CONTENT MARKETINGINSTITUTE

YourEngaging

Content

Kick-Start Guideto

Engaging Content

How to Produce Engaging Content

Measuring Engagement

Cont

ents

2

Summary

Thomas Clifford

About CMI

Your Cheat Sheet

About the Author

The Content Marketing Institute

Part 1Engaging ContentLet’s get on the same page, shall we?

page 7

Introductionpage 7

Part 2 How to Produce Engaging ContentLike the Pros

page 14

Part 3 Measuring EngagementThe Why’s, What’s and How’s

page 24

page 35

page 38

page 39

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Let’s say you went to a movie.Not any ol’ movie, mind you. . .

But a movie so compelling you just have to tell your friends about it.Or jump on Twitter to spread the word.Or comment on blogs, YouTube or movie review sites.

Maybe the movie inspired you to write your own blog post. Or perhaps you were inspired to read more about a certain topic.

The movie compelled you to respond.You felt a need to tell others about your experience. You felt a connection. You responded & participated in some manner.

You did something.

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In a word, it’s all about engagement.

So what does all this movie stuff have to do with content marketing?

Content, like a great movie, can be engaging, too. Content can move your audience to respond in ways you might have never thought of.

Today, marketers are in the “engagement” business:Customers expect it. Marketers, take note.

If you’re new to content marketing or just wondering what all this fuss over “engagement” is about– we hear you.

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So what does “engaging content” mean? Is there one definition we can all agree on? Two? Three?

Does “engaging content” mean different things to different industries? Different markets? Different audiences?

And the questions keep rollingDoes “engagement” mean how many leads were generated? How many people commented? Web traffic hits? Twitter followers?

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Professional content marketers must knowHow do they define “engaging content?” Is there a “secret ingredient” they look for when determining if a marketing piece is engaging?

Imagine you’re at a roundtable of 20 professional content marketers and you asked them four simple questions:

1. “ What does “engaging content” mean to you?”

2. “ What tips can you share with others when they go about creating engaging content?”

3. “How do you measure engagement?”

4. “ What tools do content marketers use to measure engagement?”

Wouldn’t you love to hear the responses?

Well, you can.

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That’s exactly what Content Marketing Institute (CMI) did.

They got on the horn, went to the source and asked the experts.

Read on to find out how content marketing experts

define, create & measure engaging content.

You’ll also get some samples throughout.

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First things first: What does engaging mean?

The CMI contributors all agreed – sort of.It’s no surprise that the contributors responded differently. But when you look beyond the variety of responses, certain patterns emerge.

So what do the experts think “engaging content” means?You may be surprised. You’ll not only hear what engaging content means to them; you’ll learn the different qualities of engagement, too.

Keep your eyes peeled. You’ll start seeing some common threads and connections.

Part 1Engaging ContentLet’s get on the same page, shall we?

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Here’s how a few CMI contributing marketers define “engaging content.”

“Engaging means the same thing to me today as it did the first time I looked it up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a child. Engaging: ‘Tending to draw favorable attention or interest.’ There really isn’t a reason to add any more complexity to the definition simply because we are now faced with the challenge to produce ‘engaging’ content. Keeping it simple has its rewards.” - Jeremy Victor (@jeremyvictor)

“Genuinely engaging content is so attractive and appealing that it disarms you from your very first encounter…and makes you want to linger to learn more. When it really connects with you, it will take your breath away. It’s a little bit like love at first sight.” -Newt Barrett (@newtbarrett)

“I personally define ‘engaging content’ with the acronym ‘G.I.V.E.’: G – Great content - defined by giving

your audience useful, relevant, and

thought-provoking information that directly speaks to their interests and needs.

I – Influence - content that demonstrates your leadership, while also directing your audience to a certain behavioral outcome (permission marketing conversion, direct sale, etc.).

V – Value - expressed by your audience’s willingness to share content and make referrals on your behalf.

E – Economy - content that conveys critical information clearly and quickly, understanding short attention spans and the requirement to stand apart from a crowd.”

-Katie McCaskey (@KatieMcCaskey)

“Engaging content touches me on multiple levels. It stimulates me intellectually by challenging my beliefs. And it touches me emotionally by connecting with my hopes and fears.” -John Nawn (@perfectmeeting)

“Engaging content offers something new: a new perspective, an unexpected laugh, bits of knowledge, or something helpful, inspiring or entertaining. Engaging content gives your reader a peek at something he or she hasn’t seen before, but can relate to in some way.” -Shelly Bowen (@shelbow)

“Engaging content is anything that provides value to the lives of your prospects, customers or community members. It does not have to be elaborate; it simply needs to be valuable. Everyone is always talking about ‘relevancy’ and interchanging that with “engagement,” but really it’s about how much value are you genuinely adding to a person’s professional or personal life –and, I’m not talking about your product.” -Barbara Gago (@barbragago)

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While the comments differ slightly, digging a little bit further reveals four characteristics of engaging content that you can integrate into your own marketing efforts.

What are the four qualities of engaging content? 1. It is relevant2. It is unique3. It is entertaining and/or educational4. It tells a story

Here’s what a few CMI’s contributing marketers have to say about each aspect:

Relevance:“I think the question has it wrong. The issue is not what it means to ‘me’ but what it means to my target audience. Something that’s dry as dust to me may be groundbreaking to others. The key to creating engaging content, as in all marketing, is beginning with the customer and his/her needs.Before you create a whit of content, you need to understand what your customers’ and prospects’ pressing problems are. Ask yourself — or better yet, ask your customers — ‘What are your biggest challenges?’ and ‘What’s keeping you up at night?’ Help solve those issues in your content and I promise you’ll get an engaged audience.”- Wendy Marx (@wendymarx)

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Uniqueness:“Engaging content draws me into the moment. It gets me to think, but not so much that my head hurts. It leads me to see a need I didn’t see before, to view an old topic or idea in a new way, or to consider a different and better solution. It’s unique. It subtly disrupts my way of thinking without interrupting me like an ad. And engaging content doesn’t feel like I’m being ‘marketed to.’ Why? Because it focuses on me, not the marketer.” - Colleen Jones (@leenjones)

Entertaining/Educational:“For a prospect, engaging content needs to do one, or even better, both of two things:1. Help me2. Entertain meThis may seem selfish on the part of the prospect, but their time is valuable.  You simply must recognize who your prospects are and fulfill their needs and/or make them laugh.” - Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)

Storytelling:“Hyperbole and exclamation points do not engage readers. Engaging content starts and ends with telling a good story. Good stories require compelling characters, insider details and tales of challenges overcome. Like every area of life, there is no shortage of good stories in the business world.” - David Drickhamer (@leanroi)

So what does all this engagement theory mean to you?Let’s say your business is as common as shipping. Or as basic as water. How can you integrate these four qualities of engagement into your own content marketing strategy?

Try using video.In the upcoming sections, you’ll see how video easily captures all four qualities of engagement. We’ll also look at other non-video examples if video isn’t the right approach for your organization.

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tentSummary: What have we learned so far?1. “Engaging content” means different things to different people.2. There is no single definition for “engaging content.” 3. Four main characteristics of engaging content:

■ Make it relevant to your audience. ■ Provide something only you can provide (show your uniqueness!) ■ Be entertaining or educational. Better yet, offer both. ■ Use existing stories when you can or simply turn ideas into stories.

4. Video is a powerful and flexible engagement tool.

Next step: What does “engaging content” mean to you and your company? Find out by starting conversations with fellow marketers on your team. Ask your colleagues. Keep your eyes and ears open when looking at content others are creating. Observe what engages you. If you’re engaged, there’s a good reason. See if you can adapt those ideas into your own content marketing plans.

Hey, you may not be a Hollywood producer. . . . . .or a famous director. . .But now you know the “secret ingredients” for creating your own engaging blockbusters.Now that we’re on the same page, it’s time to show you five ways you can jump-start your own marketing content.

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And , yes, it’s easier than you think.Let’s take a look at two “real-life” examples.“Real-life” example #1Storytelling is a powerful way to create engaging content that combines all the qualities of engaging content: relevancy, education, entertainment and uniqueness.

Let’s take a look at how ShipServ tells its story.Doug Kessler, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Velocity, created a two-minute video highlighting ShipServ’s online directory benefits.

Doug: “For ShipServ, we did a stop-motion animation with Lego men to tell a simple story about their online directory — not something the shipping industry is used to (surprise is a key part of engagement).”

The challenge, of course, was a bit tricky: How does an online directory go about creating a message that engages an audience? The solution will surprise you.

Do yourself a favor. View the ShipServ video. It’s only two minutes.

Bonus: It’s guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing!

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tentWhat if stop-animation video isn’t a good fit for your brand?For whatever reason, stop-animation video may not be appropriate for your company’s image. That’s OK. There’s likely another video technique that can be adapted to suit your particular content marketing needs.

“Real-life” example #2How do you create content that engages an audience for something as simple and commonplace as water?

Charity: Water found a solution.

Charity: Water created a video that tells a compelling story from start to finish. Within the first fifteen seconds, you are hooked. And four minutes later, you are left with a strong call-to-action.

If the Charity: Water video style feels like a stretch to produce, the format can easily be adapted.

Interview your “hero” using video (like Charity: Water did). Then use your own in-house or stock photography and supporting graphics to enhance the story.

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Ahh– snowstorms.Aren’t they beautiful?When you’re inside, that is.But, hey, what if you’re driving in a snowstorm? Um, then they’re not so beautiful, right?They’re a bit nerve-wracking!

You could slip.Slide.Or lose traction all together.

Unless, of course, you have snow tires.Snow tires give you an extra edge in snowy conditions. They grip the road better than regular tires – boosting your traction and keeping you from drifting and slipping everywhere.

Part 2 How to Produce Engaging ContentLike the Pros

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Engaging content needs “traction,” too

Content designed to engage an audience needs, um, “snow tires.” Without those “snow tires” for extra “traction” to engage audiences, it’s tempting for audiences to drift and eventually slip away from your message. Leaving you with little interaction.

Interaction is the keyWith a few simple techniques added to your marketing strategy, you can learn how to give your content the extra “traction” it needs to start creating conversations, interacting and gathering feedback from your audience. And, yup, it’s easy to do.

It’s pretty darn easy to create content these daysDigital tools are ubiquitous. The cost of entry is often zero, or near zero.

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But it’s not enough for organizations to simply market themselvesCustomers are listening. Customers are participating.

And, like you, audiences everywhere are beginning to create content.

But how do you create “traction” and engagement for your content?How do you give content the “snow tires” and “grip” it needs for your audience? What methods can you rely on to encourage interaction with your customers?

That’s where Content Marketing Institute’s pros come in!

For almost next to nothing, a company can:■ Publish a blog.■ Write a manifesto and give it away.■ Create a video with a pocket-size camera.■ Produce audio podcasts.

It’s also possible to take existing materials to create new forms of content■ Turn white papers into several blog posts.■ Turn customer stories into articles, blog posts,

manifestos or short videos.■ Turn employee commitment stories into shareable

media that can be shared across the globe.

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tentCMI’s contributing marketers share five sure-fire ways to give your content the “traction” it needs for the “road to engagement.”

1. Think: Questions“The best way to engage your reader is by asking questions. I often start a blog post or a document with a simple question. Readers consider how they would answer the question and are immediately engaged. They continue reading because they don’t have an answer and want to find out. If they have an answer, they continue reading to see if their opinion are shared by the author. Additionally, ending a blog post with a question is an effective way to get people to leave a comment and become engaged in your post.”- Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)

2. Think: Humanity“Organizations should pay attention to video not only in that it is a medium that combines the power of traditional branding methods but also that it works toward humanizing the business and creating connectedness between all levels of employees and their customers.”- Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)

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“Use emotions to engage the brain. It doesn’t matter how well written your content is if readers aren’t emotionally involved

in what you have to say.You need to engage their brains by appealing to their emotions. Here’s an emotional pathway of content written for results, from start to finish: ■ Negative, a painful problem, a fear■ Positive, relief from a problem, benefits, imagine a better future■ Neutral, rational, logical analysis of facts■ Curiosity, desire, imagination■ Objections, reasons why and why not■ Scarcity, urgency, fear of consequences■ Trust: social proof, statistics, case studies, personal stories■ Call to action, clear next steps, reassurances, guarantees, security” - Patsi Krakoff (@Patsiblogsquad)

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3. Think: Simplicity “For engaging content, start with the basics of style. Put at least half of your writing effort into coming up with a great headline and a powerful lead. Cut through cliché and hack away at hackneyed or formulaic introductions. Slash stilted language, junk the jargon-filled corporate-speak and marketing platitudes. Pull out a good style guide, and read — again — the chapter on overblown language. Simple words, punchy sentences, short paragraphs are key. So much can be accomplished simply by cleaning up the style, before you even start to wrack your brain for novel, interesting and engaging content.” - Jennifer Watson (@ContextComm)

4. Think: Empathy“Making content more engaging requires truly understanding your audience and the world they live in.”

Can you “walk in your readers’ shoes” to better understand them?

Can you identify individual reader and buyer personas so you can customize the recommendations and wisdom you offer in your content? Do you know what terms they use to refer to your product or service? How is your product or service relevant to them given where they are in the buying cycle?

Making content more engaging requires careful, thoughtful and active listening so you can anticipate needs and questions and uncover patterns. The more you do so, the better you can craft uniquely engaging perspectives.

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5. Think: Story“To make your content more engaging, tell a story that reaches out and grabs readers. Even better, they want to make it their own and share it. Here are four places to look for stories:1. Brand exploits. Show another side of your

personality that connects with readers.2. Company history. Look for quirky tales and make them relevant now.3. Current trends. Can you create a unique brand and/or company angle?4. Customers. Think in terms of how your customers use your product or how it touches their

lives at important life moments.” - Heidi Cohen (@heidicohen)

All five elements have something in commonThese methods can be used anytime, anywhere – regardless of media. Do you have a new project coming up? Think about integrating a few of these techniques into your content – whether it’s video, audio or text.

“Don’t forget to check your ego and company- or product-centric notions at the door so you remain open to engaging with your readers.”- CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)

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“Real-life” example #3On a tight budget?Have limited resources? Here’s a way your company can incorporate several engagement elements without breaking the bank.

Take a look at Velocity’s The B2B Marketing Manifesto: Five Imperatives and Six Staples for Winning the Battle for Attention.

Velocity co-founder Doug Kessler describes the thinking behind the manifesto: “For Velocity, the B2B Marketing Manifesto was designed to engage B2B marketers with an in-your-face tone of voice, an explicit challenge to B2B marketers and a bold design (using spray paint and stencils!).”

- (@dougkessler)

The result? A marketing tool that challenges readers is simple to read and feels human.

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“Real-life” example #4Is your organization passionate about certain issues? Then try using questions to stimulate engagement.

It worked well for Sarah Mitchell.

Sarah Mitchell of Global Copywriting wrote a blog post framing her position and then inviting readers to share their thoughts and feedback.

“I discovered taking a stand is a really good way to get people engaged. I wrote a blog post titled, 6 Reasons for Refusing a LinkedIn Invitation, and it struck a nerve. The post went viral, garnered many comments on my blog and on LinkedIn, and continues to draw a reasonable amount of traffic months later. I started the post with a question and ended with one too. I got an earful of both positive and negative comments. I call that an engaging piece of content.”

- Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)

Publishing a blog is an excellent way to reinforce your commitment and create community dialogue.

Another bonus: Blogs are often free or cost very little to own.

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Wrapping upWith digital content tools falling into the hands of so many people, engagement is the next marketing frontier.■ While engaging content opens doors for people to

interact and respond with you, it requires a slight shift in thinking.

■ Focus on the five engagement methods to boost your content’s “traction.”

■ The five engagement methods can be universally applied across all types of media.

Next step:Chances are pretty good you have some existing marketing content kicking around the office. Take a minute and select a few pieces.■ What can you repurpose to start a conversation with

your audience? ■ Can you increase your “traction” by integrating any

of the five engagement methods into your blog? Or by writing a brief manifesto?

■ Can you take a single product, service or area of expertise and create a three-part series inviting feedback from your audience?

■ Don’t let your content get stuck in a snowstorm of marketing materials.

■ Give your content the “traction” it deserves. After all, your audience is, um, waiting!

So now you know what engaging content is.You know five ways to engage an audience.But how do you measure engagement? And what tools can you use to help you measure more quickly and accurately?

Hop on over to section three to find out.

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1. Considered your target profile? Check.

2. Created an engaging message? Check.

3. Published content to audience? Check.

Hmm.Now what?

It’s time to measure your engagementAchieving your marketing objectives depends on understanding

who, where and how people are responding to your marketing content.

Measuring that response is part of the engagement process.

Part 3 Measuring EngagementThe Whys, Whats and Hows

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Imagine hosting a surprise party for your best friend1. You considered who to invite? Check.2. Booked a band that rocks? Check.3. Sent out attractive invitations? Check.

But then, no one responded. Oops. The RSVP line on the invitation was missing.

Um, there’s a slight problemYou don’t know how many people will show up.How much food should be ordered?How many this, that and the other things will you need?

Without measuring a response, it’s difficult to know the best direction to take. The same concept applies to content measurement.

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Measuring content response is critically important for three reasons:1. To see if your objectives are being met. 2. To understand what action your audience is taking.3. To determine if you are reaching the right audience;

not just acquiring numbers without a purpose.

Let’s see how CMI’s contributing experts tackle each of these items:

1. To see if your objectives are being met

“When measuring engagement you are measuring the effectiveness of content marketing – just as you’d measure other marcomm tools that deliver on engagement. But it’s important to recall that engagement isn’t your end goal, it is delivery on objectives. It’s not enough to look only at ‘time spent per session’ or ‘unaided awareness’ – but to use all objectives’ measurements when and where possible. Engagement shouldn’t be your end goal, but delivery on your objectives should be.”

- Keith Wiegold (@contentkeith)

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2. To understand what action(s) your audience is taking“To measure engagement, marketers need to understand how well their content is moving buyers from one stage to the next. It starts with including a call-to-action and creating a unique landing page for every content asset, and then paying attention to prospects’ online behavior (coined “digital body language” by Steven Woods of Eloqua). By tracking how and how often prospects are consuming content online, marketers can gather clues about prospects’ intent. Marketers can then combine these insights with information about offline consumption of content, which can be measured using sales force automation and CRM systems.”

- Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)

3. To determine if you are reaching the right audience, not just acquiring large numbers“Although how you measure engagement will depend on your business goals, I believe that it’s critically important to remember that quality matters far more than quantity. Look for signs, both online and offline, that allow you to appreciate quality rather than quantity and gain context for the engagement you’ve created. You’re much better off with fewer well-qualified visitors who are eager to consume your content – because it’s relevant to them – than with an army of readers bouncing off your [to them] irrelevant content. That way you can fine tune your content, strengthen the engaging qualities and possibly even capture more quantity!”

- CB Whittemore (@cbwhittemore)

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Engagement is a process– not a goal

This makes measuring engagement different for everyone. Defining goals differs from person to person, project to project and company to company. This naturally leads to two simple questions: With so many variables at stake, how do you measure the ROI? And what about acquiring impressive numbers – don’t numbers tell the whole story?

Question #1: Does measuring engagement = ROI?“Measuring engagement isn’t really about ROI (at first),” says Barbra Gago (@barbragago).

“What you are trying to understand is whether people are:■ returning to your site (or social network)■ asking questions or commenting■ connecting with other community members■ sharing your content■ making comments about it elsewhere■ spending more time on your site over time■ attending events and tweeting (or talking) about them

These are good metrics to start with, but remember to research your target audience. If they are not active in the “Forrester technographic ladder”, don’t plan on much proactive content coming from your users.”

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Question #2: Does measuring engagement = impressive numbers?While numbers can be hypnotizing, they also don’t tell the whole story. Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow) emphasizes knowing your audience first.

“Engagement is not about numbers; it’s about people. So, if you want to measure engagement, you better start by carefully researching and identifying the group of people you want to activate. You may not need an army of thousands. You may only need the right five people to care about your content.

Once you have a clear picture of who your audience is, develop customized content. Now you are in position to develop metrics that reflect what success with this group of people will feel like. The benchmarks will vary greatly by company, but frequent starting points would be: 1. increased inbound links for key areas on your website, 2. click-throughs on social-only content offers, or 3. active blog commentary.”

Three popular areas of measurementDifferent distribution methods require different measuring tools. The three main measurement areas content marketers focus on are:1. Websites2. Social sharing3. Content interaction

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What types of engagement tools are available? There are five main categories of engagement tools available to measure audience interaction. The following list includes just a few examples of the many tools available to measure engagement levels. Feel free to explore them and decide which one(s) are best for your needs.1. Listening

■ Hootsuite■ Alterian■ Google Alerts■ Social Mention

2. Number and type of blog comments3. Social sharing widgets

■ AddThis■ ShareThis■ Facebook Like

4. Social media stats■ Facebook Insights■ YouTube stats■ Slideshare stats

5. Survey tools■ Kampyle ■ ClickTools

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Where do you begin?If you feel a bit overwhelmed and unsure how to start measuring audience engagement, there’s some good news. Start with these five favorite and popular measurement tools.These tools measure a range of content. Don’t feel compelled to use them all at first. Pick one or two that are appropriate for your needs and explore others later on.

1. Google Analytics “The starting point is often setting up a free Google Analytics package on your own website. You’ll immediately have access to a vast array of data, such as where are your site visitors coming from, how long do they stay, what content do they like best, etc. This is must-have intelligence because these visitors are likely to be your biggest ‘fans.’ They are the folks who already care about what you have to offer. More importantly, their data patterns can be the jumping off point to develop content for the folks who haven’t heard of you – yet.” - Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow)

2. Facebook Insights “Facebook Insights provides good numbers, but in my opinion, it does not slice the data in a meaningful way. We’ve started using some simple spreadsheets in combination with the Insights data to work against our objectives. That said, doing this has helped us to uncover some trends related to offline interactions and fan base growth on the Facebook page.” - Nate Riggs (@nateriggs)

3. Social Mention “To evaluate positive or negative sentiments about a particular piece of content, I recommend using Social Mention – a free tool that gives you real-time social media search results.” - Elise Redlin-Cook (@redlincook)

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Does creating engaging content really make a difference?It may seem like spending time educating an audience isn’t a smart investment of time. The reality is this: Creating content designed to engage people takes time.

Is there a payoff? Let’s take a look at two examples.“Real-life” example #5

CMI contributor Stephanie Tilton shares her insights on two examples of engaging content – drawing in audiences and generating measurable results for both companies.

Boosting inbound leads through education

FireEye microsite

“This customized site offers a range of content – including podcasts, video, eBooks and white papers – intended to educate IT administrators and executives on the confusing topic of malware. In the four months after the site was launched, about 28% of all inbound leads came directly from the microsite.”

4. Email marketing software analytics

“Email marketing software like MailChimp provide its own measurements for success.” - Sarah Mitchell (@globalcopywrite)

5. PDF tracking “Capture registration information when your PDF is downloaded and read.” - Stephanie Tilton (@stephanietilton)

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“Real-life” example #6

Driving new business opportunities with a free eBookDow Jones Taxonomy Folksonomy Cookbook

“This eBook features a really fun design and offers a refreshing – and easy-to-understand – exploration of the topic of enterprise metadata. First launched in June 2008, the eBook was downloaded more than 1,600 times and pumped 50 solid business opportunities into the sales pipeline by 2009.”

Measuring content mixes science and art. First, you’re a scientist. You collect any data you have access to and examine it. Then, you’re an artist. You look for patterns, themes and new directions to explore.

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What’s next?Now you know the why, how, and what about measuring engagement. Here are three things you can start doing immediately:

1. Determine your objective(s) when measuring engagement.

2. Decide what type of engagement you will measure.

3. Choose which measuring tools will help you reach your business objectives.

Hey, you may not be hosting a surprise party for your best friendBut you just may surprise your audience with some captivating content.

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Crunched for time? Looking for the engaging content “code” from this ebook? Here ya go!

This section sums up the entire ebook. You’ll find the summary for each section along with “Action Items” for each section. Speaking of action – now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to start talking to others, create interesting and fun content for your audience and share it with the rest of the world. On behalf of the entire CMI team, we wish you the very best in all your future content creations!

Summary Your Cheat SheetEngaging Content Simplified

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Action Items: Define “engaging content” ■ Define what “engaging content” means to you and your company.

■ Start conversations with fellow marketers or colleagues on your team.

■ Open your eyes and ears when looking at various types of content.

■ Observe what engages you. If you’re engaged, it’s for a good reason.

■ See if you can adapt those ideas into your own content marketing plans.

Step #1 Grasp the Basics1) “Engaging content” means different things to different people.2) There is no single definition for “engaging content.” 3) Four main characteristics of engaging content:

■ Make it relevant to your audience. ■ Provide something only you can provide (show your uniqueness!). ■ Be entertaining or educational. Better yet, offer both. ■ Use existing stories when you can or simply turn ideas into stories.

4.) Video is a powerful and flexible engagement tool.

CONTENT MARKETINGINSTITUTE

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Step #2: Gain TractionWith digital content tools falling into the hands of so many people, engagement is the next marketing frontier.■ While engaging content opens doors for people to interact and respond

with you, it requires a slight shift in thinking.■ Focus on the five engagement methods to boost your content’s “traction.” ■ The five engagement methods can be universally applied across all types

of media.

Action Items:Chances are pretty good you have some existing marketing content kicking around the office. Take a

minute and select a few pieces.

■ What can you repurpose to start a

conversation with your audience?

■ Can you increase your “traction”

by integrating any of the five

engagement methods into

your blog? Or by writing a brief

manifesto?

■ Can you take a single product,

service or area of expertise and

create a three-part series inviting

feedback from your audience?

CONTENT MARKETINGINSTITUTE

Step 3: Start Measuring Measuring content response is critically important for three reasons:1.) To see if your objectives are being met. 2.) To understand what action your audience is taking.3.) To determine if you are reaching the right audience; not just acquiring

numbers without a purpose.Thomas Clifford is a content marketing writer and copywriter helping B2B companies

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Action Items:Here are three things you can start doing immediately to measure your

engagement levels:

■ Determine your objective(s) when measuring engagement.

■ Decide what type of engagement you will measure.

■ Choose which measuring tools will help you reach your business objectives.

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Step1 Grasp the Basics: Define “engaging content”

■ Define what “engaging content”

means to you and your company.

■ Start conversations with fellow

marketers or colleagues on your

team.

■ Open your eyes and ears when

looking at various types of

content.

■ Observe what engages you. If

you’re engaged, it’s for a good

reason. See if you can adapt those

ideas into your own content

marketing plans.

Step2 Gain Traction:Chances are pretty good you have some existing marketing content kicking around the office. Take a

minute and select a few pieces.

■ What can you repurpose to start a

conversation with your audience?

■ Can you increase your “traction”

by integrating any of the five

engagement methods into your

blog? Or by writing a brief manifesto?

■ Can you take a single product,

service or area of expertise and

create a three-part series inviting

feedback from your audience?

Step3 Start Measuring:Here are three things you can start doing immediately to measure

your engagement levels:

■ Determine your objective(s) when

measuring engagement.

■ Decide what type of engagement

you will measure.

■ Choose which measuring tools

will help you reach your business

objectives.

Action ItemsPrint This Page

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AboutThe Author

CONTENT MARKETINGINSTITUTE

Thomas Clifford is a content marketing writer and copywriter specializing in online business-to-business copy.

Tom helps professional service firms generate and nurture leads through helpful and valuable content like blog posts, eNewsletters, sales pages and free special reports (mini-eBooks).

Tom spent 25 years as a multi-award-winning producer interviewing more than 1,500 people for over 500 marketing/ branding films.

He brings his street-level interviewing experience to every writing project and approaches each assignment from the viewpoint of the people who would benefit from it the most — prospects and customers.

Tom is featured in the book “Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business.” He has also written dozens of articles as an “Expert Blogger” for FastCompany.com.

He graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a BA in Communications.

You can read more of Tom’s work at Content Marketing Institute. Contact Tom. Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.

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The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) helps transform marketing as we know it by turning marketing professionals into publishing experts. In other words, we teach marketers how to own their media channels instead of having to rent them through advertising. We do this through events like Content Marketing World, media properties like Chief Content Officer magazine, and strategic consulting and research for some of the best known brands in the world.

Content Marketing InstituteAbout the

CONTENT MARKETINGINSTITUTE

Chief Content Officer magazineCCO magazine is the leading print and digital magazine dedicated to content marketing strategy for marketing executives. CCO is free to qualified subscribers. Sign up here.

Get Content. Get CustomersCalled “The Handbook for Content Marketing”, Get Content. Get Customers. teaches organizations how to use content marketing to deliver relevant, valuable and compelling information that turns prospects into buyers. Available now at Amazon.com.

Managing Content MarketingThe follow-up book to Get Content Get Customers, but focuses on how to manage and structure content marketing inside the organization. A must read for anyone who “gets” content marketing and needs to execute content programs. Available now at Amazon.com.

2012 B2B Content Marketing Research ReportHere’s the full report on many of the content marketing statistics found in this white paper. Download the report free today!

Content Marketing PlaybookYou want content distribution options? You got it. Here are 42 content distribution tactics and over 50 case studies from companies doing content marketing right. Download the full guide today.

Content Marketing WorldTHE premier annual event for content marketing, where thousands of content marketers come together in one location from around the world. Find out more about CM World today!

Essential Content Marketing Resources