Slides from my LavaCon 2013 presentation A content strategy is usually only as good as a company’s listening culture. By creating a listening culture, a company will be able to listen to the trends and behaviors of its constituents so it can adjust decision-making processes to reflect and respond to what they hear.

1. Why Your Content Marketing Strategy
Needs a Strong Listening Culture
Marisa Peacock
The Strategic Peacock
@marisacp51 #Lavacon @LavaCon

2. About the Speaker
Marisa Peacock is a social business strategist and
marketing consultant, who helps organizations create
and implement online strategies that appropriately target
the right audience with the right information using the
right media. She is the principal and chief strategist for
The Strategic Peacock, LLC.
In addition, Marisa is a senior reporter for CMSWire.com,
and an adjunct faculty at Maryland Institute College of
Art teaching Social Media Marketing as a part of their
Masters in Business of Art and Design program.
@marisacp51 #Lavacon @LavaCon

3. What is a Listening
Culture?
A listening culture refers to the ability to listen to
the trends and behaviors of an organization’s
constituents so it can adjust decision-making
processes to reflect and respond to what you hear.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

4. How Does it Apply to
Content Strategy?
There’s really only one central principle of good
content: it should be appropriate for your business,
for your users, and for its context.
- Erin Kissane, The Elements of Content Strategy
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

5. Why Listen?
• By listening to what your constituents are saying
online and off you can craft messages that meet
their needs.
• By listening to those who create, share and
manage content, companies can streamline
workflows to ensure efficiency and knowledge
sharing.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

6. Elements of a Listening
Culture
• Collaborative work environment; limited or no silos
• Open to using cloud, mobile technologies
• Open to adopting news ways of working and sharing
information
• Committed to taking action based on insights gleaned
from content audits and conversation scans
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

7. Part 1:
Content Development
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

8. Conversation Scan
•
A good content strategy accounts for the needs
of your audience and the channels they use and
the media they consume and enjoy
•
Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know the
who, where and what about your audience,
conduct an external conversation audit.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

9. External Conversation Audit
•
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of org’s
conversation potential.
•
The results will help you better understand the types of
existing content that can be used or developed to
address, engage and promote conversations among key
constituents with the purpose of identifying potential
influencers.
•
Analysis also serves to identify active platforms and
networks upon which online conversations take place.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

10. Tools to Use
• Google search; linkto: http://
• Pinterest search, source tool
(pinterest.com/source/website.com)
• Twitter Search, Facebook Search,
Tumblr Search
• Google Alerts
• Google Analytics
• TweetReach, SocialBro
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

11. Example
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 /
#Lavacon

12. Conversation Scan
•
A good content strategy accounts for those who
create, review, publish and manage content
within an organizations.
•
Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know how
content is created or published, conduct an
internal conversation audit.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

13. Internal Conversation Audit
3 specific aspects of the organization are examined:
•
•
•
Conversation profile of internal constituents
(where do they take place, what issues are
reflected?)
Inventory of conversations already taking
place among internal constituents
Existing level of commitment to your
organization’s mission and message
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

14. Tools to Use
• Focus groups, social hours, department
meetings
• Internal social networks, intranets
• Mobile reporting tools (IT)
• Lunch time conversations
Do what’s authentic for your company!
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

15. Content Audit
•
A good content strategy accounts for an
organization’s ability to store, manage and
leverage existing content to meet the needs of
evolving trends and technologies.
•
Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know what
content currently exists and where it is stored,
conduct an content audit.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

16. Content Audit
•
•
•
•
Does content accurately reflect keywords associated
with he brand or company?
Does the website provide information based on
customers’ frequently asked questions?
How are files, reports, white papers, etc organized on
the site? How are they categorized?
How are off-site blogs, tumblrs, flickr accounts, etc
incorporated into the site and company branding?
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

17. Tools to Use
•
•
•
•
Website search
Google Analytics
Excel spreadsheets
Content management systems
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

18. Get Started
• How does a bill become a law? How does
content get from point A to B within your organization?
• Identify bottlenecks, logjams that prevent
relevant content from being reviewed, published.
• Identify the key players. Identify your key allies.
• How do systems work together? Can they be
seamlessly aligned?
• Initiate conversations. Ask questions. Add value.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

19. Part 2:
Content Implementation &
Workflow Development
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

20. Content Implementation and
Workflow Development
• Facilitate the development and strategic
delivery of content deemed appropriate for
engagement
• Create a content workflow that leverages
conversations and networks identified during the
external conversation scans.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

21. Plan & Create a
Conversation Strategy
•
The process will include, but is not limited to outlining:
•
•
•
permission and oversight required for initiating,
responding or contributing to content created by the
organization
procedure for communicating these policies and
information about the org’s internal/external engagement
strategy
procedure for knowledge sharing among staff and
other required users about conversation starters and
topics
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

22. Develop Internal & External
Monitoring Process
•
Test & choose the right online tools to help
monitor online conversations across social media
•
Create and deliver reports, which share insights
about conversations and necessary actions
•
Select beta users and brand ambassadors
from among constituents to discuss, facilitate and
generate ideas for creating and co-creating content
and conversations.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

23. Manage, Monitor & Measure
•
•
•
•
•
•
Set and measure goals that will determine success
Communicate goals & objectives
Give clear Call to Actions to internal & external
audiences
Integrate insights into marketing and engagement
campaigns.
Report on performance regularly. Let people know
what’s working and what isn’t.
Keep agile so you can evolve as needed.
www.strategicpeacock.com / @ marisacp51 / #Lavacon

24. Thank You!
Marisa Peacock
www.strategicpeacock.com
@marisacp51
marisa@strategicpeacock.com
@marisacp51 #Lavacon @LavaCon