This presentation covers how to identify: • What your audience wants to know that your organization can tell them • How to combine what’s most popular today, past favorites that are still relevant, and the “next big thing” in your topics • How often you should be publishing, and to which channels

1. Become a Content DJ
How to create a winning mix for your content marketing
Hilary Marsh
Chief Content & Digital Strategist
Content Company, Inc.
http://www.hilarymarsh.com
hilary@hilarymarsh.com
Also find me (hilarymarsh) on Twitter,
Pinterest, Slideshare, LinkedIn

2. Become a Content DJ
Agenda
1. Know your audience needs
2. Assess what you have, with your strategic goals in mind
3. Match your offerings to what they need, and your goals to theirs
4. How to use each digital channel effectively
5. How to create an editorial calendar
6. Measure and evolve

3. Become a Content DJ
Content marketing’s job
Educate > Promote > Convert > Create an army
of loyal users who evangelize for your products/organization
By creating and sharing content

4. Become a Content DJ
Start with the audience: Identify the “hits”
and “misses”
 Customer buying cycle: need, research, narrow, pay, use
 Three types of topics
 Current favorites
 Up-and-comers
 Past hits

5. Become a Content DJ
Start with the audience: Identify the “hits”
and “misses”
 Learn about what’s working now
 Google Adwords
 Google Trends
 Analytics
 Actions

6. Become a Content DJ
Start with the audience: Identify the “hits”
and “misses”

7. Become a Content DJ
Start with the audience: Identify the “hits”
and “misses”
 Learn what they’re not happy about too
 Social media chatter
 Customer service reports
 Your homework: Talk to the people in your organization
who are in closest touch with your audience

8. Become a Content DJ
Most popular topics
 They are not press releases.
 They are not about the organization itself.
 Of interest to a large percentage of the audience (e.g., the real
estate bubble, eminent domain).
 They promise to teach the reader something (e.g., how to run
an open house, how new laws affect landlords).

9. Become a Content DJ
Least popular topics
 “Tooting our own horn”
 They inform a reader but do not teach a new skill (e.g, June is
national homeownership month, home sales expected to set
records).
 “Last-push” items (e.g., last chance to register for a conference,
another request for donations) do not perform well at all.

10. Become a Content DJ
How popular is popular?
 Top 10 items generated 71% of clicks.
 Bottom 6 items generated fewer than 500 clicks. (Note: 2 of
these 6 items were news about the organization.)

11. Become a Content DJ
Assess what you have, with your strategic
goals in mind
 Existing content that can be repurposed
 New content you’ll need to create about your products,
services, or programs
 (Possibly new products, services, or programs to be created)
 Your homework: Audit your content – website, blogs,
documents, help content.

12. Become a Content DJ
Match your offerings to what they need,
and your goals to theirs
Customer Company
needs Sweet offerings
and goals spot! and goals

13. Become a Content DJ
What content is in the sweet spot?
 Focuses on a key segment of what you do and what you have
 Shared and promoted via white papers, blog posts, website
content, webinars, etc.
 Offline too – trade show booths, brochures, on-hold messages,
customer service rep scripts
 Your homework: Write down what’s in your sweet spot –
both topics and outlets

14. Become a Content DJ
Your topic mix
 Current favorites (short list –
will they get bored? No!)
 Likely upcoming faves
 Past/perennial favorites –
seasonal, themed, or just
out-of-mind

15. Become a Content DJ
Prioritize your topics
 Plan the mix
 Favorites are in heavy rotation
 Past hits are in medium rotation
 Up-and-comers in light rotation
 Your homework: Download and fill in the “Content DJ” editorial
worksheet, using your topics and your time frames

16. Become a Content DJ

17. Become a Content DJ
Overview of digital channels and how to
use them
 How does your audience use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Pinterest, YouTube, Google+
 What about your website
 E-newsletters
 Your homework: Map your channels to your mix

18. Become a Content DJ

19. Become a Content DJ
Overview of digital channels and how to
use them

20. Become a Content DJ
Overview of digital channels and how to
use them

21. Become a Content DJ
Translate topics into content
 Format, level, angle
 Handouts
 Checklists
 Recombine
 Beginner, intermediate, advanced
 Introduction or details
 Positive, negative
 Test

22. Become a Content DJ
SEO  Jeopardy
 What do you have the answers for that people are searching for
on Google?
 Your homework: Study Google Adwords and look at the top
keywords and phrases. If they match what you have or what
you want, make sure to create content containing those
keywords and phrases strategically

23. Become a Content DJ
How to create an editorial calendar
 Topics + channels + timeframes
 For each instance of a topic, identify the specific piece of
content and whether it exists or needs to be created
 Your homework: Create an editorial calendar

24. Become a Content DJ

25. Become a Content DJ
Measure and evolve
 Pay extra attention to the past successes and the up-and-
comers
 Revisit and revise the list on a regular basis – at least quarterly
 Your homework: Produce a report about what’s working and
not, and share it with management

26. Become a Content DJ
Download the worksheets
www.hilarymarsh.com/editorial-calendar
www.hilarymarsh.com/content-audit

27. Become a Content DJ
Thank you!