A Framework for How to Produce Highly Shareable Content - Social Media Strategies Summitt - San Francisco 2013

/ COVARIO

HOW TO CREATE CONTENT DESIGNED
TO BE SHARED ON SOCIAL CHANNELS
By Mike Roberts
11.6.13

ABOUT ME
Mike Roberts

Covario

• Earned Media Strategist at Covario
– Develop content and strategy
for Fortune 500 and 1000
brands.
– Verticals range across
consumer electronics, tourism,
banking, education,
entertainment, and medical
among others.
• Digital trends video blogger
(AllegorieDesign.com)
• Social Media Special Interest Group
Co-Chair for CommNexus
• Frequent Speaker and Writer
• Twitter handle: @MrobertsOnline
• Google+: +Mike Roberts

• The nation’s leading independent
search marketing agency.
• Back-to-back winner of the OMMA
Search Agency of the Year Award.
• World-class SEO, SEM, Content
Marketing, and Social Media
services.

@MrobertsOnline

2 / ©2012 Covario, Inc. All rights reserved.

AGENDA
The Goal: Go through the whole development process from a high level and
provide a practical deck of insights to reference when producing content to be
shared on social media channels.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Ads vs. Content
Topic Research
Content Brainstorming
We’ll spend most
Content Development
of our time here.
How to Promote your Content
Internal Workflow and Approvals
How to Measure Value and Effectiveness
Advanced Opportunities to Consider

@MrobertsOnline


THIS FRAMEWORK BOOSTS SHARING, NOT JUST POPULARITY
Even an Average Joe can spread a shareable message

Influencer
Large followings don’t always
distribute a message effectively

(Popular)

Average Person
The right message will be
passed from person to person

(Viral)

@MrobertsOnline

WE CAN OPTIMIZE THE
MESSAGE TO MAKE AVERAGE
PEOPLE THE INFLUENCERS.

THINK OF PERSONAL CONNECTIONS AS “LONG-TAIL” INFLUENCERS
Broadcast
“Influencers”

@MrobertsOnline

Friends/Colleagues/Personal
Connections


A CAT THERAPIST...
A thought leader on… cats.

@MrobertsOnline


THE CAT THERAPIST WROTE A BOOK
You know he’s a big deal because he has a book too.

@MrobertsOnline


WORD OF MOUTH IS THE PRIMARY
INFLUENCER BEHIND 20-50% OF
ALL PURCHASING DECISIONS.
This isn’t new information any more.

*Research by McKinsey & Company

[POLL]: HOW MUCH WORD OF MOUTH HAPPENS ONLINE?

A

B

C
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HOW MUCH WORD OF MOUTH HAPPENS ONLINE?

The actual number:

*Research by Keller Fay Group in 2011

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CONSUMERS HAVE 16 PRODUCT CONVERSATIONS A DAY
The right message can impact these daily conversations.

@MrobertsOnline


THE INTERNET IS THE 2ND LARGEST
DRIVER OF WORD OF MOUTH.
Online content is one of the most cost-effective ways to infiltrate a message
into every day consumer conversations.

THE RIGHT MESSAGE WILL
IMPACT THAT 93%.
We use several frameworks to optimize content for word of
mouth; highlighted in the appendix.

/ COVARIO

ADS VS. CONTENT


CONTENT INNOVATION S-CURVE: CONSTANTLY INNOVATE
TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES
We have to rethink the process we use to create content to stand out, break
through the clutter and earn the right for it to be shared.

@MrobertsOnline


@MrobertsOnline


ADS VERSUS CONTENT
Although similar, there are significant differences.

Advertisements
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Directly tries to sell something
Pay to produce and to distribute
the ad
Only helps understand product
features / benefits
Interrupts people
Run in campaigns with ending
dates

@MrobertsOnline

Content Marketing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Doesn’t try to sell anything
directly
Pay to produce, but gets
distributed by average people
Provides real value without a
catch
People seek this out
Ongoing with no ending

ENTERTAINING ADS AREN’T CONTENT
Ads rely on paid distribution to be seen. Content must be even better to
capture attention. That means we need even more pig and less brand.

@MrobertsOnline


THE SOCIAL SHARING CONVERSION FUNNEL
To get people to ‘convert’ and share our content, we have to make it really
interesting to real people, not just optimize it for keywords.

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ADS VS. CONTENT - DON’T JUST TARGET THE SALES
DEMOGRAPHIC
Ads target the sales demographic. Content should target the broader
audience who might share it.

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BIGGER OPPORTUNITIES REQUIRE BIGGER THINKING
Content and social teams have to have a seat at the higher level strategy
meetings to help shape the company to give them something worth talking
about.

@MrobertsOnline


PROCESS
The process can vary, but this is a good starting point.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Concept
Research (validate concept)
Write copy / content
Create visual mockup
First draft
Second Draft
Final Draft

@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

TOPIC RESEARCH


RESEARCH
A list of content topic research opportunities.
•
•
•
•
•

Google keyword research
Social Mention, Topsy, Twitonomy, Google Trends
Forums, Quora, product reviews
Comments on related articles
Twitter lists (Hootsuite, TweetDeck, Flip Board)
– Keep track of niches
• Analyze your current, popular content
– What gets the most shares, comments, Likes, traffic, etc.
– Look at page level data since keyword isn’t available anymore

@MrobertsOnline


FLIPBOARD: TRACK OF YOUR TWITTER LISTS
An easy way to keep up and keep in touch with those you’ve chosen to follow
with your Twitter Lists.

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GOOGLE TRENDS: SEASONALITY
As we’d expect, we see spikes in search volume for these events close to when
they occur.

@MrobertsOnline


GOOGLE TRENDS: LOCATION BASED
Segmenting by country can provide additional regional, cultural, and
language insights.

@MrobertsOnline


GOOGLE TRENDS: TOPIC TREND OVER TIME
Tracking search volume over time can show larger trends. Building content
around a topic trending up can increase its value over time.

@MrobertsOnline


GOOGLE TRENDS: LOCATION BASED
Search volume for “cancer” by region shows where people might be more
concerned

@MrobertsOnline


SOCIAL MENTION: “SEARCH” FOR SOCIAL
The social conversation about “Sony DSLR” is very positive and strong (people
are likely to be talking about it).

@MrobertsOnline


SOCIAL MENTION: “SEARCH” FOR SOCIAL
When looking at the competitor, “Cannon DSLR” has much better
sentiment, but isn’t as strong (likely to be talked about).

@MrobertsOnline


TWITTER.COM/SEARCH
Easily see who is talking about what topics, using what hashtags, located in
which area. Easily engage around relevant topics too.

@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

CONTENT BRAINSTORMING


HAVE A DEBATE INSTEAD OF A BRAINSTORM
Every idea is NOT a good one.

Debates require you
to defend your good
ideas, improve your
bad ones and avoid
execution problems at
the beginning.

@MrobertsOnline


BRAINSTORMING: THE ENVIRONMENT MATTERS
Rooms with glass walls invite participation and inspiration.

@MrobertsOnline


Whiteboards and post-its allow ideas to be put up and molded quickly and
easily. Here, two different ideas side by side can spark a new direction.

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Chairs with backs cause people to go into ‘audience’ mode leading to not
feeling like part of the solution and critiquing instead. Use stools or stand up
instead.

@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT


THE SHAREABLE CONTENT
FRAMEWORK


SHAREABLE CONTENT FRAMEWORK
Build at least one of these components into every piece of content you
produce.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we care,
we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


USE THE FRAMEWORK AS A CHECKLIST
Compare all of your content against this framework. Ensure that it hits one of
these at the beginning and double check throughout production.

Message 1

Message 2

Message 3

Status

-

X

-

Exclusivity

-

-

-

Emotion

-

X

-

Controversial

-

-

-

Useful

X

-

-

Cause

-

-

-

@MrobertsOnline


Message 1 and 2
are on track.
Message 3 needs
to be reshaped.

REPLICATOR 1: STATUS
People share things that make them appear higher on the social hierarchy
than their peers.
Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we care,
we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


AWARDS: PEOPLE LOVE WINNING AND BRAGGING
Create and give people an award that they can show off to their friends.

Winners can place this badge
on their site WITH a link back
to Social Media Examiner.

@MrobertsOnline


RANK SOME AS BETTER THAN OTHERS
Create a ranking list. Those that do well will broadcast it to everyone and link
back to you.

InkyBee highly
ranked this fashion
blog and is now
linked to on their
home page.

PR Couture will also engage
with and share InkyBee’s
content more too.

@MrobertsOnline


EXPLAIN DIFFERENT LEVELS OF STATUS CLEARLY
Gold is clearly first at the Olympics, but is a Sapphire credit card better than
the Platinum credit card or not?
Olympics

Credit Cards

• EASY: Everyone knows which medal
is better than the others.

• HARD: No one really knows which
credit card is a higher status level.

VS.
@MrobertsOnline


PUBLICLY SHOW WHAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED
It is more effective and easier for people to send a link to where they are
being recognized than for them to just talk about it themselves.

This is much
easier and more
credible to show
off than PR
Couture just
saying she won.

@MrobertsOnline


PEOPLE LOVE HAVING A GOOD SECRET TO TELL
Create a secret that people can find out about and then tell their friends.

A New York hot
dog shop… AND a
secret bar!

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CREATE A SECRET FOR PEOPLE TO TELL
The only way to get into the bar is to go into the hot dog shop next door and
use a phone booth to call and have them open the door from inside.

@MrobertsOnline


“PLEASE DON’T TELL” THE SECRET
The bar’s name is “Please Don’t Tell” and it seems they don’t want you to tell
anyone because it’s a secret. Naturally, secrets don’t stay secrets for very
long and it works. Word-of-mouth is their only advertising.

Other ways to use secrets:
- Release Black Friday
deals ahead of time
- A secret menu
- Location based prize
give-a-ways via Twitter
@MrobertsOnline


CREATE A CONTEST FOR PEOPLE TO WIN
Accept content submissions for a contest, select a winner, and then publicly
share the winning content, giving credit to the creator. They will tell
everyone.

HuHot Mongolian
Grill runs an annual
recipe contest.
They broadcast the
winners on their
brand’s Facebook
and Pinterest
channels.

@MrobertsOnline


BREAK A PATTERN THAT PEOPLE EXPECT
Those who first find out about it will be an insider ‘in the know’ and tell
others about what has broken the rule.

Most companies go
all out for Black
Friday…
This e-commerce
site closed on Black
Friday in protest.

@MrobertsOnline


EXERCISE: BRAINSTORM
Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporates Status that could be used by
your company.
• Work with a partner
• 8 minutes (4 minutes for each partner)
Main considerations from this section:
• Awards: People love winning and bragging
• Rank some as better than others
• Explain different levels of status clearly
• Publicly show what people have accomplished
• Create a secret for people to tell
• Create a contest for people to win
• Break a pattern that people expect

@MrobertsOnline


REPLICATOR 2: EXCLUSIVITY
Content only available to a limited number of people or under limited
circumstances is perceived as more valuable.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Emotion
When we care,
we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


GIVE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT BASED ON PEOPLE’S ACTIONS
Release a new piece of content when 1000 people take a desired action and
only give those people access to it.

Example: When
1000 people
tweet the link to
this page, this
video will be
unlocked.

850
@MrobertsOnline


1000

EXCLUSIVITY REQUIRES TURNING SOME PEOPLE AWAY
Turn people away very carefully and tactfully to ensure you don’t alienate
anyone.

Instead of just saying “no,” offer an
alternative and be kind about it. That will
keep them wanting to get in instead of just
being offended.
@MrobertsOnline


SPREAD EXCLUSIVE CONTENT TO THE MASSES
Make content scarce early on and then reduce restrictions later. This will give
it an initial boost of social proof and then be able to spread to the masses.

Likes, com
ments, and
shares.

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Reduce restrictions
here and reach the
masses.

Exclusive Message
Exclussive Message
that Scales

Add restrictions here; build
social proof.
@MrobertsOnline

Non-Exclusive
Message


PEOPLE FEEL VERY SPECIAL WHEN THEY’RE INVITED
Create an invitation only system and share special content or opportunities
only with those who were invited. They will share that they’ve been invited.

Pinterest
Gmail

@MrobertsOnline

Rue La La


GIVE THE POWER AND ACCESS TO MODERATE A FORUM
Enable top contributors to a forum or other user-generated content platform
the power and access to moderate that community.

A photographer
would volunteer to
moderate in
exchange for
recognition and
credibility from
peers.

@MrobertsOnline


GIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS TO A FEW
Give special behind the scenes access or an invitation to a private event to
top contributors or content submissions.
What they did:
7 Harry Potter
bloggers were invited
to get the inside
scoop before the park
was opened.

Results:
Reached estimated
350,000,000 targeted
Harry Potter fans.
Enabled more
interesting content
too.
@MrobertsOnline


GIVE SUBSCRIBERS EXCLUSIVE OR EARLY ACCESS
Give subscribers, members, or frequent customers content that is only made
available to them or give them access before anyone else.

Kevin Rose’s video
blog includes
interviews with tech
stars. All videos are
free. His subscribers
still pay $3.99/month
just to get them a
week early.

@MrobertsOnline


GET AN EXCLUSIVE STORY FROM A SOURCE
Create a story that a publisher or blogger would want to have an exclusive
for. …OR, create an exclusive experience that a blogger would want to blog
about.

LL Bean invited the
fashion / lifestyle
blogger, Ann Street
Studio on a yacht
sailing trip in exchange
for documenting it.

@MrobertsOnline


Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporate Exclusivity that could be used
by your company.
• Give exclusive content based on people’s actions
• Turn people away very carefully; don’t offend them
• Reduce restrictions later to scale to the masses
• People feel very special when they’re invited
• Give the power and access to moderate a forum
• Give behind-the-scenes access to a few
• Give subscribers exclusive or early access
• Create an exclusive experience for an influencer
@MrobertsOnline


REPLICATOR 3: USEFULNESS
Help people to do the things they want to do or encourage them to do the
things they should do, faster, better, and easier.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we
care, we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


PEOPLE SEARCH FOR SPECIFIC CONTENT
Get as specific as possible. The narrower the niche, the more relevant it will
be to solve that particular problem and will be more helpful.

How to do an oil
change on a car.

Not just any car
though. Specifically a
Toyota, a Prius, built
in 2010, with a
maintenance light on.

@MrobertsOnline


NARROWER, SPECIFIC CONTENT IS SHARED MORE TOO
More specific content causes a specific person to come to mind that might find
it useful. Broad content doesn’t make anyone in particular come to mind.

I only have 1 friend that
works with E-Commerce in
China so he is the only one
I thought of when I saw
this article.

@MrobertsOnline


BUILD A TOOL THAT SOLVES A PROBLEM
It will have a long shelf life and create a great impression on whoever uses it.

See how many pints are
in a gallon with this
metric conversion
calculator.
@MrobertsOnline


ADDRESS CURRENT CUSTOMER PROBLEMS
Look for and listen to customer pain points to find new content topics that will
be especially helpful.
• Look at product reviews, forums, comments and social media keyword
mentions to see where improvements can be made.

@MrobertsOnline


ENABLE CUSTOMERS TO HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS
Crowdsource customer advice, tips, reviews, and other feedback and make it
available to other customers to benefit. This can scale useful content.

@MrobertsOnline


THE CHEAP CONTENT CROWDSOURCING FORUM
You can build a Google+ “Community” and still lead the
conversation, providing a resource for everyone that can scale.

Other platforms like
Wordpress could be good
options too.
@MrobertsOnline


PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING MAKE IT CONSUMABLE
Consider the packaging of your content. Make it to the point, simple, and
easy to follow.

Thoughtful visuals help
explain concepts clearly.

Seth Godin’s blog is short
and concise. This post is
only 103 words long.

@MrobertsOnline


HELP PEOPLE SAVE TIME AND MONEY
Do this, and they will love you for it.

You can find all of the
secret deals leaked here.

@MrobertsOnline


Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporates Usefulness that could be used
by your company.
• People search for and share more specific content more
• Build a tool that solves a problem
• Address current customer problems
• Enable customers to help other customers
• Presentation and packaging make it consumable
• Help people save time and money

@MrobertsOnline


REPLICATOR 4: CONTROVERSY
Pick ONE side of an issue and gain strong support from that niche, increase
your relevance, and get your message to spread faster.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we
care, we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT, EVEN IF ALONE
Dove’s campaign for real beauty challenged the norms of the entire beauty
industry.
• Here you can see a video showing a woman before and after a
makeover, making the point that even the models on billboards don’t look as
the appear.
Before makeover

@MrobertsOnline

After makeover

“No wonder our perception
of beauty is distorted.”

CHANGE THE ANGLE BASED ON THE AUDIENCE
Fight for an issue differently depending on who you are talking to.
Businessman, environmentalists, politicians, and stay-at-home moms are
vastly different from one another.

@MrobertsOnline


PICK A SIDE FOR THE SHORT TERM ONLY
Pick an issue/side that you can change your stance on later to reduce risk.

They may want to
revise or change their
angle later… and they
can if they want to.

@MrobertsOnline


OTHER OPTION: COMMIT TO ONE SIDE FOREVER
Commit, then entrench, build a reputation, and become a foremost authority
in that area.

VS.

@MrobertsOnline


DON’T BE CONTROVERSIAL BY TREATING PEOPLE BADLY
Make sure the controversy come from your stance on the issue, not in how
you are treating people. Always treat people well.

Mountain Dew created “the most
racist commercial in history.” They
pushed the boundaries at the
expense of people.
@MrobertsOnline


ALIGN WITH COMPANY VALUES, MISSION AND ETHOS
This game concept is controversial, but is choosing a side that aligns with
Axe’s brand persona. This would not work with Dove.

A Game for mobile and
PCs, in which you gather
girls for a party and dodge
aggressive guys.
@MrobertsOnline


Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporates Controversy that could be used
by your company.
• Stand up for what’s right if you’re the only one standing
• Change the angle based on the audience
• Pick a side for the short term only
• Or commit to one side forever and entrench
• Don’t be controversial by treating people badly
• Align with company values, mission, and ehtos

@MrobertsOnline


REPLICATOR 5: EMOTION
Instead of just providing more information, aim to make content that evokes
an emotion that causes people to take action.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Usefulness
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we
care, we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


EVOKE POSITIVE INSTEAD OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS?
Sharing content that evokes positive emotion strengthens the connection
people have with one another.
Positive Content

Negative Content

• Positive articles were on
average, 13% MORE likely to make
the New York Times Most E-Mailed
list than negative articles.

• Sad articles were on average, 16%
LESS likely to make the New York
Times Most E-Mailed list.

Does this apply to all Positive and
all Negative emotions?
…No, it doesn’t.
@MrobertsOnline


THE SCIENCE OF EMOTION
Evoke high arousal emotions rather than low arousal emotions.

High Arousal Emotions

Low Arousal Emotions

• High Arousal emotions encourage
and lead to action.

• Low Arousal emotions stifle action
– Contentment causes people
to relax and deactivate
– Sadness causes people to
power down and disconnect

High Arousal

Low Arousal

Positive

Awe
Excitement
Amusement (Humor)

Contentment

Negative

Anger
Anxiety

Sadness

@MrobertsOnline


“AWE” (SURPRISE AND SHOCK) LEADS TO SHARING
Stand out from the norm, challenge what they’re expecting, and be the
Purple Cow. Once Purple becomes the norm, reinvent and come out with
green.

@MrobertsOnline


INSPIRATION CAPTIVATES YOU
Most products are not inspiring by themselves. Many ecommerce sites, like
supermarkets just facilitate transactions and don’t inspire at all.

VS.
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ANGER AND ANXIETY BOOSTS SHARING TOO
Research shows that evoking Anger and Anxiety does lead to more sharing
even though they are negative emotions.
• When trying to evoke emotion, don’t just point out the global warming
statistics, make them angry that our planet is at risk. Make sure to get them
fired up, not sad though.

@MrobertsOnline


USING ANGER AND ANXIETY EFFECTIVELY
Building “green” is now normal and anyone not doing so is killing the planet.
• We can now get fired up and angry at any company that isn’t implementing
“green” best practices.

Instead of just presenting
depressing stats, they
built the largest green
roof in the world for
Ford.

@MrobertsOnline


Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporates Emotion that could be used by
your company.
• Incorporate Awe, Excitement, Humor, Anger, and Anxiety into content
• Don’t incorporate Contentment or Sadness into your content
• Surprise and Shock lead to sharing
• Inspiring your viewers is powerful

@MrobertsOnline


REPLICATOR 6: CAUSE
Content that is part of a greater purpose or mission that people believe in
will cause people to want to help share that message.

Status

Exclusivity

We share what
makes us look
good.

Scarce content is
more desirable.

Cause
We rally around
a greater
purpose.

Shareable
Content
Framework

Useful
Things that are
useful are hugely
valuable.

Emotion
When we care,
we share.

@MrobertsOnline

Controversy
Pick a side to
find a niche.


APPEAL TO A GREATER PURPOSE
Connecting your content or organization to advancing a bigger, more
meaningful goal will motivate people to share to help further that goal.

Southwest donated $1 to Make-aWish for every person that checked
into one of their terminals.
@MrobertsOnline

Results: Their Facebook fan count
grew from 991,200 to 1.2 Million.


ALIGN WITH SOMETHING THEY ALREADY BELIEVE
It is much easier and more effective to target people who already agree than
change the minds of those who don’t.
They’re stating their
values, not arguing
what values you
should have.

@MrobertsOnline


EVERYONE SUPPORTS SOME CAUSES
Sprint’s salute to Navy Day even gets support from people that are NOT
personally connected or emotionally vested in the cause.

@MrobertsOnline


DON’T ALIENATE THE OTHER SIDE UNKNOWINGLY
Research what the opposing causes might be and don’t flippantly push away
those groups. Instead, make a strategic decision.

“The Tsunami killed
100 times more
people than 9/11.
The planet is brutally
powerful. Respect it.
Preserve it.”

@MrobertsOnline


Brainstorm 1-3 content ideas that incorporates a Cause that could be used by
your company.
• Appeal to a greater purpose
• Align with something they already believe
• Everyone supports some causes
• Don’t alienate the other side unknowingly

@MrobertsOnline


THESE COMPONENTS CAN WORK WELL TOGETHER
Why not build a useful tool that can help you advance a cause while showing
the impact you’re having on real people.

Useful

Cause
Emotion

@MrobertsOnline


EXERCISE: DEBATE YOUR IDEAS
Pick 1-2 content ideas from each partner to debate, poke holes in, refine and
improve.
Consider these guidelines:
• Defend your ideas.
• Be constructive. Be part of the solution, not just a critic.
• Think of solutions to the problems your partner points out.

@MrobertsOnline


BRAINSTORMING AND MOCKUP TOOLS


CONCEPT OVER POLISHED EXECUTION
The concept is oftentimes more important than polished execution.
Relatively poor quality can actually humanize the brand sometimes.

@MrobertsOnline


GOOGLE DOCS / HANGOUTS
Collaborate with dispersed teams easily and in real time. Really good for
version control too.

@MrobertsOnline


MURAL.LY
An online whiteboard with post-its. Collect photos, links, and ideas while
collaborating with others in real time. A Standfor d. School tool.

@MrobertsOnline


MIND MAPS
Document ideas from a brainstorm here. Easily move everything around to
adapt to your ideation.

Some free or cheap
tools: Mind
Meister, Xmind, and
The Brain.

@MrobertsOnline


MAKING A MOCK UP AND VISUALIZING YOUR IDEA
The goal is to cheaply and quickly visualize your concept to communicate it
clearly.
Kenotopia

Balsamiq

Sketch on paper. Take photo.

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Sketch on white board.


IDEATING AND COMMUNICATING VISUAL STYLE
Use Google images and Pinterest to help share your vision with stakeholders
and designers.

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EXERCISE: DRAW A MOCKUP
Take your best idea and draw a rough visual idea of what you envision it to
look like.
• This is NOT intended to be a final
draft, but a tool to convey your
vision and collect feedback from
other decision makers.
• 5 minutes
Consider and include:
• What is the main point and
purpose?
• Where will the facts/information to
be included come from?
• Will it support your main point or
argument?
• What will the headlines say?
• How will all of the sections of the
piece work together to tell a
coherent story?
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EXERCISE: EXPLAIN AND SELL YOUR IDEA
Pair up with a new partner. Take the mockup you just made and use it to
explain your concept and convince them that it is good.
• The Goal is for you recognize what kinds of visuals help add clarity and
practice selling using a very rough mockup.
• 8 minutes (4 minutes each)
Consider:
• You will likely feel rushed and ashamed of your mockup. That’s ok, fast
iterations are crucial.
• Good concepts that aren’t pitched well often don’t get approved
• Someone not involved in the brainstorm doesn’t have the context that lead to
the idea. Fill that in for them.
• Collect feedback and notes from your partner; consider suggestions

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/ COVARIO

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR CONTENT


PRODUCE CONTENT WITH PARTNERS
Create piece of
content in
collaboration
with a partner
You and partner
promote content
to your
followers, crosspromoting each
other

Create new
partnerships to
expand presence
into new areas.

Benefit: Gain
new followers
from your
partner.
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Benefit: Double
the reach of
your content to
a new audience.


USE YOUR RESEARCH TO REACH OUT
Rely on your quality research; you’ve created content people are talking
about. Let them know in a natural way by keeping in touch through your
Twitter lists.

@MrobertsOnline


PROMOTE TO ALREADY BUILT COMMUNITIES
A couple of places to look for already established communities.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Social Network Analysis
Google+ Communities
Twitter.com/Search
Buzzsumo
Social Mention
Pre-built topic communities for Twitter and Google+
Target the influencers of your influencers (Google Ripples, social network
analysis)
• Competitor followers

@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

INTERNAL WORKFLOW AND
APPROVALS


FAST PRODUCTION ENABLES REAL TIME CONTENT
The faster you can respond to real time events, the more relevant your
content becomes.

Notice the spike and then
decline for the Arab
Spring.

@MrobertsOnline


MAINTAIN CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION
As the production goes on and more people get involved, keeping everyone
on the same page is crucial.
• To develop the content, we have to
communicate the vision with
designers, researchers, copywriters
, and developers
• Use the same visuals to execute as
you used to sell it.
– This helps ensure the
designers will build the
content the stakeholders
approved.
• Not everyone is an art director.
Ensure everyone is only
contributing to what their skill set
is best at.
@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

HOW TO MEASURE VALUE AND
EFFECTIVENESS


LOOK AT ENGAGEMENT PER POST
Focus on this and you’ll gain new insights into what your audience likes, be
able to compare your results month over month and compare yourself
against competitors.
3 Tools that will help you measure this:
• True Social Metrics.com
• All My Plus.com
• Simply Measured.com

@MrobertsOnline


/ COVARIO

THANK YOU!
Any questions?


/ COVARIO

ADVANCED OPPORTUNITIES


NEED ADDITIONAL PEOPLE AND SKILLS
There are huge opportunities, but also more hurdles to get there.
• All of these advanced opportunities require additional skill sets.
– Front-end developer
– User experience / interface designer (UX/UI)
– Back-end developer
– Copywriter
– Graphic designer

@MrobertsOnline


INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHIC AND STRESS QUIZ
Take the quiz an see how long you have till you lose it.
Results:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/genericHtmlTemplate.do?pagename=cruise_v
acation_stress_quiz

@MrobertsOnline


PERSONALIZED CONTENT
Content can now change based on who is viewing it.
• Hubspot has created an automated tool that evaluates how well your website
is being marketed and gives you personalized feedback.
• Very relevant and therefore valuable.

@MrobertsOnline


DYNAMIC CONTENT
Some new opportunities with content that refreshes and changes with realtime data.
• APIs, scrapers and other live data feeds allow us to collect information and
feed that into our content.
• The content could be updated in real time based on activity on social
channels, the weather, traffic patterns, or our geographic location.
• Very relevant and constantly being refreshed.

@MrobertsOnline


A Framework for How to Produce Highly Shareable Content - Social Media Strategies Summitt - San Francisco 2013

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