This presentation, delivered and created by Steve Smith of The Starr Conspiracy for InfluenceHR, will show you the importance of brand in B2B marketing, how brand and demand are joined at the hip, and how to focus your time, effort, and budget to create content that builds brand and generates demand.

1. BUILDING A BRAND NEWSROOM
HOW THE RULES OF CONTENT MARKETING
ARE CHANGING FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
#INFLUENCEHR

2. WHO IS STEVE SMITH?
PARTNER AT
THE STARR CONSPIRACY
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
TSC INTELLIGENCE UNIT
FORMER
NEWSPAPER JOURNALIST
FORMER HR CONSULTANT
AND COMMUNICATOR
#INFLUENCEHR

3. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
1
HOW BRAND AND
DEMAND ARE JOINED
AT THE HIP
2
HOW TO FOCUS YOUR
TIME, EFFORT, AND
BUDGET TO CREATE
CONTENT THAT BUILDS
BRAND AND GENERATES
DEMAND
3
THE PLACE OF BRAND
IN B2B MARKETING
#INFLUENCEHR

4. WHAT IS
BRAND JOURNALISM,
ANYWAY?
#INFLUENCEHR

5. FIRST, SOME GOOD NEWS
HR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
HAVE BEEN LEADERS
IN CONTENT MARKETING
FOR YEARS.
#INFLUENCEHR

6. NOW, THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS
HR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
HAVE A LOT OF ROOM
FOR IMPROVEMENT
IN THEIR USE OF BRAND.
#INFLUENCEHR

7. WHAT IS BRAND JOURNALISM?
“Brand journalism is when any organization creates valuable
information and shares it with the world. Brand journalism is not a
product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an egotistical spewing
of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel. Instead, brand journalism is
the creation of Web content — videos, blog posts, photos, charts,
graphs, essays, e-books, white papers — that deliver value to your
marketplace and serve to position your organization as one
worthy of doing business with.”
DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, 2010
#INFLUENCEHR

8. WHAT IS BRAND JOURNALISM?
“Brands will resemble publishers and assemble newsrooms and
hire or train journalists who can tell stories and contribute to
major publications.”
MICHAEL BRENNER, SAP
#INFLUENCEHR

9. EXAMPLE: CISCO’S “MY NETWORKED LIFE”
http://newsroom.cisco.com/mynetworkedlife
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10. EXAMPLE: SAP GOES BIG ON NATIVE ADS
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/
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11. DOES BRAND JOURNALISM EQUAL
CONTENT MARKETING?
No … but they both can be used
in similar ways.
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12. CONTENT
MARKETING
BRAND
JOURNALISM
BRAND JOURNALISM IS TELLING STORIES
FOR BRAND AWARENESS.
CONTENT MARKETING IS DEVELOPING
AND DISTRIBUTING VALUABLE CONTENT
FOR DEMAND GENERATION.
BOTH ARE ABOUT BUILDING TRUST AND CREDIBILITY.
BOTH SHOULD COMMUNICATE PERSONAL VALUE/BENEFIT.
#INFLUENCEHR

13. No matter what you call it,
you have to do it.
#INFLUENCEHR

14. WHAT IS THE ROLE
OF BRAND IN
B2B MARKETING?
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15. WHAT IS BRAND?
It’s what differentiates you from
your competitors.
It’s also the first step in building a
relationship with the buyer.
#INFLUENCEHR

16. FACT OR MYTH?
B2C BRANDS > B2B BRANDS
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17. MYTH
Some B2B brands
can connect
better than
B2C ones.
#INFLUENCEHR

18. THE ROLE OF BRAND IN B2B
RECALL AND RECOGNITION
CATEGORY IDENTIFICATION
FUNCTIONAL ASSOCIATION
(UNASSISTED AND ASSISTED)
(WHICH TOOLBOX)
(WHICH TOOL IN THE BOX)
DIFFERENTIATION
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
COMMUNICATION OF VALUES
(WHY YOU ARE THE BEST TOOL)
(HOW YOU DO IT AND
WHAT YOUR CUSTOMER GETS)
(MAKING AN EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION)
#1
#INFLUENCEHR

19. 3 TRUTHS ABOUT B2B BRAND
1
THE PRACTICE OF BRAND IN
B2B TECHNOLOGY CATEGORIES
IS TOO OFTEN ABOUT
THE TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY IS ALWAYS
A TEMPORARY ADVANTAGE
2
THE PRACTICE OF BRAND
IN B2B LAGS AND
NEEDS GREATER
SOPHISTICATION
3
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20. THE GREAT B2B BRAND DILEMMA
COMMUNICATION
OF YOUR BUSINESS
VALUE
COMMUNICATION
OF PERSONAL
VALUE
ALL ABOUT YOU:
AWARDS, EXPERIENCE, NUMBER
OF CUSTOMERS
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?
STRATEGIC INSIGHT, BUSINESS
AGILITY, EFFICIENCY, COST SAVINGS
#INFLUENCEHR

21. WE HAVE A WINNER!
Percentage Lift
Commercial Impact of Perceived Brand Benefits a
50%
25%
0%
42.6%
21.4%
BUSINESS VALUE
PERSONAL VALUE
Functional benefits
Business outcomes
Professional benefits (e.g., promotion)
Social benefits (e.g., popularity)
Emotional benefits (e.g., confidence)
n=3,000.
Source: CEB/Motista Survey; CEB analysis.
a
Familiarity, consideration, preference, purchase, repeat purchase,
premium payment, internal advocacy, external advocacy.
#INFLUENCEHR

22. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
Percentage Lift
Likely Purchase Outcomes
Buyers Who Do vs. Don’t See Personal Value
100%
71%
See personal value
Don’t see personal value
68.8%
50%
22.6%
8.5%
0%
WILL PURCHASE
WILL PAY A HIGHER PRICE
n=3,000.
Source: CEB/Motista Survey; CEB analysis.
#INFLUENCEHR

23. VALUE
VALUES
HOW THE BUYER
PERSONALLY BENEFITS
ALIGNMENT BASED ON
ATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS,
AND BELIEFS
#INFLUENCEHR

24. VALUE — AN EXAMPLE
Performance tools based on social technologies are more familiar
and intuitive to employees. Employees adopt these tools easily
and give more frequent feedback to peers and managers —
leading to a more productive, engaged workforce.
#INFLUENCEHR

25. VALUES — AN EXAMPLE
Traditional performance management takes a top-down approach
that is incompatible with today’s workplace. Social performance
is better aligned with the grassroots collaboration style of
today’s knowledge workers.
#INFLUENCEHR

26. BRAND VALUES = PROSPECT’S VALUES
#INFLUENCEHR

27. VALUE + VALUES = EMOTION
HR technology brands must make an
emotional connection with the buyer.
#INFLUENCEHR

28. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
1
BUYERS ARE BOMBARDED
WITH MESSAGES.
MORE CHANNELS,
MORE DISTRACTIONS.
IT’S HARDER TO RISE
ABOVE THE NOISE.
#INFLUENCEHR

29. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
1
BUYERS ARE BOMBARDED
WITH MESSAGES.
MORE CHANNELS,
MORE DISTRACTIONS.
IT’S HARDER TO RISE
ABOVE THE NOISE.
How many more emails
do you get today
than you did
five years ago?
#INFLUENCEHR

30. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
2
BUYERS ARE TAKING ON
MORE OF THE RESEARCH
BEFORE THEY ENGAGE
WITH YOU.
#INFLUENCEHR

31. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
2
BUYERS ARE TAKING ON
MORE OF THE RESEARCH
BEFORE THEY ENGAGE
WITH YOU.
Forrester: “Today’s buyers
might be anywhere from
2/3 to 90% of the way
through their journey
before they reach out
to the vendor.”
“Use Behavioral Marketing to
Up the Ante in the Age of the Customer.” 2013.
#INFLUENCEHR

32. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
CONVERSION RATES ARE
GOING DOWN,
COST OF CUSTOMER
ACQUISITION IS GOING UP.
#INFLUENCEHR
3

33. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
Email: .5% was
the new 1%.
Now, .3% is
the new .5%.
CONVERSION RATES ARE
GOING DOWN,
COST OF CUSTOMER
ACQUISITION IS GOING UP.
#INFLUENCEHR
3

34. IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE
1
BUYERS ARE BOMBARDED
WITH MESSAGES.
MORE CHANNELS,
MORE DISTRACTIONS.
IT’S HARDER TO RISE
ABOVE THE NOISE.
BUYERS ARE TAKING ON
MORE OF THE RESEARCH
BEFORE THEY ENGAGE
WITH YOU.
2
CONVERSION RATES ARE
GOING DOWN,
COST OF CUSTOMER
ACQUISITION IS GOING UP.
3
#INFLUENCEHR

35. THIS IS
THE MAIN POINT
Emotional connections
to your brand
increase demand.
#INFLUENCEHR

36. WHAT’S GETTING IN THE WAY?
Too many B2B marketers are still risk-averse
and don’t differentiate enough.
#INFLUENCEHR

37. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR
USING CONTENT TO
BUILD YOUR BRAND
#INFLUENCEHR

38. AUTHENTICITY
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39. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST KNOW
YOUR DIFFERENTIATION.
FIND BUYERS WHO ALIGN
WITH YOUR VALUES.
#INFLUENCEHR
1

40. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST KNOW
YOUR AUDIENCE.
EMPATHY IS THE GOAL.
#INFLUENCEHR
2

41. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
HEATHER: VP OF HR
This buyer is primarily within HR — either a CHRO, EVP/SVP/VP, or Director. The buyer
is 95% white, 60%+ female, mid- to late 40s, college-educated, usually with some
kind of advanced degree. The buyer is fairly tech-savvy and believes she can
evaluate solutions on her own.
49 YEARS OLD
WHITE FEMALE
MARRIED WITH
2 CHILDREN
HOMEOWNER
17 YRS. OF HR
EXPERIENCE
5 YRS. WITH
CURRENT EMPLOYER
COLLEGE-EDUCATED
HOLDS ADVANCED
DEGREE
“I arrived an hour and a half early this morning to get ready for the board meeting, where I’ll be presenting on the workforce management reports. It’s round
three of tweaking the budget to meet my CFO’s ‘cut 6%’ order, so I’m meeting
with my team to prioritize our activities. Because benefits enrollment is only a
few weeks away, I’ve got to finish the employee dependent audit sooner rather
than later. Preferably before the OFCP charge deposition next week. To top it off,
I’ve just been pinged to support the cross-functional planning committee in
charge of the company holiday party, and the twelfth person today just knocked
on my door asking if I ‘had a minute.’ Hopefully, it doesn’t run too long because
my youngest has a basketball game tonight.”
#INFLUENCEHR

42. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST THINK LIKE
AN EVANGELIST.
YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE
IN SOMETHING PASSIONATELY
AND TELL EVERYBODY.
#INFLUENCEHR
3

43. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
Know your brand's goals,
message, products,
and audiences
Tell stories
Get the right tools and
partners to produce and
distribute content effectively
YOU NEED ONE CHAMPION
WHO GETS IT.
YOU CAN’T OUTSOURCE IT.
#INFLUENCEHR
4

44. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST COMMIT
TO PRODUCING GREAT,
HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT.
#INFLUENCEHR
5

45. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST COMMIT
TO CONSISTENCY.
THAT’S CODE FOR
EDITORIAL CALENDAR.
#INFLUENCEHR
6

46. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST BE AGILE.
YOU MUST NOT BE
A SLAVE TO YOUR
EDITORIAL CALENDAR.
#INFLUENCEHR
7

47. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST COMMIT
TO CONTEXT. DELIVER
THE RIGHT MESSAGE
TO THE RIGHT PERSON
AT THE RIGHT TIME.
#INFLUENCEHR
8

48. DELIVER MESSAGES WITH CONTEXT
EXPLORER
SUSPECT
PROSPECT
OPPORTUNITY
CUSTOMER
Any potential customer
sometime in the future
Anyone in market for
your solution
Any suspect who has
become a qualified lead
(MQL)
Any prospect who is a
marketing-generated
opportunity (MGO)
A potential renewal or
upsell opportunity
WHAT THEY ARE ASKING YOU
“Interest me.”
“Show me.”
“Tell me.”
“Convince me.”
“Support me.”
STAGE OF THE BUYING CYCLE
PRE-SALE:
NOT IN THE FUNNEL
Individual is one of the
following:
Unaware of need
Unsure of need,
uncommitted to
change
Sure of need,
uncommitted to
change
EARLY STAGE:
TOP OF THE FUNNEL
Individual is:
MIDDLE STAGE:
MID-FUNNEL
Individual is:
Determining criteria
Exploring possible
solutions
Scoping at a detailed
level
Evaluating options
Making the business
case
Committed to change
and exploring
possible solutions
Initial inquiry, first
level of engagement
Determining level of
urgency
Scoping at a high
level
Committing to a
solution
Committing to a
vendor
LATE STAGE:
LOW IN THE FUNNEL
Individual is:
Justifying decision
Resolving issues
Finalizing selection
Closing the deal
POST-SALE:
SUPPORT/UPSELL
Individual is:
Implementing solution
Engaging employees
to adopt solution
Considering additional
purchases
Deciding whether to
renew or look for a
new vendor
#INFLUENCEHR

49. 9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
YOU MUST COMMIT
TO REAL, MEASURABLE
REVENUE AND QUALITY
GOALS, NOT FALSE ONES.
#INFLUENCEHR
9

50. GUT-CHECK TIME
IT’S NOT ALL
ABOUT YOU
2
YOU’VE GOTTA GIVE STUFF
AWAY (THAT MEANS
NON-GATED CONTENT)
YOU’VE GOTTA GIVE AWAY
MORE OF THE SECRET
SAUCE THAN YOU’D LIKE
1
3
#INFLUENCEHR

51. PARTING WORDS:
STUFF TO REMEMBER
#INFLUENCEHR

52. IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER ONE THING
THINK LIKE A JOURNALIST
How will your work benefit
the reader? Tell people something
they didn’t think to ask.
#INFLUENCEHR

53. HIRING JOURNALISTS
HIRE THE ONES WHO GET IT. THERE ARE
LOTS OF DINOSAURS OUT THERE.
LOTS OF PEOPLE GOT INTO JOURNALISM
BECAUSE THEY CAN’T DO MATH.
JOURNALISTS CAN BE CHALLENGING TO MANAGE.
#INFLUENCEHR

54. LAST WORDS
Make it clear who owns what
Define your strategy, design content to fit
Remember that you can’t separate media from message
#INFLUENCEHR

55. FINALLY, SOMETHING FOR YOU
EMAIL: STEVE�THESTARRCONSPIRACY.COM
“The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” “Newsjacking”
David Meerman Scott
“The Thank You Economy”
Gary Vaynerchuk
“Ignore Everybody,” “How to Be Creative”
Hugh MacLeod (Gaping Void)
Anything on Copyblogger.com
Brian Clark
TSC e-book: “11 Tips for Building a Brand Newsroom”
http://ar.gy/TSCbrandnewsroom
TSC white paper: “Brand Journalism”
http://ar.gy/TSCbrandjournalism
#INFLUENCEHR