As companies discover the power of content to drive and nurture leads and deepen customer relationships, they’re looking at turning their marketing teams into content producers. But with content marketing comes great responsibility — and sometimes before they begin, brands don’t stop to think about the important things. Why are we doing this? How will we keep it going? How can we get the most out of our efforts? Are we really giving customers what they want and need?
In this session, we’ll explore how a solid content strategy can help your company nurture the good, tame the bad, and head off the ugly in your content marketing efforts. We’ll talk about:
• What a content marketing strategy is and how it supports successful content marketing initiatives
• How to create a content marketing strategy that improves customer experiences (rather than further muddying the waters with confusing, conflicting or unhelpful content)
• The unpleasant but very necessary topic of governance: ownership, standards and process
• Mining your company’s internal expertise — and making it relevant for customers
• Taking content marketing to the next level: how to use content strategy to evolve into a true thought leader
12. Long-term benefits of quality content marketing
Early stage
Middle stage
Later stage
More inbound
inquiries
Faster sales
cycles
Increased
customer loyalty
More short listing
Higher close rates
Higher lifetime
value
Bigger deal sizes
Source: Laura Ramos, Forrester
15. But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
26. Themes and topics
What you
uniquely
know
Frequency
Channels
Where
You
Credibly
Play
What your
audience
cares about
Curation
27. Themes and topics
What you
uniquely
know
Frequency
Channels
Where
You
Credibly
Play
What your
audience
cares about
Curation
Your Content Framework
28. Point of view statement
The only way for a company to become a leader and sustain success is for the
customer to be at the center of everything it does. Good customer service is just
good business: it helps companies be more profitable and maximize customer
lifetime value.
COMPANY is the source for the tools, expertise and insights you need to build and
grow your customer-centric business and keep your team focused on creating
memorable, exceptional experiences for your customers.
29.
30.
31.
32. Content goals
Build loyalty and trust
Give consumers an informative, accessible, pressure-free way to learn about
your product, helping to reduce anxiety and build confidence in a way that will
support customer loyalty to your brand.
Provide information in the way customers want to consume it
Create a mix of written, visual and video content, and package information in a
clear way, with the right balance of emotion and detail.
Give consumers an easy place to start — and the ability to go deeper
Content will be architected in a way that allows users to start with basic
questions and information, then will lead them to more in-depth information as
they move deeper into the sales funnel.
33. Audiences and funnel stages
Awareness
Research
Consideration
Purchase
Relationship
WHAT THE CUSTOMER IS DOING
Deciding to buy; beginning to
plan
Researching online;
educating himself about
the basics
Comparing products in
store to what he saw
online; narrowing down
choices; consulting others
Making his final decision
and deciding on a
purchase
Implementation, thinking
about growing the
solution
Satisfied, relieved, happy,
proud
Excited and relieved, then
overwhelmed
Help consumer make his
final decision and feel
good about it
Bring consumer back for
“what’s next” and
continue to serve him
through the next stage
CUSTOMER MINDSET
Excited, anxious/nervous,
overwhelmed with options,
discouraged about cost
Interested, engaged,
tentative
Hopeful, careful
CONTENT GOALS
Help consumer overcome
sense of being overwhelmed or
discouraged; give him a logical
starting point to understand
options and decisions.
Help consumer explore
options, understand
tradeoffs and factors,
embrace variety and
choice
Answer more advanced
questions and help
consumer make his final
decision
CONTENT THEMES, TOPICS, TYPES
101-level basics, answers to
basic questions, checklists,
primer videos, easy
infographics and “maps”
Basic overviews,
comparison charts,
decision guides, answers
to basic concerns that
arise during early
research
Answers to more advanced
concerns that come up
during research, tips for
weighing choices
Emotion-driven content
(testimonials, proposal
stories), confidencebuilding content (postpurchase issues)
Guidance on processes,
issues, getting most
mileage out of product
34. Content mix
AWARENESS
• Software 101
CONSIDERATION
• Revenue growth
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Global trade
Design best practices
Top trends in software design
Marketing techniques
Monetization
Programming tips by OS
Hosting
Intellectual property basics
Financial issues
RELATIONSHIP
• Advanced tips
•
•
Securing VC funding
Distribution to specific global
regions
35. Content guidelines by channel
BLOG
EBOOKS/GUIDES
WHITE PAPERS /
BRIEFING PAPERS
VIDEOS
W
PURPOSE
Become central
repository for all content
relevant to our
audiences
Add value with credible,
relevant content
Add value with credible,
relevant content that's more
specific and educates about
product
Engage and
entertain, add
credibility
Eng
cred
GOALS
Become a customerfocused small business
resource melding
business, technology
and culture relevant to
personas; serve both
customers and
prospects
Generate and nurture leads
and add value for existing
customers by offering
valuable, helpful,
educational content
packaged for a specific
audience. Help prospects
feel confident.
Generate and nurture leads
and add value by offering
specific, timely and detailed
information. Help prospects
and customers feel
confident. Show how
software works with other
experts on the pulse.
Generate and
nurture leads and
add value to existing
customers with
inspirational,
informative, thoughtprovoking videos
Gen
lead
exis
infor
web
diffe
of vi
topic
Focused on a topic that
personas really care about;
answers common questions;
should be issue-focused
instead of product-focused;
writing at basic to
intermediate level.
Like a issue paper or longer
article vs. an ebook; topics
can be more specific and
written for more targeted
audiences. Technical
product information more
appropriate here. Briefs
showcasing data, research,
case studies by external
experts. Writing at
intermediate to advanced
level.
Interviews with
customers, panels,
use cases (how
Desk is used to
solve for specific
issues), meet the
team/internal
expertise (helps with
community-building)
Cus
spea
spea
serv
topic
spec
CONTENT
Good mix of product vs.
business, basic
(making the case, 101
education) vs.
advanced (playbooks
and detailed advice
from experts and peers.
40. Process definition
eBook: 5 week process
Topic
generation
Vet with
content
review board
(optional)
3 days
2 weeks
First
review
Second
draft
Director
review
Final
draft
Design
and
publish
2 days
Research and
writing
3 days
2 days
2 days
1 week
Blog: 2 week process
Managing
editor assigns
topics
Write draft
posts
First round
edits/back to
writer if
needed
Editor
edits/finalizes
1 week
3 days
2 days
Director
approval
Publish
2 days
1 day
42. Content priorities/production guidelines
Tier 1: Premium/
Proprietary Content
Criteria: Original research, first-time
publication, data-driven but with a
narrative, fostering external credibility
Tone: Educational, more formal, smart
and incisive, upbeat
Frequency: Quarterly/semi-annual
Creators: Professional
writers/marketing, or subject matter
experts with support of professional
editors
Extending the Value: Complementary
content to support sharing at every
level: social content, video, PPT
decks, infographics, blog posts
Tier 2: Current Events /
Awareness Content
Criteria: Smaller bites of thoughtprovoking content, highlighting
individual expertise, conveys unique
POV, timely
Tone:
Smart, conversational, upbeat, succinct
, humorous (when appropriate)
Frequency: Regularly (a few times a
week)
Creators: Subject matter
experts, salespeople, marketing
Extending the Value: Sharing on
social channels, curating and
packaging “best of” content into more
premium publications
43. Content mileage and lifecycle
Create other content if:
•
•
•
Appeals to multiple audiences
Can be useful at different levels of expertise
Can be broken down into multiple topics
•
•
•
•
Can create a case study
Can create a video interview
Can create slides
Can get an expert to speak
Webinar
ebook
blog posts,
white
paper
Video
Email offer
Infographic
Twitter, FB
48. Content quality standards
CREDIBLE
Accurate, high-quality original content supports our position
as a market leader.
VALUABLE
Content educates or supports our customers' goals, helping
them get more out of their investment, make
decisions, advocate a position to colleagues, etc.
TIMELY
Keeps customers up to speed on current issues and best
practices.
RELEVANT
Customers will believe we have the best voices and smartest
thinking on topics that matter to them and their businesses.
49. Voice guidelines
Trusted
We’re here to help, not sell; give advice, not a pitch.
Human
Language is conversational, friendly and encouraging. We
speak in the second person (“you”) and use plain English.
Business and industry jargon is OUT.
Genuine
We don’t use unauthentic slang to sound trendy.
Smart
We’re informal but informed, intelligent but not overly clever.
Empathetic
We know this purchase is a big deal. Our positive, descriptive
language shows it.
51. Measurement
Step 1: Benchmark where we are today
Step 2: Define goals: improve upon where we are today (before/after comparison)
Step 3: Choose and track metrics
Qualitative
• Survey employees
• Editorial board
• Comments
Quantitative
• Number of page views
• Time on page
• Bounce rate
• Social shares (email or tweet to others)
• Survey results
• Number of subscriptions to blog
• Response to emails
• Results of A/B testing
Step 4: Review and optimize regularly (quarterly)