This document provides guidance on developing an effective content strategy. It recommends beginning with understanding your audience by creating buyer personas and identifying buying cycles. It also stresses the importance of having a plan, determining goals and metrics, and mapping your content across awareness, research, comparison and purchase stages. The document provides tips on tools for research, setting up an editorial calendar, storytelling, determining channels, measurement, and considering everything as content. It emphasizes quality over quantity, tailoring content to answers, case studies and testimonials. The overall message is that an effective content strategy requires understanding audiences, having a plan, and aligning content with the buyer's journey.

1. Content to Convert
RECOMMENDED
UNTIL AUG 201
AWARD WINNER

2. // Introducing Strategy into your Content creation
It’s not the size
that matters.
It’s what you do
with it that counts.

3. Are you publishing
content without a
plan?

4. Are you publishing
content without a
plan?
{SERIOUSLY}

5. what we call:
Scattergun

6. STOP

7. STOPCollaborate & Listen

8. STOP

9. STOPHAMMER TIME

10. STOP

11. STOPIN THE NAME OF LOVE?

12. You Need:

13. You Need:
// a Plan

14. You Need:
// a Plan
// a Reason to Publish

15. You Need:
// a Plan
// a Reason to Publish
// a Strategy

16. // an e-Strategy... ?

17. // an e-Strategy... ?
(shameless brand drop No’1)
Boom!

18. Be a
Curator

19. You don’t make a
great museum by
putting all the art in
the world into a
single room...

20. You don’t make a
great museum by
putting all the art in
the world into a
single room...
That’s a Warehouse

21. Don’t dilute your content offering.
Quality
not Quantity

22. What do we want? ... Good Content.
When do we want it? ... Now.
You need an
Audience,
not Traffic

24. Audience 1st
Search engines 2nd
Good Content
will build an audience
faster than anything else

25. Optimise the Content
SEO aint dead, it’s just different
Text : Consider title tags, Meta descriptions,
H1 tags, and URL structure.
Image : Relevant alt tags, image tags, and filenames,
while keeping file size in mind, too.

26. Okay okay...
So, what should
I actually do?

27. // Put your feet up and let your content do the talking
Content is inbound.
THE 7 STEPS
TO CONTENT
KARMA

29. 1. THE PLAN
Build the fundamentals of your plan.
// What do you want to achieve?
// State the Business case.
(MD’s are a sucker for a good business case!)

30. Use an
Inbound
Strategya what?

32. 1. AUDIENCE
understand your core audiences
The only way you can maintain
long term success is to
continually engage people.
However, continually engaging people in
this manner will earn you a reputation >>

33. Build your
Buyer Persona(s)
Do your research
Fictional representations of your ideal customer.
Based on data about:
// Demographics // Online behavior
// Educated speculation about their histories,
motivations & concerns.
Using these you can focus in on exactly where your buyers
will spend their time, what publications they will read, which
websites they will use and who is likely to influence them.

34. Identify your
Buying Cycles
not to be confused
with bi-cycles >

35. Certain types of content play particularly important
roles at specific stages of the decision-making process.
Map
Your
Content
AWARENESS
RESEARCH
COMPARISON
PURCHASE
BUYING
BLOG POSTS,
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES
EBOOKS, WEBINARS,
INDUSTRY REPORTS
CASE STUDIES, DEMOS,
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
ANALYST REPORTS,
DETAILED PRODUCT INFO

36. Larger Content Map
Product/Inventory Persona A
Buying
Buying
Buying
Awareness
Comparison
Research
Purchase
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
Awareness
Comparison
Research
Purchase
Awareness
Comparison
Research
Purchase
Persona B
Persona C
Other Marketing

37. Stage 1) Awareness :
Just looking for information
• How do washing machines work?
• What’s the difference between bio and non-bio washing?
• How much electricity do washing machines use?
• Which washing machines are made in the UK?
• Does hard water damage washing machines?
Stage 2) Research :
Shopping around, exploring options
• Top washing machine brands compared
• What different functions are available on washing machines?
• Which washing machines are most energy efficient?
• How long does the average wash cycle take?
• What’s the best detergent to use in a washing machine?
Stage 3) Comparison :
Almost ready to buy, comparing retailers and prices
• What delivery and installation options are available?
• What do customer reviews say about your product?
• How easy is it to install?
• How noisy is it - in comparison with other machines?
• Compare prices
Stage 4) Buying :
Buying & information for customers
• How does the guarantee work? Do you fix it on site?
• Do I need to keep checking the filter?
• Help with the program - it seems to have an error
• Why is powder collecting in the detergent tray?
• Which program is best for different washes?
Now you need to connect it all together... Simples.
So, you need a
Washing Machine
The Buying Stages.

38. Strangely enough...
The internet has 101 amazing
infographics on the subject...
Print one off...
use it as funky wallpaper

39. RESEARCHThe following tools are great ways to find out the terms
your potential customers are using to find you.
Google Tools : Keyword Planner,
Google Analytics & Trends
Autocomplete : Google Suggest & UberSuggest
Social Media : Brand & Topic Search,
SocialCrawlytics,
Social Mention

40. Google autocomplete... urm... ok!

41. aww come on,
we have all done that...
...Haven’t we?

42. Set Up Your
Editorial Calendar
My personal weapon of choice is a Google Calendar,
a great tool for collaboration and you can share this
with co-workers and content creators.
Look at your goals and work back to define the amount and type of
content you will need to “bring home the bacon”.
Fill your calendar with all (internal & external) specific dates, events,
opportunities & publishing tasks, create a good mix of content types,
topics and personas to make sure you are attending to all your
audiences.
Your content calendar provides you with a great platform to spot
opportunities to repurpose content to ensure an even spread.

43. Create your content, tell your brand
story, be emotional, be real.
Story

44. BUT

45. Storytelling is
not intended to
be a ‘Selling’ tool

46. o No
No no No n
o no No no No no
no No no No no No no
No no No no No no No no No
No no No no No no No no
o no No no No no N
No no No no
o no No

47. Once upon a
time, something
happened & they
all lived happily
ever after. The end
“Storytelling is...
a method of building
strong relationships with
your customers and a
thriving community of
loyalists over time.
Your story identifies your
passions and serves as the
foundation for all your future
content developments.

48. Channels
// Determine your Distribution Channels
// Dont tie yourself to one channel
<---
Re-evaluate quickly
if you are using
this channel !

49. manage your team & your tools
who & how?
be unique
Process

50. Share, Listen & Respond
Conversation
Create your content
& listen...

51. < How much must he have been paid for this ??? :)
Measurement
PROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS
• Long Term Win - No Quick Fix
• You will fail... fail quickly & learn
• Build a solid organic foundation to
future proof your site against
google algorithm changes.

52. // Copy
// Articles
// Webpages
// Slideshares
// Infographics
// Images ... ?
Content is
EVERYTHING

53. Dont be linear, it
onlyrestrictsyou
rresultsandlimit
syourcreativity.

54. What is content.
Content is...
• the staff within your business. Think of Hooters... not literally. Be Unique.
• the design of your shop/office. Google for example - Free WiFi lets them share
• your products and services. Think of Coffee shops and ‘Latte Art’
• things like the menus on your tables. You could deliver your Menus on iPads?
• the Branding of your Business. Sofa King & “prices that are Sofa King low!”
• your company values. Associations with charities and causes are great.
• your customers. User generated content on experiences via social.
• EVERYTHING. Just understand your goal & what you are trying to achieve.

55. CONTENT
FROM YOUR
BRAND

56. CONTENT
FROM YOUR
OFFICES

57. Nothing
more needs
to be said.

58. Be Short - Go Direct
Take out the
Guess Work

59. • What are the biggest issues
people are facing that lead
them to search for a solution?
• What are the main objections
you hear as to why they
don’t buy?
• What are the goals that
people are trying to solve?
• What are the biggest
challenges?
• What does success look like
for your potential customer
& what metrics are they
measured by?
Your sales team will
provide a wealth of insight
as to the kind of Content
you should be creating:
They hear first-hand, the
challenges & issues that your
prospects are facing.
They hear the common objections
as to why people don’t buy.

60. Go to your
Customers
// Direct Answers // Case Studies
// Testimonials // Individual Journeys
// Content ideas

61. & then...

62. THE
MAGIC
CONTENT

63. #Cliffhanger
come back & see
us next time for
more indepth tips
such as:

64. • Why it’s not all about length
• The Inverted Pyramid
• Why you should use ‘Click Here’
• How to #Win
• Repurposing content
...Yes, him again.

65. • How to write Great Content
• The Most important part of Content
• How to write the Killer Headline
• Everyone wants to be taught
• Influencers & Influence Ripples

66. Before I go.
You need these
in your life...

67. www.econsultancy.com/blog/64539-
introducing-the-periodic-table-of-content-marketing

68. Social media is not something that should be solely utilized by any one team within a company. Ideally, the entire
community will also be more apt to
share these openings with its
networks.
Internal social networking
There are some social networks that are designed to be used
entirely inside an organization. Some people like Yammer.
Some prefer Chatter. Heck, some even use Basecamp or Jive.
Whatever flavor you pick, social networking tools used
internally can be incredible for knowledge sharing, building a
sense of camaraderie, and increasing cross-functional
collaboration. Internal social networks can also be valuable for
governance and policy awareness efforts.
Career advancement
Being active and fully aware of the "hows and whats" of social
media is quickly becoming a mandatory skill in today's
workforce. This skill cannot be overlooked, especially for HR
professionals. Social media can also be used to network
online and learn about trending topics in a specific field,
discovering new areas of opportunity for the business that
might include niche communities for related professions.
Consistent branding and voice
There are many elements that go into a brand—both visual and otherwise—but ultimately what it becomes is your promise
to your customers. You define their experience of what your product offering tries to fulfill. A "brand" can feel like a very
amorphous concept; but consider the fact that your company's brand helps add tangible value to the organization, and
when managed appropriately, it can help to protect the investments made to the business over time. How one actually
determines the value of a brand is a fairly complicated endeavor.
Most of us aren't trying to compete with the most valuable global brands. That being
said, there sure is a lot you can learn from them:
Your social presence is just an extension of your brand, allowing that brand to reach many more people through networked
experiences. This can be both a risk and an opportunity, so it’s important to spend the time it takes to decide and define
what your brand will be in the social environment, as inconsistency in this area can lead to a disjointed customer experience
(or even a negative impact). Key questions to answer include:
Sample Guidelines
1. How your logo is to be represented
2. What fonts and colors can be used
and in what manner
3. A full brand description and what it
stands for
4. Situations in which the brand can and
cannot be used
5. Tone, voice, and manner guidelines
6. Other topographical and structural
elements (primarily for advertisers)
If you do not already have brand
guidelines developed, you'll
want to start there with your
marketing team. Once you have
those finished, you'll want to
address how they translate to social
media. Most of the visual
components (logos, colors, etc.) will
remain the same, though you'll want
to make sure the users setting up
your social profiles have access to
any relevant creative assets. For
more inspiration, take a look at the
and
. For most small and medium businesses, these will likely feel
overzealous (they probably are), but you can glean inspiration for the parts that make
sense for you. If you have a graphic design team, they should be able to help you with
a lot of this as well.
Know your audience. Be on-brand, but also be relevant to the environment in
which you're working. Your audience, or the social platform you are engaging on, may
slightly change your tone and voice from your brand guidelines. This is where it's
important to have a really solid understanding so you can adapt as necessary. It's not
vital to be absolutely consistent between platforms, but it is vital to demonstrate
cohesiveness.
Be human. It probably sounds obvious, but this is the goal of social media. Human
engagement is where the magic is, and keeping that in mind as you're developing your
brand will help you craft a voice that's not only solid and cohesive, but also one that
users can relate to and build relationships with. You know, like people. :)
Integrate your campaigns. Integrating your campaigns across all of your social
profiles can help solidify your brand and amplify your efforts. Using similar visual
elements across all of your profiles will help ingrain your messaging and drive home the
point in ways that are relevant and customized to the platform.
Cambridge Identity Guidelines
MailChimp's guidelines
Is social media just a fad?
Over the last several years, there has been an explosion of growth in popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and many others. It's safe to say that the era of social media is just getting started,
and the need for social media in business will only become stronger over time. The whole world has seen the impact of the
expansion and adoption of social media tactics, and the rising stats speak for themselves.
When Facebook started in 2004, it was a bare-bones social network focused on connecting college students. Nine years
and more than 1 billion active users later, Facebook has become the most widely-used social network to date and has
shaped online interaction as we know it. From connecting distant friends and family members, to bridging the gap between
brands and their communities, Facebook has taken the way we interact online to a whole new level.
Key stats and demographics
Looking for sources? Click on any of the stats above!
How are people using Facebook?
Since its inception, Facebook has become an integral component of people's online social presence. For many, Facebook is
the only online social network in which they participate, though the level of engagement varies across the user spectrum.
From those that check the network periodically throughout the week to those who are almost compulsively active, the core
driving force to participation is connection: connecting with colleagues, friends old and new, alumni networks, and for an
increasing percentage of users, even professional connections.
The network itself has transformed into one with highly customizable privacy and visibility settings. Users can dial down their
Chapter 6
Facebook
Welcome to The Beginner's Guide to Social Media!
Welcome to The Beginner's Guide to Social Media! Whether you're new to social media or just looking to close a few
knowledge gaps, we're glad you stopped by. By now, we've all heard how valuable—even essential—social media can be.
Whether your current sentiment leans more toward enthusiasm or trepidation, there's no way around the fact that social
media is a far more complex field than it first seems. Diving in without a sense for what it's like can be overwhelming, and
building a network that provides real value takes both savvy and hard work, but fear not—we're here to help! We hope you'll
find this to be one of the most comprehensive social media resources available, and that no matter what your skill level is,
there's plenty in here to help you improve your social presence. What are we waiting for? Let's dive in!
Chapters
Introduction
1
The Value of
Social Media
2
Social Media
Best Practices
3
Social Media
Metrics and ROI
4
Find the Right
Network for You
5
Facebook
6
Twitter
7
Google+
8
LinkedIn
9
YouTube and
Pinterest
10
Blogging
11
Social Doesn't
Stop There
12
www.moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/

69. Conclusion...
This earbashing was just a sample of the elements you should
use to develop your content marketing strategy.
Ask me questions:
email : dean@e-strategy.net linkedin : /deanbreyley
twitter : @deanbreyley / @estrategyltd dog&bone : 07709 576 499

70. Conclusion...
This earbashing was just a sample of the elements you should
use to develop your content marketing strategy.
Ask me questions:
email : dean@e-strategy.net linkedin : /deanbreyley
twitter : @deanbreyley / @estrategyltd dog&bone : 07709 576 499
remember...

71. Content.

72. Content.
Keep it real

73. DEVELOPING & ENHANCING THE DIGITAL
CUSTOMER JOURNEY & EXPERIENCE
01803 203311 info@e-strategy.net
The Byre. Berry Pomeroy. Devon. TQ9 6LH