Content Marketing

Content Marketing

Content Marketing What is it?

Content marketing is the creation, publishing, and sharing of content with the aim of building brand reputation, awareness, and affinity.

Content Marketing The benefits

Generate Recruit Increase Grow

Enhance

Effective Content

Relevant

Personalized

Educational

Addresses needs and interests

Includes explicit CTAs

Demonstrates you are the solution

Types of Content

Topical Content

Evergreen Content

Topical Content

Topical content is content that ties into a moment in time and as such has a lifespan of relevancy

Around the time of ‘The Dress’ social media phenomenon, lots of brands and businesses got involved in the online conversation and created topical content that jumped on the news trend to get additional exposure

Topical Content

Topical content is content that ties into a moment in time and as such has a lifespan of relevancy

A post on the Coca Cola blog describes the company’s charity relief efforts associated with Hurricane Harvey

Creating Topical Content Identifying the steps to creating topical content

Choose General Themes

Consider Potential Outcomes

Resource Adequately

Choose general themes or events that are relevant to your audience.

Evergreen Content Evergreen content: 1

Is relevant and valuable for a prolonged period

2

Can drive more traffic and generate more leads

3

Can be repurposed into different formats

REVEAL MORE

Creating Evergreen Content Identifying the steps to creating evergreen content

Choose Timeless Topics

Promote on Social Media

Repurpose at a Later Date

The first step is choosing timeless topics. Rather than focusing on a fleeting trend or something that’s newsworthy today, you need to focus on your customer’s needs. What are they searching for all the time?

Stages of the Buyer’s Journey

Awareness Awareness

Interest

Consideration

Conversion

Retention

Let potential customers know what it is that your business is offering

Aligning Content with Buying Cycle

Awareness

Awareness

Interest

Consideration

Conversion

Retention

• • • • • • •

Images Short-form video Social ads GIFs Advertorials Templates Banner ads

Community Management An important complement to content marketing

Manage customer, product, or service issues Gain valuable insight and feedback Turn customers into loyal fans Network opportunities Drive repeat sales

Community Management An example

Content Marketing Strategy A content marketing strategy is an ever-evolving plan that determines the type of content that you’re pushing out, how they’re aligned to your business goals, who the content it intended for, and what content formats you’ll use.

Creating a Content Marketing Strategy Developing a content marketing strategy is a cyclical process.

Research

Strategize

Plan

Measure

Create and Curate

Publish

Social Listening Social listening is the method of tracking online conversation in relation to keywords, topics, or phrases to glean key insights from your target audience.

Benefits of Social Listening Social listening can help you in three key ways.

Identify Opportunities

Spot Potential Risks

Understand Brand Position

It can help you identify any opportunities or platform usage that you can leverage for your brand.

Tools for Social Listening

Competitor Analysis The value of regular competitor monitoring

Help spot content gaps for your brand

Identify innovation in platform usage

Define the content that works well for your intended audience

Negates any clash of content or ideas

Competitor Analysis What to look for

• Content development schedule • Customer feedback • Search engine rankings (and backlink analysis) • Website optimization • Social following • Tone of voice • New format adoption • New activation inspiration

Competitor Analysis Tweetdeck

Competitor Analysis TweetReach AA

B B

CC

A. Search Query B. Reach

D D

C. Exposure

EE

D. Tweet Activity E. Tweet Types F. Top Contributors

G G FF

G. Top Tweets H. Contributors I.

Tweets Timeline H H

II

Competitor Analysis Buzzsumo

Carrying out a Content Audit

Review Content Performance

Set Rolling Objectives

Implement Key Learnings

Improve and Optimize

Conducting a Content Audit 6. Social platform review 2. Establish benchmarks going forward 1. KPI and objectives review

8. Social listening

5. Website performance and UX 3. Current audience segments 4. Content inventory, forms, and types

7. Language or tone evolvement

Monthly Content Reports

Monthly content reports can help you keep on top of what’s happening in your content efforts month-on-month

Learnings Most successful content

Least successful content Key Metrics

Aligning business activities

Content Marketing Goals

There are five main types of content marketing goals.

Awareness Engagement Affinity Conversion Advocacy

Visibility of your brand in the wider content ecosystem

Aligning Content Marketing Goals to Business Goals

Consistency

Ensure consistency across brand assets, look and feel, language, and how you interact with your audience.

Timing

Consider how content marketing helps support other campaigns the business is running.

Input

Website

Speak to other members of your business and see how they may contribute ideas and inspiration.

Optimize your website content and align your SEO goals to your overall business goals.

Groove HQ Groove HQ are often cited as a great example of a business that aligned its content goals with its business goals. They ran an entire content marketing campaign with absolutely no advertising spend whatsoever.

REVEAL MORE

Buyer Persona Customer personas help you understand your customers and your prospective customers better. This makes it easier for you to tailor your content, messaging, and tone – as well as product development and services – to the specific needs, behaviors, and concerns of different groups.

Purpose of Buyer Personas Their purpose in the context of content marketing

Targeting

Format

Discovery

Writing is focused on topics of interest.

Developing Buyer Personas Important considerations to make when developing your buyer personas Objectives Objectives

Location

Job Details

Platforms

Device

Purchase Behaviors

Interests

What are they actually setting out to achieve? Why would they consider your business at that moment and time?

Examples of Buyer Personas

Jane • Single • Works hard and parties harder • Likes to treat herself • Sporty • Lives in the city • Instagrammer

Tom

Brad • • • • • • •

Living with partner Career driven Ambitious Likes fine foods Tweets a lot City liver Tablet user

• • • • • • • •

Single Just graduated Seeking first job Keen to travel Music lover Lives rural PC user Uses forums

Content Topics Use research to develop content topics

Keyword Establishment

Search Trends

Audience Insights

Content Topics Generate content topics using a variety of tools and techniques

Activities

Tools

Brainstorming Social Listening Community Engagement

Pinterest StumbleUpon RSS Feeds

Content Topics Case study: Bodyform

Content Calendars Content calendars are an essential tool for all content marketers. They allow you to map out your social media content for a period of time in the coming weeks or months.

REVEAL MORE

Elements of a Content Calendar Date and Time

Creative

Theme Copy

Platform

Creating a Content Calendar

Plan Plan for a specific moment in time.

Create Create a simple spreadsheet with column headings.

Populate Populate with as much detail as possible.

Edit Edit and amend as required.

Creating a Content Calendar Considerations to make when creating a content calendar

Business priorities, timelines and product launches

Marketing activities run by others in your business

Sponsorship activities

In-store promotions

Time of year

Elements of a Content Calendar

Considerations when designing a calendar template

Stakeholders Include key stakeholders in the development of content calendars

• Marketing Team • PR Team • Sales Team • Compliance • Legal

• Client• Graphic designers • Copy writers • Creative Team • Media • Investors • Management

Content Management Systems What are they?

A Content Management System, or CMS, is a web application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to add, edit, and manage content on a website.

Content Management Systems Benefits of using a CMS

Automation Content enhancement Cross-publishing Content creation Task assignment

Content Management Systems Types of CMS

Content Management Systems Things to consider when choosing a CMS

Dynamism How easy is it to edit content?

Intuition

Cost

How easy is it to use?

How much will it cost the business?

Content Creation What is it?

Content creation is the process of generating varying formats of collateral that serve the needs of your intended audience to help build authority, credibility, and utility between your target audience and your brand.

Content Creation Key stakeholders

Industry influencers Your online community

Third-party sources

Content Creation Your online community as a key stakeholder

•

User generated content

•

Call out to fans

•

Reward and Amplify

•

Collaboration = resonance

Content Creation Industry influencers as a key stakeholder

•

Coordinate an influencer outreach strategy to build your own industry authority

•

Use social media and social listening to pinpoint the most authoritative individuals

•

Connect with or follow them, and reach out with a personalized message

Content Creation Third-party sources as a key stakeholder

Content Formats

White Papers

Infographics

Ebooks

Blogs

Interactive Content

Videos

Articles

Templates and Checklists

Webinars

Podcasts

White Papers • A persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic. • Presents a problem and provides a solution. • Helps build thought leadership and credibility • Strong lead generation tool EXAMPLE

Advantages of Using a Variety of Content Types and Formats

Brand Awareness

Thought Leadership

Excitement and Advocacy

Wider Audiences

Limitations of Using a Variety of Content Types and Formats

Silent Auto-Play

Accessibility

Vertical Compliance

Excessive Data Usage

Crisis Situations

Content Segmentation Thanks to a content segmentation method called ‘dark posting’, you can determine what audiences see certain content at a certain time. This feature is currently available via Facebook and Instagram.

Benefits of Content Segmentation

Avoids Wastage Avoids wastage by making sure the content is 100% relevant to the audience who sees your content.

Avoids Irrelevant Messaging Avoids irrelevant messaging reaching the wrong audience.

Allows Tweaks Allows for tweaks in language, copy, and imagery without interfering with your master brand.

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for eBooks and whitepapers

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for images

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for infographics

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for longform video

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for short form video

Content Creation Tools Content creation tools for native video editing

Content Creation Tools YouTube Editor

Content Creation Tools Tools to proof content

Content Creation Tools Considerations to make when choosing a tool for content creation

Functionality

Ease of Use

Resource

Frequency of Use

Content Creation Tools Best practice

•

Utility

•

Fit for platform

•

Measureable

•

Consistent

•

Aligned with goals

Content Curation Content curation is the utilizing of third-party content, relevant to your business and your industry, that helps you grow thought leadership and credibility in the field. Don’t forget to add: 1

Additional Insight

2

Your opinion

3

Context

Difference between Content Curation and Content Creation

-

Curation

• Utilizes third-party content • Addition of commentary • Lower resource investment • Limited ownership • Community input

+

Creation

Benefits of Using Curated Content

Makes Brand Appear Less Promotional

Makes Your Audience Like You More

Generates Overall Goodwill

Positions You as an Industry Leader

Makes your brand appear less promotional, and shows that you care about the wider industry in which you operate

Types of Curated Content

Aggregation Distillation Elevation Mashups Chronology

Aggregation consists of bringing together multiple relevant content pieces into one centralized location.

Content Curation Tools RSS feeds

Content Curation Tools Email alert tools

Content Curation Tools Social listening tools

Content Curation Tools Considerations

Customizable

Trusted

Cost

Defining Your Personality What is a company’s brand personality?

#1

#2

#3

How you speak to customers

The tone of voice you use

The image and style linked to your brand

Defining Your Personality The importance of defining your personality

Point of Difference

Unique Vantage Point

Resonance

Defining Your Personality An example: Old Spice

Defining Your Personality What story do you want to tell?

Functional

Emotional

Essential

• Education & Information

• Humour

• Prices

• Customer Service

• Passion

• Promotions

• Products

• Thought Leaders

• Locations

• Offers/Competitions

• Exciting

• Availability/Distribution

• Reactive • Topical

Brand Storytelling The value of a credible and authentic brand story

Brand Storytelling Authenticity case study: Kenco

Brand Storytelling An example of brand management: DKNY

Brand Storytelling An example of brand management: DKNY

Brand Storytelling Steps to creating your business story

1.

Define your personality and brand

2.

Identify your audience

3.

Map story to personas

4.

Align business objectives

Content Personalization What is it?

Content personalization is a powerful process of using different content at different stages of the buying process to be hyper-relevant to the right user at the right time.

Content Personalization The benefits

Targeted & Relevant

Higher Conversion Rate

Increased Brand Affinity

Drives Efficiency

Content Personalization How to give your content that personal touch

Leverage customer data

Measure and analyze

Target your messaging

Content Personalization An example: Vidyard

Vidyard created a super personalized campaign of bespoke video assets to drive its commitment to potential clients

Content Personalization An example: Fashion Websites

Content Platforms Matching your platform to your audience

#1

#2

#3

Content Need

Audience Ecosystem

Your Proposition and Format

Content Platforms Making sure both work together

Website

White Paper

eBook

Infographic/ Images

Blog

Interactive Content

Video

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360 Video

Live Video

Articles

Templates

Webinar

Podcast

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Content Seeding Strategically mapping out your content across the entire web

Benefits of Content Seeding

Reach Relevancy Increase Build Generate Improves

It allows your content to reach a wider audience

Distribution Channels for Content

Owned

Collaborative

Earned/Paid

Areas that you can use to seed your content

• Facebook

• Snapchat

• Twitter

• Pinterest

• Instagram

• Blog

• YouTube

• Website

Challenges of Content Seeding

Reach Reach

Relevancy

Transparency

Content

Measurement

Budget and Resource

Tight Collaboration

Reach is a really attractive metric to chase after. Be realistic about investing in content seeding and build a campaign platform that reaches your audience in the most cost-efficient way.

Seeding Curated Content

-

Summary Blog Posts

Discussing content seen in other places, top tips lists, and observations comparing and contrasting multiple similar items in your industry

+

Email Newsletters and Notifications

+

Social Posts

Content Scheduling Methods Uploading content for future publishing

-

Native Scheduling

Native scheduling is the method of publishing content using a social platform’s own upload function. Examples include Facebook Scheduling tool, Twitter’s Media Studio, and WordPress’ post scheduling.

+ Third Party Applications

Content Scheduling Tools

Hootsuite

Sprout Social

Buffer

Percolate

A great tool for starters, combining content scheduling and social listening

Benefits and Limitations of Content Scheduling

Benefits

Limitations

1

Time efficient: scheduling a large amount of content in one sitting saves time

2

Cross posting (third-party apps): some third-party tools allow scheduling of content to multiple platforms with a single click

Content Promotion Content promotion is defined as the strategic approach to getting your content seen by a wider audience than your immediate owned channels, in both the earned and paid space

Content Promotion Methods

Influencer Marketing Guest Blogging Tagging Affiliate Marketing Media Partnerships

Influencer Marketing

Media Channel An influencer is acting in place of a media channel for you to buy content through.

Content Co-Creation

Content Amplification

You work with an influencer to co-create content that is a fit for their audience, but still delivers on a business message for your brand.

You pay an influencer to help amplify the content that you’re creating through your own brand channels.

Why Users Share Content Supercharging your content with shares

Incentives

Fame

Utility

A lot of users are following the tactics that brands are implementing around being able to share content for the chance to enter a draw or enter a competition.

Content Repurposing What is it?

Content repurposing is the re-use of content that is still relevant through a different format that’s fit for purpose.

Content Repurposing Methods of repurposing

Infographic

Motion Graphic

Podcast

White Paper

Content Repurposing An example: Moz Whiteboard Fridays

Content Marketing ROI The value of content marketing

Brand Awareness

Brand Conviction

Conversions and Advocacy

Content Marketing ROI Three components to calculating ROI

#1

#2

#3

Investment in content

Performance of the content

Long tail benefits

Content Marketing ROI Cost implications of content creation

Content ownership vs licensing Internal ability External support Legalities

Content Marketing ROI Assessing content utility

• Downloads • Saves

• Customer Feedback

• • •

Plays Clicks Views

Content Marketing ROI Assessing content performance

Content recall

Clicks to point of sale

Overlaying commercial results with content activities

Content Marketing Goals Aligning content metrics to business goals

Awareness

• Reach • Impressions • Frequency

Consideration

• Clicks • Engagement • Sentiment

Sales

• Clicks to basket • Abandoned baskets • Conversions

Loyalty

• Repeat Purchase • Community Growth • Reviews

Key Metrics

Key metrics to consider in your content marketing strategy

Reach

Engagement

• Number of people who’ve seen your content • Impressions sub-metric within reach

Sentiment

Clicks and Conversions

• Native reporting

Use Metrics to Inform Your Strategy Reviewing your content

Reach Is your content reaching the right audience?

Measurement Tools Here are some tools you can use to track your key metrics

Native Reporting

Sprout Social

Buffer

Google Analytics

TweetReach

Native Reporting

Familiarize yourself with the insights panels of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn to get the raw data from each platform as a starting point for any measurement.