1. THE FORMULA
FOR CREATING
KILLER CONTENT
An Inside Look At The Content,
Engagement Strategies & Results From
Highly Effective Campaigns
2. 2
• Working with over 100 clients on Demand
Generation, Lead Generation and Content Marketing
Creation
• Created over 1,000 content assets in over 15 forms
of media
• Verticals include Technology, Financial,
Manufacturing and Energy
ABOUT CONTENT4DEMAND
3. 3
• Cox Media (@Cox_Media) helps advertisers connect
with their customers.
• Provides traditional linear and programmatic TV
buying, as well as a portfolio of digital advertising
solutions.
• Operates in more than 20 markets across the United
States, partnering with clients that range from mom-
and-pop shops to full-scale, nation-wide advertising
agencies.
ABOUT COX MEDIA
4. 4
TODAY’S SPEAKER
MERRIE BETH SALAZAR
MARKETING COMM. DIRECTOR, COX MEDIA
@mbsala
• Lead the development and continued
execution of Cox Media’s Content Marketing
Strategy, contributing nearly 20% of total net
new business to the organization in 2014
• Winner of Demand Gen Report’s “2014 Killer
Content Award” for Multi-Touch Campaign
• Pet Peeve: Sitting for 45 minutes without an
actionable takeaway
6. 6
of Content Marketing teams only have 2-5
people; 90% have 10 or less
–Kapost’s Content Marketing Hiring Handbook, 2014
48%
START SMALL
7. 7
67%
of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally.
–SiriusDecisions, 2013
DREAM BIG
8. 8
of B2B marketers are producing more content
marketing this year than last
(42% said several times per week)
–CMI’s B2B Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends
70%
ACT NOW
10. 10
STRATEGIC FOUNDATIONS
Asking these four questions will get you
started – or refocused:
1. What do you want to do?
2. Who do you want to reach?
3. What do you have to say?
4. When will you say it?
Only 35% of marketers write down their content
marketing strategy. Documenting it provides
clarity and direction while facilitating buy-in.
11. 11
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
Start by identifying the outcomes:
Build awareness of your brand
Educate buyers by providing thought leadership
Nurture the pipeline
Cross-sell or up-sell existing customers
Generate new leads
The outcome is the lens you use later when
you’re reviewing V17 of an E-Book and forget
why you created it to begin with…
12. 12
WHO DO YOU WANT TO REACH?
Boil it down to what will really help you hone your content:
RESPONSIBILITIES
KEY DRIVERS
PAIN POINTS
13. 13
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?
Your very specific area of expertise – what you do
better than anyone else.
Write down your sweet spot and keep it handy
as another great lens for clarity…
Your
Sweet
Spot
Your
Customer’s
Pain Points
The Truly Valuable Stories
-Joe Pulizzi
14. 14
WHEN WILL YOU SAY IT?
Consider how the content calendar’s value can
extend beyond the Marketing team into a sales
enablement tool…
15. 15
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
The creative development process ties
strategy to execution:
Goal Theme Topic Type
GOAL comes from your documented strategy.
THEMES are the sweet spot area(s) you want to own.
TOPICS are what you can say that translates back to that theme.
TYPES are the different media vehicles that can deliver the message.
16. 16
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Educate buyers by
providing thought
leadership.
Goal
Theme
Topic
Type
Providing future
predictions that enable
potential advertisers to
benchmark against
industry trends.
• Trends to Watch
• Tips & Tricks
• Marketing Health Check
• E-Book
• Checklist
• Infographic
• Assessment Tool
• Blog
17. 17
COX MEDIA’S 2014 SUCCESS KIT
• Partnered with Content4Demand to build a
foundational content library for this theme.
• The 2014 Success Kit Campaign comprised of 5 assets in a variety of formats
designed to appeal to their SMB customers.
19. 19
THE PAYOFFS OF
INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS
• Generated interest from more than 2,300 potential leads.
• More than 750 downloads/views.
• Major contributor for Q1 lead and demand gen performance; putting
Cox Media more than 16% ahead of last year.
• Content continued to pay dividends as assets were repurposed all year long
and assisted in driving 4Q leads.
21. 21
MORE TIPS FOR KILLER CONTENT
• Start each piece with a kick-off brainstorm – bring
cross-functional experts into the room and have
someone (not you) facilitate or moderate.
• Provide actionable feedback during the content creation
process to ensure the developer understands the
connection between your goal and their deliverable.
• Try a new content type to keep things interesting with
your audience (and your sales folks).
25. 25
AMPLIFY FOR MAX ROI
Get the content to your target audience’s favorite
online hang-outs – your new watering holes:
YOUR OWNED CHANNELS
Monthly Newsletter
Blog
Website
Content Hub
Other Content
Sales Teams
YOUR NETWORK
Influencers
Partners
Bloggers
Vendor Partners
Your Clients
…DON’T FORGET SOCIAL & PAID MEDIA!
26. 26
COX MEDIA’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Solicit feedback from your subscribers. Reward
them for sharing those insights with you.
28. 28
COX MEDIA’S QUICK TIPS
Make it easy for salespeople to take your
content one-on-one to their best clients (online
or in-person).
Quick Tips for
Content Usage Marketing Health Check eBook
GOOD TO KNOW
BUYING PROCESS TARGETS
OTHER PROMOTION AREAS
CONTENT OVERVIEW
SUGGESTED EXECUTION
LOCATION TIMING
Social Media – FB/LI/TW w/o 03/10
L/D Gen Landing Page –
Unlock Success 2014
w/o 03/10
Cox.com Product Video
Landing Page
Late March
CoxMedia.com Library Late April
This eBook asset poses 7 questions to readers to help them determine if their marketing
strategy is inclusive of new marketing trends and delivers the marketing ROI they expect. The
goal is to deliver an informative asset that positions Cox Media as a resource for understanding
today’s complex media landscape. The questions include:
1. Are you embracing the Internet? Consumers love television as much as ever, but
are also embracing web-based technology – often at the same time – to stay informed.
Be in both.
2. Are you telling a good story? Focus on your brand’s story and tell it across medium.
3. Are your customers telling a good story? Tap into the power of online word-of-
mouth.
4. Are you helping or hyping? Produce helpful content and promote it online.
5. Are you leveraging multiple ad platforms? Advertising only one place puts you at a
disservice with “multi-screening” consumers.
6. Do you keep your customers engaged with “remarketing”? Don’t forget about your
customer after they make the purchase – utilize a customer database often.
7. Do you have a smart marketing budget? Be sure your marketing budget aligns with
your business goals by understating your customer’s media habits before setting your
spend levels.
Along the way, readers answer “YES” or “NO” questions to determine their overall health –
“great shape,” “could be doing better,” or “need some help.” Readers are encouraged to re-
visit the health check regularly to gauge success.
• Direct Email to Soon-To-Be Renewing Advertisers – With the “consider your
advertising mix” themed messaging, there is a nice tie-in with seasonal or annual
planning. Key target may be advertisers who will begin seasonal or annual planning in the
next 60 days, or who have placed their last buy in 9 to 13 months (and may be up for
renewal soon).
• Advertisers Considering an Online Buy – as the piece highlights the importance of
online advertising, clients or leads who have considered but not taken the digital media
plunge may find this piece persuasive.
NOTE: It is suggested Marketing use Jango Mail to send a link or PDF attachment to a batch of active clients, or use
the embedded technology to send on behalf on a sales consultant.
D. Evaluate
Alternatives
C. Research
Alternatives
• This piece recommends solutions outside
of television and our online offerings.
• This piece can be used at any time of
year and is not bound to early 2014.
ASSET
OFFER
HARD OFFER
CLICK HERE to
request a PDF
version of
this eBook.
29. 29
COX MEDIA’S GROWING NETWORK
Investing your time to identify influencers, get them
involved and incentivize them to amplify.
FORMING YOUR NETWORK
Identify a good fit (one time or long-term)
Invite via thoughtful email
Let them in on the action
Give them special privileges or opportunities
Don’t forget the follow-up
30. 30
MEASURE AND REPEAT
Focus on actionable KPIs that you can DO something
with after you review the spreadsheet:
1. Unique Visitors
2. Average Time with Content
3. Consumption by Device
4. Most Engaging Content WITHIN Your Content
5. Social Sharing
31. 31
EVALUATE: Ensure your content is teaching you about your target audience.
AMPLIFY: Forget lions; on this B2B buying safari, you’re looking for the right
watering hole.
CREATE: Content can’t be good – it has to be killer. Find formats that
resonate, engage, and spur action.
STRATEGIZE: Your content marketing initiative is 39 times more likely to
succeed with strategy. Step back and think about what you’re trying to
accomplish and who you are trying to reach.
LET’S REVIEW
32. THE FORMULA FOR CREATING
KILLER CONTENT
An Inside Look At The Content, Engagement Strategies
& Results From Highly Effective Campaigns
Dana Harder, VP, Client Strategy, Content4Demand, dana@gthreecom.com
Merrie Beth Salazar, Marketing/Comm. Director, merriebeth.salazar@coxmedia.com
