Content 2012 for small businesses

Content 2012 for Small Businesses

Richard Masters

Richard Masters
1 richard@rjmasters.co.uk 10/01/2013

Contents
 Content marketing: the theory
 The major content types
1. Blogs
2. Product Information
3. News Releases
4. Articles, White Papers, EBooks
5. Slideshows
6. References/Case Studies /Reviews
7. Other Content Types
 How to develop content

Richard Masters

Content Marketing: The Theory
Before dropping down into the detail of content types
and uses, it is useful to reflect on the growing
importance of “Content” in digital marketing.

Richard Masters

Where does Content fit?
Digital Media is a
subset of all content
and separate from
traditional media
It includes Web
Pages, Social
Networks and other
Digital Content
Digital Content is
separate from web
pages and social
networks but
overlaps with them.

Richard Masters

Four reasons why content is
important
1. Vital factor in search
2. Key to customer engagement
3. Drives customer commitment
4. Part of overall digital marketing ecosystem.

Look at each of these in turn below:

Richard Masters

1. Importance in Search
•Excerpts from  “Would you trust the information
the 2011 presented in this article?
Google  Is this article written by an expert or
“Quality enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is
Guidelines” it more shallow in nature?
 Does the article provide original content or
information, original reporting, original
•Clearly shows research, or original analysis?
that high quality,  Does the page provide substantial value
fresh and when compared to other pages in search
original content results?
is vital to  Does this article provide a complete or
ranking well in comprehensive description of the topic?
search.  Does this article contain insightful analysis
or interesting information that is beyond
Richard Masters
obvious”

2. Customer Engagement
Ultimately it is
content drives
customer
engagement.
It delivers value
to customers so
they stay and
return to
websites.
As it is valuable
it is also
shareable, and
people share it
with their contacts
on social media,
Richard Masters
7 10/01/2013
increasing its
richard@rjmasters.co.uk

3. Customer Commitment
It drives
customer
commitment.

Different
content types
can be used to
increase
commitment and
move customers
through the buying
cycle

Types of content
Richard Masters
8 are covered in
richard@rjmasters.co.uk 10/01/2013
more detail later

4.Key Part of the wider Digital
Marketing Ecosystem
Content is one of
the key components
in the digital
marketing ecosystem
It works with, and
supports, the other
elements of the
ecosystem:
 Social media posts
signpost valuable
content wherever it is
most easily
accessed
 Search Engines refer
searchers to sites
they perceive as
having value to them
i.e. appropriate
content
Richard Masters

Importance of Content is increasing.
 Content marketing is in the ascendancy and is
regarded as the pre-eminent driving force in
Digital Marketing.
 Google‟s recent algorithm updates (Panda &
Penguin) and recent Quality Guidelines make it
clear that content is also now the key to ranking
well in searches.
 There is an increasingly recognition that people
are seeking information of value online and this is
most easily provided by a variety of original and
fresh content types.
Richard Masters

Content Types for Small
Businesses
There are a lot of content type it is possible to include in
a Digital Marketing Strategy. In reality a large number of
them are really only appropriate for larger businesses or
brands. Some of the more feasible content types for
small businesses are outlined below,

Richard Masters

Content Types
 There are potentially a large number of different
content types available. A recent article has
identified 42 types.
 They represent different combinations media
types, delivery methods, subject matter,
ownership and purposes.
 This section looks at a subset of the most popular
content types on the grounds that these are ones
most likely to applicable to small businesses.

Richard Masters

Classification of Content Types
There are a number of different ways of
classifying content. Some of the main one
are:

1. Ownership: Owned, Paid for or Curated
2. Media type: Text, Video, audio, Images
3. Longevity: Short term news to long term
studies
4. Content type: Ideas, Opinions, Advertising,
Academic
5. Point in sales cycle: Interest generation
Richard Masters
13 10/01/2013
richard@rjmasters.co.uk generating long term relationships
through to

Most Popular content types for
small businesses
The most popular content types for small businesses
are described subsequently:
1. Blogs
3. News Releases
4. Articles, White Papers, EBooks
5. Slideshows
6. References/Case Studies /Reviews
Web pages and Social media are covered elsewhere.
The relative popularity of the types are shown next
Richard Masters

Leading Content Types

: The State of SEO & Internet Marketing in 2012

: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33503/Sneak-Peek-
The-State-of-SEO-Internet-Marketing-in-2012-New-
Data.aspx#ixzz2DLFzzFFM

Richard Masters

1. Blogs
Blogs are the most popular content types at present, but
their popularity may now have peeked due the sheer
numbers and the effort involved in creating them.

Richard Masters

Blogs (1): What?
WeBLOGs are a very
common form of
business content.
Independent journals
containing opinions and
comment.
Not regarded as
promotion, but as
authentic content
Regular and
consistent and build up
a readership.
Sign post other
content for further
Richard Masters
17 engagement..

Blogs(2) Why?
Very easy way to add
fresh content to a
website
They are indexed by
search engines and
appear in listings
They are very good
for website rankings
and drive search
traffic.
They also attract
significant extra
numbers of visitors to
websites!
Richard Masters

Blogs (3): Basic Set-up
1. Select your blogging Platform (
ideally linked to your website
domain). Main ones shown
across:->>
2. These come with tools to create
your own customised Blog.
3. Select a distribution channel:
Email and RSS feeds are the
most common methods. Tools
exist to do this (e.g. Feedburner http://blogging.org/blog/blogging-stats-2012-infographic

or Feedblitz).
4. Generate content!
5. Promote your blog to develop a
readership
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 on a regular
basis!
Richard Masters

Blogs (4): Right for your
business?
 Blogging is a big commitment of time and effort
but can bring lots of website traffic and establish
authority and trust
 Works best if your target customer personas
follow blogs!
 If you, your business, generates ideas and views
and this can be re-purposed then this is a good
basis to build upon.
 If competitors produce Blogs, start by following
these before committing.
 Not a decision to be entered into lightly. See
Richard Masters
20 resources paper for more details.

A good starting point for content creation is to use the
information on your own products generated by your
business.

Richard Masters

Product Information(1): Why
 Main Web Pages should contain
product/service customer benefits information
only!
 Most businesses have lots of additional
information on their offerings.
 In content terms this is Low hanging fruit!
 This information is potentially very beneficial
because it allows customers to fully evaluate
your offerings
 It also presents valuable content that helps for
search purposes
Richard Masters how best to present it to greatest
 Key is:
effect!

Product Information (2): What
 Product/service  Customer
descriptions discussion Forums
 Online catalogues  FAQ‟s
 Product guides
 Help/Advice Desks
 Brochures and Online advisors
 Manuals
 Useful industry
 „How to‟ information
guides/videos
 Product exploitation
guides, tutorials,
hints and tips.
Richard Masters

Product Information:(3)How?
 The key is to select the most effective media and
presentation type. This depends on the nature of
the content and the preferences of the target
audience.
 Approach should generally be multi media if at
all possible.
 Text is fine for basic information
 Images are essential if products are intrinsically
visual.
 Video can be tremendously effective where
things are best explained using words and
pictures
24  Preferably stored on your own domain, but can
Richard Masters
be embedded where external services are being

3. News Releases
News releases, formerly known as Press Releases, are
an easy, and good way, of generating content.

Richard Masters

News Releases (1): Why
 Buyers now read press releases directly so
they are now called news releases.
 Search engines index them and rank them
highly. They will therefore drive traffic to your
website.
 Your audience is everyone who has an
internet connection and uses a search engine!
 Promote you as an authority in a subject area
 They add fresh, regular and topical content to
your website
 If journalists use them - that is an added
26
bonus!
Richard Masters

News Releases (2): Importance
 Often appear
ahead of home
pages in search as
they are often
topical
By linking to web
pages they promote
other content on the
site
Journalists may
regard you as
authoritative and
publish or link to
your site.
Richard Masters

News Releases (3): What?
Find good reasons to
send news Releases on
a regular basis. See
Meerman-Scott‟s advice-
>>
Write for your potential
customers not just
journalists
Structure and index
your releases for search
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-New-Rules-Marketing-
engines!(see resources Applications/dp/1118026985/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=13
54021259&sr=8-2

paper).
Richard Masters
28 Link copiously your

News releases (4): How?
 Consider establishing a press section(newsroom)
on your site. Include background company and
industry information.
 Provide an index of News Releases and make them
downloadable.
 Send them directly to relevant Journalists and
consider using a press release distribution service
(see resources paper)
 Post links to Social Networking and Sharing sites
and include sharing links on the releases
themselves.
Richard Masters
29  Send them to your customers and prospects. 10/01/2013
richard@rjmasters.co.uk They

4.Articles/White Papers and
EBooks
Collectively these content types can be loosely defined
as containing “independent” or “academic” content as
opposed to content clearly related to your products and
services.

Richard Masters

Benefits of Academic Content

Richard Masters

Articles
 Designed to be published elsewhere:
Journals/specialist websites
 High quality content of value ( Academic
standard)
 Primary aim to develop your authority/reputation
 Can have links back to your website, other
content and your products and services
 Should not feature overt CTA‟s/links to landing
pages
 Takes effort/dedication to market them yourself
 Marketing software and distribution agencies exist
Richard Masters

White Papers
 Highly focussed on single customer problems
 Aimed at providing solutions and demonstrating
expertise
 Typically longer than a blog 3-12 pages
 Multimedia best approach
 Can address a small number of inter-related
issues
 Can be used to obtain newsletter sign-ups,
Facebook page “likes”, or build an email list
 Promote them through all available channels:
Website, Direct and Social
 Repurpose them into blogs and webinars to
Richard Masters
33 extend longevity.

EBooks
 Main purpose tends to be to establish reputation
but can be revenue earning
 Tend to be longer and can range from 20 pages
to several hundred.
 Concept rather than customer problem focussed
 Highly structured and designed for skimmers
 Contain book artefacts: Covers, content lists,
references etc.
 Usually PDF‟s for download but can be published
 Tools exist to create and publish books (see
resources guide)
 Promotion: Direct, social media or via publishers.
Richard Masters

5. Slideshows
Slideshows are a very powerful way of presenting
content and can be used across a variety of platforms.
They can also rank highly in searches in their own right.

Richard Masters

Slideshows-What?
 Slideshows have been traditionally associated
with PowerPoint presentations.
 They are much more than this and can include
visual content of all forms (graphs, images,
screenshots, video, audio etc).
 They are very easy to put together and take less
effort than articles and white papers
 They can be freestanding or embedded in Blogs,
Websites (for example this presentation) and
Social sites.
 Can be made available in the cloud and are
downloadable and shared easily
36  Regarded as authoritative content and not 10/01/2013
Richard Masters
promotion.

Slideshows: Why?
 Good at presenting information that lends itself to
the narrative from.
 Easy and quick to produce- lots of tools and
templates
 Can be used with a presenter or without. Works
24/7!
 Can be easily accessed anywhere and shared
 Can be easily repurposed into webinars etc or
embedded into websites
 Can be indexed and found by search engines-
often appear high in SERPs
Richard Masters

Slideshows: how?
 Slideshows have two elements.
 A creation system
 A sharing platform
 Creation system. The most common one is
PowerPoint. Lots of templates exist to support
this. It is equally possible to use other systems
such as Google Docs.
 Sharing Platforms. These are cloud based
systems that allow presentations to be accessed
and shared. By far the most common is
Slideshare but Scribd, Docstac, boxnet and
38
Dropbox etc also allow this.
Richard Masters
10/01/2013

Slideshare
 This is the overwhelming market leader in sharing
platforms and is now owned by LinkedIn.
 More than just slides, but most visual content,
can included e.g. PDF‟s and Video etc
 It indexes and submits all presentations to the
major search engines for inclusion in searches.
 Because it is the global top 150 of all websites it
imparts significant search authority to items it
indexes. These often outrank the same content
presented in Blogs or on Websites.
 It is a social system in its own right and allows
content libraries to be built which establish and
39
enhance reputation.
Richard Masters
10/01/2013

Slideshare section for this site.

Richard Masters

Prezi
 Presentations are traditionally composed of slides
structured in a linear manner, irrespective of
which tool is used.
 Prezi is a futuristic and radical alternative which
presents information in a map (or spatial) format.
Bit like a mind map.
 In is navigated by panning and zooming rather
than by the sequential progression of slides.
 Can include images and video etc.
 Not currently searchable therefore does not have
these benefits of Slideshare.
Richard Masters

6.References/Case
Studies/Reviews
These are important for a different reason: they are
there to provide external proof that you do what you say
you do!

Richard Masters

Why are they important?
 This type of content is vital because it provides
“proof” that you do what you say you do.
 People believe what other people say about you
do many times more than what you say about
yourself.
 Regarded as authentic
 Just about the most important and powerful
content you can have on your website

Richard Masters

Case Studies
 Case studies are single “problem” or “pain point”
based and not product/service orientated.
 They describe how a particular customer/client
has overcome a particular problem using your
product/services.
 They are regarded as authentic proof, and not,
spin by clients
 Constructed using a standard STAR type
methodology (Situation, Task, Actions, Results)
 Be written by the customer (or for the customer)
in his own words
Richard Masters

Customer References
 Customer references generally relate either
individual products/services or to the overall
company itself.
 They represent reviews and evaluations by
customers who have actually used/adopted your
products /services or dealt with your company
 They are typically produced by B2B companies
and are a particular feature of the high technology
industries.
 Can be in a variety of formats from text through to
videos.
 Some companies have proactive programmes to
45
generate them and use them as a key element of
Richard Masters
10/01/2013
marketing collateral.

Customer Reviews: What are
they?
Reviews, provided
directly by
customers/clients, on
your
products/services
Often hosted on
third party sites but
can be included on
your own site
 Examples: Trip
Advisor, Amazon,
Google Places (now
Richard Masters
46 G+ local), Yelp, Yell

Customer Reviews: Why
important?
 70% of online purchasers say they consult online
reviews before purchasing.
 They are consulted at a key point in the buying
cycle before buyers finally commit to buying
(often called the Zero Moment of Truth or ZMOT-
see Resources Paper).
 They are an integral part of establishing and
maintaining your online reputation
 They are important for Search. Reviews often
appear in their own right in SERPs listings and
give your products online credibility.
Richard Masters

Customer reviews: Where?
 Own Website.
 Host on your own site and collect reviews as part of
the sales process.
 Or create an online customer forum
 Local Directories
 These are most likely to be important for small
businesses.
 The prime one is Google Places (now G+ Local).
 Also Yelp, Yell, Yahoo Local and Bing Local and
Foursquare.
 Specialist Review Sites.
 Travel: Trip Advisor. Hugely important in this area
Richard Masters out : Top Table, Squaremeal, Time out etc
 Eating

Customer Reviews: Where(2)?
 Retailers:
 General Retail: Amazon the leader, Argos, John Lewis
etc.
 Specialist retailers: tend to be product area specific e.g.
Electrical, IT or Financial services etc.
 Others
 Specialist review/Comparison sites: Reevoo,
Reviewcentre, Which
 Price Comparison Sites: Tend to be financial orientated
but can include other factors.

Wherever third party reviews exist these represent
valuable content and authentic “proof” and
should be incorporated within your digital
marketing ecosystem in as many places as
possible.
Richard Masters

Customer Reviews: How?
1. The first thing is to ensue you capture and
record everything. Even excerpts from customer
letters or verbal comments can be repurposed!
2. If “local” is important, create a G+ Local (Google
places) account and similar. Treat them as
another mini websites or another other social
media account.
3. Decide if you want to own your own customer
review data or rely on third party sites. If you
want your own then set one up to capture
feedback and comments.
Richard Masters

Customer Reviews: How(2)?
4. Identify which review sites are important for your
business and encourage your customers to post
reviews on them.
5. Populate your website and social media
accounts with the reviews posted on the various
sites or link directly to the sites.
6. Monitor all online comments/ mentions, using a
tool such as Google Alerts, and respond where
appropriate.( this should be a basic part of
customer service)
7. Always look for opportunities to develop
comments into fully fledged Customer Reviews
or Case Studies to build your databank of proof
Richard Masters
51 10/01/2013
.

Above, I have selected 6 content types which appear,
on the basis of popularity, to be most appropriate for
small businesses.
Ultimately which content type is suitable, depends on
the nature of your business, its offerings, its target
markets and your own skills and inclinations!
For completeness, some of the other more commonly
used content types are listed below.

Richard Masters

Other Common Content Types(1)
Type Characteristics
Social Media •Existing feeds such as Twitter(micro Blog)feeds can
updates be replicated.
•Widgets exists to embed on websites
Pod or Audiocasts •Downloadable or streamed audio files.
•Can be listened to independently or on iPod or MP3
players etc.
VideoBlogs or •As above.
Vlogs •Can be played on MP4 players or streamed from
You Tube etc.
Webinars/Screenc •Online seminars. Can be live or available on-demand
asts/Webcasts/On or as transcripts.
line presentations •Can get questions in advance via social media
Online •Live, multi participant events
Conferences
/Hangouts
Richard Masters
Advertising •Advertising, especially display type advertising, can

Other Common Content Types(2)
Type Characteristics
Infographics/Images •Visual representations generally work better than
/ text and narrative and should be included wherever
Graphs etc practical.
Newsletters •Summaries of other information in brief form
indexed on site.
•Can be mailed out on a permission basis (so not
spam)
Wiki‟s/Glossaries •Definitions of useful terms etc.
•People tend to link and bookmark as a resource
Events •Landing pages for booking events
•Providing additional information and links
•Summaries of papers/attendee feedback
Industry/Analyst/ •Compilations of useful independent research/views
Curated information etc on the marketplace or industry
Polls/Surveys
Richard Masters •Purpose generated research to demonstrate 10/01/2013
54 richard@rjmasters.co.uk authority and relevance of product/Services

Developing a Content Strategy
The majority of the literature on developing content
strategies is aimed at large brands with dedicated
resources on a scale that is simply not available to
small businesses. This section outlines a simple
pragmatic approach suitable for small businesses.

Richard Masters

Content Strategy: Four Key steps
Content Audit- what have you got?

What content should you create?

Content creation plan

Execute the plan and review success.
Richard Masters

1. Content Audit
Make a list of content • Type, Topic, Date, Who aimed at
you already
have/generate and (personas),Success in generating
note the following: business.

Identify which of this is • Press information, Social media
available online loosely
classified into content activities, Web pages ,Industry
areas: presence, Paid presence (advertising)

Identify what
information you • Type, nature and media, who it might
currently generate is
not being fully benefit, how might it be used
exploited online?

Richard Masters

2. What content should you
create?
Delicate
balance
between Supply
and Demand
factors.

Evaluate each
type and come
up with a list
which are right
for your
business

Validate
against
competition.
Richard Masters

3.Content Creation Plan (1): For
Who?
Which of your
key personas
should you be
creating content
for?
Where in the
buying cycle do
you want to target
it at

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/docs/ebooks/a_practical
_guide_to_marketing_content.pdf

Richard Masters

Content Creation Plan(2) What to
create?
Think about
what content
types are
available to you
Assess the
degree they fit
what you are
trying to achieve
with each persona
type

http://netdna.copyblogger.com/images/content-and-
branding-large.jpg
Richard Masters

Content Creation Plan (3): What
form?
Need to check
what is the best
form for delivering
the content
Need to
consider if it is
feasible from your
own resource
perspective and
whether it will
really work with
http://netdna.copyblogger.com/image
your target s/content-and-branding-large.jpg

61
customers
Richard Masters
10/01/2013

4. Execute the Plan!
 This is the hardest
part.
Need to be realistic
about the resources
and commitment
required
Outsourcing is a
choice but expensive!
Must be relentless
and consistent
Create a schedule
and stick to it!
Richard Masters

Downloadable Resources
Title Download link (Boxnet)
Content: General Resources Document https://www.box.com/s/g2x10nasleahri02
c3sg

Blogs: Resources Document https://www.box.com/s/3ztt4pc1i2mmrgm
utako

Product/Services Information: https://www.box.com/s/mtszn7wfevu27fyl
Resources Document qf7n

News Releases: Resources Document https://www.box.com/s/csste2b8wquaxd3
kydvq

Articles, White Papers, eBooks: https://www.box.com/s/c9horukqoqva4fjjp
Resources Document 212

Slideshows: Resources Document https://www.box.com/s/qyzstlvhs9r5gbpp
80jd
Richard Masters
Case Studies, Reviews, References: https://www.box.com/s/ufhpmnvb5se8tf8z
Resource Document 9hbi

Further Information/Contact
 Email: richard@rjmasters.co.uk
 Website: www.rjmasters.co.uk
 LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/vTp8Kw
 G+
:http://www.google.com/profiles/richardmaster
s.richard
 Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/richardmastersj
 Twitter: www.twitter.com/mastersassoc

Richard Masters

Content 2012 for small businesses

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