What a Tangled Web We'll Weave (without a Content Strategy)

AMA Content Marketing VirtualExchangeStacey King Gordon, Suite Seven@staceykgordon / @suiteseven

#AMAVEC #tangledweb

Consumers are

overwhelmed by marketing messages.

1970500 messages every day

2013

3,000to

30,000 messages every day

VALUE

Entertain

Inspire

Educate

Support

Connect

Marketers say:

We need more CONTENTto drive more leads!

SEO specialists say:

We need more CONTENTfor better rankings!

Social media managers say:

We need more CONTENTfor better engagement!!! ;-)

more CONTENT

Part of adding value means NOT creating more chaos, confusion and frustration.

When people make the effort to engage with you, they expect to be rewarded.

Long-term benefits of quality content marketing

More inbound inquiries

More short listing

Faster sales cycles

Higher close rates

Bigger deal sizes

Increased customer loyalty

Higher lifetime value

Early stage Middle stage Later stage

Source: Laura Ramos, Forrester

Deliver what audiences need

At the right place and time

In a unique way

Consistently

For content marketing to work, you have to:

But little Mouse, you are not alone,In proving foresight may be vain:The best laid schemes of mice and menGo often awry,And leave us nothing but grief and pain,For promised joy!

1. Trying to “boil the ocean.”

2. Producing uninspiring content (that makes people feel indifferent)

3. Creating a hamster’s nest of content

4. Building content graveyards

5. Not getting the voice right

Content marketing strategy

FOCUS

SUSTAINABILITY

STANDARDS

Themes and topics Channels

Frequency Curation

What you uniquely know

What your audience

cares about

Where You

Credibly Play

Themes and topics Channels

Frequency Curation

What you uniquely know

What your audience

cares about

Where You

Credibly Play

Your Content Framework

Point of view statement

The only way for a company to become a leader and sustain success is for the customer to be at the center of everything it does. Good customer service is just good business: it helps companies be more profitable and maximize customer lifetime value.

COMPANY is the source for the tools, expertise and insights you need to build and grow your customer-centric business and keep your team focused on creating memorable, exceptional experiences for your customers.

Content goals

Build loyalty and trust

Give consumers an informative, accessible, pressure-free way to learn about your product, helping to reduce anxiety and build confidence in a way that will support customer loyalty to your brand.

Provide information in the way customers want to consume it

Create a mix of written, visual and video content, and package information in a clear way, with the right balance of emotion and detail.

Give consumers an easy place to start — and the ability to go deeper

Content will be architected in a way that allows users to start with basic questions and information, then will lead them to more in-depth information as they move deeper into the sales funnel.

Audiences and funnel stagesAwareness Research Consideration Purchase Relationship

WHAT THE CUSTOMER IS DOINGDeciding to buy; beginning to plan

Researching online; educating himself about the basics

Comparing products in store to what he saw online; narrowing down choices; consulting others

Making his final decision and deciding on a purchase

Implementation, thinking about growing the solution

CUSTOMER MINDSETExcited, anxious/nervous, overwhelmed with options, discouraged about cost

Interested, engaged, tentative

Hopeful, careful Satisfied, relieved, happy, proud

Excited and relieved, then overwhelmed

CONTENT GOALSHelp consumer overcome sense of being overwhelmed or discouraged; give him a logical starting point to understand options and decisions.

Help consumer explore options, understand tradeoffs and factors, embrace variety and choice

Answer more advanced questions and help consumer make his final decision

Help consumer make his final decision and feel good about it

Bring consumer back for “what’s next” and continue to serve him through the next stage

CONTENT THEMES, TOPICS, TYPES101-level basics, answers to basic questions, checklists, primer videos, easy infographics and “maps”

Basic overviews, comparison charts, decision guides, answers to basic concerns that arise during early research

Answers to more advanced concerns that come up during research, tips for weighing choices

Emotion-driven content (testimonials, proposal stories), confidence-building content (post-purchase issues)

Guidance on processes, issues, getting most mileage out of product

Content mix

AWARENESS• Software 101

• Global trade

• Design best practices

• Top trends in software design

• Hosting

• Intellectual property basics

• Financial issues

CONSIDERATION• Revenue growth

• Marketing techniques

• Monetization

• Programming tips by OS

RELATIONSHIP• Advanced tips

• Securing VC funding

• Distribution to specific global regions

Content guidelines by channel

Editorial calendar

Process definition

eBook: 5 week process

Topic generation

Vet with content

review board (optional)

Research and writing

First review

Second draft

Director review

Final draft

Design and

publish

Blog: 2 week process

Managing editor assigns

topics

Write draft posts

First round edits/back to

writer if needed

Editor edits/finalizes

Director approval Publish

3 days 2 weeks 2 days 3 days 2 days 2 days 1 week

1 week 3 days 2 days 2 days 1 day

Governance

• Editorial management

• Content “owners”

• Contributors

• Reviewers

• Editorial committee/content review board

• Legal

Content priorities/production guidelinesTier 1: Premium/Proprietary Content

Criteria: Original research, first-time publication, data-driven but with a narrative, fostering external credibility

Tone: Educational, more formal, smart and incisive, upbeat

Frequency: Quarterly/semi-annual

Creators: Professional writers/marketing, or subject matter experts with support of professional editors

Extending the Value: Complementary content to support sharing at every level: social content, video, PPT decks, infographics, blog posts

Tier 2: Current Events / Awareness Content

Criteria: Smaller bites of thought-provoking content, highlighting individual expertise, conveys unique POV, timely

Tone: Smart, conversational, upbeat, succinct, humorous (when appropriate)

Frequency: Regularly (a few times a week)

Creators: Subject matter experts, salespeople, marketing

Extending the Value: Sharing on social channels, curating and packaging “best of” content into more premium publications

Content mileage and lifecycle

ebook

blog posts, white paper

Webinar Video Email offer Infographic Twitter, FB

Create other content if:

• Appeals to multiple audiences• Can be useful at different levels of expertise• Can be broken down into multiple topics

• Can create a case study• Can create a video interview• Can create slides• Can get an expert to speak

Short summary article

Slide show

Video commentary

Content quality standards

Accurate, high-quality original content supports our position as a market leader.

Content educates or supports our customers' goals, helping them get more out of their investment, make decisions, advocate a position to colleagues, etc.

Keeps customers up to speed on current issues and best practices.

Customers will believe we have the best voices and smartest thinking on topics that matter to them and their businesses.

CREDIBLE

VALUABLE

TIMELY

RELEVANT

Voice guidelines

Trusted We’re here to help, not sell; give advice, not a pitch.

Human Language is conversational, friendly and encouraging. We speak in the second person (“you”) and use plain English. Business and industry jargon is OUT.

Genuine We don’t use unauthentic slang to sound trendy.

Smart We’re informal but informed, intelligent but not overly clever.

Empathetic We know this purchase is a big deal. Our positive, descriptive language shows it.

Editorial toolbox and style guides

MeasurementStep 1: Benchmark where we are today

Step 2: Define goals: improve upon where we are today (before/after comparison)

Step 3: Choose and track metricsQualitative• Survey employees• Editorial board• CommentsQuantitative• Number of page views• Time on page• Bounce rate• Social shares (email or tweet to others)• Survey results• Number of subscriptions to blog• Response to emails• Results of A/B testing

Step 4: Review and optimize regularly (quarterly)

FOCUS

SUSTAINABILITY

STANDARDS

ContentStrategy

www.suiteseven.com/ama@staceykgordon / @suiteseven