The 4th Wave of Content Marketing: From Passive to Interactive

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The  4th  Wave  of  Content  Marke1ng  From  Passive  to  Interac0ve  

Sco$  Brinker  @chiefmartec  

h$p://ioninterac5ve.com  

Jerry  Rackley  @DemandMetric  

Content  may  be  king…  

…but  content  marke5ng  is  

Content  Marke1ng:  Everybody’s  Doing  It  

Most  Marketers  Are  Producing  More  Content  

Most  Marketers  Are  Spending  More  on  Content  

1.  Educate  our  prospects.  

4.  Inspire  social  sharing.  

3.  Convert  prospects  to  leads.  

2.  Differen5ate  our  company.  

4  Big  Goals  of  Content  Marke1ng  

2%!

3%!

5%!

31%!

59%!

0%! 10%! 20%! 30%! 40%! 50%! 60%! 70%!

Very unimportant!

Somewhat unimportant!

Neither important nor unimportant!

Somewhat important!

Very important!

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

Importance  of  Influencing  Buyers  Earlier  

1.  Cacophony  of  content.  

4.  Tired  conversion  tac5cs.  

3.  Talking  at  the  prospect.  

2.  Burden  on  the  audience.  

4  Big  Problems  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Only  a  small  number  of  content  assets  gain  significant  popularity.  

Most  become  a  drop  in  the  “Long  Tail”  ocean.  

It’s  Asympto1cally  Impossible  to  Break  Through  

Available  Audience  A$en5on  

Available  Content  =  

Average  A$en5on  Available  Per  Content  Asset  

Most  become  a  drop  in  the  “Long  Tail”  ocean.  

It’s  Asympto1cally  Impossible  to  Break  Through  

Available  Audience  A$en5on  

Available  Content  =  

This  number  con1nuously  drops.  

Average  A$en5on  Available  Per  Content  Asset  

Only  a  small  number  of  content  assets  gain  significant  popularity.  

Dear  Buyer,  

Here  is  the  content  available  for  the  due  diligence  of  your  purchase  —  have  at  it.  

Love,  

A  World  of  Vendors  

How  will  I  make  it  through  one  more  ebook?  

67%  

Source:  SiriusDecisions,  “Three  Myths  of  the  67%  Sta0s0c”,  July  13,  2013  

67%  of  the  Buyer’s  Journey  is  Done  Digitally  

As  marke5ng  takes  on  more  of  the  “face  5me”  with  prospects  from  sales,  it  should  consider  what  made  sales  successful…  

Good  Salespeople  Listen  and  Discuss  

But  Most  Marke1ng  is  Talking  at  Prospects  

“It’s  a  trap!”  

Waaait…  Just  one  more  form  field…  

Is  this  ebook  really  worth  it?  Grrr…  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Blog  Post  

Blog  Post  

Blog  Post  

Blog  Post  

Blog  Post  

Eventually,  SEO  Became  “Formulaic”  

Once  It’s  a  Formula,  Everybody  Can  Do  It  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

Beau0fully  designed  eBooks,  oVen  provided  as  a  PDF,  are  a  quintessen0al  example  of  rich  content.  

Beau0fully  designed  infographics  are  one  of  the  more  popular  rich  content  types  today.  

But  they  rely  on  social  more  than  search  to  gain  distribu0on.  

Source:  ON24  Webinar  Benchmarks  Report,  2014  Edi0on  

Webinars  (and  recorded  videos)  are  another  example  of  rich  content  too.  

Rich  content  consump5on  is  “aspira5onal”  —  less  than  half  of  the  people  who  register  for  a  webinar  actually  a$end.  

eBook  

eBook  

eBook  

eBook  

eBook  

Soon  Enough,  Rich  Content  Became  “Formulaic”  

Once  It’s  a  Formula,  Everybody  Can  Do  It  

2,326,713  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

Source:  Evergage  (a  personaliza0on  soVware  vendor)  website  

Personaliza4on  technology  enables  marketers  to  dynamically  recommend  or  subs0tute  content.  

1.   Need  data  on  new  prospects.  

2.   Need  data  about  new  content.  

3.   Things  change.  4.   S4ll  a  probabilis4c  

guess  —  what  happens  if  you  guess  wrong?  

Personaliza1on  Can  Help,  But  Isn’t  a  Panacea  

Content  in  the  First  3  Waves  Was  Mostly  Passive  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

4.  Marke5ng  apps  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

interac5ve  experiences  with  programma5c  flow  and  logic  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

What’s  a  marke0ng  

app?  

Source:  Kevy  

Marke0ng  apps  are  not  just  na0ve  apps  

installed  on  your  smartphone.  

They’re  more  oVen  responsive  web  apps  

that  work  on  any  device.  

But  they’re  the  same  idea:  lightweight  

func0onality.  

•  Polls  &  Quizzes  •  Games  &  Contests  •  Calculators  •  Configurators  •  Assessment  Tools  •  Guided  Tours  •  Slideshows  &  Galleries  •  Refer-­‐a-­‐Friend  •  Interac5ve  eBooks  •  Catalog  Promo5ons  •  Mad-­‐Lib  Forms  •  Wizards  

•  Choose-­‐Your-­‐Own  Stories  •  Mul5-­‐Step  Signups  •  “Look  Inside”  Offers  •  Community  Intros  •  Webinar  Hub  Pages  •  Personalized  Portals  •  Loca5on-­‐Based  Offers  •  Prezi-­‐Style  Presenta5ons  •  Dynamic  Forms  •  Decision  Paths  •  Interac5ve  White  Papers  •  App-­‐Like  Landing  Pages  

Marke1ng  Apps  Are  Many  a  Splendid  Thing  

Compare  and  Contrast:  Passive  Content  vs.  Interac1ve  Content  

White  Paper  /  eBook  /  Guide  

Compare  and  Contrast:  Passive  Content  vs.  Interac1ve  Content  

“Which  One  Won?”  Game  

Immediate  engagement.  

No  barrier  of  “fill  out  a  form.”  

No  barrier  of  “install  our  app  on  your  phone.”  

Just  an  intriguing  ques0on  and  a  simple  click  (tap)  to  begin…  

This  game  is  a  responsive  web  marke0ng  app.  

It  works  on  any  phone,  tablet,  or  computer  with  a  modern  browser.  

It’s  lightweight  and  fast.  

It  shows  off  the  poten0al  of  good  A/B  tes0ng.  

But  unlike  just  reading  about  it,  it  invests  users  in  the  outcomes.  

It  demonstrates  that  tes0ng  is  beger  than  guessing.  

It  doesn’t  take  long  —  maybe  30-­‐45  seconds.  

“Progress  dots”  at  the  bogom  assure  users  that  this  is  a  quick  exercise.  

But  because  it  engages  them,  it  is  memorable.  

As  a  marketer,  you  appreciate  that  the  examples  in  this  game  have  other  benefits:  

They  show  off  the  quality  of  work  produced  with  our  soVware  —  and  provide  social  proof  of  who  uses  our  soVware.  

Wai0ng  un0l  the  end  to  share  the  score  keeps  users  engaged.  

The  lesson  of  the  score:  users  can’t  predictably  guess  the  winner.  

Scores  also  tap  a  bit  of  compe00ve  energy  —  making  it  memorable.  

Only  now,  aVer  proving  the  value  of  the  content,  do  we  make  a  low-­‐hurdle  offer  —  tell  us  who  you  are,  and  we’ll  email  the  hypotheses.  

Even  those  who  pass  had  a  useful  brand  experience.  

When  this  email  arrives,  people  are  eager  to  read  it  —  they  want  to  know  the  experiments  that  they  are  now  “invested”  in  the  outcome.  

This  is  demand  genera4on.  

If  content  marke1ng  is  about  educa1ng  prospects,  let’s  take  inspira1on  from  great  teachers.  

Ac0ve,  experien0al  learning  over  purely  passive,  didac0c  learning.  

Great  teachers  don’t  just  drone  on  in  a  lecture  —  they  incorporate  construc0vist  learning  techniques  to  make  the  material  come  alive  in  the  minds  of  their  students.  

Ask  Students  to  Predict  the  Outcome  of  an  Experiment  Beforehand,  and  They  Will  Remember  

•  Polls  &  Quizzes  •  Games  &  Contests  •  Calculators  •  Configurators  •  Assessment  Tools  •  Guided  Tours  •  Slideshows  &  Galleries  •  Refer-­‐a-­‐Friend  •  Interac5ve  eBooks  •  Catalog  Promo5ons  •  Mad-­‐Lib  Forms  •  Wizards  

•  Choose-­‐Your-­‐Own  Stories  •  Mul5-­‐Step  Signups  •  “Look  Inside”  Offers  •  Community  Intros  •  Webinar  Hub  Pages  •  Personalized  Portals  •  Loca5on-­‐Based  Offers  •  Prezi-­‐Style  Presenta5ons  •  Dynamic  Forms  •  Decision  Paths  •  Interac5ve  White  Papers  •  App-­‐Like  Landing  Pages  

Marke1ng  Apps  Are  Many  a  Splendid  Thing  

Call  to  Ac1on  

•  Polls  &  Quizzes  •  Games  &  Contests  •  Calculators  •  Configurators  •  Assessment  Tools  •  Guided  Tours  •  Slideshows  &  Galleries  •  Refer-­‐a-­‐Friend  •  Interac5ve  eBooks  •  Catalog  Promo5ons  •  Mad-­‐Lib  Forms  •  Wizards  

•  Choose-­‐Your-­‐Own  Stories  •  Mul5-­‐Step  Signups  •  “Look  Inside”  Offers  •  Community  Intros  •  Webinar  Hub  Pages  •  Personalized  Portals  •  Loca5on-­‐Based  Offers  •  Prezi-­‐Style  Presenta5ons  •  Dynamic  Forms  •  Decision  Paths  •  Interac5ve  White  Papers  •  App-­‐Like  Landing  Pages  

Marke1ng  Apps  Are  Many  a  Splendid  Thing  

•  Polls  &  Quizzes  •  Games  &  Contests  •  Calculators  •  Configurators  •  Assessment  Tools  •  Guided  Tours  •  Slideshows  &  Galleries  •  Refer-­‐a-­‐Friend  •  Interac5ve  eBooks  •  Catalog  Promo5ons  •  Mad-­‐Lib  Forms  •  Wizards  

•  Choose-­‐Your-­‐Own  Stories  •  Mul5-­‐Step  Signups  •  “Look  Inside”  Offers  •  Community  Intros  •  Webinar  Hub  Pages  •  Personalized  Portals  •  Loca5on-­‐Based  Offers  •  Prezi-­‐Style  Presenta5ons  •  Dynamic  Forms  •  Decision  Paths  •  Interac1ve  White  Papers  •  App-­‐Like  Landing  Pages  

Marke1ng  Apps  Are  Many  a  Splendid  Thing  

Interac1ve  Reveal  

Embedded  Quiz  

Click  on  your  “app  personality”  —  what  kind  of  app  are  you?  

Does  interac1ve  content  move  the  needle?  

1.  Educate  our  prospects.  

4.  Inspire  social  sharing.  

3.  Convert  prospects  to  leads.  

2.  Differen5ate  our  company.  

4  Big  Goals  of  Content  Marke1ng  

How  effec1ve  is  content  at  educa1ng  buyers?  

2%!

13%! 15%!

64%!

6%!0%! 2%!

5%!

48%!45%!

0%!

10%!

20%!

30%!

40%!

50%!

60%!

70%!

Very ineffective!

Somewhat ineffect.!

Neither! Somewhat effect.!

Very effective!

Passive! Interactive!

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

93%    vs.  70%  

2%!

20%!23%!

45%!

10%!

0%! 2%!

10%!

55%!

33%!

0%!

10%!

20%!

30%!

40%!

50%!

60%!

Very ineffective!

Somewhat ineffect.!

Neither! Somewhat effect.!

Very effective!

Passive! Interactive!

How  effec1ve  is  content  at  differen1a1ng  the  firm?  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

88%    vs.  55%  

3%!

22%!

39%!

32%!

4%!0%!

7%!

23%!

56%!

14%!

0%!

10%!

20%!

30%!

40%!

50%!

60%!

Very poorly! Moderately poorly!

Neutral! Moderately well!

Very well!

Passive! Interactive!

How  well  does  content  convert  visitors?  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

70%    vs.  36%  

6%!

38%! 39%!

15%!

2%!5%! 7%!

50%!

21%!17%!

0%!

10%!

20%!

30%!

40%!

50%!

60%!

Very infrequently!

Infrequently! Neutral! Frequently! Very frequently!

Passive! Interactive!

How  frequently  is  content  shared  by  visitors?  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

38%    vs.  17%  

1.  Cacophony  of  content.  

4.  Tired  conversion  tac5cs.  

3.  Talking  at  the  prospect.  

2.  Burden  on  the  audience.  

4  Big  Problems  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Problem:  Content  is  not  genera5ng  much  interest  

or  gejng  much  a$en5on.  

Passive   Interac1ve  37%   8%  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

vs.  

Problem:  Content  quality  is  poor.  

Passive   Interac1ve  25%   3%  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

vs.  

Media   Messages  

Innova1on  in  Marke1ng  Touchpoints  

what  it  says  where  and  how  it  appears  

most  digital  marke5ng  innova5on  to  date  (“the  medium  is  the  message”)  

Media   Messages  

Mechanisms  MARKETING  APPS  the  next  big  wave  of  marke5ng  innova5on  (“the  mechanism  is  the  

message”)  

Innova1on  in  Marke1ng  Touchpoints  

what  it  says  where  and  how  it  appears  

how  it  behaves  

form  

func0on  

Engagement  Axis  

Busin

ess  M

odel  Axis  

FREE/OPEN  

PAID/GATED  

PASSIVE   INTERACTIVE  

White  Papers  

Engagement  Axis  

Busin

ess  M

odel  Axis  

FREE/OPEN  

PAID/GATED  

PASSIVE   INTERACTIVE  

Websites  

Blogs   Social  Media  

eBooks  

Webinars  White  Papers  

premium  passive  content  is  typically  gated  behind  a  form  

most  passive  content  is  free  and  low-­‐engagement  

Engagement  Axis  

Busin

ess  M

odel  Axis  

FREE/OPEN  

FREEMIUM  

PAID/GATED  

PASSIVE   INTERACTIVE  

Websites  

Blogs   Social  Media  

eBooks  

Webinars  White  Papers  

premium  passive  content  is  typically  gated  behind  a  form  

most  passive  content  is  free  and  low-­‐engagement  

Engagement  Axis  

Busin

ess  M

odel  Axis  

FREE/OPEN  

FREEMIUM  

PAID/GATED  

PASSIVE   INTERACTIVE  

Websites  

Blogs   Social  Media  

eBooks  

Webinars  White  Papers  

Na1ve  Mobile  Apps  

MARKETING  APPS  

Interac1ve  White  Papers  

Interac1ve  eBooks  

Configurators  U1li1es  

Assessment  Tools  

Contests  

Lookbooks  

Galleries  

Workbooks  

Guided  Tours  

Games  

Calculators  

Quizzes  

Sweepstakes  

na0ve  mobile  apps  are  inherently  gated  by  an  installa0on  

premium  passive  content  is  typically  gated  behind  a  form  

most  passive  content  is  free  and  low-­‐engagement  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

4.  Marke5ng  apps  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

interac5ve  experiences  with  programma5c  flow  and  logic  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

4.  Marke5ng  apps  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

interac5ve  experiences  with  programma5c  flow  and  logic  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Apps  collect  more  accurate  “intent”  data  from  visitors  —  feeding  be$er  personaliza5on  profiles  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

0me  

content  sop

his0ca0o

n  

1.  Web  pages  

2.  Rich  content  

3.  Personaliza5on  

4.  Marke5ng  apps  

video,  infographics,  responsive  web,  HTML5  

founda5on  of  digital  content  marke5ng  

dynamically  subs5tuted  content  based  on  visitor’s  profile  

interac5ve  experiences  with  programma5c  flow  and  logic  

The  4  Waves  of  Content  Marke1ng  

Apps  collect  more  accurate  “intent”  data  from  visitors  —  feeding  be$er  personaliza5on  profiles  

Going  up  this  axis  is  all  about  breaking  through  the  noise  

Apps  make  it  easier  for  visitors  to  consume  the  most  relevant  content  in  bite-­‐sized  pieces  

7%!

19%!

25%!

28%!

30%!

32%!

53%!

60%!

66%!

0%! 10%! 20%! 30%! 40%! 50%! 60%! 70%!

Other barriers!

Limited market/competitor understanding!

Production skills!

Limited buyer understanding!

Creative skills!

Technical skills!

Time/agility constraints!

Budget constraints!

Staffing/resource constraints!

Barriers  to  Greater  Content  Marke1ng  Success  

Source:  DemandMetric,  Content  &  The  Buyer’s  Journey:  Benchmark  Study  Report,  June  2014  

Solware  is  Changing  Marke1ng  App  Economics  

 Content  

We  are  opening  up  a  crea5ve  universe  between  the  two.  

 Apps  

Help  our  customers  distance  themselves  from  content  noise  

Marke5ng  Apps  to  Drive  Engagement  

Marke5ng  Apps  to  Drive  Conversion  

Marke1ng  Apps  Plamorm  

Marke1ng  Apps  Across  the  Buyer’s  Journey  

Shared  User  Data  

Reusable  Components  

Prospects   Customers  

Brand  Standards  

Single-­‐Point  Integra5on  

Consistent  Analy5cs  

bridge  the  legacy  gap  between  brand  and  performance  touchpoints  

Progressive  Profiling  of  Prospect  

Thank  you.  Download  the  free  report.  

Sco$  Brinker  @chiefmartec  

h$p://ioninterac5ve.com  

Jerry  Rackley  @DemandMetric  

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