Putting Strategy into your Content Creation - Content Marketing

Content to Convert

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// Introducing Strategy into your Content creation

It’s not the size that matters. It’s what you do with it that counts.

Are you publishing content without a plan?

Are you publishing content without a plan?

{SERIOUSLY }

what we call:Scattergun

STOP

STOPCollaborate & Listen

STOP

STOPHAMMER TIME

STOP

STOPIN THE NAME OF LOVE?

You Need:

You Need:// a Plan

You Need:// a Plan// a Reason to Publish

You Need:// a Plan// a Reason to Publish// a Strategy

// an e-Strategy... ?

// an e-Strategy... ?(shameless brand drop No’1)

Boom!

Be aCurator

You don’t make a great museum by putting all the art in the world into a single room...

You don’t make a great museum by putting all the art in the world into a single room...

That’s a Warehouse

Don’t dilute your content offering.

Qualitynot Quantity

What do we want? ... Good Content.When do we want it? ... Now.

You need an Audience, not Traffic

Audience 1stSearch engines 2nd

Good Contentwill build an audience faster than anything else

Optimise the ContentSEO aint dead, it’s just different

Text : Consider title tags, Meta descriptions,

H1 tags, and URL structure.

Image : Relevant alt tags, image tags, and filenames,

while keeping file size in mind, too.

Okay okay... So, what should I actually do?

// Put your feet up and let your content do the talking

Content is inbound.THE 7 STEPS TO CONTENT KARMA

1. THE PLAN

Build the fundamentals of your plan.

// What do you want to achieve?

// State the Business case.

(MD’s are a sucker for a good business case!)

Use an Inbound Strategya what?

1. AUDIENCE understand your core audiencesThe only way you can maintain long term success is to continually engage people.

However, continually engaging people in this manner will earn you a reputation >>

Build yourBuyer Persona(s)Do your researchFictional representations of your ideal customer. Based on data about:

// Demographics // Online behavior

// Educated speculation about their histories, motivations & concerns.

Using these you can focus in on exactly where your buyers

will spend their time, what publications they will read, which

websites they will use and who is likely to influence them.

Identify yourBuying Cyclesnot to be confusedwith bi-cycles >

Certain types of content play particularly important roles at specific stages of the decision-making process.

MapYourContent

AWARENESS

RESEARCH

COMPARISON

PURCHASE

BUYING

BLOG POSTS,

SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES

EBOOKS, WEBINARS,

INDUSTRY REPORTS

CASE STUDIES, DEMOS,

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

ANALYST REPORTS,

DETAILED PRODUCT INFO

Larger Content Map

Pro

duct

/ In

vento

ry Persona ABuying

Buying

Buying

Awareness

Comparison

Research

Purchase

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Awareness

Comparison

Research

Purchase

Awareness

Comparison

Research

Purchase

Persona B

Persona C

Other Marketing

Stage 1) Awareness : Just looking for information

• How do washing machines work?• What’s the difference between bio and non-bio washing?• How much electricity do washing machines use?• Which washing machines are made in the UK?• Does hard water damage washing machines?

Stage 2) Research : Shopping around, exploring options

• Top washing machine brands compared• What different functions are available on washing machines?• Which washing machines are most energy efficient?• How long does the average wash cycle take?• What’s the best detergent to use in a washing machine?

Stage 3) Comparison : Almost ready to buy, comparing retailers and prices

• What delivery and installation options are available?• What do customer reviews say about your product?• How easy is it to install?• How noisy is it - in comparison with other machines?• Compare prices

Stage 4) Buying : Buying & information for customers

• How does the guarantee work? Do you fix it on site?• Do I need to keep checking the filter?• Help with the program - it seems to have an error• Why is powder collecting in the detergent tray?• Which program is best for different washes?

Now you need to connect it all together... Simples.

So, you need a Washing MachineThe Buying Stages.

Strangely enough...The internet has 101 amazinginfographics on the subject...

Print one off...use it as funky wallpaper

RESEARCHThe following tools are great ways to find out the terms your potential customers are using to find you.

Google Tools : Keyword Planner, Google Analytics & Trends

Autocomplete : Google Suggest & UberSuggest

Social Media : Brand & Topic Search, SocialCrawlytics, Social Mention

Google autocomplete... urm... ok!

aww come on,we have all done that......Haven’t we?

Set Up Your Editorial CalendarMy personal weapon of choice is a Google Calendar, a great tool for collaboration and you can share this with co-workers and content creators.

Look at your goals and work back to define the amount and type of content you will need to “bring home the bacon”.

Fill your calendar with all (internal & external) specific dates, events, opportunities & publishing tasks, create a good mix of content types, topics and personas to make sure you are attending to all your audiences.

Your content calendar provides you with a great platform to spot opportunities to repurpose content to ensure an even spread.

Create your content, tell your brand story, be emotional, be real.

Story

BUT

Storytelling is not intended to be a ‘Selling’ tool

No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No

no No no No no No no No no No no No no No no







No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No

no No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No no

No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No no No

no

Once upon a time, something happened & they all lived happily ever after. The end

“Storytelling is... a method of building strong relationships with your customers and a thriving community of loyalists over time.Your story identifies your passions and serves as the foundation for all your future content developments.

Channels// Determine your Distribution Channels// Dont tie yourself to one channel

<--- Re-evaluate quickly if you are using this channel !

manage your team & your toolswho & how?

be unique

Process

Share, Listen & Respond

ConversationCreate your content & listen...

< How much must he have been paid for this ??? :)

MeasurementPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS

• Long Term Win - No Quick Fix

• You will fail... fail quickly & learn

• Build a solid organic foundation to future proof your site against google algorithm changes.

// Copy // Articles // Webpages

// Slideshares // Infographics// Images ... ?

Content isEVERYTHING

Dont be linear, it only restricts your results and limits

your

cre

ativi

ty.

What is content.Content is...

• the staff within your business. Think of Hooters... not literally. Be Unique.

• the design of your shop/office. Google for example - Free WiFi lets them share

• your products and services. Think of Coffee shops and ‘Latte Art’

• things like the menus on your tables. You could deliver your Menus on iPads?

• the Branding of your Business. Sofa King & “prices that are Sofa King low!”

• your company values. Associations with charities and causes are great.

• your customers. User generated content on experiences via social.

• EVERYTHING. Just understand your goal & what you are trying to achieve.

CONTENT FROM YOUR BRAND

CONTENT FROM YOUR OFFICES

Nothing more needs to be said.

Be Short - Go Direct

Take out theGuess Work

• What are the biggest issues people are facing that lead them to search for a solution?

• What are the main objections you hear as to why they don’t buy?

• What are the goals that people are trying to solve?

• What are the biggest challenges?

• What does success look like for your potential customer & what metrics are they measured by?

Your sales team will provide a wealth of insight as to the kind of Content you should be creating:

They hear first-hand, the challenges & issues that your prospects are facing.

They hear the common objections as to why people don’t buy.

Go to yourCustomers// Direct Answers // Case Studies

// Testimonials // Individual Journeys

// Content ideas

& then...

THEMAGIC

CONTENT

#Cliffhanger

come back & see us next time for more indepth tips such as:

• Why it’s not all about length

• The Inverted Pyramid

• Why you should use ‘Click Here’

• How to #Win

• Repurposing content

...Yes, him again.

• How to write Great Content

• The Most important part of Content

• How to write the Killer Headline

• Everyone wants to be taught

• Influencers & Influence Ripples

Before I go.You need these in your life...

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Social media is not something that should be solely utilized by any one team within a company. Ideally, the entire

RecruitingSocial channels are the perfect placeto reach new applicants. Peoplesearch for job openings online, andchances are that some of them havealready "liked" you, so why not reachthem where they're already spendingtheir time? Given its interest, yourcommunity will also be more apt toshare these openings with itsnetworks.

Internal social networkingThere are some social networks that are designed to be usedentirely inside an organization. Some people like Yammer.Some prefer Chatter. Heck, some even use Basecamp or Jive.Whatever flavor you pick, social networking tools usedinternally can be incredible for knowledge sharing, building asense of camaraderie, and increasing cross-functionalcollaboration. Internal social networks can also be valuable forgovernance and policy awareness efforts.

Career advancementBeing active and fully aware of the "hows and whats" of socialmedia is quickly becoming a mandatory skill in today'sworkforce. This skill cannot be overlooked, especially for HRprofessionals. Social media can also be used to networkonline and learn about trending topics in a specific field,discovering new areas of opportunity for the business thatmight include niche communities for related professions.

Consistent branding and voice

There are many elements that go into a brand—both visual and otherwise—but ultimately what it becomes is your promise

to your customers. You define their experience of what your product offering tries to fulfill. A "brand" can feel like a very

amorphous concept; but consider the fact that your company's brand helps add tangible value to the organization, and

when managed appropriately, it can help to protect the investments made to the business over time. How one actually

determines the value of a brand is a fairly complicated endeavor.

Most of us aren't trying to compete with the most valuable global brands. That being

said, there sure is a lot you can learn from them:

Your social presence is just an extension of your brand, allowing that brand to reach many more people through networked

experiences. This can be both a risk and an opportunity, so it’s important to spend the time it takes to decide and define

what your brand will be in the social environment, as inconsistency in this area can lead to a disjointed customer experience

(or even a negative impact). Key questions to answer include:

Sample Guidelines

1. How your logo is to be represented

2. What fonts and colors can be used

and in what manner

3. A full brand description and what it

stands for

4. Situations in which the brand can and

cannot be used

5. Tone, voice, and manner guidelines

6. Other topographical and structural

elements (primarily for advertisers)

If you do not already have brand

guidelines developed, you'll

want to start there with your

marketing team. Once you have

those finished, you'll want to

address how they translate to social

media. Most of the visual

components (logos, colors, etc.) will

remain the same, though you'll want

to make sure the users setting up

your social profiles have access to

any relevant creative assets. For

more inspiration, take a look at the and

. For most small and medium businesses, these will likely feel

overzealous (they probably are), but you can glean inspiration for the parts that make

sense for you. If you have a graphic design team, they should be able to help you with

a lot of this as well.

Know your audience. Be on-brand, but also be relevant to the environment in

which you're working. Your audience, or the social platform you are engaging on, may

slightly change your tone and voice from your brand guidelines. This is where it's

important to have a really solid understanding so you can adapt as necessary. It's not

vital to be absolutely consistent between platforms, but it is vital to demonstrate

cohesiveness.

Be human. It probably sounds obvious, but this is the goal of social media. Human

engagement is where the magic is, and keeping that in mind as you're developing your

brand will help you craft a voice that's not only solid and cohesive, but also one that

users can relate to and build relationships with. You know, like people. :)

Integrate your campaigns. Integrating your campaigns across all of your social

profiles can help solidify your brand and amplify your efforts. Using similar visual

elements across all of your profiles will help ingrain your messaging and drive home the

point in ways that are relevant and customized to the platform.

Cambridge Identity Guidelines

MailChimp's guidelines

Is social media just a fad?

Over the last several years, there has been an explosion of growth in popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and many others. It's safe to say that the era of social media is just getting started,and the need for social media in business will only become stronger over time. The whole world has seen the impact of theexpansion and adoption of social media tactics, and the rising stats speak for themselves.

When Facebook started in 2004, it was a bare-bones social network focused on connecting college students. Nine years

and more than 1 billion active users later, Facebook has become the most widely-used social network to date and has

shaped online interaction as we know it. From connecting distant friends and family members, to bridging the gap between

brands and their communities, Facebook has taken the way we interact online to a whole new level.Key stats and demographics

Looking for sources? Click on any of the stats above!

How are people using Facebook?

Since its inception, Facebook has become an integral component of people's online social presence. For many, Facebook is

the only online social network in which they participate, though the level of engagement varies across the user spectrum.

From those that check the network periodically throughout the week to those who are almost compulsively active, the core

driving force to participation is connection: connecting with colleagues, friends old and new, alumni networks, and for an

increasing percentage of users, even professional connections.

The network itself has transformed into one with highly customizable privacy and visibility settings. Users can dial down their

Chapter 6Facebook

Welcome to The Beginner's Guide to Social Media!

Welcome to The Beginner's Guide to Social Media! Whether you're new to social media or just looking to close a fewknowledge gaps, we're glad you stopped by. By now, we've all heard how valuable—even essential—social media can be.Whether your current sentiment leans more toward enthusiasm or trepidation, there's no way around the fact that socialmedia is a far more complex field than it first seems. Diving in without a sense for what it's like can be overwhelming, andbuilding a network that provides real value takes both savvy and hard work, but fear not—we're here to help! We hope you'llfind this to be one of the most comprehensive social media resources available, and that no matter what your skill level is,there's plenty in here to help you improve your social presence. What are we waiting for? Let's dive in!

Chapters

Introduction

1

The Value ofSocial Media

2

Social MediaBest Practices

3

Social MediaMetrics and ROI

4

Find the RightNetwork for You

5

Facebook

6

Twitter

7

Google+

8

LinkedIn

9

YouTube andPinterest

10

Blogging

11

Social Doesn'tStop There

12

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Conclusion...This earbashing was just a sample of the elements you should use to develop your content marketing strategy.

Ask me questions:email : [email protected] linkedin : /deanbreyley

twitter : @deanbreyley / @estrategyltd dog&bone : 07709 576 499

Conclusion...This earbashing was just a sample of the elements you should use to develop your content marketing strategy.

Ask me questions:email : [email protected] linkedin : /deanbreyley

twitter : @deanbreyley / @estrategyltd dog&bone : 07709 576 499

remember...

Content.

Content.Keep it real

DEVELOPING & ENHANCING THE DIGITAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY & EXPERIENCE01803 203311 [email protected] Byre. Berry Pomeroy. Devon. TQ9 6LH