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
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!
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
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
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.
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)