This document outlines how to execute an effective content marketing strategy. It recommends focusing on creating helpful, valuable content for specific personas rather than general "thought leadership". It also recommends leaning on people, personas, and process. For process, it suggests establishing a content team workflow, planning tool like Trello, editorial calendar, and idea pipeline. The process should also include a campaign playbook that outlines how content will be distributed through blogging, email, social media, paid promotion, and partner outposts to build an engaged audience over time.

1. Seriously, How Do I
actually execute
Content Marketing?
JAY ACUNZO | @JAY_ZO

2. Jay Acunzo | @Jay_zo
(BosContent.com)

3. Agenda:
• Why Content?
• How to Execute
– Revealing Patterns
– Lean on Three Things
– Visual Playbook
• Resources
• Q&A
Outcome:
(More)
(Less)

4. A Story…

5. A Story…
Sit through THIS,
sucker!

6. Modern Marketing:
Make Stuff
People Want
Make People
Want Stuff
@Smithery.co)

7. Why
Content?
(ASIDE FROM THE BUZZ DU JOUR)

8. To be a great modern
marketer is to accept
1 simple truth:
@

9. To be a great modern
marketer is to accept
1 simple truth:
Consumers have
all the power.
@

10. To be a great modern
marketer is to accept
1 simple truth:
Consumers have
all the power.
Period.
@

11. Three Causes
@

13. Modern Marketing:
Make Stuff
People Want
Make People
Want Stuff
@Smithery.co)

14. How to
Execute
(OR, “HELP! HELP! MY BOSS WANTS ME TO,
LIKE, WRITE STUFF NOW!”)

15. At HubSpot…
• 5-8 blog posts/day
• 4-6 premium resources/month
• 1.5M views, 250K subscribers
• 50K monthly leads
@

16. Title and Content Layout with List
• Add your first bullet point here
• Add your second bullet point here
• Add your third bullet point here
Holy Scale, Batman!
@

17. Process, Infrastructure, & Foundation
@

18. How to Execute:
2 Revealing Patterns

19. Pattern 1:
vs.
@

20. Pattern 1:
vs.
@

21. Pattern 1:
vs.
@

22. Pattern 1:
vs.
@

23. Pattern 2: Helpful vs. “Thought Leadership”
23
Most views when it launches
Crashes over time, but not to zero
@

24. Pattern 2: Helpful vs. “Thought Leadership”
Most views upon launch
24
Crashes
to zero
Unpredictable
traffic
@

25. Pattern 2: Helpful vs. “Thought Leadership”
25
Grow this by
building inventory.
@

26. Pattern 2: Helpful vs. “Thought Leadership”
26
(Boosted by old
posts and inventory
of helpful content.)
@

27. On HubSpot’s Blog
• 70% of traffic from posts older than 1 month
• 50% of top 10 most viewed monthly posts older than 1 month
Huge inventory.
Huge ROI.
@

28. How to Execute:
Lean on 3 Things
PEOPLE | PERSONAS | PROCESS

29. 1. People (Not HubSpotter.)
(PhotoBomber.)
@

30. Why Do YOU
Create Content?

31. 2. Personas
Fictional representations of your
ideal customers based on real data
about demographics and behavior,
[name]
[demographic]
along with educated speculation
[goals]
about their personal histories,
motivations, and concerns.
@

32. “Create content for
“Create content for
marketers.”
Mary.”
?
@

33. Who Is YOUR Persona?
3 words to describe them
3 problems they face
3 adjectives for subsequent content

34. 2. Process
@

35. 2. Process
@

36. 2. Process
@

37. What’s This Process
Actually Look Like?

38. 3. Process
Content Team Workflow
Planning Production
Goal
Analysis Distribution
@

39. 3. Process
Content Team Workflow STOP! Get These First…
Planning Production
Goal
Analysis Distribution
• Personas
• Visual workflow tool (my
favorite: Trello)
• Editorial calendar
(spreadsheet or Google
Calendar)
• Idea pipeline (Trello or
Evernote)
• Match metrics to content @

40. 3. Process
Campaign Playbook
Blog +
“Atomize”
Email +
Social
Paid Promotion Partners +
Outposts
Core
Content
@

41. 3. Process
Campaign Playbook
Blog +
“Atomize”
Email +
Social
Paid Promotion Partners +
Outposts
Core
Content
Turning This Wheel…
• Core content first
• Blogging as distribution
• Email lists nurture, but
also GROW reach
• Outposts = organic
audience acquisition
• Paid: Taboola, Outbrain,
etc.
@

42. 3. Process
Content Team Workflow Campaign Playbook
Planning Production
Goal
Analysis Distribution
Blog +
“Atomize”
Email +
Social
Paid & Partner
Promotion
Audience
Outposts
Core
Content

43. @Recap

44. Thank You! Questions?
Free Resources
• Boston Content
(boscontent.com)
• Buyer Persona Template
(tiny.cc/persona)
• Editorial Calendar Template
(tiny.cc/edcal)
Reading
Content Rules (old but good)
Crap! The Content Deluge
The Elements of Content
Strategy
John Cleese on Creativity
(YouTube search)
The Accidental Creative