This document provides tips for creating engaging content from experts at the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). It discusses engaging content in three parts: 1. Defining engaging content. CMI contributors note it should be relevant, unique, entertaining/educational, and tell a story. Video is highlighted as an effective engagement tool. 2. Examples of engaging content, including a stop-motion video for ShipServ and interview-style video for Charity: Water. 3. Five ways to create engaging content like the pros, such as asking questions, humanizing content through video, repurposing existing materials, and encouraging interaction with audiences.

1. Your Kick-Start Guide
Engaging
to
Content Engaging Content
How to Produce Engaging Content
Measuring Engagement
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

2. 2
page 7
Introduction
page 7
Part 1 Engaging Content
Let’s get on the same page, shall we?
page 14
Part 2 How to Produce Engaging Content
Like the Pros
page 24
Part 3 Measuring Engagement
The Why’s, What’s and How’s
page 35
Summary Your Cheat Sheet
About the Author
page 38
Thomas Clifford
Contents
page 39
About CMI
The Content Marketing Institute
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

3. 3
Let’s say you went to a movie.
Not any ol’ movie, mind you. . .
But a movie so compelling you just have to tell your friends about it.
Or jump on Twitter to spread the word.
Or comment on blogs, YouTube or movie review sites.
Maybe the movie inspired you to write your own blog post.
Or perhaps you were inspired to read more about a certain topic.
The movie compelled you to respond.
You felt a need to tell others about your experience.
You felt a connection.
You responded & participated in some manner.
You did something.
Introduction
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

4. 4
So what does all this movie stuff have to do with
content marketing?
In a word, it’s all about
engagement.
Content, like a great movie, can be engaging, too.
Content can move your audience to respond in ways you might have never thought of.
Today, marketers are in the “engagement” business:
Customers expect it.
Marketers, take note.
If you’re new to content marketing or just wondering
what all this fuss over “engagement” is about– we hear you.
Introduction

5. 5
So what does “engaging content” mean?
Is there one definition we can all agree on?
Two?
Three?
Does “engaging content” mean different things to
different industries?
Different markets?
Different audiences?
And the questions keep rolling
Does “engagement” mean how many leads were
generated?
How many people commented?
Web traffic hits?
Twitter followers?
Introduction

6. 6
Professional content marketers must know
How do they define “engaging content?”
Is there a “secret ingredient” they look for when determining if a marketing piece is engaging?
Imagine you’re at a roundtable of
20 professional content marketers
and you asked them four simple questions:
1. “What does “engaging content” mean to you?”
2. “What tips can you share with others when they
go about creating engaging content?”
3. “How do you measure engagement?”
4. “What tools do content marketers use to
measure engagement?”
Introduction
Wouldn’t you love to hear the responses?
Well, you can.

7. 7
That’s exactly what Content Marketing Institute (CMI) did.
They got on the horn, went to the source and asked the experts.
Read on to find out how content marketing experts
define, create & measure engaging content.
You’ll also get some samples throughout.
Introduction
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

8. 8
Part 1 Engaging Content
Let’s get on the same page, shall we?
First things first:
What does engaging mean?
The CMI contributors all agreed – sort of.
It’s no surprise that the contributors responded differently.
Introduction
But when you look beyond the variety of responses, certain patterns emerge.
So what do the experts think “engaging content” means?
You may be surprised. You’ll not only hear what engaging content means to them;
you’ll learn the different qualities of engagement, too.
Keep your eyes peeled.
Engaging Content
You’ll start seeing some common threads and connections.

9. 9
Here’s how a few CMI contributing
marketers define “engaging content.”
“Engaging means the same thing to me thought-provoking information that “Engaging content offers something new:
today as it did the first time I looked it directly speaks to their interests and a new perspective, an unexpected laugh,
up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary needs. bits of knowledge, or something helpful,
as a child. Engaging: ‘Tending to draw I – Influence - content that demonstrates inspiring or entertaining. Engaging
favorable attention or interest.’ There your leadership, while also directing content gives your reader a peek at
really isn’t a reason to add any more your audience to a certain behavioral something he or she hasn’t seen before,
complexity to the definition simply outcome (permission marketing but can relate to in some way.”
because we are now faced with the conversion, direct sale, etc.). -Shelly Bowen (@shelbow)
challenge to produce ‘engaging’ content. V – Value - expressed by your audience’s
Keeping it simple has its rewards.” willingness to share content and make “Engaging content is anything that
- Jeremy Victor (@jeremyvictor) referrals on your behalf. provides value to the lives of your
E – Economy - content that conveys prospects, customers or community
“Genuinely engaging content is so critical information clearly and quickly, members. It does not have to be
attractive and appealing that it disarms understanding short attention spans elaborate; it simply needs to be valuable.
you from your very first encounter…and and the requirement to stand apart Everyone is always talking about
makes you want to linger to learn more. from a crowd.” ‘relevancy’ and interchanging that with
When it really connects with you, it will -Katie McCaskey (@KatieMcCaskey) “engagement,” but really it’s about how
take your breath away. It’s a little bit like much value are you genuinely adding to
Engaging Content
love at first sight.” “Engaging content touches me on a person’s professional or personal life –
-Newt Barrett (@newtbarrett) multiple levels. It stimulates me and, I’m not talking about your product.”
intellectually by challenging my beliefs. -Barbara Gago (@barbragago)
“I personally define ‘engaging content’ And it touches me emotionally by
with the acronym ‘G.I.V.E.’: connecting with my hopes and fears.”
G – Great content - defined by giving -John Nawn (@perfectmeeting)
your audience useful, relevant, and
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

10. 10
While the comments differ slightly, digging a little bit further
reveals four characteristics of engaging content that you can
integrate into your own marketing efforts.
What are the four qualities of engaging content?
1. It is relevant
2. It is unique
3. It is entertaining and/or educational
4. It tells a story
Here’s what a few CMI’s contributing marketers have to say about
each aspect:
Relevance:
“I think the question has it wrong. The issue is not what it means to ‘me’ but what it means to my
target audience. Something that’s dry as dust to me may be groundbreaking to others. The key to
Engaging Content
creating engaging content, as in all marketing, is beginning with the customer and his/her needs.
Before you create a whit of content, you need to understand what your customers’ and prospects’
pressing problems are. Ask yourself — or better yet, ask your customers — ‘What are your biggest
challenges?’ and ‘What’s keeping you up at night?’ Help solve those issues in your content and I
promise you’ll get an engaged audience.”
- Wendy Marx (@wendymarx) CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

11. 11
Uniqueness: Storytelling:
“Engaging content draws me into the moment. “Hyperbole and exclamation points do not
It gets me to think, but not so much that my engage readers. Engaging content starts and ends
head hurts. It leads me to see a need I didn’t see with telling a good story. Good stories require
before, to view an old topic or idea in a new way, compelling characters, insider details and tales
or to consider a different and better solution. of challenges overcome. Like every area of life,
It’s unique. It subtly disrupts my way of thinking there is no shortage of good stories in the business
without interrupting me like an ad. And engaging world.”
content doesn’t feel like I’m being ‘marketed to.’ - David Drickhamer (@leanroi)
Why? Because it focuses on me, not the marketer.”
- Colleen Jones (@leenjones) So what does all this engagement
theory mean to you?
Entertaining/Educational: Let’s say your business is as common as shipping.
“For a prospect, engaging content needs to do Or as basic as water. How can you integrate these
one, or even better, both of two things: four qualities of engagement into your own
1. Help me content marketing strategy?
Engaging Content
2. Entertain me
This may seem selfish on the part of the prospect, Try using video.
but their time is valuable. You simply must In the upcoming sections, you’ll see how video
recognize who your prospects are and fulfill their easily captures all four qualities of engagement.
needs and/or make them laugh.” We’ll also look at other non-video examples if video
- Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook) isn’t the right approach for your organization.

12. 12
Summary: What have we learned so far?
1. “Engaging content” means different things to different people.
2. There is no single definition for “engaging content.”
3. Four main characteristics of engaging content:
■ Make it relevant to your audience.
■ Provide something only you can provide (show your uniqueness!)
■ Be entertaining or educational. Better yet, offer both.
■ Use existing stories when you can or simply turn ideas into stories.
Introduction
4. Video is a powerful and flexible engagement tool.
Next step: What does “engaging content” mean to you and your company?
Find out by starting conversations with fellow marketers on your team. Ask your colleagues. Keep
your eyes and ears open when looking at content others are creating. Observe what engages you.
If you’re engaged, there’s a good reason. See if you can adapt those ideas into your own content
marketing plans.
Engaging Content
Hey, you may not be a Hollywood producer. . .
. . .or a famous director. . .
But now you know the “secret ingredients” for creating your own engaging blockbusters.
Now that we’re on the same page, it’s time to show you five ways you can jump-start your own
marketing content.

13. 13
And , yes, it’s easier than you think.
Let’s take a look at two “real-life” examples.
“Real-life” example #1
Storytelling is a powerful way to create engaging content that
combines all the qualities of engaging content: relevancy, education,
entertainment and uniqueness.
Let’s take a look at how ShipServ tells its story.
Doug Kessler, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Velocity, created a two-minute
Introduction
video highlighting ShipServ’s online directory benefits.
Doug: “For ShipServ, we did a stop-motion animation with Lego men to tell a
simple story about their online directory — not something the shipping industry is
used to (surprise is a key part of engagement).”
The challenge, of course, was a bit tricky: How does an online directory go about
creating a message that engages an audience? The solution will surprise you.
Engaging Content
Do yourself a favor. View the
ShipServ video. It’s only two
minutes.
Bonus: It’s guaranteed to get
your creative juices flowing!

14. 14
What if stop-animation video isn’t a good
fit for your brand?
For whatever reason, stop-animation video may not be appropriate
for your company’s image. That’s OK. There’s likely another video technique that can
be adapted to suit your particular content marketing needs.
“Real-life” example #2
How do you create content that engages an audience for something
as simple and commonplace as water?
Introduction
Charity: Water found a solution.
Charity: Water created a video that tells a compelling story from start to finish.
Within the first fifteen seconds, you are hooked. And four minutes later, you are left
with a strong call-to-action.
If the Charity: Water video style feels like a stretch to
produce, the format can easily be
Engaging Content
adapted.
Interview your “hero” using video
(like Charity: Water did). Then
use your own in-house or stock
photography and supporting
graphics to enhance the story.

15. 15
Part 2 How to Produce Engaging Content
Like the Pros
Ahh– snowstorms.
Aren’t they beautiful?
When you’re inside, that is.
But, hey, what if you’re driving in a snowstorm?
Introduction
Um, then they’re not so beautiful, right?
They’re a bit nerve-wracking!
You could slip.
Slide.
Or lose traction all together.
Unless, of course, you have snow tires.
Engaging Content
Snow tires give you an extra edge in snowy conditions. They grip the road better
than regular tires – boosting your traction and keeping you from drifting and
slipping everywhere.

16. 16
Engaging content needs “traction,” too
Content designed to engage an audience needs, um, “snow tires.”
Without those “snow tires” for extra “traction” to engage audiences, it’s tempting
for audiences to drift and eventually slip away from your message. Leaving you with
little interaction.
Interaction is the key
Introduction
With a few simple techniques added to your marketing strategy, you can learn how to give your
content the extra “traction” it needs to start creating conversations, interacting and gathering
feedback from your audience. And, yup, it’s easy to do.
It’s pretty darn easy to create content these days
Digital tools are ubiquitous.
The cost of entry is often zero, or near zero.
Engaging Content

17. 17
For almost next to nothing, a It’s also possible to take existing
company can: materials to create new forms of content
■ Publish a blog. ■ Turn white papers into several blog posts.
■ Write a manifesto and give it away. ■ Turn customer stories into articles, blog posts,
■ Create a video with a pocket-size camera. manifestos or short videos.
■ Produce audio podcasts. ■ Turn employee commitment stories into shareable
media that can be shared across the globe.
But it’s not enough for organizations to simply market themselves
Customers are listening.
Customers are participating.
And, like you, audiences everywhere are beginning to create content.
Engaging Content
But how do you create “traction” and engagement for your content?
How do you give content the “snow tires” and “grip” it needs for your audience?
What methods can you rely on to encourage interaction with your customers?
That’s where Content Marketing Institute’s pros come in!
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

18. 18
CMI’s contributing marketers share five sure-fire
ways to give your content the “traction” it needs for
the “road to engagement.”
1. Think: Questions
“The best way to engage your reader is by asking questions. I often start a blog post or a document
with a simple question. Readers consider how they would answer the question and are immediately
Introduction
engaged. They continue reading because they don’t have an answer and want to find out. If they have
an answer, they continue reading to see if their opinion are shared by the author. Additionally, ending a
blog post with a question is an effective way to get people to leave a comment and become engaged in
your post.”
- Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
2. Think: Humanity
“Organizations should pay attention to video not only in that it is a medium that combines the power
Engaging Content
of traditional branding methods but also that it works toward humanizing the business and creating
connectedness between all levels of employees and their customers.”
- Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)

19. 19
“Use emotions to engage the brain. It doesn’t matter how well
written your content is if readers aren’t emotionally involved
in what you have to say.
You need to engage their brains by appealing to their emotions.
Here’s an emotional pathway of content written for results, from start
to finish:
■ Negative, a painful problem, a fear
■ Positive, relief from a problem, benefits, imagine a better future
■ Neutral, rational, logical analysis of facts
■ Curiosity, desire, imagination
■ Objections, reasons why and why not
■ Scarcity, urgency, fear of consequences
■ Trust: social proof, statistics, case studies, personal stories
■ Call to action, clear next steps, reassurances, guarantees, security”
Engaging Content
- Patsi Krakoff (@Patsiblogsquad)

20. 20
3. Think: Simplicity 4. Think: Empathy
“For engaging content, start with the basics “Making content more engaging requires truly
of style. Put at least half of your writing effort understanding your audience and the world they
into coming up with a great headline and a live in.”
powerful lead. Cut through cliché and hack away
Can you “walk in your readers’
at hackneyed or formulaic introductions. Slash shoes” to better understand them?
stilted language, junk the jargon-filled corporate-
Can you identify individual reader and
speak and marketing platitudes. Pull out a good
buyer personas so you can customize the
style guide, and read — again — the chapter
recommendations and wisdom you offer in your
on overblown language. Simple words, punchy
content? Do you know what terms they use to refer
sentences, short paragraphs are key. So much can
to your product or service? How is your product or
be accomplished simply by cleaning up the style,
service relevant to them given where they are in
before you even start to wrack your brain for novel,
the buying cycle?
interesting and engaging content.”
- Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm) Making content more engaging requires careful,
Engaging Content
thoughtful and active listening so you can
anticipate needs and questions and uncover
patterns. The more you do so, the better you can
craft uniquely engaging perspectives.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

21. 21
5. Think: Story “Don’t forget to check your ego
“To make your content more engaging, tell a story and company- or product-centric
that reaches out and grabs readers. Even better, notions at the door so you remain
open to engaging with your
they want to make it their own and share it. Here
readers.”
are four places to look for stories:
- CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)
1. Brand exploits. Show another side of your
personality that connects with readers.
2. Company history. Look for quirky tales and make them relevant now.
3. Current trends. Can you create a unique brand and/or company angle?
4. Customers. Think in terms of how your customers use your product or how it touches their
lives at important life moments.”
- Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)
All five elements have
something in common
These methods can be used anytime, anywhere –
Engaging Content
regardless of media. Do you have a new project
coming up? Think about integrating a few of these
techniques into your content – whether it’s video,
audio or text.

22. 22
“Real-life” example #3
On a tight budget?
Have limited resources? Here’s a way your company can incorporate several
engagement elements without breaking the bank.
Take a look at Velocity’s The B2B Marketing Manifesto: Five Imperatives and Six
Staples for Winning the Battle for Attention.
Velocity co-founder Doug Kessler describes the thinking behind the manifesto:
“For Velocity, the B2B Marketing Manifesto was designed to engage B2B marketers
with an in-your-face tone of voice, an explicit challenge to B2B marketers and a
bold design (using spray paint and stencils!).”
- (@dougkessler)
The result? A marketing tool that challenges readers is simple
to read and feels human.
Engaging Content
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

23. 23
“Real-life” example #4
Is your organization passionate about certain issues?
Then try using questions to stimulate engagement.
It worked well for Sarah Mitchell.
Sarah Mitchell of Global Copywriting wrote a blog post framing her position and
then inviting readers to share their thoughts and feedback.
“I discovered taking a stand is a really good way to get people engaged. I wrote a
blog post titled, 6 Reasons for Refusing a LinkedIn Invitation, and it struck a nerve.
The post went viral, garnered many comments on my blog and on LinkedIn, and
continues to draw a reasonable amount of traffic months later. I started the post with
a question and ended with one too. I got an earful of both positive and negative
comments. I call that an engaging piece of content.”
- Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Publishing a blog is an excellent way to reinforce
your commitment and create community dialogue.
Engaging Content
Another bonus:
Blogs are often free or cost very little to own.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

24. 24
Wrapping up Next step:
With digital content tools falling into the hands of Chances are pretty good you have some existing
so many people, engagement is the next marketing marketing content kicking around the office. Take a
frontier. minute and select a few pieces.
■ While engaging content opens doors for people to ■ What can you repurpose to start a conversation with
interact and respond with you, it requires a slight your audience?
shift in thinking. ■ Can you increase your “traction” by integrating any
■ Focus on the five engagement methods to boost of the five engagement methods into your blog? Or
your content’s “traction.” by writing a brief manifesto?
■ The five engagement methods can be universally ■ Can you take a single product, service or area of
applied across all types of media. expertise and create a three-part series inviting
feedback from your audience?
■ Don’t let your content get stuck in a snowstorm of
marketing materials.
■ Give your content the “traction” it deserves.
After all, your audience is, um, waiting!
Engaging Content
So now you know what engaging content is.
You know five ways to engage an audience.
But how do you measure engagement? And what tools can
you use to help you measure more quickly and accurately?
Hop on over to section three to find out.

25. 25
Part 3 Measuring Engagement
The Whys, Whats and Hows
1. Considered your target profile? Check.
2. Created an engaging message? Check.
Introduction
3. Published content to audience? Check.
Hmm.
Now what?
Measuring Engagement
It’s time to measure your engagement
Achieving your marketing objectives depends on understanding
who, where and how people are responding to your marketing content.
Measuring that response is part of the engagement process.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

26. 26
Imagine hosting a surprise party for your best friend
1. You considered who to invite? Check.
2. Booked a band that rocks? Check.
3. Sent out attractive invitations? Check.
But then, no one responded. Oops. The RSVP line on the invitation was missing.
Um, there’s a slight problem
You don’t know how many people will show up.
Measuring Engagement
How much food should be ordered?
How many this, that and the other things will you need?
Without measuring a response, it’s difficult to know the
best direction to take.
The same concept applies to content measurement.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

27. 27
Measuring content response is critically
important for three reasons:
1. To see if your objectives are being met.
2. To understand what action your audience is taking.
3. To determine if you are reaching the right audience;
not just acquiring numbers without a purpose.
Let’s see how CMI’s contributing
experts tackle each of these items:
1. To see if your objectives are being met
“When measuring engagement you are measuring
the effectiveness of content marketing – just as
you’d measure other marcomm tools that deliver
Measuring Engagement
on engagement. But it’s important to recall that
engagement isn’t your end goal, it is delivery on
objectives. It’s not enough to look only at ‘time spent per
session’ or ‘unaided awareness’ – but to use all objectives’
measurements when and where possible. Engagement
shouldn’t be your end goal, but delivery on your
objectives should be.”
- Keith Wiegold (@contentkeith)

28. 28
2. To understand what action(s) 3. To determine if you are
your audience is taking reaching the right audience, not
“To measure engagement, marketers just acquiring large numbers
need to understand how well their “Although how you measure
content is moving buyers from engagement will depend on your
one stage to the next. It starts business goals, I believe that it’s
with including a call-to-action and critically important to remember that
creating a unique landing page for quality matters far more than quantity.
every content asset, and then paying Look for signs, both online and offline,
attention to prospects’ online behavior that allow you to appreciate quality
(coined “digital body language” by rather than quantity and gain context
Steven Woods of Eloqua). By tracking for the engagement you’ve created.
how and how often prospects are You’re much better off with fewer well-
consuming content online, marketers qualified visitors who are eager to
can gather clues about prospects’ consume your content – because it’s
intent. Marketers can then combine relevant to them – than with an army
Measuring Engagement
these insights with information about of readers bouncing off your [to them]
offline consumption of content, which irrelevant content. That way you can
can be measured using sales force fine tune your content, strengthen the
automation and CRM systems.” engaging qualities and possibly even
- Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton) capture more quantity!”
- CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

29. 29
Engagement is a process– not a goal
This makes measuring engagement different for everyone.
Defining goals differs from person to person, project to project and company to company. This
naturally leads to two simple questions: With so many variables at stake, how do you measure the
ROI? And what about acquiring impressive numbers – don’t numbers tell the whole story?
Question #1: Does measuring engagement = ROI?
“Measuring engagement isn’t really about ROI (at first),”
says Barbra Gago (@barbragago).
“What you are trying to understand is whether people are:
■ returning to your site (or social network)
■ asking questions or commenting
■ connecting with other community members
Measuring Engagement
■ sharing your content
■ making comments about it elsewhere
■ spending more time on your site over time
■ attending events and tweeting (or talking) about them
These are good metrics to start with, but remember to research your target audience. If they are
not active in the “Forrester technographic ladder”, don’t plan on much proactive content coming
from your users.”

30. 30
Question #2: Does measuring engagement = impressive numbers?
While numbers can be hypnotizing, they also don’t tell the whole story.
Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow) emphasizes knowing your audience first.
“Engagement is not about numbers; it’s about people. So, if you want to measure engagement,
you better start by carefully researching and identifying the group of people you want to activate.
You may not need an army of thousands. You may only need the right five people to care about
your content.
Once you have a clear picture of who your audience is, develop customized content. Now you are
in position to develop metrics that reflect what success with this group of people will feel like. The
benchmarks will vary greatly by company, but frequent starting points would be:
1. increased inbound links for key areas on your website,
2. click-throughs on social-only content offers, or
Measuring Engagement
3. active blog commentary.”
Three popular areas of measurement
Different distribution methods require different measuring tools.
The three main measurement areas content marketers focus on are:
1. Websites
2. Social sharing
3. Content interaction
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

31. 31
What types of engagement tools are available?
There are five main categories of engagement tools available to measure audience interaction. The
following list includes just a few examples of the many tools available to measure engagement
levels. Feel free to explore them and decide which one(s) are best for your needs.
1. Listening
■ Hootsuite
■ Alterian
■ Google Alerts
■ Social Mention
2. Number and type of blog comments
3. Social sharing widgets
■ AddThis
■ ShareThis
■ Facebook Like
Measuring Engagement
4. Social media stats
■ Facebook Insights
■ YouTube stats
■ Slideshare stats
5. Survey tools
■ Kampyle
■ ClickTools

32. 32
Where do you begin?
If you feel a bit overwhelmed and unsure how to start measuring audience engagement,
there’s some good news.
Start with these five favorite and popular measurement tools.
These tools measure a range of content. Don’t feel compelled to use them all at first.
Pick one or two that are appropriate for your needs and explore others later on.
1. Google Analytics 2. Facebook Insights
“The starting point is often setting up a free “Facebook Insights provides good numbers, but in
Google Analytics package on your own website. my opinion, it does not slice the data in a meaningful
You’ll immediately have access to a vast array of way. We’ve started using some simple spreadsheets
data, such as where are your site visitors coming in combination with the Insights data to work against
from, how long do they stay, what content do our objectives. That said, doing this has helped us to
they like best, etc. This is must-have intelligence uncover some trends related to offline interactions
Measuring Engagement
because these visitors are likely to be your biggest and fan base growth on the Facebook page.”
‘fans.’ They are the folks who already care about - Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)
what you have to offer. More importantly, their
data patterns can be the jumping off point to 3. Social Mention
develop content for the folks who haven’t heard “To evaluate positive or negative sentiments
of you – yet.” about a particular piece of content, I recommend
- Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow) using Social Mention – a free tool that gives you
real-time social media search results.”
- Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)

33. 33
4. Email marketing software 5. PDF tracking
analytics “Capture registration information when your
“Email marketing software like MailChimp provide PDF is downloaded and read.”
its own measurements for success.” - Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)
- Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)
Does creating engaging content really make a difference?
It may seem like spending time educating an audience isn’t a smart investment of time. The reality is
this: Creating content designed to engage people takes time.
Is there a payoff? Let’s take a look at two examples.
“Real-life” example #5
CMI contributor Stephanie Tilton shares her insights on two
examples of engaging content – drawing in audiences and
Measuring Engagement
generating measurable results for both companies.
Boosting inbound leads through education
FireEye microsite
“This customized site offers a range of content – including
podcasts, video, eBooks and white papers – intended to
educate IT administrators and executives on the confusing topic of malware. In the
four months after the site was launched, about 28% of all inbound leads came directly
from the microsite.”

34. 34
“Real-life” example #6
Driving new business opportunities with a free eBook
Dow Jones Taxonomy Folksonomy Cookbook
“This eBook features a really fun
design and offers a refreshing – and
easy-to-understand – exploration
of the topic of enterprise metadata.
First launched in June 2008, the
eBook was downloaded more than
1,600 times and pumped 50 solid
business opportunities into the sales
pipeline by 2009.”
Measuring content mixes science
Measuring Engagement
and art. First, you’re a scientist. You
collect any data you have access
to and examine it. Then, you’re an
artist. You look for patterns, themes and new directions to explore.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

35. 35
What’s next?
Now you know the why, how, and what about measuring engagement.
Here are three things you can start doing immediately:
1. Determine your objective(s) when measuring engagement.
2. Decide what type of engagement you will measure.
3. Choose which measuring tools will help you reach your business objectives.
Hey, you may not be hosting a surprise party for your best friend
But you just may surprise your audience with some captivating content.
Measuring Engagement

36. 36
Summary Your Cheat Sheet
Engaging Content Simplified
Crunched for time?
Looking for the engaging content “code” from this ebook?
Here ya go!
This section sums up the entire ebook. You’ll find the summary for each section along with
“Action Items” for each section. Speaking of action – now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to start
talking to others, create interesting and fun content for your audience and share it with the
rest of the world. On behalf of the entire CMI team, we wish you the very best in all your future
content creations!
Summary
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

37. 37
Step #1 Grasp the Basics
1) “Engaging content” means different things to different people.
2) There is no single definition for “engaging content.”
3) Four main characteristics of engaging content:
■ Make it relevant to your audience.
■ Provide something only you can provide (show your uniqueness!).
■ Be entertaining or educational. Better yet, offer both.
■ Use existing stories when you can or simply turn ideas into stories.
4.) Video is a powerful and flexible engagement tool.
Action Items: Define “engaging content”
■ Define what “engaging content” means to you and your company.
■ Start conversations with fellow marketers or colleagues on your team.
■ Open your eyes and ears when looking at various types of content.
■ Observe what engages you. If you’re engaged, it’s for a good reason.
■ See if you can adapt those ideas into your own content marketing plans.
Summary
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

38. 38
Step #2: Gain Traction Action Items:
Chances are pretty good you have
With digital content tools falling into the hands of so many people,
some existing marketing content
engagement is the next marketing frontier. kicking around the office. Take a
■ While engaging content opens doors for people to interact and respond minute and select a few pieces.
■ What can you repurpose to start a
with you, it requires a slight shift in thinking.
conversation with your audience?
■ Focus on the five engagement methods to boost your content’s “traction.” ■ Can you increase your “traction”
■ The five engagement methods can be universally applied across all types by integrating any of the five
of media. engagement methods into
your blog? Or by writing a brief
manifesto?
■ Can you take a single product,
service or area of expertise and
create a three-part series inviting
feedback from your audience?
Summary
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

39. 39
Step 3: Start Measuring
Measuring content response is critically important for three reasons:
1.) To see if your objectives are being met.
2.) To understand what action your audience is taking.
3.) To determine if you are reaching the right audience; not just acquiring
numbers without a purpose.
Thomas Clifford is a content marketing writer and copywriter helping B2B companies
Action Items:
Here are three things you can start doing immediately to measure your
engagement levels:
■ Determine your objective(s) when measuring engagement.
■ Decide what type of engagement you will measure.
■ Choose which measuring tools will help you reach your business objectives.
Summary
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

40. 40
Action Items Print This Page
Step1 Grasp the Basics: Step2 Gain Traction: Step3 Start Measuring:
Define “engaging content” Chances are pretty good you have Here are three things you can start
■ Define what “engaging content” some existing marketing content doing immediately to measure
kicking around the office. Take a your engagement levels:
means to you and your company.
minute and select a few pieces. ■ Determine your objective(s) when
■ Start conversations with fellow
■ What can you repurpose to start a measuring engagement.
marketers or colleagues on your
conversation with your audience? ■ Decide what type of engagement
team.
■ Can you increase your “traction” you will measure.
■ Open your eyes and ears when
by integrating any of the five ■ Choose which measuring tools
looking at various types of
engagement methods into your will help you reach your business
content.
blog? Or by writing a brief manifesto? objectives.
■ Observe what engages you. If
■ Can you take a single product,
you’re engaged, it’s for a good
service or area of expertise and
reason. See if you can adapt those
create a three-part series inviting
ideas into your own content
feedback from your audience?
marketing plans.
Summary
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

41. 41
About The Author
Thomas Clifford is a content marketing writer and copywriter
specializing in online business-to-business copy.
Tom helps professional service firms generate and nurture leads
through helpful and valuable content like blog posts, eNewsletters,
sales pages and free special reports (mini-eBooks).
Tom spent 25 years as a multi-award-winning producer interviewing
more than 1,500 people for over 500 marketing/ branding films.
He brings his street-level interviewing experience to every writing project and approaches
each assignment from the viewpoint of the people who would benefit from it the most —
prospects and customers.
Thomas Clifford
Tom is featured in the book “Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks,
Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business.” He has also written
dozens of articles as an “Expert Blogger” for FastCompany.com.
He graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a BA in Communications.
You can read more of Tom’s work at Content Marketing Institute. Contact Tom.
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn. CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE

42. 42
About the
Content Marketing Institute
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) helps transform
marketing as we know it by turning marketing professionals
into publishing experts. In other words, we teach marketers how
to own their media channels instead of having to rent them
through advertising. We do this through events like Content
Marketing World, media properties like Chief Content Officer
magazine, and strategic consulting and research for some of the
best known brands in the world.
CONTENT
MARKETING
INSTITUTE
About Us

43. Essential Content Marketing Resources
Chief Content Officer magazine 2012 B2B Content Marketing
CCO magazine is the leading print and digital Research Report
magazine dedicated to content marketing strategy Here’s the full report on many of the content
for marketing executives. CCO is free to qualified marketing statistics found in this white paper.
subscribers. Sign up here. Download the report free today!
Get Content. Get Customers Content Marketing Playbook
Called “The Handbook for Content Marketing”, Get You want content distribution options?
Content. Get Customers. teaches organizations You got it. Here are 42 content
how to use content marketing to deliver relevant, distribution tactics and over 50 case
valuable and compelling information that studies from companies doing content
turns prospects into buyers. Available now at marketing right. Download the full
Amazon.com. guide today.
Managing Content Marketing
The follow-up book to Get Content Get
Customers, but focuses on how to manage
and structure content marketing inside the Content Marketing World
organization. A must read for anyone who “gets” THE premier annual event for content marketing, where thousands of
content marketing and needs to execute content content marketers come together in one location from around the world.
programs. Available now at Amazon.com. Find out more about CM World today!