I used to drive up and down I-35 to get to my job (in a reclaimed mall) at Rackspace in San Antonio. I passed by Buc-ee’s and their billboards many times on that drive. Buc-ee’s is a super-charged truck stop based in Texas, with a large selection of just about anything (clothes, snacks, candy, jerky) and some of the self-proclaimed best restrooms in America. It’s hard to imagine until the sliding glass doors glide open, and you stand in awe of the size and scope of such a place. Here’s their interesting content strategy, though; they have a straightforward website, but the copywriting on their billboards is simply hilarious.
Their billboards feature witty and humorous sayings that play on their reputation. For example, one billboard reads, “Restrooms you have to pee to believe,” while another says, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy Beaver Nuggets, and that’s kind of the same thing.” These billboards are memorable, entertaining, and effective at driving traffic to Buc-ee’s stores.
I look at these sayings and think, “Content strategy doesn’t have to be boring – you can have fun with your content strategy!”
Even in tech writing, you can use social media and community posts with your content strategy for fun. Take advantage of trending hashtags or memes and create a version that’s relevant to your brand. For example, if there’s a popular meme format, you could make your own version promoting your product or service.
Our teams have been playing around with this at Cisco with a Meme Monday and a Fun Friday. Another fun content strategy is to create quizzes or polls that tap into your audience’s interests. For example, if you’re a doc writer for an AI service, you could create a quiz that helps people determine their prompt personality or a poll that asks them to vote on their favorite training models. These types of interactive content not only engage your audience but also provide valuable insights into their preferences.
To summarize, a clever content strategy shouldn’t be all serious and boring. Injecting humor and entertainment into your tech writing efforts can make them more memorable and effective. Take inspiration from Buc-ee’s billboards, create quizzes or polls, and leverage community trends to add fun to your content strategy.