Strategic Content Marketing: How to Create Content that Creates Customers
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Hannah Richards from Ethos Marketing presented on strategic content marketing. She discussed what content marketing is, why it's important, how to identify topics to write about like sharing knowledge and news, how to create conversion-oriented content, how to distribute content through social media and email, and how to measure the success of a content marketing strategy through key performance indicators like impressions, engagement, and conversions. Richards emphasized tracking audiences as they move through the marketing funnel and personalizing content at each stage for maximum results.
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Strategic Content Marketing: How to Create Content that Creates Customers
- 1. Strategic Content Marketing How to Create Content that Creates Customers
- 2. Presented By Hannah Richards Content Marketing Strategist DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures Ethos www.ethos-marketing.com
- 3. Who We Are Multiplatform Branding Agency • Brand Development • Traditional Marketing • Digital Marketing DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 5. Agenda • Content Marketing: What it is and why it’s important • What to Write About • How to Write It • How to Share It • Did it Work? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 6. So what is Content Marketing anyway? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 7. People buy from people DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures (not businesses) that they like.
- 8. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cult1ure.s Attract 2. Engage 3. Convert
- 9. That sounds time consuming. Why can’t I just run a print ad? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 10. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 11. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 12. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures Will it Blend?
- 13. What does a bank have that can be put in a blender? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 14. WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 15. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures 1. Prime the pump 2. Make the sale
- 16. Step One: Identify the pain points. Step Two: Solve Priming the Pump the problem. Step Three: Earn their trust.
- 17. 1. Fun, engaging photo 2. Appeals to target audience 3. Identifies a problem they can Priming the Pump solve 4. Solves the problem 5. Makes it fun/interesting 6. Not a hard sell 7. Relevant
- 18. Good for them, now what the heck do I write about? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 19. Content Ideas 1. Share knowledge • Statistics • Case Studies • Tips and How To’s • Listicles 2. News • Special events • New team members • Travel or event recaps • New products 3. Conversation Starters • Opinion articles • Advice columns
- 20. Don’t stop now! It’s time to convert them. DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 21. Conversion Oriented Content 1. Convince them that the world has changed in a real and undeniable way 1. Convince them that the risk of inaction is greater than the risk of action 1. Convince them that NOW is the ideal time to act 1. Ask them to act
- 22. Key Components of Conversion Content • Direct and Assertive • Starts on common ground • Linear • Data-driven Conversion Oriented Content
- 23. People spend more than 50% of their time online looking at content. (AOL and Nielsen Content Marketing Study) 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. (contentplus.co.uk) 78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing. (demandmetric.com) DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures Using inbound tactics saves an average of 13% in overall cost per lead. (hubspot.com) Adopting an inbound strategy doubles average website conversion rates, from 6% to 12%. (hubspot.com)
- 24. Sounds like a plan! Now who’s going to create all this content for me? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 25. HOW TO WRITE CONTENT DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 26. In House vs. Outsource -high quality content -cutting edge industry knowledge -expert analytics -BEWARE the college intern Compliance -choose your platform -compliance software: WatchDog by CSI Creating Content
- 27. I spent all this time and money on awesome content, why isn’t anyone reading DevelDoepvineglo it? spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 28. HOW TO SHARE CONTENT DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 29. Post, Hope and Pray • Find your people – where does your target audience spend time online? • Employ traditional PR • Utilize paid distribution Content Distribution • Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Banner Ads, Sponsored Stories, Email Marketing • Promotional Lift
- 30. So how do I know if this is working? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 31. MEASURING SUCCESS DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 32. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measuring Success Impressions -post views -image views -blog views -video views **length of impression Engagement -likes/favorites -comments -shares -brand mentions Conversions -purchase -click thru to blog/website -like/follow/subscribe -download content -sign up for emails -coupon download/redemption **conversion quality
- 33. 1. Track your audience through the funnel 2. Personalize content based on position for maximum conversions • Email • In-person events • Personal outreach Measuring Success *Funnel infographic by Hootsuite
- 34. This is a lot to keep track of. Isn’t there some kind of software that can help me DevelDoepvineglo with spailnegs this? bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
- 35. Social Media Software • Hundreds of programs available • Range in price from zero to $10,000/month • Help to evaluate and organize your content and schedule posts • Listen and participate in conversations • Track and cultivate leads
- 36. Questions? DevelDoepvineglo spailnegs bcraamnpdas igns/cultures
Editor's Notes
- Ethos is a multiplatform branding agency, with a core competency in digital, SEO and content marketing via our sister company, VONT Digital Marketing
- Why did you agree to come to this presentation? (Besides the fact that your boss told you to, or you are the boss and you’d rather not be in the office today) You’re here because I promised to give you something (information) that’s valuable to you. Right? THAT, is content marketing. I didn’t send you an email saying I’m the best content strategist there is and you should hire me. Instead I’m offering you something that I think will be valuable to you. And I’m not asking you to hire me, nor do I expect that you will. All that I hope will happen out of this presentation is that will listen to me and leave here thinking I kinda know what I’m talking about. Or at least think that I’m nice and not miserable to be around. Someday down the road you might have a project that requires content strategy or brand development or digital advertising and hopefully you’ll think, well that girl Hannah, she wasn’t totally insufferable…. And then maybe, just maybe – one of you will call me. But I’m not doing this presentation so that one of you will hire me. I’m doing this so that hopefully some of you will LIKE ME.
- There are three main concepts involved in content marketing: 1. The first concept is using content as a magnet to attract people to your brand 2. Then you engage with them and get them to like you 3. Then you convert them to customers
- The reality is that content marketing IS hard, and time consuming and usually kind of expensive. So why is everyone all excited about it. Why can’t we just run a print ad like we used to?
- Because this is what your customers see when you run a traditional ad. The problem is that people don’t listen to advertising anymore. ESPECIALLY millennials. They were born in a world overcome with advertising and they’ve learned to tune it out. I’m a millennial so I would know. I completely distrust anything that even resembles an ad. You have to WORK to earn my trust and make me believe you are anything more than a slimeball used car salesman trying to pull one over on me. And that, my friends – is why content marketing is so important.
- So here’s an example: How many of you have heard of BlendTec Blenders? I mean that’s a pretty premium, well-known, trusted brand right? So, how did they get that way? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t this boring banner ad.
- It was this video. Where they literally blended an iphone. They created a series of faux-informercial youtube videos called “Will it Blend” and they literally blended an iphone, a rake, etc. The videos went viral – NOT because the blender is really good, but because the videos were funny and crazy and frankly – pretty fun to watch! So did everyone who watched the video go an buy a Blendtec? Absolutely not. But I guarantee that a good portion of people that saw those videos at some point needed a new blender, and they were in Macy’s standing in front of 15 different blenders that all look the same. And they saw Blendtec and they thought – OH! That’s the blender that can blend an iphone. That’s legit – they do some cool stuff! And then they became a customer.
- So let me guess what you’re thinking. That’s great for people that sell blenders, and tshirts and home décor. But I’m a bank – and I don’t have anything that I sell that can legally be put in a blender. Noted. So let’s talk about building a brand-appropriate content strategy. No two brands will have the same content strategy. Putting something in a blender won’t work for every company. Making a video won’t work for every company. So how do you figure out what your content should be about?
- First, you need to understand the different types of content. There are many steps in the content marketing “funnel” as the industry snobs call it. But for this presentation I’m going to simplify it to two. There is content that primes the pump – and then there’s content that makes the sale.
- The first step is to create content that primes the pump. This is content that provides value and earns trust. You are priming your target audience to become customers at some point down the road. So to do that…. Identify pain points Solve problem – this is where you provide value (use knowledge not products!) Earn trust (they’re not trying to sell me, they really care) DO NOT SELL – as marketers this is SO hard to do! But hold on people. Delayed gratification! The goal is to make the customer come to you – not go out and get them. It sounds counterintuitive but it works.
- Here’s an example of good “Prime the Pump” content: Fun, engaging picture (they key to getting noticed) Understand the target audience (fun, selfie, not corporate) Understand the target audience’s PROBLEM (managing money at college) Solve the problem (financial tips for managing money in college) Make it fun/interesting (quiz) DON’T SELL (this is pure fun/informative, there is no hard sell) Playing off of seasonal events, current trending topics, selfie (be relevant!)
- Brainstorming content is one of the hardest tasks. Most people think they have nothing to write about. Here are some tips to get you started….
- The next step in an effective and measurable content strategy is to create content that sells. You’ve provided value and earned their trust – your potential customers are PRIMED. Now you need to convert them. The first thing you need to know when trying to convert customers is that all marketers are risk averse. So to convert them, Convince them the world has changed (they are at risk!) Convince them the risk of inaction is greater than the risk of action Convince them that now is the ideal time to act Ask them to act
- Key Components of “Conversion Content” -direct and assertive -start with what they know…then build on it (you cant start on a controversial premise, establish common ground) -its linear (be clear and concise, no time to mess around) -its data driven (your word is not enough – show them the numbers)
- Speaking of data driven, here are some stats for you.
- This is a tricky question – and it depends largely on the size of your business and the specificity of your expertise. If you’re a bank, or a real estate agent, or even a lawyer – you can likely hire someone to write for you. If you’re an engineer – things get a little more difficult when it comes to finding writers.
- Golden rule = quality over quantity In house vs. outsource - depending on the size of the company and investment in content marketing, it may make sense to hire a full time person to manage all aspects of content marketing (they know the brand, and the content inside and out). However, In many cases it makes sense to hire an agency/consultant since they have the manpower to produce quality content and stay up to date on all content marketing trends/tips/tricks. They also have analytics experts to help you understand what’s working and what isn’t. BEWARE of hiring a college kid/intern to manage content marketing unless you’ve vetted them thoroughly and they’re cream of the crop. Content marketing is more than writing, its strategy and brand management so you need someone who is knowledgeable and on their game! Dealing with compliance issues (quality over quantity) –need to keep records for 2years, abide by guidelines for providing investment advice -choose your platform (if everything has to go through compliance, twitter not a good fit) -CSI WatchDog Social Media Compliance (http://compliance.csiweb.com/compliance-software/watchdog-social-compliance.aspx)
- The internet is a very, very big place. Putting a piece of content “onto the internet” somewhere and hoping people will find it it is like launching a message in a bottle into outerspace and hoping an astronaut runs into it.
- Now that you’ve invested in all of this great content – how are you going to get people to see it? Post, hope and pray = bad strategy You need put your content in strategic places, ask influential people to share it, and pay companies like facebook to show it to people. Find your people (what social networks are they on?) and become an influencer/contributor in that sphere -twitter (urban, educated) -facebook (most universal, includes the most older people, best targeting tools) -instagram (young, foodie) -Pinterest (women, moms) -Linked In (b2b) Think of content distribution as a PR campaign also – submit to relevant publications, make connections, look for beneficial collaborations Then utilize paid distribution tools to get content circulating -Facebook, twitter, pinterest (NEW), Banner Ads (be strategic about where, buy ads on pages where your target audience goes for trusted info), buy email lists -Promotional Lift (non-paid reach will increase as a result of paid distribution)
- Once you make a sale, that’s easy to measure. But if you’re only measuring sales, you’re missing the point. There is value in priming customers too, because it makes them easier to “sell” down the road. Too often content marketing primes customers to convert, and then someone else gets credit for the sale.
- So what CAN we measure? There are 3 main things you should be measuring: Impressions Engagement Conversions The better these 3 metrics look, the better primed your customers are to convert.
- The next step is to track individual people through the funnel – form an impression, to a conversion. As someone becomes more and more engaged with your brand, or even makes some smaller conversions – you can tell they are getting closer to becoming a customer/making a purchase. This is when you hit them with conversion (or sales) oriented content to seal the deal -this has to be individualized/personalized (email is the easiest way to personalize) to some extent because people move through the funnel at different rates
- In addition to compliance software like Watchdog, there are also programs that help you organize your leads and distribute personalized content.