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Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | [email protected]
Why Content Marketing Fails
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Download this Slide Deck
bit.ly/mozcontentfail
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Most Content Efforts Will Fail
Spike of hope
Flatline of nope
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You’ll Invest with the Best of Intentions
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You’ll Launch with Excitement
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And You Won’t Know Why
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Why Your Content Marketing Will Fail
5 Reasons
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You Believed the Biggest Myth Content Marketing Ever Told the World
#1
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We Imagine Content Marketing Works Like This…
Let’s go see what’s on the Internet today,
shall we?
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I wonder what this post Kieran tweeted is all about.
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That was an interesting. I should sign up for this free ebook download while
I’m here!
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And I’ll just fill out their contact form with my information….
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Oh! Better not forget to follow all their social profiles while I’m at it.
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You might laugh, but a lot of companies invest in content marketing on the assumption that this is how
it works!
Me make content. Humans click. Them buy. Me
get money.
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In Reality, It Works Like This:
Let’s see what’s on Hacker
News… Meh.
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How about Facebook?
Oh, right. Baby pictures.
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Let’s try Twitter.Meh.
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Maybe Google+? Actually… This
looks kinda interesting.
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After seeing 400+ links I could have clicked, I
finally chose this one. It’s a good article, and this
example, naturally, resonated
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I wonder why I like this blog
so much?
About a week later, I caught a link to
Beardbrand’s blog.
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No magic trick to grow a thicker
beard?! Dammit!
I’d followed them on Google+, so I watched
this video they shared, too.
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When my lovely wife told me that I might need to look into some mustache wax, I thought of Beardbrand. But I
couldn’t remember their name!
Lovely Wife
Imminent need for mustache wax
Who were those guys that made the cool beard
stuff?
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So, naturally, I searched Google:
Nope
Nope
Nope
Yes!!
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Say goodbye bushy handlebars!
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This is How Content Marketing Really Works:
Caveman Rand explain.
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This is How Content Marketing Really Works:
Me Make Content.
Humans click.If them like, them
remember.
Maybe them see more content I
make. Visit again.
Me build trust, relationship
with humans.
When them need me
product, them come back.
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Content marketing not about convert 1st visit. Or 2nd. Or 3rd. Only foolish
humans think it work like this.
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Content marketing about earning
familiarity, trust, and relationship.
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Maybe sale come. Maybe not. Smart cave marketer no care.
Smart cave marketer know every visit chance to build
relationship. Maybe earn fan. That good enough.
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The Obligation Rests on Marketers to Set the Right Expectations with OurTeams & Clients
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You Made Content Without a Community
#2
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Does Content Spread Simply Because It’s Really, Really Good?
If this content’s really good, it’ll just spread “virally,” right
guys?
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OK, Probably Not
Ha! That’s a good one, Rand!
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In My Experience, Content Spreads Because It Inspires a Community
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It Reinforces a Belief
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Refutes an Opposing Argument
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Starts (or Renews) a Passionate Discussion
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Is in Someone’s Financial/Promotional Interests
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Leverages Group Inclusion Dynamics
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Makes the Sharer Look Smart/Important/Worldly/Etc
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“Good Enough” Content Often Performs Well when a Community Is Behind It
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Only the Best 0.1% of Content Can Go “Viral” without a Pre-existing Community
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Don’t Bet Your Marketing onBeing the 1 in 1,000
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Before you create content, ask the question: “Who will support & amplify this content and why?”
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You Invested in Content Creation, But Not in its Amplification
#3
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Content Must Reach People in Order to Reach Its Potential
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Channels for Reaching the Right People Depend on Your Audience
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Most Amplification Methods Fall Into These Three Buckets:
Broadcast 1:1 Paid Promotion
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1) Broadcast (often via Social Media, Email, or through Events)
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2) 1:1 Outreach (via Social, Email, or In-Person)
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3) Paid Amplification (many varieties)
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A basic process for getting content amplification right:
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STEP 1: Find Successful Content in Your Niche
http://buzzsumo.com
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STEP 2(a): Find Where It’s Being Shared
http://buzzsumo.com
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STEP 2(b): Go Beyond Social Networks
Google Search and https://freshwebexplorer.moz.com/
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STEP 2(c): Find Who’s Doing the Sharing
http://buzzsumo.com
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STEP 2(c): Find Who’s Doing the Sharing
http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/ripples-bookmarklet
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STEP 3: Copy What’s Working For Them
Via http://followerwonk.com
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STEP 4: Build Relationships with Those Who Can Help
http://www.slideshare.net/RickTRamos1/why-do-peopleshareonline
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Don’t Treat Amplification as “Fire & Forget.” Experiment, Learn, & Apply.
Via http://bit.ly
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Think of Each Channel Like a Muscle to Be Flexed & Strengthened Regularly
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Don’t Forget to Leverage What is Still the Most Powerful Sharing Channel (according to NYT):
http://www.slideshare.net/RickTRamos1/why-do-peopleshareonline
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You Ignored Content’s Most Powerful Channel: SEO
#4
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Google Search Has Grown Massively
~6 Billion Searches/Day!
http://www.statisticbrain.com/google-searches/
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While Search Traffic is Distributed, Social is Highly Concentrated
http://www.simplereach.com/blog/facebook-continues-to-be-the-biggest-driver-of-social-traffic/
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You Might Have Seen Re/Code & Buzzfeed Claiming Google Search Traffic Was Dead
http://recode.net/2014/02/02/the-year-facebook-blew-past-google/
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Here’s Define Media Group refuting that with data from 87 publishers & 48 billion pageviews
http://www.definemg.com/hey-buzzfeed-search-traffic-is-doing-just-fine/
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SEO is Also Critical Because of Intent
“Do things” mode
“Browse” mode
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When Done Right, Content Marketing is the Rising Tide that Lifts the SEO Ships
Without content marketing, it’s incredibly hard to earn the types of links that will confer domain authority &
rankings in search engines.
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When Done Right, Content Marketing is the Rising Tide that Lifts the SEO Ships
But as content on a site earns links, it helps every other page on that domain rank better in the search engines,
lifting the tide!
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At the Very Least, Do Your Keyword Research
Be aware that AdWords may not show you all the relevant keywords:http://moz.com/blog/be-careful-using-adwords-for-keyword-research
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Better Yet – Gain a Deep Understanding of How SEO & Content Work Together
4 Posts I’d Recommend:
• The Convergence of SEO & Content Marketing • Link Building vs. Content Marketing• How to Build a Content Marketing Strategy• Build & Operate a Content Marketing Machine
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You Gave UpWay Too Soon
#5
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The 0.1% Always Look Like Overnight Successes
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In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
Geraldine’s Travel Blog: http://everywhereist.com
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Geraldine started her blog in 2009
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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For 2 years, she never broke 100 visits/day.
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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Then she had a few posts get some attention
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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But traffic fell back down soon after.
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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This is where most people give up.
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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These days, she gets 100,000+ visits each month
In Reality, It Looks More Like This:
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The Price of Success is Failure after Failure after Failure
* Hopefully, each of those failures provides an opportunity to learn.
*
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Why Content Marketing Fails
Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | [email protected]
bit.ly/mozcontentfail