Time is one thing small businesses are not usually blessed with. Learn how to use the time you have to create engaging content that tells your story in a variety of media. This white paper is brought to you by Elon University's Interactive Media graduate program.

1. CREATING
WINNING CONTENT:
How local businesses can tell their story
and win business
Jessica Kingman & Kara O’Halloran

2. WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?
The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “a mar-
keting technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consis-
tent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience--with the ob-
jective of driving profitable customer action.1
” Simply put, content marketing
is creating and publishing beneficial content to gain customers. As opposed
to selling a product or service, content marketing allows local businesses to
curate valuable information to educate and inform consumers. The driving
belief behind content marketing is that if companies consistently deliver
worthwhile information, customers will reward them with not only their
business, but their loyalty, as well.
“
“
Simply put, content marketing is creating and publishing
beneficial content to gain customers.
WHY CONTENT MARKETING MATTERS
86%
of B2C marketers use
content marketing
68%
of consumers spend
time reading content
from a brand they are
interested in.
50%
of consumers say
content marketing
has a positive impact
on purchasing
decisions
1. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/
2. http://visual.ly/how-content-marketing-affects-search-engine-rankings
3. http://www.exacttarget.com/blog/50-content-marketing-stats/

3. WHITE PAPERS
Content Marketing Tactics
White papers are informational reports that educate readers on a
particlar topic. This tool can provide a variety of benefits including,
lead generation, brand awareness, improved SEO, and a more
engaged social media audience4
.
INFOGRAPHICS
WEBINARS
Infographics are an aesthetically compelling tool that combines text,
design and analysis to easily convey complex data. These tools can
help attract consumer attention, fuel social media sharing, attract SEO
linkbacks, and increase brand awareness.6
Webinars are an immersive content marketing experience that can
provide interactive experiences for participants. This tool offers a
much wider reach in a more cost-effective manner than a live event
and with recording options, they have the potential to hold long-term
value.7
ARTICLES
Articles are a content marketing tool that can live on-site or off-site.
These media should demonstrate thought leadership on an
industry-relevant topic and can provide a variety of benefits.
4. http://info.equinetmedia.com/blog/bid/146025/4-Benefits-of-Using-White-Papers-in-Your-Content-Marketing-Strategy
5. http://www.sproutcontent.com/blog/bid/193258/Why-Consistent-Blog-Content-Boosts-SEO-Builds-Authority
6. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/11/insights-visual-content-infographics/
7. http://marketeer.kapost.com/5-reasons-to-fit-webinars-into-your-content-marketing-strategy/
BLOGS
On-site and off-site blogs should be considered the center of content
marketing efforts. They not only support SEO and boost page rankings,
but they can also drive sales. Aligning and optimizing blog content to
a strategic marketing plan can enhance the effectiveness of this tool.5

4. SOCIAL LISTENING
“
“
By taking the time to do an environment surveillance plan,
you gain the ability to see who is talking about your
industry or company.
Before you implement a content marketing strategy, you should always use a social listening
tool, such as Social Mention, to help you grasp the current social environment of your customer. Your
content needs to appear on the online communities that your target audience is
currently using. Do your research. Find out where your customers are interacting online and push your
content to these sites. If you have limited time and/or budget, ensure that your content shows up on
relevant platforms so that sharing is available outside your circle of influence.11
By taking the time to do an environment surveillance plan, you gain the ability to see who is
talking about your industry or company. Pay attention to the jargon or phrases your customers are
using in these conversations and mimic them in your content.4
Ongoing listening efforts during content marketing campaigns is a must. Set up an RSS reader
to track influencers, blogs, forums, and social networks that are consistently talking about your
product/service category. Use free tools like Google Alerts and Twitter Search.Time. By using these
tools, you can organize and analyze the current environment of your brand. Set aside time in the
morning to check these tools and the daunting task of navigating the abundance of information online
will be much more manageable.11
CREATING A SURVEILLANCE PLAN12
LISTEN DISCOVER MONITOR
Customers, prospects,
& competitors’ online
conversations can
provide invaluable
insights
New trends &
platforms can provide
unique opportunities to
share content
Tracking successes &
failures of published
content can influence
further content
direction
11. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/11/tips-for-better-listening-content-marketing/
12. http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2013/01/6-ways-social-media-listening-drives-content-marketing/

5. HOW TO DRIVE CONTENT
One of the first steps in effective content marketing for local businesses is de-
termining the story and tone you want your brand to convey online. It’s important to
know what your customers, audience or community are already talking about.
Contributing to these conversations creates an active and engaged audience.8
Also,
the content that you create should always directly serve your business goals.
Creating content just for the sake of it is ineffective, as it doesn’t add any value for
consumers.8
Social media engagement must be proactive instead of reactive. The
ultimate goal is to nurture long-term relationships with customers, and one way of
doing so is by developing a personality for your business online through strategic
content creation.9
“
“
It’s important to know what your customers, audience or
community are already talking about. Contributing to
these conversations creates an active and
engaged audience.
CONTENT STORY IDEAS10
• Interview Someone
• Examine case studies
• Share your successes
• Identify indirect content
opportunities
• Use visuals to tell a narrative
• Write about your biggest
challenges
• Ask your readers
• Write a review
8. http://www.copyblogger.com/content-marketing-goals/
9. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-develop-a-social-media-content-strategy/
10. http://www.copyblogger.com/create-content-infographic/

6. Thinking Big for Your Small Business
Coca Cola©
is without a doubt a beverage empire. It boasts being
the most recognizable global brand as well as the world’s most valuable.
Believe it or not, Coca Cola©
’s current content strategy and approach to
digital marketing can work for local businesses. Jonathan Mildehall, VP
Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence created the 70/20/10
model for content development.13
THE 70/20/10 MODEL:
70% of the content that you create is low-
risk. It should be solid, useful content that
doesn’t take a lot of time to produce.
20% of your content creation should inno-
vate based on what has worked so far. This
content is more in-depth and takes more
time, but resonates with a segment of your
target audience.
10% of your content should be high-risk,
experimental content. This area allows you to
experiment, accepting that content
developed in this area may fail.
COCA COLA©
CONTENT 2020
13. http://www.copyblogger.com/coca-cola-content-marketing/

7. HOW TO CREATE EFFECTIVE CONTENT
In order to fully grasp how to create effective content, it’s important to under-
stand that content can be so much more than plain text. It can be blog posts, tweets,
pins, videos, pictures, and infographics. Before you develop your content, however, you
should reflect on your business goals and push your content accordingly16
. Strategic
content development is increasingly important for local businesses, as it’s an inexpen-
sive way to expose your message and your brand to your target audience. High quality
content is able to both attract an audience and keep them engaged. This content should
answer questions and/or address concerns that your customers may have about your
company, your products, your services, and your competitors17
. But remember, success-
ful content is both approachable and personable16
. Your audience wants to connect with
a person, not a business.
#1.
#2.
#3.
#4.
STRATEGIES
Develop Concrete
Objectives
Do Research
Prioritize Quality
& Quanity
Always Track
Progress
It’s imperative to plan your content
around your goals. Make sure they
are sufficiently outlined and
prioritzed before moving forward
with content creation.14
In order to separate your content
from the rest, you must understand
your audience and your competitors.
Having a solid grasp on keyword
opportunities will also help push your
content even further.14
Updates to Google’s search
algorithms enables it to distinguish
quality websites. Thus, websites with
quality content should rank higher
than spammy ones.15
There are multiple opportunities to
track the performance of your
content marketing efforts. Use this
data to continually improve your
strategy and content.14
14. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/09/improve-website-content-quality-drive-performance/
15. http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/01/online-content-best-practices-for-2014/
16. http://www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert-news/why-content-marketing-matters-to-me-and-should-to-you/
17. http://www.shoutlet.com/blog/2013/05/six-stats-and-six-reasons-why-content-marketing-matters/

8. CONCLUSION
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
KARA O’HALLORAN
Interactive Media Professional
@karaohalloran13
JESSICA KINGMAN
Interactive Media Professional
@jessicakingman
Kara and Jessica have a passion for social media and
content strategy. They are excited by successful marketing
campaigns and dedicated to maintaining a pulse on the
social media industry’s trends. The duo met while in
graduate school at Elon University studying for their
master degrees in Interactive Media.
All local businesses should use content creation strategies to tell their
story and promote their brand. Strong strategic marketing practices can not
only attract social traffic, but can drive local leads. The trend in the
advertising industry is shifting to open publishing platforms that make it easy
for local businesses to leverage their content to win business. By
understanding the power of content marketing and learning about the ways
to drive and monitor content online, local businesses can capitalize on these
inexpensive and timely marketing techniques to further their
business.