Presentation on Episodic Content Marketing - what it is, why we should use it, why our customers love it, best practices, and how it will positively effect your team's overall marketing strategy.

1. B Y: M E G A N D A N I E L S O N
ENGAGING AUDIENCES THROUGH
EPISODIC CONTENT MARKETING

2. WHAT IS EPISODIC CONTENT
MARKETING (ECM)?
•Definition: Storytelling, in the form
of video imagery or text, that is
distributed on a regular basis to
engage audiences and build
anticipation.
•For this lesson, we will focus on
video as it is been proven most
successful in branding.

3. EXAMPLE OF ECM
• “The Beauty Inside: Episode 1” – by Intel and Toshiba
• 1 of 6 episodic shows on YouTube
• Main character, Alex, wakes up everyday as someone different
• Viewers had the opportunity to participate and enter in their
videos to be broadcasted
• These video series have been viewed by millions and positively
impacted the brands that hosted.
• Click Here to watch:
https://youtu.be/3GdWUjG72sk

4. THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT ALL
• A chemical that is released in
the brain when one views ECM
content is called oxytocin.
• Attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
are affected.
• These stories are often times
inspirational and motivational.
• Stories have an even stronger
effect on us when they leave us
wanting more
• Brands seek that the end
results of ECM campaigns be
persuasive and memorable to
those viewers to take action.

5. PROS AND CONS OF ECM
Pros
• Websites with ECM have an
average 124% higher page views
than sites without ECM.
• Fan rates are typically 25% higher
than other video sets on a single
website.
• Brands build larger, more loyal
customer base by use of quality
ECM.
• Marketing strategies are much
stronger with an ECM goal in place.
• Strong content, followers, and links
lead to a better ranking in SEO.
Cons
• Imagery & Production can
be quite costly if it primarily
video content. A
videographer is often
needed.
• Much pre-planning needed,
with several script plans in
place.
• We don’t know long term
ROI since this is a new
development.

6. THINK ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE TV
SHOW…
• When watching our favorite tv shows, what is it that
keeps us engaged and eager to watch the next episode?
• Emotions
• Character development
• Suspense/Action
• Cliffhangers
• We can have that same effect on our customers with
ECM as our popular Netflix shows have on us.
• Like our tv shows, that brand that spends the time in
creating ECM is more likely to gain credibility than a
standardized one time advertisement.

8. WHY DOES ECM MATTER TO YOUR
TEAM’S STRATEGY?
• Clearer vision of company’s overall strategy
• Planning content utilizing themes and topics, while remaining on
deadlines keep the team more organized and structured.
• Your customer audience knows you well as a brand
• Viewers become accustomed to your content production style and
will be easily remembered by those recurring themes.
• The more regular content that is produced, the more following
audience you will have that is loyal to your brand.

9. SIMPLE TIPS TO CREATING ECM
• Every episode should have content focused on the central
theme of the series. This is most likely aligned with your
marketing strategy.
• Timing – work out in advance how and when to distribute
content on a regular basis.
• Find a subtle way to create a ‘call to action’ by offering your
viewers to shop on your website
• Make sure your style of content is consistent.
• Length - Episodes don’t need to be very long. Don’t stress on
making a long video, just focus on the quality.
• Your finale must be epic and memorable.

11. SOURCES
• https://blog.act-on.com/2016/04/how-major-brands-are-winning-through-episodic-content/
• https://www.crowdcontent.com/blog/2016/01/19/episodic-content-what-it-is-and-why-it-
works/
• http://curated-digital.com/marketing-strategy-wars-why-episodic-content-is-2016s-hot-
ticket/
• https://hbr.org/2014/10/why-your-brain-loves-good-storytelling/
• http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-get-ready-for-the-next-episode-2/
• http://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/enterprise-marketing/no-3-trend-why-episodic-
content-is-a-must-have-in-2016/
• https://www.vidyard.com/blog/what-game-of-thrones-broadcast-tv-can-teach-you-about-
video-marketing/