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From  Student  to  Prospect:  How  Educa5onal  Content  Qualifies,  Nurtures,  and  Mo5vates  Leads  

Presented  by:  Sylvia  Montgomery,  CPSM  

Sylvia  Montgomery,  CPSM  Senior  Partner,  Hinge  Marke9ng  smontgomery@hingemarke9ng.com      Connect  with  me  on  LinkedIn:  in/sylviamontgomery    Follow  Me  on  TwiCer:  @BrandStrong    

Available  at:    www.hingemarke5ng.com/library  

Content  Marke5ng  Guide  for  Professional  Services  Firms  

Today’s  Presenter  

Agenda  

•  Today’s  reality  

•  Case  for  content  marke9ng  

•  Content  marke9ng  vehicles  

•  Deconstruc9ng  content  marke9ng:  Fosdick  &  Hilmer    

•  Engaging  &  building  trust  through  content  

•  The  role  of  offers,  analy9cs  and  social  media  

•  Wrap-­‐up  and  ques9ons  

FACTS:  Firms  that  generate  at  least  40%    of  their  leads  online  grow  4x  faster  

***  Firms  that  generate  at  least  60%  of  their  leads  online    

are  2x  as  profitable      

GROW  4X  FASTER  

 CASE  FOR  CONTENT  MARKETING  

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Increasingly,  companies  rely  on    informa2on  they  find  online.  

Today,  the  way  people  find  and  vet    professional  services  firms  is  changing.  

             

People  who  buy  professional    services  go  online    

 

to  educate  themselves  before  they  buy.  

When  they  discover  a  source  of  valuable  educa9onal  content  they  come  back  again  and  again.    

 

 They  begin  to  trust  the  firm  that  produced  it.  

 

And  when  they  are  ready  to  buy,    people  will  

 prefer  the  firm  they  already  know  and  trust.    

         

In  short,  if  you’re  not  online,      

you  aren’t  where  your  clients  are.  

 

Content  Marke5ng:  

Producing  and  distribuDng  material  that  is  valuable  and  interesDng  to  your  target  audience.  

•  It’s  not  easy.  

•  It  takes  9me  to  build  up  a  stock  of  valuable  content.  

•  You  have  to  keep  at  it.  

•  Compe99on  is  increasing.  

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The  Case  for  Content  Marke5ng  

•  It  demonstrates  exper9se.            

•  It  lets  prospects  understand  your  thinking  and  approach.  

•  Search  engines  love  content.  

•  It  helps  qualify  and  nurture  leads  and  build  your  brand.  

•  It’s  less  expensive  than  tradi9onal  outbound  marke9ng.  

•  It  works  around  the  clock  and  around  the  globe.  

•  Online  leads  from  content  drive  growth  and  profitability.  

Buyers’  top  selec5on  criteria  

       

And  online  marke9ng  is  an  ideal  way      

to  let  the  world  know  how  good  you  really  are.  

 CONTENT  MARKETING  VEHICLES  

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Open Access

Minimal Registration

Registration and

Deeper Interaction

Blog posts Newsletters Webinars

Articles Whitepapers Speaking engagements

Videos Research studies Free consultations

Infographics Books and guides

SlideShare presentations

Content  Marke5ng  Vehicles  

The  Most  Effec5ve  Content  Marke5ng  Tools  

DECONSTRUCTING  CONTENT  MARKETING:  FOSDICK  &  HILMER  

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 1.  Started  with  keyword  research:  Combined  Heat  and  Power  was  the  

technical  term  referenced  by  staff  

•  Cogenera5on  was  a  beCer  online  word  –  greater  traffic  online,  achievable  authority  and  not  as  much  content  out  there.    –  Cogenera9on  reliability          48  (difficulty)  –  Benefits  of  combined  heat  and  power        48  –  Economic  benefits  of  cogenera9on        46  –  Waste  heat  recovery            52  –  Waste  heat  u9liza9on            52  –  CHP  efficiency  improvements        44  

2.  DraZed  content,  in  the  form  of  a  guide.    

Fosdick  &  Hilmer’s  first  guide  consisted  of  5  sec9ons  and  was  9tled,  “The  Guide  to  CogeneraDon  Plant  Solu2ons”.  The  five  sec9ons  included  were:  –  How  Does  a  Cogenera5on  Plant  Work?  –  Why  Combined  Heat  and  Power  Lowers  Costs  for  Facili9es  –  The  Cogenera5on  Plant  as  Sustainable  Hea5ng  Solu9on    –  How  Cogenera5on  Enhances  System  Reliability  –  Weighing  the  Benefits  of  Combined  Heat  and  Power    

 

Content  Offer  

Conversion  Form  

3.  Repurposed  parts  of  the  guide  content  into  blog  posts.    

CONTENT  MARKETING  TOPIC  GENERATORS  

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•  What  are  the  services  you  want  to  grow?    

•  Which  services  produce  the  best  results?  

•  Where  do  you  have  a  compe99ve  advantage?  

•  Which  services  have  the  best  financial  profile?  

Iden5fy  the  Issues  Your  Firm  Can  Address  

Iden5fy  the  Primary  Issues  of  Clients  and  Prospects  

Do  your  research:  

•  You  don’t  know  clients  and  prospects  as  well  as  you  think.  

•  Current  clients  may  not  be  representa9ve  of  the  market.    

•  Research-­‐driven  facts  help  shape  staff  behavior.    

•  Market  research  can  illuminate  which  services  you  should  offer  and  how  

and  when  to  offer  them.  

Iden5fy  the  Primary  Issues  of  Clients  and  Prospects  

Do  your  research:  

•  Consult  sales  and  account  teams  to  learn  what  ques9ons  and  objec9ons  

they  get  regularly.  

•  Ask  your  followers.  

•  Iden9fy  implementa9on,  strategic,  measurement,  socio-­‐economic  shigs,  

and  legal  issues  (jurisdic9onal  regula9ons,  federal  laws,  etc.)  

Iden5fy  the  Primary  Issues  of  Clients  and  Prospects  

Look  to  the  media:  

•  Learn  about  trends  from  tradeshows  and  conferences  

•  See  what’s  trending  in  the  news  and  on  social  media  

•  Look  to  your  compe9tors  

FreemanWhite  

Iden5fy  the  Primary  Issues  of  Clients  and  Prospects  

Iden2fy  high-­‐performing  exis2ng  content:  

•  What  exis9ng  content  has  generated  the  most  traffic?  

•  What  exis9ng  content  has  been  shared  most  on  social  media?  

•  How  can  you  repurpose  that  popular  content?  

DeloiCe  Financial  Advisory  Services  began  to  ask:  “What  changes  are  coming  to  healthcare  in  the  US?”        2014's  topics  included  such  hot  topics  as  Big  Data,  Opera9onal  Efficiencies,  Hospital  Mergers  and  Cost  Reduc9on  Strategies.  

An  Unexpected  Partnership:  Array  Architects  and  Deloi]e  

Look  for  the  Overlap  

What  Topics  are  Relevant  to  Those  Issues?  

•  The  services  you  want  to  grow:    

•  Engineering  services  for  universi9es  and  hospitals  

•  The  issue  that  clients  have:    

•  Independently  operated  heat  and  power  systems  are  not  cost  

effec9ve,  reliable,  or  sustainable  

•  Relevant  topics  (keywords)  around  the  issue:  

•  Cogenera9on  

•  Combined  heat  and  power  

Determine  Appropriate  Content  Types  for  the  Topics  

•  Stock  content:  Long-­‐las9ng  content  with  true  value  

•  Research  studies  

•  eBooks  

•  Guides  

•  Flow  content:  Everyday  content  meant  for  community-­‐type  conversa9on  

•  Blog  posts  

•  Tweets  

Gensler  Workplace  Survey  

•  This  was  the  5th  study  on  this  topic.  

•  It  posi9ons  Gensler  as  an  expert  and  can  help  drive  conversa9ons  with  prospects  in  their  target  audiences.  

•  It  provides  ac9onable  points  for  any  client  to  take  –  independent  of  Gensler  (“giving  stuff  away”).  

•  It  has  “legs”  and  connects  to  many  other  pieces  of  content  produced  by  Gensler.  

Validate  Your  Content  Topics  

•  Small-­‐scale  implementa9on  with  content  topics  

•  Use  topics  as  discussions  in  industry  forums  and  LinkedIn  groups  

•  Write  sample  posts  on  the  topics  

•  Do  presenta9ons  on  the  topics  

•  Track  your  results  

•  Make  the  calendar  a  shareable  resource  for  all  team  members.  

•  Schedule  out  content  marke9ng  ac9vity  in  advanced  so  you  can:  

•  Build  content  around  important  dates  and  key  events  

•  Uncover  any  gaps  in  your  content  marke9ng  plan  

•  Allow  sufficient  9me  to  prepare  and  publish  content  

•  For  each  type  of  content,  determine  the  best:  

•  Frequency  

•  Time  of  day  

•  Day  of  the  week  

Build  Out  a  Content  Calendar  

•  Poten9al  things  to  include  for  each  piece  of  content:  

•  Title  and  descrip9on  

•  Status  

•  Publica9on  date  

•  Type  of  content  

•  Team  members  involved  

•  Promo9onal  ac9vi9es  

•  Keywords  

•  Metrics  

Build  Out  a  Content  Calendar  

ENGAGING  &  BUILDING  TRUST  THROUGH  CONTENT  

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10  Tips  for  Be]er  Marke5ng  Content  

1.  Make  your  content  useful  and  prac9cal.  

2.  Write  to  a  real  person.  

3.  Your  reader  is  in  the  5th  grade.  

4.  The  9tle  is  the  most  important  part  of  your  content.  

5.  Make  it  easy  to  scan.  

6.  No  sales  pitches.  

7.  Always  offer  a  next  step.  

8.  Tell  a  story.  

9.  Be  specific.  

10.  Add  personality.  

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5  Blunders  to  Avoid  

1.  The  right  content  in  the  wrong  place.  

2.  Too  much  detail.  

3.  Superficial  blather.  

4.  Focus  on  the  right  problem.  

5.  Don’t  be  self  serving.  

47  

Real  World  Example:  Fosdick  &  Hilmer  Newsle]er  Subscrip5on  

Wri5ng  isn’t  enough.  You  need  to  get  out  the  word,  too.  

Build  high-­‐quality  external  links  to  each  piece.  

Find  ar9cle  and  blogging  opportuni9es  to  improve  your  visibility.    

Promote  your  content  on  LinkedIn  and  TwiCer.  

Tradi5onal  PR  tac5cs  have  a  place  online  •  Breaking  Energy  (domain  of  67)  -­‐-­‐  Breaking  Energy  provides  access  to  

news,  analysis,  thought  leadership,  reference  materials  and  discussions  about  the  day’s  most  important  energy  market  trends.    

•  Sharing  on  Social  Media  -­‐-­‐  Wondering  how  a  Cogenera9on  Plant  works?  Check  out  our  newest  blog  post  to  learn  more!  [bit.ly/3a98s]  

 LEVERAGING  YOUR  RESOURCES  

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•  Who  will  develop  the  content  marke9ng  strategy?  

•  Who  will  conduct  research  on  prospects  and  clients?  

•  Who  will  develop  website  func9onality  for  content?  

•  Who  will  write  the  content?  

•  Who  will  promote  the  content?  

•  Who  will  analyze  the  results  of  your  content?  

Organizing  Resources  for  Content  Implementa5on:    

THE  ROLE  OF  OFFERS,  ANALYTICS  AND  SOCIAL  MEDIA  

58  

Incorporate  Offers  Into  Your  Content  

•  Once  you  get  visitors  to  your  website,  they  need  to  convert.  

•  Offer  strategies  typically  revolve  around  increasing  engagement  and  

building  trust.  

•  Offers  need  to  be  tailored  to  the  audience.  

•  Forms  and  how  many  fields  you  will  request  visitors  to  fill  out.  

Track  How  Your  Content  is  Performing  

•  Track  what  is  happening  on  your  website.  

•  How  are  visitors  finding  you?  

•  What  content  pieces  are  visitors  downloading?  

•  What  are  visitors  doing  while  on  the  website?  

Fosdick  &  Hilmer’s  Analy5cs  

Track  How  Your  Content  is  Performing  

•  Key  metrics  to  track  

•  Overall  website  traffic  and  traffic  by  source  

•  Overall  conversion  rates  and  and  conversions  by  source  

•  Number  of  downloads  for  each  piece  of  content  

•  Total  number  of  keywords  genera9ng  traffic  

•  Keyword  clusters  

 

Google  Analy5cs:  • Unique  Visits  • Time  on  Site  

• Pages  per  Visit  • Bounce  Rate  

• Goal  Conversions    

• Leads  • Number  of  Clients  

• Sales    

Fosdick  &  Hilmer’s  Analy5cs  

The  Content  Marke5ng  Engine  

Online  Marke5ng  for    Professional  Services  

Available  at:  www.hingemarke5ng.com/library  

Content  Marke5ng  Guide  for  Professional  Services  Firms  

Inside  the  Buyer’s  Brain  

Brand  Building  Guide  for  Professional  Services  Firms  

Free  Resources  

Connect  with  Hinge      

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 www.hingemarke5ng.com    703.391.8870  

Sylvia  Montgomery  Senior  Partner,  Hinge  Marke9ng  smontgomery@hingemarke9ng.com      Connect  with  me  on  LinkedIn:  In/sylviamontgomery    Connect  on  TwiCer:  @BrandStrong    

Thank  you!  Ques5ons?