Father's Day is this weekend; and as much fun as it is to give the father figures in our lives an appropriately good natured ribbing, what usually underlies that ribbing is a respect and gratefulness for the lessons they've taught us all along the way. TV shows have portrayed fathers in myriad ways over the years, and there are countless, really fun examples we could use in a post like this. So read on to see if your favorite sitcom dad made the list! So without further ado, let's see what our most beloved TV fathers teach us about content marketing.
Phil Dunphy is Phil Dunphy, right?
He is unequivocally Phil Dunphy. And if you've ever seen the show, you know I don't mean that in any sort of rude, in-your-face sort of way. In fact, it's anything but that.
[caption id="attachment_224063" align="aligncenter" width="602"]
Some fathers try to avoid dad jokes. Not Phil Dunphy. He revels in them.[/caption]
What we're talking about here is the character, played by actor Ty Burrell, being so incredibly comfortable in his own skin that he is able to lean—and live—fully into it, to full comedic effect, of course.
His personality? It's definitely unique.
He's equal parts successful and insecure, awkward and optimistic. Goofy and upbeat, he's the emotional counterbalance to his wife, Claire's more hard-driving tendencies. He's a real estate agent who also loves doing magic.
He put up a "high" wire in his front yard.
You'll have to watch the episode to catch the whole story, but there are a couple layers behind this story. But it was Phil being Phil, and it wasn't all it seemed at first. Did he make it across? You'll have to watch for yourself to find out...
But how many of us would do something like that? How many of us would put up a rope in the front yard, grab a helmet, don it with our business attire, and try to walk across a tightrope in full view of the neighbors? Not many, I suspect.
And that's OK. Because we're not Phil Dunphy.
What's important for us as we think about our brands and content marketing is this: Create and/or clarify your brand's unique personality, and then lean fully into it. There's no one else exactly like you, and there's no on else who should be able to create content exactly like yours.
Your content should be unmistakably you. It should have your personality, your tone, your voice, your quirks, your perspectives, your humanness. It should be your story.
So be authentic and unique. Be you. It's an advantage and accelerator that no one else can duplicate.
[bctt tweet="Make your content authentic and unique. It's an advantage that no one else can duplicate. #contentmarketing #socialmedia #contentstrategy #marketing " username="mattmonge"]
Thanks to Netflix, and not unlike Karate Kid Cobra Kai before it, a new generation is getting introduced to an old show in Full(er) House.
They're meeting Uncle Jesse, Uncle Joey, the girls, and of course, longsuffering father, Danny Tanner.
As a single parent, he does his best to raise his daughters before eventually enlisting the help of the aforementioned Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey, both of which at times are more like kids themselves.
At various points, we see Danny's juggling act on display, as he works full-time, parents full-time, and does his darndest to be a good parent. What's amazing to see, though, is the patience he has with his girls as they navigate the twists and turns of growing up. You can tell he's taking a long view of parenting, as he strives to maintain an even keel through whatever gets thrown his way.
As with any marketing or branding effort, it can be tempting to look for immediate gratification. But like most good things, content marketing takes a sustained approach. It requires patience and an eye toward the long-term goals you have for your brand and organization.
[bctt tweet="Resist the urge to look for immediate results with content marketing. Like most good things, it requires a sustained effort. #contentmarketing #socialmedia #marketing #contentstrategy" username="mattmonge"]
So just like TV dad Danny Tanner wasn't thrown into hysterics every time he got a complaint from a kid about his parenting or decisions, so too must you maintain your course with content marketing, knowing it's an absolutely critical component of your future success.
OK, this one wasn't originally a TV father, per se; but this movie is on TV all the time now, so we're going to go with it.
If ever there were a TV father who went big on a consistent basis—and I mean really, really went for it—it's Clark Griswold.
From vacations in Europe to Christmas lights displays that nearly killed him to pull off, Clark Griswold has all of us pulling for him at various points. And laughing at with at (I had it right the first time) him.
While there's often something that tugs at us to play it safe all the time, it's very difficult to make an impact that way. Clark Griswold wanted to make a difference in his family's life, so he went the extra mile. He stood out. Made a splash. Sometimes a scene.
In the content marketing game, sometimes it's necessary to figure out what it looks like in your context to "go big," and then to go for it.
Yes, you'd want to stay on brand, and yes, you'd want to be sure it was in line with your brand personality. But it can pay to channel your inner Clark Griswold every once in a while.
Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor was a study in contradictions. He was an expert whose Tool Time "show" demonstrated how often he messed up and had to be bailed out by his buddy Al. He was externally a "strong" father figure; a good dad with a good heart; but when it came time to execute on fatherhood, he had to lean on his friend (or the fence, rather), Wilson, whose insight would be the key that helped Tim take the appropriate next steps.
Did that discourage him? Nope. He laughed it up, didn't take himself too seriously, and certainly didn't hesitate to approach Wilson from across the fence.
With everything going on in the world, it's important to remember that even though we can take our profession and our craft seriously, we don't have to take ourselves seriously. That will help you lighten up, relax, and post more human and relatable content.
Additionally, remember why the majority of people get online in the first place according to multiple studies — to be entertained. So find ways to do that. Inject some fun, some humor into your posts.
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