Veteran Content Strategist Ahava Leibtag's (http://www.ahamedia.com) presentation really summed up Content Marketing by pointing out that it involves all types of content surrounding a topic - She reminds us to ask the following to create an effective content marketing strategy: What does my audience need to know? What are the best content types to get those messages across? What technology platforms make the most sense? Which social media tools do we us? How did we do? Can we do better? How are we caring for our brand across the Web and within the ecosystem of content in our organizations?

1. C Doesn’t Stand for Chocolate:
Making the Business Case for
Content Strategy
Ahava Leibtag
President
Aha Media Group, LLC
3/13/13

2. Today
1. What is content and why is it important?
2. Learning about:
– Content strategy
– Sales cycle
– Media
3. Understanding the C-suite
4. How to start

3. WHAT IS CONTENT?

4. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it
was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was
the winter of despair, we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to
Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

5. In the beginning God
created heaven and earth.

6. It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single
man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a
wife.

7. Happy families are
all alike; every
unhappy family is
unhappy in its own
way.

8. A long, long time ago, in a
galaxy far, far away…

9. Great relationships begin with
great conversations.

10. WHY BOTHER WITH CONTENT?

11. Content Becomes Marketing
Information
Content
Type
Distribution

12. Content Marketing Types
• Written articles
• Podcasts
• Video
• Photographs
• Infographics
• Slide Shows
• Whitepapers
• Polls/Survey data

13. VS.
(DON’T GET CONFUSED)

14. Content Delivery Vehicles
• Websites
• Blogs
• Newsletters
• iTunes
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Slideshare

15. How does the conversation begin?
In traditional media, you On the Web, they start
start talking to them. talking to you and asking
your questions.

16. Every time a consumer interacts with
your brand, there’s a conversation
taking place.

17. Brands and Content
A brand is a promise.

18. WHY CONTENT MATTERS

21. Different Types of Content
• Course Descriptions • Technology Necessary
• Student Records • Locations Information
• Legal Information • Health Clinics Information
• Consent Forms • Grading Policies
• Professor Bios • Mission & Values
• Education Regulations • Contact Information
• Institutional Information • Financial Information
• Student Blogs • Graduation Policies
• Researchers Blogs • Student Insurance Information
• Campus Descriptions • Dorm Policies
• Student Health Information • Campus Security
• Academic Policies • Family and Visitor Information
• Student Handbook
21

22. 22

23. WHAT IS CONTENT STRATEGY?

25. Content Strategy Basics
Content strategy is concerned with 2 issues:
1. Aligning your content with your business
goals
2. Helping your users accomplish their goals

27. Content Strategy=
Digital Publishing Strategy
1. Plan 1. What does my audience
need to know?
2. Create 2. What are the best content
types to get those messages
3. Publish & across?
Distribute  3. What technology platforms
make the most sense? Which
4. Analyze social media tools do we us?
4. How did we do? Can we do
5. Govern better?
5. How are we caring for our
brand across the Web and
within the ecosystem of
content in our organizations?
27

28. Content Strategy
Takes the guesswork out of
execution so creativity about
content can flourish.

29. THE SALES CYCLE

30. Classic Sales Funnel
• Emails/Contacts: Not yet leads, Email Addresses/Contacts
just have entered the funnel
Marketing
• Engaged: Show real engagement
by downloading content, opening Engaged
an email, commenting on a blog
Nurturing
post Prospect & Database
• Prospect: Qualified but are not Recycled
ready to buy (decision makers?)
• Lead: Prospects that show enough
Lead
behavioral engagement that we
want to call them
• Sales lead: Qualified by sales
Sales
Sales Lead
• Opportunity: Part of the active
pipeline
Opport
• Customer: They have bought an unity
product or solution
• Upsell and retain: Keep them Custo
buying mer

31. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDIA

32. Media Today
• Paid media
• Owned media
• Earned media

33. Paid Media
• Search engine marketing
• Advertising
• Paid search (pay-per-click campaigns)
Attracts attention and traffic to nurture new
leads.

34. Owned Media
• Media you develop and use for your
organization
• Digital content that lives on your:
– Website
– Social media channels
Establish and own your voice.

35. Earned Media
• Media generated by someone other than your
own company:
– Journalists
– Media outlets
– Bloggers
– Public relations vendors working to create buzz
about your products or services
Can gain you credibility. Can also damage you.

37. Content Drives Revenue!

38. UNDERSTAND THE C-SUITE

39. What do they care about?
• Increasing productivity
• Increasing revenue
• Reducing communication, travel, other costs
• Improving employee job satisfaction
• Outdoing the competition

41. Strategies that Work
• Set expectations
• Include them
• Keep them informed
• Publicly celebrate the wins

42. Overcoming Objections
• It won’t work.
• We don’t the time or resources.
• Again, describe how it will affect the bottom
line?
• How can you be sure we will say the right
thing?
• What will legal say?

43. How to Start

44. “It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent, but the
one most responsive to change.”
― Charles Darwin

45. Questions?
Ahava Leibtag
Aha Media Group, LLC
ahava@ahamediagroup.com
Twitter: ahavaL
301-452-5331