Content Marketing:
Planning for 2014
Francis Skipper
EVP of Digital Marketing
617.259.1605
francis@451marketing.com

linkedin.com/in/francisskipper
@fskip
A QUICK STORY…

I was on my morning hike…
And this group rode by on their
mountain bikes
Cool! I want to learn
more about
mountain biking!!
A few weeks later…
A few weeks later…
A few weeks later…
I want to buy a
mountain bike!!
Fancy meeting
you here…
Hey! I know
those guys!
Agenda
Today’s Digital Landscape
What is Content Marketing?
Why Content Marketing?
Creating Content Strategy
• Plan
• Create

• Share
• Track and Nurture
Open Q&A
We’re in a Time of Change
The Way We Consume
Information Has Changed
One-Way

Dialogue
The Way We Consume
Information Has Changed
Percentage of US
adult mobile phone
users with
smartphones

61%

Pew Research, Jun 2013
The Way We Communicate
Has Changed
Google is Constantly Changing
Google is Constantly Changing

Google circa 2000
Google is Constantly Changing

Google circa 2010
Your Audience Has Changed
Audience Search Habits
Navigational Queries

Informational Queries
Transactional Queries
Navigational Queries

Informational Queries
Transactional Queries

80%
of all queries!
Google is Constantly Changing

Google today
Google is Constantly Changing

Google today
That’s Why We’re Here!
78%
of CMOs see custom
content as the future
of marketing

Hanley Wood

79%
of marketers report that their
organizations are shifting to
branded content
Trend for 2014: Storytelling
Trend for 2014: Storytelling

customers
clients

employees

products
services
What is Content Marketing?

Creating and sharing relevant content
with your target audience
Why Content Marketing?
• Position as an expert
• Attract new customers
• Maintain a dialogue with existing
and past clients
• Increase social signals
Why Content Marketing?
Why Content Marketing?

NOT a silver bullet.
TODAY, WE SELL

MOUNTAIN BIKES
1 PLAN
Define Your Audience

1 PLAN
Define Your Audience

Moms

Millennials

1 PLAN

Businessmen

Who are you sharing content with?
Define Your Audience
25 – 44
YEAR OLDS

SINGLE,
UNMARRIED

SOME
COLLEGE
OR HIGHER

EXAMPLE
OF TARGET
AUDIENCE
PROFILE

TECH
EARLY
ADOPTER

1 PLAN

URBAN,
NORTHEAST

SOCIAL
MEDIA
AUTHORITY
Define Your Audience

1 PLAN

25 – 44
YEAR OLDS
TECH
EARLY
ADOPTER
SOME
COLLEGE
OR HIGHER
Define Audience Needs

1 PLAN

Content you create should address your
customers’ pain points:
• a need
• a problem
• a desire
• a challenge

What are your audiences’ biggest
pain points/needs?
Define Audience Needs

1 PLAN

•

I need info on new bikes and gear

•

I want to meet other mountain
bikers

•

I want to find trails for biking

What do your customers need?
Define Audience Needs

What do your customers need?

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

1 PLAN

“Content helps achieve
business objectives, not
content objectives.”
-Jay Baer
Define Your Goals
Top Organizational Goals for
Content Marketing

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

1 PLAN

Brand Awareness
#1 Goal in Survey by MarketingProfs
Define Your Goals

1 PLAN

Lead Gen is #1 Goal in for B2B
Define Your Goals

Traditional
Marketing

Content
Marketing

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals
Customer Acquisition

Audience
Engagement

Brand Loyalty

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

61%

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

1 PLAN
Define Your Goals

Don’t forget social and search goals!

1 PLAN
Audit Existing Content

1 PLAN

Catalog any existing content and categorize by:
Type
Date

Topic
Persona

Repurpose content that is outdated but still
valuable
Identify holes or missing content
Define Major Topics

1 PLAN

Think about
your goals

What do you want to be known for?
Define Major Topics

1 PLAN

We’re THE go-to resource for
• The latest in mountain bikes
and gear
• Biking lifestyle and how-tos
Define Team/Roles

1 PLAN

• Designate an overall
content coordinator
• Have coordinator from
each functional area

• Designate members of
senior management
team to oversee/
contribute – adds to
validity

Set clear roles, expectations, and standards
Create a Calendar

1 PLAN

• Color code by content type
• Clearly define ownership
• Create a checklist for social
media promotion
• Share as far in advance as
possible to allow time for
creation

Use a shared calendar such as Google Calendar
to share content plan internally
2

CREATE
Pick Content Type

Whitepapers, eBooks,
Case Studies

Audio or
Video Content

Blog and Social Posts

Events and Content from
Events (Webinars, Workshops)

2
CREATE
Images and Infographics

Email Newsletters
Pick Content Type

2
CREATE

Top Content Types of2013
Pick Content Type

2
CREATE

Whitepapers, eBooks, Case Studies
Pick Content Type

Blogs and Social Posts

2
CREATE
Pick Content Type

Images and Infographics

2
CREATE
Pick Content Type

2
CREATE

Audio and Video
Pick Content Type

2
CREATE

Events/
Event Content
3SHARE
Pick Your Platforms

3SHARE

For instance:

• City dwellers are significantly more likely than rural
residents to be on Twitter and Instagram
• Women are four times as likely as men to use Pinterest
• Baby boomers are the fastest growing segment of
Facebook

Source: Pew Research Center
3SHARE

Include a CTA
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4TRACK &
NURTURE
Establish Clear Metrics
Top Content Marketing Metrics

4TRACK
Coordinate

4TRACK

Have your search team track goals and traffic
Evaluate Performance

4TRACK

What’s getting shared the most, by who, and when?
Take-Aways
•

Your audience has changed

•

Prior planning…

•

Your customers expect relevant content
across channels

•

Great content is content that fills a need /
answers a question
Questions?
Francis Skipper
EVP of Digital Marketing
617.259.1605
francis@451marketing.com

linkedin.com/in/francisskipper
@fskip
Content Marketing:
Planning for 2014

Content Marketing