher in a certain period of time and last longer.
2. We have content related to Jay Chou, which can be used to increase the consumption of content on the platform.

2. Hot spot demand analysis

After selecting the hot spots, further analysis is needed to help us formulate topics or themes.

1. Public opinion analysis: What are people’s concerns?

For a hot event, there are usually multiple aspects and forms of topics. So which topics are of most concern? We can learn about it through major platforms, such as Weibo, Zhihu, etc. Sort out the hotly debated topics to help us use them as a reference for formulating special topics.

2. Audience analysis: What kind of people are paying attention?

Hot topics of different dimensions may have different target groups. For example, in the “World Cup” hot topic, there are topics such as “Champion Analysis and Prediction” that are of interest to senior football fans, and there are also topics such as “Most Handsome Football Star List” that are of interest to females. Understanding the characteristics of the populations discussing different topics will help us select topics that are relevant to the characteristics of our platform.

3. Topic formulation: Based on 1, 2 and the characteristics of your own platform, what kind of topics can be produced?

Through 1 and 2, we can determine which topics are most in line with the platform characteristics and have the highest popularity.

Case: Still taking our music products as an example, the current hot topic is "Jay Chou's 18th anniversary of his debut", so what are Jay Chou's topics on major platforms and what are his audiences like?

(1) Zhihu: Top topics related to Jay Chou. Highly praised content usually has this style. Most of the respondents are over 20 years old, and most of them have liked Jay Chou's works since they were teenagers.

(2) Weibo: Most of the popular Weibo posts are related to Jay Chou’s concerts and variety shows. Information that seems to have no value can be ignored for the time being.

(3) WeChat public accounts: "The first song Jay Chou sold before his debut, the original singer has now left the music scene" and "Except for my dad, my youth is all about him". Most of the popular WeChat tweets related to Jay Chou are also themed around reminiscing about youth.

Based on the above analysis, the most popular keywords are "Jay Chou", "youth", "companionship" and "18th anniversary". The users of this topic are most likely those born before 1995, which triggers memories of youth.

So we chose the final topic: Jay Chou, who accompanied us through our youth - 18 years of classic songs.

3. Content Distribution and Organization

After formulating the topic, you also need to pay attention to the distribution and circulation of the content. To put it simply, there are two points: 1. It is necessary to consider which nodes can present content along the user's behavioral path of consuming content. 2. Based on the characteristics of the node, how to better organize the content for better consumption.

1. Distribution: Which nodes in the user path can be utilized?

For content-based products, users can be roughly divided into "browsing type" and "goal-oriented type". “Browser” users browse content at random, without a clear purpose. Usually people browse content casually through recommendations, rankings, etc. "Goal-oriented" users have specific purposes and usually find the content they want through searching and classification.

Based on the characteristics of our platform, are the proposed hot topics more suitable for "goal-oriented" users or "browsing" users? The emphasis in the distribution process is also different. In addition to your own platform, assuming that the content is suitable for external dissemination, you can also consider external channels such as Zhihu and Weibo to increase the acquisition of new users.

2. Organization: How does each node organize content for better consumption?

Based on the characteristics of each node and user consumption scenarios, how should content be presented to facilitate better circulation? If it is a banner on the homepage, then you need to focus on how to present the recommended pictures and text in order to attract users. If it is a search, how should the recommendation copy in the search be drafted to meet user needs?

Case: Taking our music products as an example, we have identified "Jay Chou who accompanied us through our youth - 18 years of classic songs". How should we distribute and organize it? Find the channels and recommended positions that can be delivered, and optimize them according to the node characteristics.

As shown below:

4. Effect tracking and optimization

After completing the release of hot content, you need to continue to pay attention to its effects in order to optimize it again. There are two directions for your reference:

1. If the results are not as expected, what is the problem?

Even if the previous steps are done well enough, there may still be poor data. In fact, operational work is affected by many factors, and there is no guarantee that a certain operational action will definitely improve the data. But we can analyze it layer by layer to see what the reasons behind it are? Optimize relevant factors as much as possible to increase the probability of improving operational results.

2. Assuming the effect is better, how can we maximize it?

If the hot content has a good effect, then we can also consider how to maximize its effect?

• Increase the amount of relevant content. Leverage this hot content to expand more relevant content. For example, in addition to the topic “Jay Chou who accompanied us through our youth”, we can add topics with similar themes such as “Remembering youth”.
• Push content externally. You can also organize the content into other forms and distribute it externally to increase the exposure of your own platform. For example, it can be output in the form of an article titled "Jay Chou, who accompanied us through our youth" and released to the public.

Case: Taking our music product as an example, how to track the effect and optimize it?

We pushed the topic "Jay Chou, who accompanied us through our youth" and found that the click rate of this topic was high, but the content was played less frequently.

Analysis: The short broadcast time may be because the content of this special topic is for VIPs only and requires payment to watch. A large number of users who visit this topic are non-member users. The VIP purchase conversion rate did not increase as a result.

Optimization: Use this content to add VIP promotions to increase VIP payment conversion rates and thereby increase content viewing time.

The above is the basic thinking path for hot spots. There are also the following points worth noting:

1. Different types of products have different focuses, operating indicators, etc. It is necessary to optimize the mechanism of chasing hot spots according to the characteristics of your own products.
2. For content operators with more advanced skills, some of the above steps can be ignored. For example, if you are a fan of Jay Chou, you are more sensitive to what kind of content can impress the target users and can ignore the public opinion analysis part.
3. The example is simple, but making thinking explicit can help us improve. Especially when something happens more than twice, it is worth making your thinking explicit (review, summary, etc.) to help us become aware of the routine of doing this thing, as well as the links for optimization and improvement. For example, for public opinion analysis of hot topics, if you can organize the relevant URLs and tools into cloud notes, you can use them immediately when you need them again. Improve work efficiency and quality.

The above is for your reference, I hope it will be of some inspiration to you.

Source: Awei