These are my notes from last week's Content Marketing World Conference. An awesome event providing valuable information for associations and nonprofits.

1. Powerful Messages for Associations from the 2012 Content Marketing World Conference
The CMW12 was loaded with inspirational sessions and specific tips about content marketing
strategies and tactics. Here are the rough (meaning not edited) notes I took at the sessions I
attended. Because of the number of sessions I attended, this is a much longer post that normal.
I’m going to put a pdf version up on SlideShare in the event you want to download the file.
The Content Marketing Institute provided additional highlights. You can find them here:
Day 2 Highlights: http://bit.ly/Q1YrgQ
Day 3 Highlights: http://bit.ly/OfDjFk
HOW TO REBOOT YOUR CONTENT FOR A MOBILE WORLD
MITCH JOEL, author of 6 pixels of separation @mitchjoel
5 massive movements affected businesses
Marketers feel confused because the world they have known has radically changed
There are no fundamental beliefs anymore
It is not hell but it is purgatory ... We are up to whims of consumers
1. Power of direct relations
 No longer need media to connect ... can create direct relationships
 There’s shift in meaning: we’re actively competing against peers ...
 Who owns the direct relationship? Us? Our partners? The platforms (Facebook, etc.)
 You need to create direct relationships against those you need to expand your message
2. Sex with data
1. Linear data
2. Circular data ... social ... data you are sharing
3. Merger of linear and circular data ... massive >>> loyalty programs that yield shared
knowledge about customers
 Biggest challenge: privacy vs personalization ... understand difference ... more you
personalize, the less they raise privacy ... IF don't screw it up
 Big Data
 Amazon's Price Check for iPhone ... App ... take pic of bar code of product ... tells you price
on Amazon >>> retailers hate it!
 Consumers okay with what Amazon knows about you because they are awesome!
 Amazon now knows how you shop ...prices around US ...
3. Utility ... create something people want
 Apps that suck don't get used … what value does your App provide?
 Utility:
o "SitterSquat" ... tells you where clean bathrooms ... (hosted by Charmin) ... wiki
platform that allows reviews ... leading to loyalty to Charin brand ...
o Lego: .. face lights up at mention ... opened stores to create direct relationship ... how
compete with ToysRUs, etc. So, how create utility to get customers to go to Lego
store. Digital box ... hold it up, shows what final product looks like.
o Lodge net ... app ... iPhone can be "clicker" for TV ... gives list of TV stations ...
o SkullCandy ... shows best bike paths, waves, etc. near you.
These apps have raised bar for content ...create utility to give people to connect with you.
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2. 4. Passive vs active
 Content/media is either active or passive
 Majority of people not excited about their jobs ... they want to forget about today and
tomorrow ... so, want passive media.
o TV not likely to become active media ... most don't want it
o Twitter is active media ..
 Very few marketers have recognized difference and need for active media ... most people
 Key questions: What can I do with my marketing fit for active, passive or both?
 And, how do I make it shareable
5. One Screen
 Today, the only thing that counts is the screen in front of me
 Screen (tablets) are multi dimensional
 Best technology is the one that feels unlike technology
 Transparent Smart WINDOW
 MobileNations
o Means mobilally-enabled content
 kids growing up without keyboard and a mouse ... we will all work in world
without keyboard/mouse
o 350 million PCs but 1.7 billion mobile handsets globally last year; 1.2 billion people
now getting broadband access on mobile
o We live in a world where can't adapt as fast as new technology comes out
 We're becoming, hyper-connected
People are willing to pay for good stuff that has utility and fits within the 5 issues
Cut the Bull ... Build Powerful Blog
JASON FALLS, Social Media Exploer
 Search engines love content and blogs create content
 Businesses got distracted by shiny new tool (Facebook)
 To solve problems today, people go to Google first
Why blog? About Strategy.
 Why? We want to engage our audience (that doesn't help you make payroll)
 Why? So we can grow our business
 Keep asking "why" until you come to a measurable value proposition
Why use Social Media (including blogging)
 To enhance brand & awareness (need to correlate to revenue #)
 build community (needs to correlate to revenue $)
 Product R&D
 PR
 Customer service
 Drive sales leads
Why blogging for business (associations): increase sales (memberships), build
revenue, saving money
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3.  Blogs need to reach a critical mass of articles before they start to generate leads ... when
reach critical mass in same content, search engines find you.
 Getting 50-100 pages in Google brings double-digit lead growth ... the more leads to triple
digit growth
 If keywords hits Google's top 100, leads increase
Example: thought leadership platform ... via Hubspot research
 53.14% found it via Google search
 20.39% via referral
 16.32% via direct traffic
 Conclusion: 3/4ths of traffic came from outside his "community"
FACEBOOK DISTRACTION
 How many leads
 Want them to come to my website not my FB page... so I can convert them
 Want the to find me via search of my keywords ... not my name ... if they know me, they can
come direct
Too much marketing today remains "yelling" at customers or potential customers
Tracking:
1) What people saying about you
2) How many are responding to your calls to action
3) What is conversion rate (see post to take action)
4) What is your sales rate?
5) Rankings is old school ... but, still check them (Careful: search engines give results based
on who -- which computer -- is asking and where you are asking it from)
6) Conversions by source (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
 Google analytics, goals, setup goals, URL destination, etc. Add Goal Value (with $
amount of membership, conference, etc. ... if you sell online)
Track because you want to measure
 Build blog
 Build audience
Blogging:
 Produce "holy smokes" content ... makes reader say "Holy Smokes!" and makes them
respond
 Make it easier to pass it along (Ask them to share it!)
 Present clear call to action (buy, download, register, etc.)
WOM (Word of Mouth)... building your audience
1) talkers: who will tell friends about you? (Industry leaders, clients/partners, employees,
early followers, others)
2) Topics: what will then talk about? (helpful ideas, thought leadership, entertainment, stir
stuff up)
3) Tools:
4) Talking Part: don't settle for mediocre, drive engagement, make sharing easy; shine the
spotlight on your readers; incentivize pass-alongs
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4. CUSTOMER STORIES: HOW TO UNLOCK AN ABUNDANCE OF NEW CONTENT
DEANA GOLDASICH, Well Planned Web @goldasisch
What do you do when your best customer in same room with your best prospect? You introduced
them to each other, shut up, get out of way.
Position your customer ... not our brand (It's not about you)
1. Make customer the hero: they came up with solution, they reaped rewards
 look at ratio of customer vs company mentions in the story
2. Make the customer relatable .. who would you rather meet. in interviews, challenge them to
speak normally, concretely
3. Make their story relevant ... 3 circle graphic: customer story; prospect's needs, your solution
Gathering the story:
 think like reporter
 do in person, phone, etc. Do NOT do via email as it becomes a"testimonial," not story
Research:
 who do I need to talk with ... ask sales, customer service reps, social media manager, etc.
 who should conduct interview? NOT someone on front line. Story tellers, facilitators, outside
agencies, etc.
Prepare to Listen:
 Difference between assumed story vs surprise story
 Prep with wide open questions
 Prep with focus questions (such as why you selected x
Get comfy (in interview)
 introduce yourself
 here to hear their story
 have questions
 Facilitate, don't interrogate
 Get them to brag
Record it
 Let's you be a reporter, not secretary; keeps subject comfortable, open
 Live scribe (pen records audio while you are writing ... Sound Note app)
 conference call
 written * notes
Unfold master story
 transcribe the interview
 Highlight key elements - sound bites, background, problem, tangents, etc.
 Think like a writer
You are not done yet ...
 Maximize your RIO (return on interview)
 Contribute & distribute
 Build databae of content (quotes, anecdotes, stats, blog ideas) that all (PR, marketing,
content) can use
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5.  Distribute: create tagging strategy (customer, product),
 Collaborate
FROM 0 TO 170,000 SUBSCRIBERS ... THE COPYBLOGGER CONTENT
MARKETING MODEL
BRIAN CLARK & SONIA SIMONE, Copy Blogger Media
We're a small business that is totaling based on content. Started by me; now 22 employees,
170,000 subscribers; 90,000 customers
Started with audience ... still our most important asset
Most people think content creation is hardest part.
Content's purpose is to sell, period!
Regularly updated content is fundamental to content marketing
3 types of content:
1) Cornerstone content: tutorials, started with 10-part post on "how to write copy;" then a
series on "how to write headlines" ... cornerstones are the foundation that serves your
business basis. You want to rank them so they are SEO friendly. Takes a while: started as
normal blogs; then combined into a separate "content landing page" to introduce the posts
(Title, posts) Target the terms that matter to us.
2) Connection content: designed to be shared and to build sense of community. want it to
energize a corner of the audience with aim to build new followers. Entertaining AND useful.
Need a little controversy to generate conversation. You want to resonate strongly with a
segment.
3) Customer content: what your audience has to agree with you for them to do business with
you. You are building property. Example: digital sharecropping: they depend on your work
to make money. What "team" are you on? Marketer? Blogger? What? Wrote post "Is your
tribe holding you down?" Can you have a third tribe: approach blogging with a business
mindset? A humorous rant. Defines where you want to hang out.
Creating content for defined audience, defined customer. Define who is in your
tribe.
Publishing Strategies:
 Don't digital sharecrop ...
 Everything driven back to our website
 Frequency: Can grow on twice a week. Calendar cannot have any "filler" in it ... hurts you.
 Write for readers first.
 Moved from twice a week to daily ... because have a staff to do it.
 Some benefit more by publishing less ... quality is the key
 Consistency, voice, tone .... make sure it fits
Social sharing:
 Content -- as part of integrated plan -- is most important form of social media
 Twitter/SM: goal to get people from Blog subscriber; newsletter subscriber, customer
 Social is the catalyst to get content moving
 Social first; then SEO
 Social likened to publicity
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6. Engaging influencers & Your Second Customers
 Influencers: those who share your content: passionate, engaged ... if you reach/engage them,
others will find your content ...
Content Is a Conveyor Belt
 Must have a business purpose
 Each piece of content gets your an audience: you're building a list (audience) not buying a list
 Goal remains to get people to opt-in (give you permission)
 Not trying to sell them from Day 1
 Move people closer and closer down the conveyor belt toward your ultimate business goals ...
creating an offer after people know, like and trust you.
 Challenge is getting noticed
Product Integration
 started as a blog, not a business. But, same principles. Built an audience and then created the
business (software)
 Products were built for the customers based on their needs
 Watch for patterns .. see what they tell you, give them that
 Focus on listening: all your answers are in your market. Listen to them; shape what you do
based on what they need. They don't always know what they need but they know what bugs
them. They express on desires and needs.
The business (association) you are in today more grow exponentially once you
engage with your audience. Business may grow differently because of the audience.
Repurposing content (Tactics):
 Once you have a great archive of content, you can compile them and repurpose them.
 visual content (infographics) still big.
 Blog can be a good first draft; take what really works and find ways to repurpose ... ebooks,
white papers, audio,
 If do video/photos/art, be sure to incorporate your url so they can find you
Agile content marketing ... put it out there and see what works vs what needs to be changed ...
go with what's working! (Analytics important metric ... include email open rates of your emailed
blog.)
Headlines: be specific ...
 Working on headlines probably most important part of it
Writing: subheads are important: we write them 2nd (after the headline)
Be interesting ... write so people "like" you and who you are. Be the likable expert.
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7. THE GIFT ECONOMY: CONTENT AS SOCIAL CURRENCY
MARK BONCHEK, Orbit& Company
Gift economy: something given without payment in return
 Example: If you have friends help you move, you (most people) reward them with pizza and
beer .They accept that. If you offered to pay them, they’d not like it but, most are okay to help
pay their gas.
Market economy: transaction ... you pay. About contracts; status is bought; financial
currency
Gift economy: creates a relationship ... creates an obligation, community, status is earned,
social currency
Communication revolution
 500 years: One to many: broadcast (print/tv/radio)
 25 years ago: Any to any (digital/web)
 5 years: many to many (social/mobile)
Changing role of brands: From persuade and promote to enable and empower
Google search: earned (organic growth) vs top & right which are ads
Social currency: Something given or exchanged to create or reinforce a relationship
 Grateful Dead bootlegged tapes were social currency
 Artist: wrote song, put on sheet music, has invited fans to put the music to it and share it; then
he'll use it as inspiration to make the "record" Potential new, engaging breakthrough music
strategy
Nike plus: runner community .. fuel band new unit: social sport
Epic mix: experience created by Vail Resorts ... NFIB tag in ski ticket ... tracks data; create social
currency with other skiiers. Started by looking at want skiiers did in the lodge at the end of the
day.
Turn your content into social currency.
Where is status in your community?
 what do they take pride in?
 How do the express appreciation?
 What is given to them as recognition?
 What do people talk about?
Transaction:
 Give me your contact info and I'll give you my content
www.tinyurl.com/contentascurrency ... from Harvard Business
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8. GOOLE'S ZERO MOMENT OF TRUTH
SAM SEBASTIN, GOOGLE ..
Winning the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMT)
Manages Politcal campaign ads
 Massive ... $3-$5 billion on all candidates, all media
 TV audience down 30-40% from 2008
 Digital: 4 mil tweets; peaked 14,000 per min during Romney's talk
 2.8 mil YouTube videos
Win at point of decision. 3-7 seconds as walking through isle.
 P&G labeled as 1st moment of truth … 2nd moment of truth came when took it home and
used for 1st time
Traditional mental model:
Provide a stimulus (ad, etc.) to create need
1st moment of truth
2nd moment of truth (used product)
Multiple screens in play ...
 20% of Google queries via smart phone ... growing rapidly
 complementary via PC and oher tools
4 Screens to Victory ... strategy
 1/3rd who saw TV ad online did not see it on TV station
 24% mobile election
 50% of tabes get news daily
 50% of primary voters compared candidates online before voting
New 4 moments mental model
Google has now tested new model: New moment of truth
New research: Offline: 66% have performed a mobile search after seeing an ad
1) Stimulus (76%)
2) ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth)
3) 1st moment of Truth
4) 2nd moment of truth
Info sources doubled from 2010 to 2011
Average time doubled
Shoppers using stimulus, ZMOT and FMOT equally
ZMOT:
* searched online
* talked with family friends
Always On
* 61% a biz after shopping
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9. * 45% use smart phones for instore produce reseqrch
Prices changed 15-25 times a day online
Testimonial can be both SMOT and FMOT ... depending
ZMOT: now "seemless" because of 24/7 and frictionless
 Less message; more conversation
 Engaging before get to purchase decision
Strategies to win ZMOT:
1) Put someone in charge
 Most don't have someone responsible for all information/insight and to give a ZMOT
point of view
2) Find your Zero moments
 Google search: your brand, reviews of your brand, best (your category)
 use keyword tool: including your website
3) Answer the questions people are asking
 be specific to their ask ... search tools
 in 2010: key question was "what's in health care bill" ... so Obama White House did a
blog answering
4) Optimize for ZMOT
 + 24pt recall +17pt engagement when ran messages all four screen as opposed to when
ran only TV
5) Be fast!
 70% of legal service seekers make decision within a week ... if you are NOT there when
they have the need, they'll go to the next listing (on Google)
 Betty Crocker June Launch of app 81.8 K users
 5 months later Kraft (which much better) 9.9 K users
 6 months first led to 8x users
6) Don't forget Video
 YouTube is 2nd largest search engine
 Video great for how tos
 Relevant video out there ..
7) Jump in ... fail faster
 Try, fail, adjust, try , improve
 Learn on the fly
For more information, see www.zeromomentoftruth.com
You have our permission to use & modify
DISTILLING THE MAGIC & MYSTERY
MARCUS SHERIDAN ...The Sales Lion & River Pools & Spas
10/10/08 (7,882) stock market crash
within 48 hours, 5 people cancelled pool orders
January ... 3 weeks overdrawn, nearing bankruptcy
March 2009: discovered content marketing
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10. Who here is the exception?
2 types
* take the advice .. exception ... do it
* skeptics ... can't do it, it won't work ...
Mystery #1 getting started, then staying inspired
 strategy ... LISTEN ... great listeners NEVER run out of blog ideas
 they ask; you answer
 write down every question that you get in a day ... turn them into blog headline
 Price, problems, comparisons, the best, reviews. We vs them comparisons is powerful on
Google ... "versus articles"
 "In Google we trust!"
Searchers are like kindergarten student; Google is like school ... Google needs lots of teachers
(resources, content)
If want to build links, write awesome content about questions people are asking about your
business (association), industry or profession.
Blogged answer to question "who are best pool builders in Richmond, VA."
 This one article ... made them $150,000 in pool sales in 2012.
Mystery # 2 My competitors will steal my secrets."
 But, really, we have no secrets!
 McDonalds in Canada.. answers questions ... including “what is your secret sauce?”
 Transparent marketing era ... if you are transparent, you’ll win!
Mystery #3 Time .. I just don't have time
 If content marketing is important, you'll make time ... it should be like payroll ... it's what
we do. Don’t allow yourself to say you don't time. Those who say they don’t have time don't
get it and don't understand what it means to the bottom line!
Mystery #4 Thought Leadership
 You become the ultimate trust agent by becoming the best teacher in the world.
 We ALL should have desire to be thought leader
 Wrote piece called: “How to buy a swimming pool the right way from the right company at
the right place." The next day, every pool manufacturer called me. Led to people wanting
to fly him around world to supervise installation of their pool.
 Nobody likes gray: Have a dang opinion and share it ...
Mystery #5 ROI
 Becoming the best teacher in world, you can cut your ad/marketing budget.
 Address cost and price of what you are doing
 Use Metrics: #visits, #visit to lead, #leads (filled out form), # of purchases
 I know that one article on pool pricing has led to $1.2 mil in sales
Mystery # 6 Content Marketing
 MoneyBall ... on base percentage key metric ... re run scoring
 Money ball content marketing tipping points
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11.  Metrics: fill out form, bought; filled out form did not buy
 30 – Discovered that if read 30 pages of info, 80% would buy
 Run with it ... marketing focused on page views ... get them to 30 page views before we
went on sales goal
 No idea of how much content consumers will consumer until we give it to them.
o Example: Search phrase re cost ... kept reading ... 375 pages ... his wife searched
"Richmond pools" and read 149 pages
 Strategy on listen and answer is ultimate SEO
 Content is greatest sales tool in the world. period.
 Insourcing will be greatest marketing ... it is NOT about tools its about the culture
Mystery # 7 Buy-in
 Not my job; not what I do ... @kristakortla asked for help to convince her staff to buy-in ...
helped each company staffer understand
 What did they not understand: WHY we should do content marketing
 Because they did not understand the why, they didn't get it.
 Block Imaging example (case study) with Krista Kortla
o Who we knew and what we knew no longer our secret saunce ... because of linkedin
(who) and google (what)
o Belief shift: all of us are part of marketing; all of us content experts; all of us
contribute content; help grow sales and business. Understand they were a teacher
and had something to offer
o We pay staff to work and have knowledge but don't expect them to
o Results: went from 1 to 40 staffers who contributed content regularly (now he 40
teachers in company) ...
o What happened: content helped us demonstrate we care and helped create
credibility
o Phase 2 ... video ... had teams of three create video
The Golden Circle:
 Your story has to start with Why, then how, then what
 the WHY is what motivates you
Find your deeper why!
You're a teacher and have something to say.
How to Create Epic Content that Drives Business
ANN HANDLEY of MarketingProfs.com
Creating content easy; creating great content hard ..
Epic:
 fun
 experience
 element of surprise
 enjoyable
Always tell your story. Pinterest can help tell stories. Example behind the scenes at a bridal show
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12. 1) find distinct & consistent voice (using it across all platforms)
 let your mission lead your voice
 Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's Cheese Academy
 Make customer the hero
 McKay Flooring blog ... Glascow, Scotland 10 Cool & Unusual Flooring Ideas; using
Pinterest & Instagrm
 Instagram great training tool ... links well with mobile
 McKay's blog ... 13% of $6 mil sales come from online
2) Take risks
 know who you are not ... Marketing Profs: to promote their B2B forum, they did a post
from "Don Draper ... Why I'm not attending the B2B Forum"
 Associations: you're selling seats to a conference"
 25-30% increase in open rates
 29% of all tweets .. social buzz
 3 conferene salesin 1st hour
 Data helps
Flawsome “ awesome because of flaws not despite them
3) Wings & roots
 Owen Blethers: Concrete Answers TV (a YouTube channel)
 Use Postwire to share a story
Remember: Address Frequently Unasked Questions (FUQs) as well as FAQs.
Speak human not corporate
3 SUPER S'S: SYNDICATION, SEARCH & SOCIAL
MICHAEL PRANIKOFF, PR Newswire
Content, once created, must be found
* Multiple media platforms has dramatically changed the tradition sales funnel.
New formula: EC = MC (Every Company is a Media Company)
Content can create authority ... IF ... start the conversation organically.
Content that moves is power online. If easily shared, it grows.
Who has ability to move content along (without you doing it manually)
Principles
1) Make sure content is Accessible (mobile, PC, etc.)
2) make it easier to view
3) make it easier to use
Google has replaced library card catalogues
17.9 Billion searches in US in July 2012; 65% done via Google
94% look at page 1 articles
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13. Only 6% go to page 2
39% of people link search ranking to company prominence
What is your digital shadow
 Searches finds more content that what you have created yourself. Your shadow is what
others are saying about you.
Know your audience
Speak like your audience does
Where should I go today?
 connect content to all platforms ... integrated; cross-linked
 be sure where you want people to go
**** comScore ... data mine blog
Content can raise awareness but needs to connect with where you want audience to go next
More multimedia = more views
(text, text + photo, text + video
9.7 x more views + 35% more engagement with your content
Add multi-media to the white paper
Build authority through content, context and curation
Takeaways
 focus on content creation process
 content that audience wants to share and participate
 Give content best opportunity to be found organically
GETTING THE CHOIR TO SING: SELLING & DEVELOPING THE PROCESS FOR
CONTENT MARKETING INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION
ROBERT ROSE:
NEW WAY of looking: real differentiating power
 For full presentation, go to HTTP://BIT.LY/2BTHECHANGE
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