The opposite day, I got here throughout this tongue-in-cheek publish whereas idly scrolling: “Spotify ought to ship a halftime report. Inform me in July what my Wrapped is wanting like and the way a lot work I’ve left to do to show this factor round.” Contemplating I’d simply jokingly voiced how embarrassing my Wrapped was going to look this 12 months after the tons of of minutes I’ve spent clicking the replay button on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” that publish was a complete learn.
Spotify’s Wrapped function, which delivers a personalised breakdown of customers’ listening developments from the 12 months, nonetheless holds the highest spot with regards to most participating year-in-review content material — a lot in order that many people, jokingly or not, are already anticipating what our 2024 Wrapped goes to seem like in the course of the summer season. And the format is so profitable that even its many imitators have gained traction. Different music streaming platforms like YouTube Music and Tidal finally launched their very own variations, and even non-music manufacturers, just like the health app Peloton, adopted go well with.
It’s no surprise these year-end user-generated content material campaigns have garnered such constructive suggestions; they’re endlessly shareable, and customers love personalised experiences. However, in fact, creating your individual extremely individualized wrap-up might be an enormous endeavor, relying on each your trade and the way a lot buyer information you’ve entry to. Right here’s how one can implement the spirit of those extremely personalised year-in-review stories in your individual EOY campaigns.
Plan your year-in-review content material now
The sooner you begin planning your year-in-review marketing campaign, the extra intentional it’s going to really feel in your viewers. That doesn’t imply you have to get it able to publish now — in spite of everything, there’s nonetheless loads of the 12 months left to go, and also you don’t need your evaluation to really feel incomplete. However beginning now offers you ample time to analysis what you wish to embrace in your evaluation and create a workable define to flesh out come late November or early December absolutely.
Beginning as quickly as potential is very vital when culling information from completely different sources. You’ll wish to set parameters for all stakeholders to stick to, akin to sticking to information from a set time period (maybe January 1 to October 31 of this 12 months). Your proprietary information is a good place to begin. As an example, advertising and engineering can provide you buyer and consumer insights, and finance can provide you detailed spending stories.
Shopify is a good instance of a B2B model breaking down high-level information right into a digestible 12 months in evaluation that’s related to the targets of its base. And with a mixture of written content material, video, and information visualizations, Shopify’s Commerce Traits report offers customers a choose-your-own-adventure expertise — whereas nonetheless remaining aesthetically constant and with out being overwhelming.
Personalize your recap in your viewers
A year-in-review report is a good alternative to encourage extended engagement and model loyalty. It’s a spot to share the worth you’ve offered in your viewers — not brag about your income numbers. (Although an internally shared wrap report with company-wide wins isn’t a foul thought, both!)
And even for those who’re not placing collectively an individualized expertise, you may nonetheless tailor your wrap-up to your audience. A brand-wide 12 months in evaluation can nonetheless really feel private for customers by specializing in their favourite, most-purchased, or top-reviewed merchandise, or trade developments and insights that may have an effect on their buying selections within the 12 months forward.
You might even create a year-end recap that hones in on geographical location, age group, school college students, or another demographic. Google’s Native 12 months In Search permits customers to entry the 12 months’s search developments of their hometown, or anyplace they really feel like looking out. It is a strategic method to offer a personalised buyer expertise with out creating an individual-specific breakdown.
Considered one of my private favourite examples of year-in-review content material (which I look out for each December) is the New York Occasions’ “Finest Books of the 12 months” hub. Not solely does it present a roundup of its high guide opinions from the previous 12 months, nevertheless it additionally offers breakdowns by style. Customers can choose which sections to learn based mostly on their very own pursuits.
Spotlight your greatest work — whereas boosting visitors
Lastly, a year-in-review is usually a strategic solution to share your model’s greatest work from the previous 12 months, whether or not that’s blogs, analysis, graphics, and so on. — and increase visitors to that content material whilst you’re at it. A retrospective can assist generate a way of “taking part in catchup” amongst your viewers. Beneath is a good instance from New York’s The Lower: by highlighting their “most-read” tales, they’ll play off of their readers’ sense of FOMO (and ship them glorious content material on the identical time).
You can too select to repurpose present content material in a special format. As an example, in case your information safety agency has revealed a number of analysis this 12 months, you might spotlight the highest findings in a quick-hit video or infographic for social. Or, when you’ve got been retaining a weblog full of shopper finance content material, you might create a touchdown web page hub linking to those weblog posts, positioning them assets for anybody trying to enhance their funds in 2025 and past.
When to keep away from a year-in-review marketing campaign
In fact, year-in-review content material may not all the time make sense. Each enterprise proprietor is aware of that there are good years and unhealthy years — and if there aren’t sufficient positives to share, it may not be price dwelling on the negatives.
Additionally, if you’re contemplating offering individualized year-end recaps to your viewers, watch out about what information to deal with. Fb bumped into scorching water when its “On This Day” function began reminding folks of unhealthy reminiscences, like sharing an announcement in regards to the demise of a member of the family. You need your wrap-up to be one thing prospects stay up for, not dread.
Lastly, keep away from bait-and-switch ways right here. One cause Shopify is such a trusted identify within the ecommerce area is due to its credibility as an trade professional. Its Commerce Traits report isn’t peppered with CTAs to get began with the platform — it merely sticks to the information and what’s truly vital to its audience.
Ask the Content material Strategist: FAQs on year-in-review campaigns
How can smaller companies with restricted information assets create year-in-review content material?
Smaller companies can deal with key metrics and buyer suggestions they do have, even when it’s much less complete. Highlighting just a few important achievements or developments can nonetheless interact their viewers.
What instruments can be utilized to collect and analyze information for a year-in-review advertising marketing campaign?
There are numerous instruments out there, akin to Google Analytics for internet visitors, CRM software program for buyer insights, and monetary software program for income monitoring. These instruments assist streamline information assortment and evaluation.
How can a year-in-review report be promoted to maximise engagement?
Selling the report by electronic mail newsletters, social media, and on the corporate’s web site can improve visibility. Collaborations with influencers or trade companions may also assist attain a wider viewers.
Really feel such as you’ve missed a 12 months’s price of content material advertising methods? Catch up by studying The Content material Strategist.
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