MMI's Social Media Director Caitlin Jeansonne shares insights for creating effective content on a budget at PubCon 2016 in Las Vegas.

1. #pubcon
Building Custom
Content on a Budget
Caitlin Jeansonne
Social Media Director, MMI Agency
@qcait @mmiagency |

2. #pubcon
Caitlin Jeansonne
• Cat lady, pop
culture junkie, geek
• 10+ years
experience in digital
strategy, SEO/SEM,
social media
@qcait @mmiagency |

3. #pubcon
As digital marketers, we
create a lot of content
@qcait @mmiagency |

4. #pubcon
…A Lot of Content
• Blog posts
• White papers
• Landing pages
• Tweets
• Facebook Posts
• LinkedIn Posts
@qcait @mmiagency |
• Video
• Pinterest Pins
• Instagram Posts
• Ad copy
• Testimonials
• Case Studies

5. #pubcon
For example, always-on social content
@qcait @mmiagency |

6. #pubcon@qcait @mmiagency |

7. #pubcon
Structure = Efficiency
@qcait @mmiagency |

8. #pubcon
Let’s Chat
• Build your content formula
• Create a calendar
• …But be flexible
• Use channels strategically
• Amplify
• Measure
@qcait @mmiagency |

9. #pubcon
Content Strategy Inputs
• Goals
• Key messages
• Audience data
• 10% experimentation
@qcait @mmiagency |

10. #pubcon
Define Content Goals
@qcait @mmiagency |
Awareness Consideration
Preference/
Purchase
Retention
• Increase visibility
to key new
audiences
• Improve findability
through SEO
• Improve brand
perception in
consideration
set
• Reinforce key
brand
attributes
• Overcome
objections
• Educate on
service offerings
• Drive website
traffic and new
consumers into
the sales funnel
• Convert leads
into customers
• Resolve customer
service issues
efficiently
• Build brand trust
and customer loyalty

11. #pubcon
Soapbox: Growing your social media
following is not a business goal.
@qcait @mmiagency |

12. #pubcon
Define Key Messages
• What impression do you want your
audience to walk away with?
• Keep them customer-centric
• Be sure they reflect reality
• Differentiate your brand from
competitors
• Keep it simple
• Reevaluate over time
@qcait @mmiagency |

13. #pubcon
Add Audience Data Inputs
• What are people searching for?
• What questions are they asking
about your brand?
• What trends are you seeing
over time?
@qcait @mmiagency |

14. #pubcon
And beyond search…
@qcait @mmiagency |

15. #pubcon
Facebook Audience Insights
@qcait @mmiagency |

16. #pubcon
YouTube Organic Search
@qcait @mmiagency |

17. #pubcon
Amazon Products and Reviews
@qcait @mmiagency |

18. #pubcon
Social Listening Tools
@qcait @mmiagency |

19. #pubcon
Social Listening Questions
• What are people saying about your brand to their friends?
• What User Generated Content are people sharing?
• Who is influential in the conversation?
• How are people interacting with competitors?
• What customer service issues are occurring?
• What content is getting the most engagement? On what
channels?
@qcait @mmiagency |

20. #pubcon
Determine Your Breakdown
@qcait @mmiagency |
• Answer users’ questions
• Address hot topics
• Differentiate from
competitors
• Provide value
• Be entertaining

21. #pubcon
Content to Think About
• Ask for and share User
Generated content
• Update existing content
• Repurpose content across
channels
• Curate third-party content
@qcait @mmiagency |

22. #pubcon
Create a Calendar
• Keep in mind organizational timelines
• Plan for content to support marketing and PR
initiatives
• Identify key moments in time (Back to School, New
Year, The Oscars, etc.)
• Layer in Evergreen content (based on audience data)
@qcait @mmiagency |

23. #pubcon
Start by Month, then Dive In
@qcait @mmiagency |
AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB
Back to School
Store opening
Football season
Camping/Hunting/Fishing
Black Friday
Store opening
Holiday shopping
Super Bowl marketing

24. #pubcon
Create Evergreen Content Reserves
• Create multiple pieces at once
• Publish over time
• Tie back to timely moments
• This is where you can create in
bulk to save $$
@qcait @mmiagency |

25. #pubcon
Channel Strategy
• Where does your
audience hang out
online?
• Where does your content
feel native?
• How will you
differentiate content in
each channel?
@qcait @mmiagency |

26. #pubcon
More tips to speed up the process
• Develop content syndication protocol to share media
hits and PR content (Where will you share? When?
How often? Who needs to approve?)
• Develop a list of approved third-party content
sources to curate content efficiently
@qcait @mmiagency |

27. #pubcon
Remember: People Often Share Based
on Headline Alone
• Make it valuable or entertaining
• Invoke emotion
• Reinforce who they are and what they care about
• Avoid click bait
@qcait @mmiagency |

28. #pubcon
Remember: Visuals Matter
@qcait @mmiagency |

29. #pubcon
The More Organic, the Better
>>>
@qcait @mmiagency |
84% increase

30. #pubcon
Visuals
• Visual should match the “feel” of the
network
• Stay away from blue to stand out on
Facebook
• Optimize image size by platform
• Think mobile-first
• Ex: Facebook 20% Rule
• Ex: Instagram square images
@qcait @mmiagency |

31. #pubcon
Look for Opportunities to Amplify
• Reinforces key messaging
• High organic reach
• Heavy website traffic
• Key cultural moments
@qcait @mmiagency |

32. #pubcon
Leave Room for Experimentation
@qcait @mmiagency |

33. #pubcon
Measure and Refine
@qcait @mmiagency |

34. #pubcon
Recap
• Build your formula
• Create a calendar
• …But be flexible
• Channel strategy
• Amplify
• Measure
@qcait @mmiagency |

35. #pubcon
Thank you!
@qcait @mmiagency |