Content Marketing Building the Bridge to Success

Presenters:

Jon O’BrienExecutive DirectorKeystone Contractors Association

Patty SwisherSr. Manager MarCommUPMC Enterprises

Content marketing is at the top of the 2017 CMO agenda, with PQ Media forecasting it to be a $300-plus billion industry by 2019.

http://www.cmo.com/interviews/articles/2017/2/22/a-conversation-with-joe-pulizzi-putting-content-marketing-success-in-context.html#gs.5NwK3SU

“ All this content that we’re putting out there, doesn’t make any difference unless it moves, unless people connect with it, unless people read it and share it, engage with it and comment on it…”

Mark Schaefer, author, speaker

B2B Content Marketing Trends 2017 1. Increased adoption of content marketing.

2. An increase in content marketing maturity.

3. Content creation and strategy developments.

4. Increased importance of documented content marketing strategies.

5. Emphasis on lead generation and web traffic.

6. Evolution of content creation tools.https://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/22199.aspx

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on

creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and

consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience

— and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/

Content Marketing is built…

http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/11-Put_Your_CustomersNeeds_FirstMake_them

Your Brand Purpose

What Your Customers

Want

Content Marketing

Your firm’s brand strength is a combination of your firm’s reputation

multiplied by your visibility in the marketplace.

Content Marketing helps you increase both.

-- Hinge Marketing

1. Setting Objectives2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs3. Execution & Amplification Plan4. Measurement & Metrics

4 Steps to Building a Content Strategy

Setting Content Strategy Objectives1

What is your Content Marketing Mission?

• Become a destination for [target audience] interested in [topics]. To help them [customer value]

• This will help us [content marketing goals]

http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/20-Content_marketing_mission_statementBecome_a

Content Marketing Mission Example:

• Become a destination for [higher education facilities managers] interested in [delivering successful lab projects]. To help them [accomplish their goals]

• This will help us [to become known as the “go to” firm for education research lab projects.]

http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/20-Content_marketing_mission_statementBecome_a

Objectives

Why are you doing this at all?

What are your Content Marketing Goals?

A few examples: SPECIFICNot Specific: “I will use social media to increase brand awareness.”Specific: “I will create a campaign of hashtag contests on Twitter to increase brand awareness.”

MEASURABLENot measurable: “I will increase my reach and engagement on social media.”

Measurable: “I aim to increase my reach by 100 followers a week and answer all queries over Twitter within 24 hours.”

ATTAINABLENot Attainable: “Double the number of my followers every day on every social network forever.”

Attainable: “Grow my Facebook audience by 25 followers a week, and my Twitter followers by 35 a week for the next quarter.”

1. Setting Objectives2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs3. Execution & Amplification Plan4. Measurement & Metrics

4 Steps to Building a Content Strategy

Defining Clients’ and Audience Needs2

How do You Build a Client Persona?A Client Persona is fictional, generalized character that encompasses the various needs, goals, and observed behavior patters among real and potential customers.

Build your Client Personas with• Demographics – M/F, Single/Married, age, religion

• Psychographics – attitudes, aspirations, habits, hobbies, values

• Market – Healthcare, Banking, Manufacturing

• Geography – local, regional, national, international

Client Persona

Development Worksheet

Bridge: What does Client Persona/ Audience Development Determine?• What kind of content to create

• What tone, style, and delivery strategies you need to develop

• What topics and targets should you focus on to help continually grow your business

• How your Content Strategy will evolve

So, what might your Client Persona Look Like?

Repeat ClientChallenges are easily identifiable

Know how they like to communicateCan help them communicate internally

Potential ClientNeed to better understand mission & brand

May have in-town and out-of-town decision makers

Multiple Entities InvolvedBaby Boomers, GenX, and Millennials may make up

decision makers/influencersOwner does not know your brand; ongoing relationship with architect; focusing on proposed team members

Define Audience Needs

Bridge: What do your Audiences Need [Want] to Know?

• All Content should seek to Educate, Inform, or Entertain

• Quality content provides value

• Consider where your audience will consume this content (Mobile? Desktop?)

• Detailed Case Studies for Projects “like mine”

• Pain points and FAQs

Awareness

Consideration

Preference

Purchase

Repeat

Quality Content around broader, shareable topics that drive visibility and engagement. Blog Articles, Infographics, Videos.

Content that is useful and timely. Niche topics, market specific to your offering and solution. More detailed features/benefits; assessment tools, process documents.

Combination of content to a more defined audience specific to audience needs. White papers, detailed project sheets, testimonials, Calls to Action.

Custom Content that answers buyer key concerns. FAQs, Research Studies, Ebooks, Webinars, Exclusive Events/Workshops.

Custom Content that reinforces buying decision. Customer-Only Events/Workshops, Loyalty Programs, Exclusive Client-Only Content (email), Case Studies.

Bridging Content to the Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs: Awareness

Recognition of a Need• Appeal to broad audience

• What types of messages?• Provide information –Guides, Blogging, Articles, Infographics, Videos, Social Media

• Project Features

Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs: Consideration What are the alternatives?

• Target audience; might buy in next 12 months• Info to make better decision• Prospect becomes a LEAD

• What are your messages?• Project Features/Benefits• White papers; project info. sheets, ebooks, research studies, reports

Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs Preference: Narrowing the field

• More defined audience; purchase likely.

• What are your messages?• White Papers; detailed project sheets, project tours, free trials

• Advantages• How your product/service differs from competitors

• Testimonials of other satisfied clients

Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs Preference:

What do they need to know to select between TWO good options?

• Does your process/service satisfy the direct need?

• Does your process/service make an emotional AND logical connection with the client?

• Limited time/special offers• Testimonials that reinforce

buying decision

Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs Purchase:

Stages in the Buying Cycle

Have you compelled the client to make a purchase?

• Is it easy for them to do?• User guides, FAQs of new

clients, Blog posts aimed at new clients, client loyalty/reward programs, Events/ workshops for new clients only, ongoing email campaign to create loyal clients

1. Setting Objectives2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs3. Execution & Amplification Plan4. Measurement & Metrics

4 Steps to Building a Content Strategy

Execution & Amplification3

Execution:Three General Types of Content:Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people to click through to your website, blog or landing page and share.

Execution: Three General Types of Content:Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people to click through to your website, blog or landing page and share.

Photos, Images

GIFsInfographics

Headlines

Execution: Three General Types of Content:Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people to click through to your website, blog or landing page and share.Engagement Content – The strategic use of educational, informative, entertaining and inspiring content that builds credibility, trust and linking

Execution: Three General Types of Content:Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people to click through to your website, blog or landing page and share.Engagement Content – The strategic use of educational, informative, entertaining and inspiring content that builds credibility, trust and linking

Long Form Blogs Short Videos

Live Streaming Videos PodCastsCrowd-sourced/User Generated Content

Execution:Three General Types of Content:Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people to click through to your website, blog or landing page and share.Engagement Content – The strategic use of educational, informative, entertaining and inspiring content that builds credibility, trust and linkingConversion Content– Capturing those all important leads and producing sales is the real end game for traffic and engagement.

Landing PagesWebinars

Ebooks

Interactive Content (Quizzes & Surveys)

Execution: Build a Content Calendar

Execution: Calendar –Excel Spreadsheet/Google Docs

What might my content include?

Amplification

How will We Share Our Content?

What forms of Content Build the Bridge to Success?• Website Homepage/Blog/News

• Email Blasts

• E-Newsletters

• (Organic) Social Media Posts

• Employees’ Social

• Customers’ Social

• Paid Social

• PR/Earned Media

• Webinars

• Guest Posts

• Paid Media

• Programmatic Marketing (Retargeting)

• Digital Advertising

• On-Page/Off-Page SEO

• Display Ads

• Offline Ads (Print)

Build the Bridge to Success Across all Social Media

Blog Post & Tweets

Pre-Event Promotional Tweets

Blog & Press

Across Platforms

Across Platforms

1. Setting Objectives2. Defining Clients’ & Audience Needs3. Execution & Amplification Plan4. Measurement & Metrics

4 Steps to Building a Content Strategy

Measurement & Metrics 4

Consumption Metrics

Sharing Metrics

Lead Generation

MetricsSales

Metrics

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/

Four Types of Content Metrics

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/

Build: Consumption MetricsHow many people viewed, downloaded or listened to this content?

Help you measure Brand Awareness and Website Traffic

• Page/Video Views

• Downloads

• Social Chatter

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/

Build: Sharing MetricsHow often is this content shared?

Help you measure Brand Awareness and Engagement

• Likes, Shares, +1s, Pins

• Forwards

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/

Build: Lead Gen MetricsHow often does content consumption result in a lead?

Help you measure Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, and Engagement

• Form Completion and Downloads

• Email Subscriptions

• Blog Subscriptions

• Blog Comments

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/

Build: Sales MetricsDid we actually make any money because of this content?

How you measure customer acquisition and sales goals

• Online Sales

• Offline Sales

• Google Analytics

Summary

4 Steps to a Content Strategy1. Setting Objectives

2. Defining Buyers & Audience Needs

3. Execution & Amplification Plan

4. Measurement & Metrics

Questions?

Thank you.

Patty Swisherpmswish@gmail.comTwitter @pmswish

Jon O’Brienjonob.pa@gmail.comTwitter @KCA_Builds