The document discusses the importance of managing the content supply chain as a core marketing strategy, highlighting how companies should adopt a publishing approach to optimize content creation and distribution. It emphasizes the need for brands to view content as a business asset, improve operational efficiency, and align their content efforts with consumer engagement throughout the decision journey. Key insights include defining content missions, developing measurable KPIs, and ensuring timely and relevant content delivery to drive customer loyalty and revenue.

1. Content
Supply Chain
Getting your
content to sing
and dance!
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2. Content = Core Marketing Strategy
Smart before the cart: Seek content at every point of decision journey
Reviews and referrals: Drive more sales than online ads
Right content breaks through:
People today do not have 30 seconds to be marketed to,
but a lot of people have 30 seconds for a great story
“”
Jon Thomas
2
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3. State of Content
Today Implications
Content proliferation—marketers and brand Every company is a publisher
managers generate escalating amounts of content
Consumers connect with brands—and their Companies need to understand the role of
content—in fundamentally new ways content in customer engagement and brand
management
Content production is inconsistent and Inefficiencies in content creation and distribution;
uncoordinated; content creation input cycle lacks missed opportunities to break through content
strategic direction clutter
Content is not considered perishable Difficult for consumers to find content that is
relevant and timely
Content is not treated as an asset Companies are missing opportunities to optimize
the value of content
As more consumer touchpoints become digital, Strategic management of the entire content
content plays a larger role in the purchase supply chain can drive customer engagement,
decision journey loyalty and revenue
Content purpose—and role in socialization—is Companies are not taking full advantage of their
unclear and ill-defined social media properties and channels
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4. The Consumer Decision Journey Content, Conversation, Community
Awareness Consideration Preference Purchase Post-Purchase
• Needs • Options • Informed • Identified • Experience
Consumer
• Wants • Education
Triggers
conversation preference
• Research
• Searches • Researches • Product-set • Coupons • Experience
Consumer
Response
• Talks • Talks with family • Others like me • Samples • Mentor
• Researches and friends • More conversations • Deals • Helps others
• Steals
People want to be People want to People want to tap People want a great People want to help
Consumer
informed before they understand their introduction to the
Desire
the knowledge of others; spread the
have conversations. options and have experts or others like product. word; drive affinity.
informed them.
conversations.
• SEO • Forums • Communities • Content • Advocate Private
• Communities (Advocates) • Advocate stories – Websites Community
• Content • Communities • Forums – Deal sites • Content
amplification • Content • Content – Campaigns amplification
Strategy
Social
– Partners amplification amplification – Social media
– Credible sites – Features/functions – Stories – All points of
– Studies – Reviews decision
– Stories/experiences – Impact journey
– Influencer content
Outcome
Experienced
Credible Resources Informed Options Informed Decisions Loyal Advocates
Influencers
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5. According to McKinsey & Company, embedded costs
25%
alone for a content supply chain can range from
$50 million to $75 million for a consumer
products OEM to over $300 million for a global
Of marketing budgets is spent on technology company
content creation and distribution
—The Custom Content Association
YET!
Few companies have
created the roles and
“”
systems needed to manage
their content supply chain
and create a coherent
customer experience
—Harvard Business Review
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6. Brands = Publishers
Two crucial steps:
1. Define content
Corporations face many of the value
same issues as commercial 2. Adopt supply chain
approach
publishers:
Enormous Value:
Audience development
• Drives revenue
Content topic roadmap (story • Expands the social graph of content along
budget in publishing terms) the decision journey
• Optimizes staffing and maximizes
Content mix and volume resources
• Builds strong content partnerships
Content development • Amplifies content exponentially
• Creates high value, high performing
Targeted content distribution across
content
multiple genres and channels
• Ensures relevance and timeliness
Resource allocation and • Tracks content performance against
organizational structure business KPIs
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7. Most marketers, failing to
adopt the discipline of a
multimedia publisher, don’t
realize that deep within their
“”
Common content pain points: A lack of
operations, they are facing
escalating production costs, understanding of how to organize the content
unnecessary duplication, creation and distribution process and build the
inconsistent quality of content right mix of supporting resources
and second-rate interactions
with customers
—McKinsey Quarterly Develop content based on market
demand and business strategy
Establish processes for creating the right
mix and volume of content
Manage the publication process
Understand and leverage distribution
channels
Measure content equity and ROI
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8. Content = Business Asset
• Well-run companies manage supply
chain to produce products efficiently
and create enterprise value
– Core competency with defined
roles, processes, quality measures
and performance goals
• Content needs to be sourced and
managed like any other raw material
– It needs to be transformed into an
asset with defined value
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9. Steps in the Content Supply Chain
1. Insights or Sourcing 4. Socialization and Amplification or Logistics
Applies comprehensive discipline to Delivers content across multiple
identifying the right topics and stories distribution channels.
that reflect the companies’, brands’ or
organizations’ legacy, points of distinction
and vision.
2. Creation 5. Measurement
Aligns with the manufacturing process, it Quantifies return on content
applies a “news bureau” approach to the assets, tracks the performance of
development of content assets in multiple specific content “SKUs” and provides the
formats. data points needed to control cost and
quality and drive better performance.
3. Management
Encompasses all the controls and quality
oversight needed to manage workflows,
archive and curate content, manage
versioning and integration across all
phases of the content life cycle.
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10. Socialization and
Insights Creative Management
Amplification
Market Needs Content Creation Publication Process Distribution and
Outreach Process
Consistent, replicable Filters for relevance
content creation process differentiations
Owned
• Listening • Content • SMEs • Content library
Authors
• Conferences consumption • Partners • Content roadmap Earned
• Partners • Product • Customers • Expiration/sell-by
• Search terms management • Content creation • Refresh cycles
• Trends • Customer specialists • Campaign codes Paid
• Competitive insights • Versioning
scan • Customer • Touchpoint management
• Community support • Segment relevance • Curation tools
Mass
• Message check
Filters
actions • Consumption profile and (Designated process by
• Voice genre personas
• Sales support distribution type)
• Thought leadership
Measure
• Support decision journey
• Drive lead gen
• Generate revenue
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11. Content Equity
KPI 1: Drive SEO
Uncover Generate
Support KPI 2: Increase brand KPI 5: Generate KPI 6: Monetize content assets
consideration Sales-ready leads Revenue
Decision Leads
Journey KPI 3: Increase brand
preference
KPI 4: Drive support around
government affairs or
issue management
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12. Tracks the return on content assets against specified KPIs
Measurement
Enhance SEO
Define content
mission
Tweak
strategy, insights Align with KPIs
and channels
Displays Index per KPI like a stock ticker
Track, report, diag Define metrics set
nose for each KPI
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13. TOP 10
INSIGHTS CREATION MANAGEMENT AMPLIFICATION MEASUREMENT
1. Define content
mission against
3. Create content
filters and
5. Drive management 8.
process with content
Include a mix of
owned, earned,
10. Measure and index
performance
business objectives scorecards to strategists; facilitate paid and mass against each
and define aligned gauge content content logistics with social media in the content KPI to track
KPIs. effectiveness. right mix of tools and amplification mix; ROI and calibrate
technology. evolve and grow content strategy.
the mix over time.
2. Assign topic beats 4.
with editors,
Develop dynamic
publishing
6. Develop system
tracking
a 9. Develop aapproach
outreach
custom
reporters and cycles, not strict by assigning each for each channel
sources that will time-stamped content asset a type and venue.
drive a dynamic models. unique code.
insights process
that cuts
horizontally across 7. Curate content to
deliver the right type
functional silos.
of content at specific
points along the
decision journey.
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14. Contact Info
Steve Hershberger Kevin Lynch
ComBlu ComBlu
sthersh@comblu.com klynch@comblu.com
312-649-1687 312-649-1687
Link to Study
K:Sales & MarketingThought leadershipContent Supply ChainMarketing materialsContent Supply Chain webinar summary deck.pptx
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