The Secrets of Successful
Content Marketing
September 17, 2013
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Today’s Speakers
Bob Bly
Copywriter/
Internet Marketing Strategist
Lee Odden
CEO
TopRankMarketing.com
Moderator
Thorin McGee
Editor-in-Chief
Target Marketing
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Secrets of Successful
Content Marketing
@LeeOdden
TopRankMarketing.com
Image: Shutterstock

About Lee:
CEO, Consultant
Speaker, Blogger
Traveler, Foodie
@LeeOdden
MarketingBlog.com
Content - Social - SEO
OptimizeBook.com

@LeeOdden
What is Content Marketing?
“Content Marketing is the
planning, creation, promotion and
measurement of content for a
specific audience to influence a
business outcome.”
Image: Shutterstock

@LeeOdden
Content Marketing
54%
B2B Marketers
Increase Content
Marketing Spending
Source: CMI 2012
#1

@LeeOdden
Promise of Content Marketing

@LeeOdden
Content Marketing Maturity
Stasis
Focus: status quo
Static
Few resources
Initial experiments
Brand centric
Production Utility
Focus: quantity
Strategy
Process
Creation
“More is Better”
SEO centric
Focus: quality
Functional, useful
Customer focused
Refined process
Social centric
Storytelling Monetization
Focus: experience
Seek to dominate USP
Brand leadership
Optimized buy cycle
Integration
Multi & Omni Channel
Focus: ecosystem
Marketing ROI
Content Publishing ROI
Syndication ROI
Services ROI
Scale

@LeeOdden
Create Awareness
CMWorld Event
Feature Speakers Tips
eBook Slideshare
Blog Posts, Email, Social
40k Views
1,000+ downloads
100+ referred to event
Source: TopRank Online Marketing 2013

@LeeOdden
Create Awareness
IT Professionals
SunGard
Cloud Offerings
eBook – Infographic
Email – Landing Pages
5.7% Open Rate
150% Better CTR
24 Leads
Source: Content2Conversion Conference 2013

@LeeOdden
Generate New
Revenue - HP
Thought Leadership
Customized Offers
Email Series – eBook
Microsite, Articles
Targeted 2,000
15% CTO Microsite
$8 million pipeline rev
Source: Content2Conversion Conference 2013

@LeeOdden
Xerox - Connect with
Top 30 Accounts
Partnered w/ Forbes
Print & iPad Magazine
70% of Targets
20,000 New Contacts
1,000 Appointments
$1.3 billion pipeline
Source: Content2Conversion Conference 2013

@LeeOdden
Where Do You Start?
Image: Shutterstock

@LeeOdden
Start By Knowing Your Customers
Discover
Search Keywords
Social Topics
Advertising
Publications
Events
Word of Mouth
Consume
Text, Images,
Audio, Video
Mobile, Tablet,
Computer
Formal, Funny,
Long, Short
Act
Social Share
Engage
Subscribe
Register
Inquire
Buy

@LeeOdden
Customer Information Journey
Voodoo
Image: Shutterstock

@LeeOdden
Customer Information Journey

@LeeOdden

@LeeOdden

@LeeOdden

@LeeOdden
Engage
Optimize 360
Attract
Convert

@LeeOdden
Optimized – Socialized - Publicized
Who are you
writing for?
What do
they care
about?
What stories
will connect
you?
Make it easy
to find &
share
Preferences
Pain Points
Behaviors
Search &
Social Data
Sources
Editorial
Calendar,
Repurpose
Social &
SEO
Networking,
PR, Linking
awareness
consideration
purchase
retention
advocacy

@LeeOdden
Optimized & Socialized Content Plan
awareness
purchase
consideration
retention
advocacy
Align Topical Needs With Content
Buying
Cycle
Keywords
Social Topics
Content Type
Awareness
Customer Goals
•
•
•
•
Save time
Save money
Make money
Convenience
general issues
blog, byline, social
Interest
category
investigative
video, social
Consideration
Stan
broad
comparison
demos
feature comparison,
reviews
Purchase
transactional
referrals
exclusive
Retention
tips
connect with other
users
be a resource
Advocacy
supporting
participation
deliver as promised!

@LeeOdden
Optimize Across the Lifecycle
Persona:
“Admin Jane”
Influences CEO
awareness
interest
Values:
= Fast
= Save $
= Service
consideration
purchase
Content:
= Topics
= Keywords
= Media & Channel
retention
advocacy
Save $
Service
Facebook
Email Offer
Tips Articles
Blog
Byline
PPC
Locator
Newsletter
Soc Net
Ads
Blog
PPC
Loyalty
VIP
Press
Fast
Blog
Reviews
Discount
Community
Referral
Article
Reviews
Display
Network
Referral
Media
Blog
Offers
Thank You
Rewards

@LeeOdden
Website
Newsroom
Book
Google+
White Papers
Twitter
Articles
Facebook
Guides
YouTube
Webinars
Flickr
Guest Posts
Events
eBooks
Blog
Social Creation
& Curation
Community > 300K
LinkedIn
Slideshare
Pinterest

@LeeOdden
Content Types For Brand Storytelling
Amplification
Evergreen
Brand
Stories
Repurposed
Curated
CoCreated
Syndication
Advertising

@LeeOdden
Content Calendar Template
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
dates
topics
titles
description
target audience
buying cycle
keywords
categories
promotions
repurposing
media types
internal citations
3rd party citations/sources

@LeeOdden
Master SEO Basics
Brand
Customer
Keyword Glossary
Category
Keywords
Keywords
Keywords
Tech SEO Audit
Topical Focus
Author Rel
Keywords
Blogs
Category
Keywords
Keywords
Keywords
Keywords
Social Topics
Analytics Monitoring Conversions

@LeeOdden
Content Marketing Skills
Segmentation
Buy Cycle Stories
Content Planning
Creation, Curation
Amplification
Measurement
Unified
Strategy
Goals
Resources

@LeeOdden
4 Takeaways
1
2
3
4
Know your target customer preferences:
discovery, consumption, action
Map content topics to the buying cycle
Plan amplification in the content plan:
optimize, socialize, publicize
Start testing tools & develop processes – it’s
the only way to scale

@LeeOdden
Thank You! - Q & A
Lee Odden
lee@toprankmarketing.com
TopRankMarketing.com
MarketingBlog.com
OptimizeBook.com
Download Free Content Template:
http://tprk.us/keyedcal

Secrets of Successful
Content Marketing
Presented by
Robert W. Bly
www.bly.com

What We Will Cover Today
•
•
•
•
•
What makes killer content that your audience will
love and share?
The benefits of different types of content and when
to use them.
Understanding the difference between content and
copy
How to use content to boost your direct marketing
strategies in multiple channels
PLUS: Bring your questions for a live Q&A at the
end of the webinar.
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9/17/2013

5 Things That Make Killer Content
1. How-To
Tips
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2. News
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3. Ideas
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14 Things…
4. Expert
Advice
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5. Tie In With Current Events
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Bad Content Example
Bad content example:
Copywriting Tip
Most of your customers don't really give a crap about you, your products
or services, or your goals and dreams.
What they care about is how you can help THEM. They are too busy trying
to figure out how to overcome their challenges!
How to avoid it:
The key to writing great content is to either (a) present a new idea (very difficult)
or (b) communicate an old idea in a fresh, new, and compelling way (challenging
but easier). If you do neither, then you are wasting the reader’s time by stating
the old in a stale way. So why even bother? Answer: You shouldn’t.
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Target_Content Marketing_Bly_Sept 2013
9/17/2013

Breakdown of B2B Content
Marketing Tactics in Use
•
87% of B2B content marketers use social media (other than blogs)
•
83% of B2B content marketers use articles on their website
•
78% of B2B content marketers use eNewsletters
•
77% of B2B content marketers use blogs
•
71% of B2B content marketers use case studies
•
70% of B2B content marketers use videos
•
70% of B2B content marketers use articles on other websites
•
69% of B2B content marketers use in-person events
•
61% of B2B content marketers use white papers
•
59% of B2B content marketers use webinars or webcasts
•
44% of B2B content marketers use research reports
•
40% of B2B content marketers use micro sites
41
Target_Content Marketing_Bly_Sept 2013
9/17/2013

Breakdown of B2B Content
Marketing Tactics in Use, Cnt’d
•
38% of B2B content marketers use infographics
•
38% of B2B content marketers use branded content tools
•
33% of B2B content marketers use mobile content
•
32% of B2B content marketers use eBooks
•
31% of B2B content marketers use print magazines
•
29% of B2B content marketers use books
•
28% of B2B content marketers use virtual conferences
•
27% of B2B content marketers use podcasts
•
26% of B2B content marketers use licensed or syndicated content
•
26% of B2B content marketers use mobile apps
•
25% of B2B content marketers use digital magazines
•
24% of B2B content marketers use print newsletters
•
11% of B2B content marketers use games or gamification
42
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Does Content Marketing Work?
A survey asked nearly 1,400 IT professionals whether
content influences their purchase decisions.
Of those who responded, 89% said content has an
impact on their preference of technology vendor.
The respondents also said that they were more likely to
download and read white papers than product literature.
69% of prospects who like your white paper will pass it
on to colleagues.
57% of IT professionals said white papers influenced
their buying decisions.
71% of technology buyers prefer white papers to other
marketing content.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sources: Maddox, Kate, “Study looks at value of online content,” BtoB, 10/10/05, p. 3;
Huff, Dianna, “How to Syndicate Your White Papers,” MarketingSherpa;
Knowledge Storm/MarketingSherpa Study
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Content Marketing Benefits
to the Marketer
1. Sets the specs.
2. Makes the prospect beholden
(reciprocity).
3. Generates more inquiries.
4. Establishes you as the expert.
5. Educates the market.
6. Drives sales.
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The Formula
LGM + BPO =
2 x RRR
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Content vs. Copy
Content:
Apples help prevent cancer.
Copy:
A delicious fruit you can find in your refrigerator
can help prevent cancer.
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No!
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Custora came up with its figures by analyzing data from 72
million customers shopping on 86 different retailer sites.
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E-Zine Ads Work Very Well
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Widgets
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Reply Card
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Put Your Offer Up Front
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E-Mail
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Position Part of Your
Product as a Premium.
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Thank you.
Subscribe to
“Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter” at
www.bly.com/reports

Question & Answer Session
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please take this time to submit questions to
our speakers using the “Q&A” box on your
console.
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