Content marketing is more than just a buzzword; it's an integral part of connecting with target audiences. This presentation covers the essentials of content marketing, from types of content and plan elements to the process of developing big pieces of content, such as books and eBooks. I delivered this presentation at the Public Relations Society of America Midwest District Conference in Springfield, Mo., on June 20, 2014.

1. Content
Marketing: Blogs,
Books and
Beyond
Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC
Skogrand PR Solutions, LLC

2. Today’s Agenda
 About Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC
 Content marketing history
 Content marketing definition
 The golden rule
 Types of content
 Content marketing plan elements
 Case studies
 Sharing your knowledge with the world

3. About Brant Skogrand, APR,
MBC
 21 years in public relations
 Chief Communications Officer –
Skogrand PR Solutions, LLC
(public relations, social media,
SEO)
 Experience on both agency and
corporate side
 Accredited in Public Relations
 Certified in Search Engine
Marketing

4. About Brant Skogrand, APR,
MBC
 Bachelor’s degree in
Journalism from U of Minn.
 Master’s Degree in Business
Communication
 Winner of multiple PR awards
 Author, “19 Tips for
Successful Public Relations”
Book (visit
www.skograndpr.com/pr_boo
k)

5. Content Marketing History

6. Content Marketing History
 Marketing professionals have
essentially done content marketing
for decades
 Content marketing has changed
with the advent of social media
and other online tools

7. Content Marketing Definition
“Content marketing is a
marketing technique of
creating and distributing
valuable, relevant and
consistent content to attract
and acquire a clearly defined
audience – with the objective
of driving profitable customer
action.”

8. Content Marketing Definition
“The process of developing
and sharing relevant,
valuable and engaging
content to a target audience
with the goal of acquiring
new customers or increasing
business from existing
customers.”

9. Content Marketing Golden Rule
 Cision – “Provide value to
your audience.”
 Jim Lukaszewski, ABC,
APR, Fellow PRSA –
“Don’t waste people’s
time.”
 Goal – Establish your
brand as a trusted source

10. Types of Content

11. Types of Content
 “Bricks” and “Feathers” –
Chris Sietsema of
Convince & Convert

12. Types of Content
 Bricks
 “Larger content productions such as research
reports, events, white papers, video series and
mobile apps.”
 Content contributions that take more time and
money to produce, but could see a large payoff
 Feathers
 Smaller, low-stakes pieces of content

13. Types of Content
 Videos and photos
 Case studies
 White papers
 eBooks
 Books
 Infographics
 Articles
 Blog posts
 Tip sheets
 Webinars
 Speeches

14. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Creation
 Curation
 Optimization
 Amplification
 Analysis

15. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Creation
 Not easy to create on
regular basis
 Strategy is crucial
 Knowing your
audience is key to a
successful strategy
 Google Analytics
 Facebook Insights

16. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Creation
 Helping people get what
they want
 Assisting in issue
resolution
 Being empathetic and
customer-centric
 Guest blog posts

17. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Curation
 Save people time by
sharing quality content
 Think about blogs you
read
 Consider whom you
follow on social media

18. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Optimization
 Content can only be
effective when it’s read by
target audience
 Search engine optimization
comes into play

19. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Amplification
 Social media provides two-
way conversation
 Be open to others’ points of
view
 Respond to comments
 Be helpful
 Identify and engage
influencers

20. Content Marketing Plan Elements

21. Content Marketing Plan Elements
 Analysis
 Measure using SMART goals
 Look at objectives
 Gaining new members
 Driving profitable business actions
 Increasing enrollment

22. Case Study – Cision
 Owned content
 Four videos
 Six tip sheets
 Six event presentations
 10 webinars
 11 videos
 17 blog posts

23. Case Study – Cision
 Results
 147 upsell opportunities
 201 hot sales leads
 1,797 product inquiries
 5,894 thought leadership leads

24. Case Study – Jim Lukaszewski,
ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA
 Has written a dozen books
 Considers public speaking
most powerful – “You are the
best vehicle.”
 In 1999, Jim spoke to Fortune
100 security directors; received
nine inquiries
 Gives content away

25. Sharing Your Knowledge with the
World

26. Sharing Your Knowledge with the
World
 Developing the manuscript
 Create an outline
 Compose in Microsoft Word
 Write a bit each day
 Publish blog posts and compile
 Find your favorite space –
home, coffee shop, Amtrak

27. Sharing Your Knowledge with the
World
 Self-publishing
 Nine of Jim Lukaszewski’s books
were self-published
 Publisher can help with marketing
 CreateSpace – print books
 Kindle Direct Publishing – 70%
royalty
 NOOK Press – 65% royalty

28. Sharing Your Knowledge with the
World
 Marketing a book
 This is the hard part!
 Use your public relations and
content marketing skills
 Can hire a publicist

29. Content marketing is more
than just a buzzword; it’s an
integral part of connecting
with target audiences.

30. Questions?

31. Thanks!
www.skograndpr.com
www.skograndpr.blogspot.com