Insight into online content marketing: why it's important, how to approach it and some techniques to deliver it, including blogging, online video and podcasting.

1. sterlingsolutions.co.uk
WHITE PAPER 03 | MARCH 2013 | ONLINE CONTENT MARKETING – REACHING YOUR MEMBERS THROUGH DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS P01
Online content marketing –
reaching your members through
digital communications channels Jon Clements
Founder of Metamorphic PR
The competition for your audience’s eyes and ears has never been fiercer. This think
piece considers what the digital content revolution means for your organisation and
the way you communicate with your members using online content marketing.
Along with looking at how you should plan your content marketing, the piece focuses
on a number of potential activities including blogging, podcasting and video.
Whether you’re a brand selling a product, the Government The advent of smart phones, tablet devices and widely
persuading the public about the concept of local police available internet access away from the traditional home or
commissioners or a membership organisation communicating office space means the consumer is absorbing multi-channel
with its members, you’re up against a multiplicity of interests and multi-format media wherever they are. And adding to
and distractions that your audience is navigating on a daily basis. that complexity (for you, the organisation), is the proliferation
of online social and professional networking, whereby people
Long gone are the days of reaching your chosen public in
are engaging with their friends, fellow professionals and
between them flicking between a paltry three channels on the
brands with a degree of conversational intimacy that belies
television and reading a daily, printed newspaper; moreover,
the fact that it’s not happening face-to-face.
your audience isn’t necessarily gathering in one location at a
particular time where they remain a passive, stationery target
for your marketing communications materials.
So why is this important to membership Planning Your Content Marketing Don’t wait for resources to appear
organisations? The bottom line is that the With your team, brainstorm content topics
digital revolution has changed your As the diagram below shows, the benefits to
which might involve new product or service
members’ expectations of how organisations be gained from content marketing are many
updates, interesting community engagement
interact with them. Where, in the past, an and varied. However, it’s important to
or something which is already creating
advert in a magazine, a hard-copy newsletter develop and plan a content marketing
“chatter” in your industry. All of it offers
every so often, and even a static, “brochure” strategy that works.
potential content.
website would suffice as communication, the Your content can include a range of
movement of people’s attention to an array elements – blog posts, video, audio, Create structure out of chaos
of online destinations has opened up the infographics, white papers, research reports, Decide what type of content will support
possibilities of new communications formats etc. – but your content strategy and plan your vision and set specific content goals –
and methods. needs structure: in other words how regularly will your
This, however, doesn’t equate necessarily to
more communication; rather, it’s the right
communication in the right places: one
phrase arising from the digital era that sums More Long Tail SEO
up the approach is “fishing where the fish Higher More Brand
are”. In other words, rather than expecting Conversion Rate Visibility
your audience to come in search of you,
you have to go in search of them – whether Higher Organic Stronger Social
they’re on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or Content
Search Rankings Following
the photo sharing network, Pinterest – and
be able to provide what they’re looking for.
More Direct & More Referring
The combination of being where your Bookmarking Traffic Bigger Fanbase Links
ubiquitous consumer is and creating & Community
materials they wish to consume is online
content marketing.
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2. sterlingsolutions.co.uk
WHITE PAPER 03 | MARCH 2013 | ONLINE CONTENT MARKETING – REACHING YOUR MEMBERS THROUGH DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS P02
content appear. Test the effectiveness of search recognition, but be wary of stuffing An authentic listening experience
your content over – wait for it – several your blog post with keywords, which is not Whether recording podcasts in a studio (the
months to understand how it resonates with just tedious for the reader but is also more costly but premium quality and highly
the audience. downgraded by Google in search. controlled option), your premises or another
relevant location (quality is still possible
Use guest post authors Providing downloadable content
without a studio with the recording
They can come from a range of sources – Textual content in a downloadable PDF format
technology available today), you should aim
even your membership community – as long carries high value in search and encourages
for as natural and unscripted a listening
as they are clear on the preferred topics, work your reader to take action as a result of
experience as you can muster. The sound of
to your guidelines and maintain a distinctive, reading it. It also gives you an opportunity to
real, interesting and engaging people talking
individual voice that feels authentic. demonstrate your organisation’s depth of
on a topic close to your members’ hearts
your knowledge and expertise in the field.
Test and gather data needs to be authentic to persuade them to
Measure content analytics, including the Add variety with multi-media listen again.
number of social shares, thumbs up and Embedding video or audio content gives your
Calls to action
down, comments, traffic sources and site visitors a more varied blog experience
To encourage more that just listening, you
page views. and allows your experts’ personalities to
can combine your podcasting with
come through.
Evaluate and improve complementary content for customers and
Stick to your voice and strategy, but be Distribution prospects to download, or online response
flexible enough to grow with your audience Even if you don’t wish to use social media forms to complete and send as a result of
and respond to their wants and needs. platforms for direct engagement (i.e., what they’ve heard.
Digital marketing is focusing increasingly on two-way conversation) they can be effective
retention of audience interest, so it’s channels for sharing blog content. And so, Video
essential to produce the right kind of building a following or connections on
Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and participating The latest report by B2B Marketing into
content for your existing audience.
in Google+ Communities and LinkedIn technology marketing trends suggests that
Groups can be an avenue for your blog video is the “most powerful to capture buyer
Content marketing to consider
posts. Be mindful, though, of online interest”, with almost one-third (27%) of IT
Blogging community rules, whereby wholesale marketers deeming it “very important”.
promotion of your organisation can be But video is not only a valuable tool in selling
Though your organisation might well have a
contrary to the group’s ethos. B2B and consumer technology products. The
website with a news section, this will tend to
deliver organisational information with an fact that it’s a highly effective medium for
Podcasting generating an emotional response in the
overlay of traditional “corporate-speak” that
– in the new digital world – tends to be viewer means it works well with any living,
Podcasts are, essentially, short audio clips
trusted less by the consumer. Conversely, a breathing human being!
made available regularly online.
blog provides a forum for the organisation to The YouTube factor
demonstrate personality, authenticity and a A study of American online audio habits by
Edison Research in 2012 suggested that Using video to demonstrate expert
certain informality which typifies today’s knowledge is ideal when your audience is
online communications. nearly 20% of people were listening to
podcasts on a monthly basis, were more searching for an answer through a search
In practical terms, a well-run blog can, over likely to own a mobile device and a quarter engine. Relevant videos are displayed among
time, build a loyal following and help you of them were listening to their podcasts search results and the right video material,
appear more prominently in search engines while driving. Edison also found that: offering answers and accessible via a
for chosen topics. YouTube channel, helps your organisation to
• Podcasts continue to be effective ways to be located online.
To get the best out of a blog, you need to: reach affluent consumers who avoid
advertising. The video testimonial
Have a regular blogging schedule
• The dramatic rise in smartphone Video testimonials, discussing the benefit a
Blogging at least once a week is better than member may have derived from the
ownership is a tide that has lifted the
not at all. A regular, high-quality blog post organisation, are very powerful. It’s difficult
“podcasting boat”.
increases your visibility as knowledgeable in to introduce words into members’ mouths
• The mass availability of the mobile web
your area of expertise and gradually builds an that they don’t fully believe in and – when
has changed the “out-of-home”
audience. It also increases the potential for they do believe – it is unmistakeable in their
podcasting dynamic from “subscribe and
other online sites to reference your blog, as facial expressions and emotional response.
download” to “listen on demand”.
readers recognise and reward your authority
with inbound links, which is one factor in • The term podcasting has hits its cap, but
how search engines rank your site. If you the listening behaviour hasn’t.
can, create a blogging team to ensure a Podcasts can be effective content marketing, ABOUT THE AUTHOR
regular output. but how? Jon Clements is a Chartered Public
Optimise your blog post Expert input Relations practitioner and founder
for search engines What do your members want to know? It’s of Metamorphic PR, with more than
Blog software, such as Wordpress, has your organisation’s expertise – or that of its 20 years’ experience in public
in-built functionality to help optimise your members – that brings to life the value of audio relations, communications and
blog for search engines. But you need to content you produce. And, certainly, you need journalism. He has been one of the
consider for what you want to be found in to make the time for your own team or regular bloggers for PR Media Blog
search. Using keywords in blog post titles member volunteers to dedicate the required since its inception five years ago.
and opening paragraphs are important for energy and enthusiasm into regular podcasting.
© copyright Sterling 2013 All rights reserved
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