This document summarizes a presentation about addressing the modern buyer's journey. It discusses how buyers now conduct more research online and through social media before purchases. It emphasizes the importance of search engine optimization, creating engaging social media content, building communities, and measuring analytics to optimize marketing efforts. The presentation provides examples of how both big brands and small businesses can tackle social media and content marketing to reach buyers at different stages of their journey.

1. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Addressing
The Modern Buyer’s Journey
December 20, 2017

2. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Agenda
• A little bit about me and gShift
• Why gShift?
• How Modern Buyers Behave
• A few Social Stats
• Our Recent Purchase
• A Bit About SEO
• Or Maybe Paid?
• Back to Tackling Social and Content Marketing
• Measure and Optimize
• Key Takeaways
• Q & A

3. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
About Yours Truly
• VP Product, gShift
• 15+ years of digital marketing, analytics
and SEO experience
• Journalism Major
• Blogger and Social Media Addict
• Hockey Dad (http://imahockeydad.com)
• Proud Manitoban #GoJetsGo
Jeff Riddall
jeff.riddall@gshiftlabs.com
@Jriddall on Twitter
JRiddall on LinkedIn
jeffriddall on Instagram
jeff-riddall on Snapchat
Jeff Riddall on Facebook
+ Jriddall on Google +

4. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
• Founded 2009 right here in Barrie
• Web Presence Analytics for
Brands & Agencies
• Large and small customers
worldwide
• SEO, Content Marketing,
Influencer Marketing, Off-Site
Analytics
• gShift Digital Marketing Services
to assist with SEO, Content or
Influence Marketing campaigns
• gShift University – Practical Digital
Marketing Training
About gShift

5. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Why gShift?

6. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Why gShift?

7. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
What Does Google Do??
Google’s basic premise has never changed. Deliver
the right content to the right people at the right time.
However their means to identifying that content (The
Dreaded Google Algorithm) is changing constantly.

8. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
So What?

9. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
What Does Google Want?
Current, relevant, authoritative content.
Organizations need to prove to Google they
are the definitive source of whatever keywords
(products, services, content) they want to be
found for.

10. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
What is a Web Presence?
• Encompasses all of your brand’s
digital points of presence:
– Your website
– Off-site content – blog posts,
articles, press releases
– Social media accounts and posts
– YouTube and other video networks
– Social local – Yelp, TripAdvisor
– Review sites
– Directory listings
– Paid Ads
– Influencer generated content
– Dark Social - email, messaging apps

11. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
A Traditional Buyer’s Journey

12. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Today’s Buyer Behaviour

13. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
It All Starts with Search
Search and social play an important role for customers throughout the
customer life cycle. People turn to both search and social channels throughout
the stages of their journey – with over 90% of customers report they use
search at every stage of their customer lifecycle and over 85% of customers
saying they use social channels for discovery and consideration or purchase.
Forrester, April 2016
@JRiddall @gShiftLabs

14. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Then It All Goes Social
• Customers visit your website to make sure
you exist and are credible
• Research is done outside of your website
through social media or via people
(influencers) customers trust
• Positive or negative feedback can be
published at any time during the process
• These conversations are happening
whether you acknowledge them or not

15. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
SMBs Are Planning More Social

16. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Which Social Networks?

17. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
What Sort of Content?

18. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
“A brand is no longer what we tell the
consumer it is–it is what consumers tell
each other it is.”
Scott Cook, Founder and CEO of
Intuit
Definition of a Modern Brand

19. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Our (Not So) Recent Purchase

20. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Validation and Research

21. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Purchase and Advocacy

22. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Purchase and Advocacy

23. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Retention

24. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
A Few Words About SEO

25. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
The Evolution of SEO
• Search Engine Optimization
• Search Experience
Optimization
• Strategies for Earned and
Owned
• Optimized Content Marketing
AUTHORITY
in the

26. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
SEO Best Practices
• All starts with Keywords and Content
– providing the best answers to
searchers’ questions
• On-Site Optimization (Keyword rich
Title Tags, H1 Headings, links, image
alt tags, meta descriptions)
• Mobile Friendly
• Optimized Content Marketing
• Social Media Distribution
• Relevant Backlinks

27. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
But, You Also Might Want to Pay…
Pros
• Highly targeted
• Immediate brand visibility
• Immediate traffic
Cons
• Relatively expensive
• Lots of tire kickers
• Click fraud

28. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Where Do You Start Socially?
• Listen
• Build Community
• Optimize Your Social
Presence
• Publish and Distribute
Content
• Engage

29. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Listen
• Search/follow your brand
name and keywords in
social networks
• Identify where your
audience is
• Create Social Alerts

30. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Build Community
• Find and follow relevant
people and businesses
• Like and share their
content - reciprocation
• Make it easy to follow
you socially – share
buttons and CTAs
everywhere

31. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Optimize Your Social Presence
• Consider professional
photos – this is YOUR
brand
• Make your profiles /
pages as complete as
possible – ALWAYS link to
your website!
• Incorporate your
keywords
• Include video, where
possible

32. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Publish and Distribute Content
“If the social web were a living
organism, content would be the air
that it breathes.”
“You must have at least one source
of original rich content and you
have 3 viable options: a blog, a
podcast or a video series.”
“A source of rich content provides
something that is shareable,
conversational and engaging for
social platforms.”
Social Media Explained

33. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Relevant Engaging Content
• Create relevant, keyword
rich, engaging content
linking back to your
primary pages
• Answer your audiences’
questions
• Google is starting to
figure out searcher intent

34. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
And How Do You Create It
• How to Write Better
• Writing Rules
• Story Rules
• Publishing Rules
• Things Marketers Write
• Content Tools

35. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
How About User Generated Content?
• Let your customers tell
their/your stories
• Cultivate testimonials on
social where they’ll be
seen and shared

36. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Big Brand Examples
The Art of Ride - Snowboarding Off Piste Backcountry
GoPro Hero 3+
https://youtu.be/Q5691RGDUJ4
Starbucks White Cup Contest

37. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Local SMB Examples

38. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Engage
• Monitor and reply to
comments – positive or
negative
• Incorporate calls to
action and links to
website pages
• Be consistent in
frequency

39. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Big Brand Examples

40. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Local SMB Examples

41. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Measure and Optimize
• Everything is
measurable
• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• gShift for SEO
• gShift kontextURLs
• Social Listening

42. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Traffic

43. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Keywords

44. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Content

45. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Measuring Content Engagement
• Reach, Likes and Shares are great, but
Clicks and Conversions are better.
• Leverage Smart URLs
• Measure and monitor top performing
content, engagement over time,
engagement by channel, by influencer,
by content type, by geography
• Define and monitor conversion paths,
which may cross on-site and off-site
content
• Optimize content distribution for
maximum engagement

46. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
“There are three objectives for
content marketing: reach,
engagement, conversion.
Define key metrics for each.”
-Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insiders Group
@JRiddall @gShiftLabs

47. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Key Takeaways
Don’t think B2B or B2C… think H2H
Build Community
Create relevant, engaging, authoritative content
Engage
Measure, Measure, Measure

48. @JRiddall @gShiftLabs
Thanks and Questions
Today’s Presentation on SlideShare
jeff.riddall@gShiftLabs.com
Happy Holidays!