Help Not Hype: How To Create Content Your Customers Actually Want

Help Not Hype: How to Create Content Your Customers Actually Want #HelpNotHype

March 25, 2014

All Rights Reserved © ethology, Inc.

Consumers. The big idea. ethology

Jay Baer New York Times Best-Selling Author, Youtility @jaybaer

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Anna Hrach Content Strategy Manager, ethology @annabananahrach

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Autographed Book Giveaway

Audience members on today’s

webinar will be entered to win

a signed copy of Youtility and

Joe Pulizzi’s Epic Content Marketing! Stay tuned, and

listen for your name at the end!

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Our personal and commercial lives have merged.

#HelpNotHype

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

You are competing for attention against everything.

#HelpNotHype

#HelpNotHype

Today, everyone is a content creator.

You must do more than create content. You must make content that matters.

#HelpNotHype

#HelpNotHype

Youtility is content so useful, people would pay for it.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

We crave Youtility

“Useful articles are forwarded 30% more

than average.”

-- Jonah Berger, in Contagious

Photo credit: jonahberger.com

#HelpNotHype

We need more information than ever

If you make a bad decision, you’re just lazy.

If you make a bad decision, you’re just lazy

“I don’t know” is no longer an acceptable answer.

#HelpNotHype

The power of useful content

Average new customer reads 105 pages 75% of customers never have a sales conversation

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

You must atomize your content.

#HelpNotHype

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

Be a digital dandelion.

#HelpNotHype

#HelpNotHype

Embrace cooperative content.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

Content can be amazingly powerful for both brands & customers.

#HelpNotHype

But only if it’s done the right way.

#HelpNotHype

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

Today, 90% of B2C marketers use content marketing.

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/B2C_Research_2014-withlinks.pdf #HelpNotHype

But only 34% believe they are effective at content marketing.

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/B2C_Research_2014-withlinks.pdf #HelpNotHype

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/B2C_Research_2014-withlinks.pdf #HelpNotHype

Yet 60% plan to increase their content marketing budget,

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/B2C_Research_2014-withlinks.pdf

…while only 39% admit to having a content strategy in place.

#HelpNotHype

Content costs organizations a lot

Time – Hours, days, weeks, months or years

Money – Salaries, investments

Resources – Physical, digital

People – Someone has to create it all

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

The fix is easy. Start with strategy.

But, before we talk strategy, we need to talk about your website.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schmilblick/252772357/

First, fix what’s broken

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/

Get rid of what you don’t need

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubbermaid/7203340384/

Get Organized

So, now that that’s out of the way…let’s talk strategy.

3. Gap Analysis Categories & Topics

4. Plan Creation Tactics & Prioritization

2. Content Audit Quantitative & Qualitative

1. Audience Intelligence Vernacular & Demand

5. Plan Execution Analysis & Agility

Content strategy: the ethology process

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

BRAND

VISITORS ROBOTS

Identify the players…

ethology Consumers. The big idea. ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

BRAND

VISITORS ROBOTS ✓

What are the business objectives?

What topics match business & user

interests?

What do our audiences need & want?

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

…and understand their needs.

Sounds like a brochure Ignores user questions Not findable Weak user experience

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

Too search-focused = Not the most qualified traffic

Content doesn’t nurture

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/3232485/sizes/o/ #HelpNotHype

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34639903@N03/3439647651/ #HelpNotHype

Too brand-focused = Sounds like a brochure

Doesn’t meet user needs

Too user-focused = No benefit for brand Still doesn’t answer questions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/icathing/7353057/ #HelpNotHype

Understand business goals & user needs

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

Business Goals Brand Customer User Needs

Sell discounted rooms nights during off-peak times

Find discount rates during off-peak vacation times

Sell conference packages, with catering service upsells

Find a full-service conference location

Grow email registration list for ongoing marketing purposes

Research rates to find cheapest rates on third-party travel site

Get to know your audience: gather data

On-Site Search: What users want, in their words

Social: Real-time conversations with real customers

Website Content: What’s performing, what’s not

Search Demand: Align with like topics

Consumer Research: Round out unattainable data

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Branded content needs brand guidelines

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Answering “How are we going to do this?” always comes before “What are we going to write?”

#HelpNotHype

Create clear, repeatable workflows

Plan Create Approve Publish/Govern

Content Strategist

Content Creator

Content Strategist

Guide Strategy

Submit Internally

Subm

it Internally

Director of Operations

Account Manager

Approval

Request

Client Team

Request

Revisions

Content Creator Submit

Internally

Request Revisions

Request Revisions

Approval Given

Content Creator

Client Team

+

Content Strategist

Reporting

Search Specialist

Client Team

ethology Consumers. The big idea.

#HelpNotHype

Get approvals. Get all the approvals.

#HelpNotHype http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/3955421305/

More Questions? Email us! marketing@ethology.com

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