Content Marketing Mapping: Aligning to the Buying Process

1. Content Marketing Evolution Aligning to the Buying Process Mike Merrill Director of Marketing, ReachLocal Chairman, Social Media Club of Dallas @MikeDMerrill #DDSUM12
2. B2B Rushes to Publish Content Everywhere #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
3. How Do I Use Each Platform? Intro #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill 3
4. B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
5. A Few Key Data Points 33 % Marketing budgets allocated to content marketing 5 Social media distribution channels 44 % “ Outsource B2B content creation #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
6. Content Marketing Usage by Tactic  Too much focus on every platform and tactic  Determine how each tactic facilitates the buying process #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
7. Content Marketing Crisis of Confidence #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
8. Time to Align Content to Buying Journey DISCOVER Surfing, Searching and Socializing CONSIDER Researching and Evaluating BOOK/BUY Getting Estimates and Purchasing REPEAT Sharing Experiences And Buying Again #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
9. Buyer Needs at Each Stage • Recognize problem or DISCOVER Surfing, Searching issue and Socializing • Want to change status Explore possible solutions • quo CONSIDER Researching and • Define short list of providers Evaluating • Commit to change BOOK/BUY Getting Estimates and Purchasing • Gain confidence in right product/service selection REPEAT • Understand ROI of each to Sharing Experiences And Buying Again build business case #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
10. Discovery Phase: Recommended Content • Blog articles o Curated Lists o Tips & Tricks • Infographics DISCOVER • Ebooks & guides Surfing, Searching • Assessments & quizzes and Socializing • Meme marketing • Videos Key leading indicators: • Webinars • Traffic, page views, time onsite • Downloads REPEAT Sharing Experiences • InboundAnd Buying Again links, page rank • Fans, followers • Mentions, comments, shares #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
11. Consider Phase: Recommended Content • Ebooks & guides • Quizzes & widgets • Newsletters CONSIDER • Demo videos Researching and Evaluating • Webinars • Industry analyst reports • Testimonials • Case studies Key leading indicators: • Click-throughs, open rates • Downloads REPEAT Sharing Experiences • Inquiries,And Buying Again form submits • Database growth #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
12. Book/Buy Phase: Recommended Content • Live or in-person events • ROI Calculators • Pricing guides BOOK/BUY Getting Estimates • Total cost of ownership and Purchasing tools Key leading indicators: • Qualified Leads REPEAT • Booked Appointments Sharing Experiences • Opportunities And Buying Again • Pipeline size • Closed Deals #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
13. Recommended Content by Buying Stage Buying Buyer Needs Recommended KPIs Stage Content Discover • Recognize problem or issue • Blog Articles • Traffic, page views, time • Want to change status quo • Infographics onsite • Ebooks & Guides • Downloads • Assessments & Quizzes • Inbound links, page rank BOOK/BUY • Meme Marketing • Fans, followers Getting Estimates • Videos • Mentions, comments, shares and Purchasing • Webinars Consider • Explore possible solutions • Ebooks & Guides • Click-throughs, open rates • Define short list of providers • Quizzes & Widgets • Downloads • Commit to change • Newsletters • Inquiries, form submits • Demo Videos • Database growth • Webinars • Industry analyst reports • Testimonials • Case studies Book/Buy • Gain confidence in right • Live or in-person events • Qualified Leads REPEAT product/service selection • ROI Calculators • Booked Appointments Sharing Experiences of each to • Understand ROI • Pricing guides • Opportunities And build business case Buying Again • Total cost of ownership tools • Pipeline size • Closed Deals #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
14. Build Buyer Personas to Define Content Needs 1. Title: Dentist 2. Role: Owner 3. Age: 38 4. Sex: Female 5. Education: Doctorate 6. Experience: 10 Years 7. Ad experience: YP, Valpak, Local pubs, Direct Mail 8. Goals: Lower cost to acquire more patients, spend less time worrying about marketing 9. Challenges: Determining the ideal marketing strategy, understanding the latest in online marketing 10.Needs: Transparent ROI, fewer vendors to manage (single source), face to face sales rep to educate/inform #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
15. Every Persona Has Different Needs Persona Stage Questions (Needs) Answers Format Discovery 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. Consideration 1. 1. 1. Influencer 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. Book/Buy 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. Discovery 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. Consideration 1. 1. 1. Decision 2. 2. 2. Maker 3. 3. 3. Book/Buy 1. 1. 1. 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. Etc #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
16. … And #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
17. Recommended Reading 1. B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America http://bakn.me/Ug6CWH 2. 4 Questions Answered about Buyer Personas http://bakn.me/Wzg0Ew 3. 7 Ways to Research Your Buyer for Content Marketing http://bakn.me/11rQ4PA 4. The Content Grid v2 http://bakn.me/VjYo4k 5. The Content Match Game: Tips for Better Content Alignment Throughout the Buying Cycle http://bakn.me/YfSFhP 6. Optimize Content Marketing by Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey http://bakn.me/Ug6s1k 7. Step-by-Step Templates for Mapping your B2B Content http://bakn.me/11c220A 8. The Content To Consumer: Aligning & Automating the Delivery of Content according to the Buyer Stage http://bakn.me/TwTsDS 9. Content Mapping for a Buyer-Centric Content Strategy http://bakn.me/TvSozG 10. Optimize B2B Content Across the Sales Cycle http://bakn.me/11CpKSQ #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
18. Questions? • TWITTER: @MikeDMerrill • EMAIL: Mike.Merrill@ReachLocal.com • BLOG: http://blog.reachlocal.com • WEBSITE: http://www.reachlocal.com • TWITTER: @ReachLocal #DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill

Editor's Notes

Could entrepreneurs stop creating new platforms please. We were just starting to master Facebook and learn how to drive engagement
The proliferation of platforms have lead to memes like this. To help explain how one would use each platform whether it be a consumer or a business
Every year the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs collaborate on a report that talks about Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends in Content Marketing. Let’s just look at a few of these telling stats
- B2B Marketers are spending 33% of their marketing budgets on content marketing up 7% from last year. 54% plan on increasing content marketing spending next yearB2B marketers are using 5 social distribution channels, with the most popular being LinkedInAll Content tactics are being used more frequently with research reports, videos, and mobile content sing the largest increases44% outsource B2B content creation
Let’s look at Content Marketing Usage by Tactic, a graph out of the CMI/Marketing Profs report:- All Content tactics are being used more frequently with research reports, videos, and mobile content sing the largest increases
With the help of Penguin and Panda, authentic content became paramount. Not only are we trying to support all this tactics and platform but we also need to drive engagement to drive Edge Rank and SEOMany are struggling to measure social media effectiveness
But it’s not about publishing more content it about publishing the right content at the right time for the right person. It’s time to apply a growth hackers mentality to the value of the content you create.Let’s consider a simple buying funnel for a buyer online
So let’s look at the recommended formats
Definition: an in depth profile representation of the buyer audience that influences/makes the purchasing decision for the product and services that you are trying to market. Hubspot Definition: Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.This is just one persona. For complex solutions you could have numerous personas that impact the sales: initiator, influencer, end-user, buyer, decision-maker, gatekeeperEach Persona will have different questions at each stage of the buying cycle. So you can see there is plenty of work to be done

Content Marketing Mapping: Aligning to the Buying Process

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Content Marketing Mapping: Aligning to the Buying Process

Editor's Notes