Download How to get involved in Content Marketing

How to get
involved in
Content
Marketing
and why you should
Understanding what it’s all about
The marketing audit
Developing your strategy
Implementing your plan
Creating & distributing your content
Monitoring & measuring results
Nurturing & scoring leads
Table of
contents
y
e
n
r
u ent
o
j
The contting
to rke a
manirvan
Help my marketing isn’t working any more
Page 3
Write content for your audience
not search engines
Why is content so important?
Page 4
Page 20
How did we get here?
Page 5
Blog to get found
Page 21
What are the key drivers?
Page 6
Why you should be identifying buyer personas!
Page 22
It’s not about us stupid, it’s about them!
Page 7
Why you need an editorial calendar for
your content marketing
Page 23
What do we mean by Content Marketing?
Page 8
How to put together your editorial calendar
Page 24
Are we just talking about web pages?
Page 9
So what constitutes content?
Page 10
Content marketers: Why you should think
and act like a publisher
Page 25
Does content marketing offer any advantages?
Page 11
You will need a production schedule
Page 26
Is Content Marketing the solution to all my woes?
Page 12
Mobile marketing; The next big thing?
Page 27
Bringing off-line and on-line together
Page 28
Nobody gives a damn about
your products (or services)
Page 13
The power of video
Page 29
Can I just jump in and start producing content?
Page 14
How do you stand out from the crowd – on-line?
Page 30
Where do I start?
Page 15
Where will all of this content come from?
Page 16
Social media marketing?
Make sure you have a plan!
Page 31
Make your content marketing efforts work
Page 32
Producing good content takes
longer than you’d think!
Page 17
You’ve generated the interest, don’t lose the sale
Page 33
How do I promote my content?
Page 18
Why your own marketing efforts are failing?
Page 34
Optimise your content for search and share
Page 19
Resources
Page 35
page 2
Help, my
marketing
isn’t working
any more
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Marketing is evolving; new technology is changing
buyer behaviour making it almost impossible for
companies to control the information flow out to the
markets. As Darwin has taught us, when it comes to
evolution, there are winners and losers. In this case
the winners will be the companies or individuals who
embrace change and tailor their marketing to the
needs and wants of their audience wherever their
audience is active.
This means taking the parts of traditional marketing
practices that still work for you and supplementing
your marketing strategy with inbound marketing
and content marketing techniques. This places
the emphasis on pulling your audience towards
your business, through the creation of compelling
content that your customers and prospects perceive
is valuable. This content can be hosted on your
website and disseminated via social media and
found through search.
Source: MarketingSherpa October 2010
Quote:
People shop and learn in a whole new way compared
to just a few years ago so marketers need to adapt or
risk extinction
Brian Halligan
Co-author of Inbound Marketing
Chief Executive Officer, Hubspot
page 3
Why is
content so
important?
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Because content drives search, content drives lead
generation and content drives social media. Without
the hook of great content it’s difficult to engage with
an audience. Great content acts like a magnet and
pulls people towards you.
So it’s important that:
a) You actually have good content that supports
your overall business plan. Content that highlights
to your audience that you understand their
problems and issues. And more importantly,
that you can help them. Remember it’s
about them, not you.
b) Unless you have an e-commerce site it’s unlikely
that first time visitors will make a purchase
because they’re invariably at different stages
of the buying cycle. So your content needs to tell
a story to move visitors along and persuade them
to make a conversion, which is the ultimate aim.
c) Your content needs to be optimised for
search and share.
d) And you need to re-purpose that content in as
many ways as you can to ensure you get the best
return on investment (ROI) for your efforts and you
post that content where your audience is active.
page 4
How did
we get here?
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Trade shows, direct mail, print ads, email, the
mainstays of traditional marketing all have a place
in supporting brand equity, maintaining relationships
and keeping existing prospects and customers
informed. But with trade show audiences in decline,
most direct mail ending up in the bin, the
difficulty of determining the ROI on print ads,
stricter spam filters making emailing conversions
more elusive, it’s become extremely difficult
to engage with an audience who may not be
ready to engage with you.
“We need to stop interrupting what people
are interested in & be what people are
interested in.”
CRAIG DAVIS - CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, WORLDWIDE
J. WALTER THOMPSON (WORLD’S 4TH LARGEST AD AGENCY)
r
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eal get in
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page 5
What are the
key drivers?
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Traditional marketing is interruptive. Changes to the
web and the proliferation of web based tools that
now exist have changed buyer behaviour FOREVER
making it far easier for buyers to engage with you
on their terms, when they are much further into
the buying cycle. Decision makers are less inclined
to speak to a sales person until they have carried
out their own research into what you (and your
competition) have to offer. This means a completely
different, more open and for some, less comfortable
approach is required.
Key
:
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“In today’s information age of marketing
and web 2.0 a company’s website is the
key to their entire business”
MARCUS SHERIDAN - AUTHOR OF THE SALES LION BLOG. MARKETING SPEAKER
page 6
It’s not about
us stupid,
it’s about them!
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Most websites and marketing collateral shout out to
an audience:
Look at us
Look how good we are
Look at what we’ve done
Read about why we’re number one
Our products and features are great
What your audience really wants to know is that you
understand their pain points and that you know how
to solve their problems and issues.
:
Ke
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“The internet has turned what used
to be a controlled, one-way message
into a real-time dialogue with millions.”
DANIELLE SACKS - WRITER, FAST COMPANY
page 7
What do we
mean by
Content
Marketing?
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As more and more people use the web to search
for information that is relevant and valuable to their
own needs and wants they are turning away from
the meaningless advertising messages they are
bombarded with. Remarkable content, created
by YOU, published where your audience is active
and aligned to the prospects interests, industry and
position within the buying cycle pulls those prospects
through to your website. This is an important point as
those people who visit your website via interesting
and relevant content they have discovered will
have a more positive attitude towards your offerings
than any prospects driven there through traditional
marketing means.
ut
abo
n
a
uc
e
o
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ers
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Rea eting,
:
. Yo ’ll
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e
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B
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e
link
this
find nd of
e
the
“If you have more money than brains,
you should focus on outbound marketing.
If you have more brains than money,
you should focus on inbound marketing”
GUY KAWASAKI - FORMER CHIEF EVANGELIST, APPLE CO-FOUNDER, ALLTOP.COM
page 8
Are we
just talking
about web
pages?
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No! Every piece of content you produce can be
repurposed, you can tweet about your eBook, the
eBook can become a slidedeck and uploaded
to Slideshare, a voice-over can be added and
uploaded to YouTube, the voice-over can be turned
into a podcast, extracts of the eBook can become
Blog posts or enewsletter articles. Always plan to
repurpose whenever you produce any content.
Great content can differentiate your offering from
the competition, help you gain credibility in your
marketplace and position you as a “thought leader”.
:
ip
yT
Ke
nd
pa
ent
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.
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Wa l the (
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“To be successful and grow your business and
revenues, you must match the way you market
your products with the way your prospects
learn about and shop for your products”
BRIAN HALLIGAN - CO-AUTHOR OF INBOUND MARKETING,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HUBSPOT
page 9
So what
constitutes
content?
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Content marketers believe valuable content
should be at the heart of your marketing strategy
and distributed via the most appropriate channels
for your audience, who are, after all, actively
looking for what you have to offer. In order to make
it easier for your prospective customers to find you
and your solutions, you need to be producing:
• Web pages
• Blogs
• eBooks
• enewsletters
• White papers
• Application notes
• Podcasts
• Video
till
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• Case studies
• Articles
• Infographics
• Twitter feeds
• Curated content
• Aggregated content
o And more…
“…as you’ve noticed people don’t
want to be sold. What people do want
is news and information about the
things they care about”
LARRY WEBER - AUTHOR OF MARKETING TO THE SOCIAL WEB
page 10
Does content
marketing
offer any
advantages?
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A major advantage that this type of content has is
longevity. It has a longer shelf life and is cheaper
to produce than traditional marketing campaigns.
What’s more the search engines love it and as
you produce more content you should see bigger
increases in visitors to your website.
ls
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“Content Marketing
is the only Marketing left ”
SETH GODIN - KEYNOTE SPEAKER, AUTHOR OF PERMISSION MARKETING
page 11
Is Content
Marketing the
solution to all
of my woes?
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Content marketing isn’t a magic bullet that will solve
all of your business issues. It’s another addition to the
marketing toolkit that will contribute positively when
used correctly as part of your marketing strategy.
Great content isn’t going to sell poor products or
services but content marketing will help to create
a more level playing field between the SME’s and
their larger competitors. You no longer have to
negotiate (or pay) to get your content published in
a magazine or web portal. The web and new web
tools have allowed you to become a publisher.
ent
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abl
cts
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you
“I am all for conversations.
But you need to have a message”
RENEE BLODGETT - FOUNDER BLODGETT COMMUNICATIONS
page 12
Nobody gives
a damn about
your products
(or services)
Tweet this eBook
This might come as a shock to some people but
nobody really gives a damn about your products or
services. So if all of the content on your website or
your sales collateral or your email newsletters harp
on about how great you are, then you are on
a hiding to nothing.
:
ip
yT
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The key to success is to build empathy and trust
with your audience. Identify the pain points of
your prospects. What is it that keeps them awake
at night? Why would they buy what you have to
offer? Why would they choose you rather than your
competition? What can you do to help them? Find
the answers to those questions and you’re on the
road to success. So your content needs to shout out
“we understand your problems and issues” “we can
solve your problems and issues and reduce your cost
by.......” you get the message.
To be successful you need to get under the skin of
your prospects and understand their business issues.
“Think like a customer”
PAUL GILLIN - AUTHOR OF THE NEW INFLUENCERS
page 13
Can I just
jump in and
start producing
content?
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No! Like everything else in business, you need
a plan. Content marketing is an additional part of
the marketing toolkit and your output will depend
on your overall business objectives e.g. increasing
brand awareness, lead generation, thought
leadership etc.
So work with your team or consultant to:
• Determine the goals
• Work on the messaging
• Evaluate the best format and platform options
• Start work on the plan
“Marketing isn’t magic.
There is a science to it.”
DAN ZARRELLA - SOCIAL MEDIA SCIENTIST, HUBSPOT
:
ip
T
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Ke
to
t
me onten
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l pa
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rig
. Th
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id
div
page 14
Where do
I start?
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The first thing to do is to carry out a content audit.
You need to know what content you currently
have available so that you can make an informed
decision about what content is needed.
List all of the existing web page titles including
downloadable spec sheets and web based articles
into an .xls spreadsheet. Then take an inventory
of existing content from previously published
articles, enewsletters, brochures and PowerPoint
presentations that can be scanned to see if they
are suitable for repurposing and add those to the
spreadsheet.
Brainstorm what you believe you need to provide
and then map that content against those page titles
in the spreadsheet to determine the gaps.
The picture you end up with will determine your
action plan.
g
plu
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“We’re all learning here; the best
listeners will end up the smartest”
CHARLENE LI & JOSH BERNOFF - AUTHORS OF GROUNDSWELL
page 15
Where will
all of this
content
come from?
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This comes down to resources and you need to
decide whether you have the resource to create this
content in-house or whether you need to outsource
it. There are pros and cons to both.
In-house: keeps the costs down but you’re probably
asking people to carry out tasks over and above
their day-to-day job roles.
Outsource: You need to select the team, preferably
they should have some knowledge and experience
of your industry, they need to be briefed and they
need to be managed.
ch
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s
and
“Institutions that once had to go through
media to deliver information are now
themselves media”
ANDREW NACHISON - FOUNDER, WE MEDIA
page 16
:
ip
T
y
Ke
Producing good
content takes
longer than
you’d think!
ess
c
o
pr
he
key
t
t
h
t
u
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po
ew g
Ma vanc
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o
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res
Whether you’re doing it yourself or
outsourcing it there are several issues to be
considered, for example:
You’ve decided one of the main aspects
of your marketing plan will be to help
differentiate your offering through a thought
leadership stance and the main marketing
tool for this will be an eBook explaining the
benefits of your offering in general. Further,
you intend to create empathy with your
audience by explaining how you have
identified and understand their main pain
points and how you can provide a potential
solution. In return for downloading the eBook
you expect the prospect to exchange their
contact details e.g. name, company, email
address etc.
Tweet this eBook
Firstly, you need to storyboard the process.
There will inevitably be numerous revisions
before you are happy with the final content.
Anchor text to relevant external documents
e.g. blog articles or web pages should be
included. It will have to be proof read by
someone else (who?) and the content will
probably have to go through a sign off
process. The layout of the eBook will need to
be agreed and probably contracted out to a
design house. Budgetary issues may need to
be resolved. A brief will be required, designs
agreed, regular progress meetings held,
graphics or images will need to be sourced.
The pdf template will need to be optimised
for search.
“Focus on the core problem your business
solves & put out lots of content & enthusiasm
& ideas about how to solve that problem.”
LAURA FITTON - FOUNDER, ONEFORTY.COM
page 17
How do I
promote my
content?
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Ensure share icons have been added.
When you are happy with the finished article
publish it on your website. You will probably want
to promote it through various other means too e.g.
email, external web banners, Pay Per Click (PPC)
advertising, Slideshare etc. Best practice is to build a
dedicated landing page, optimised for conversion,
that you can drive all of your traffic towards and
monitor the results. Again all of this takes time.
r
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“When you breakdown all the fluff, there
are two ways to promote and market your
business; dumber, slower and expensive or smarter, faster and cheaper”
DAVID SITEMAN GARLAND - HOST OF THE RISE TO THE TOP
page 18
Optimise
your content
for search
and share
:
ip
yT
Ke
Tweet this eBook
You can’t just rely on writing good content
and then sitting back waiting for hordes of
prospects to beat a path to your website.
You need to give your great content a leg-up
by ensuring that it’s optimised for the search
engines. Google always advise to write
for your audience but writing compelling,
informative content, aimed at helping the
audience, whilst keeping an eye on search
engine requirements will pay dividends.
There is no shortage of information on how to
do this through carrying out keyword research
and then incorporating those keyword
phrases into:
• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• On-page titles
• Section heading
• Body text
• Image alt text
• Anchor text etc
r to
be
ng
m
e
orti
p
m
up
Re
to s r web
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wit nt
es
e
g
pa
ont hor
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anc
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h
g
u
thro
t.
tex
There are various tools available to help
you research your key words and phrases
but keep in mind that your audience might
not always use the same words and phrases
that you use internally within your company.
So also think about topics that would
have a general interest to your audience
or phrases that may be complementary
to those you offer.
“It no longer makes economic sense to
send an advertising message to the many
in hopes of persuading the few.”
M. LAWRENCE LIGHT - FORMER CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MCDONALDS
page 19
Write content
for your
audience not
search engines
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All of us at one time or another has picked up a
book that just grips us, we can’t put it down, we’ll say
to ourselves, just one more chapter even though it’s
the middle of the night. With great stories we want to
know what happens next. Your web pages need to
do the same job. You need to tell your visitors a story
and ensure they become absorbed and don’t close
the book (or bounce out) through lack of interest.
Unless you run an e-commerce site most people who
visit your site won’t make an immediate purchase.
Most people will browse, research, compare and
they’ll be at very different stages within the buying
cycle. Your content strategy needs to take this into
account.
Remember how difficult it is to get a customer
in the first instance; don’t lose them by taking them
for granted.
“By listening, marketing will
re-learn how to talk”
DOC SEARLS & DAVID WEINBERGER - CO-AUTHORS OF THE CLUETRAIN MANIFESTO
:
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,
nev eative ntent.
cr
co
be
eo
d
i
v
and
Blog to
get found
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If you don’t have a blog, introduce one –
and fast.
Because every time you introduce a blog
post you add another web page and that’s
an opportunity to get ranked for your key
terms in the search engines. In addition a
blog provides an opportunity to add fresh,
compelling and relevant content to your site
on a regular basis.
There are additional advantages of
blogging, a blog can be used as a platform
to differentiate your offering from your
competition through, perhaps, a thought
leadership stance. Once the content is
published it can continue to offer results to
the search engines months after publication.
Blog posts can be re-purposed as enewsletter
content or to answer customer questions
or to promote intellectual content such as
technical papers or eBooks. And a blog offers
the opportunity to entertain your audience
in a way you can never do through your
website.
A recent Hubspot report stated that on
average, SME’s that Blog have 55% more
website visitors than those who don’t, 97%
more inbound links and 434% more indexed
pages, which further enhance SEO results.
“No matter what, the very first piece of social
media real estate I’d start with is a blog”
CHRIS BROGAN - KEYNOTE SPEAKER, FOUNDER NEW MARKETING LABS
page 21
:
ip
yT
Ke
Why you should
be identifying
buyer
personas!
ly
ike
l
e
rm
sto with th er
n
i
m
Bra
nas
sto
o
u
s
c
r
r
pe
nd
sa
mo
e
a
l
e
t
sa
ho
ort
ew
p
s
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p
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su
ce
ne
-fa
o
o
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t
ean
fac with
s
s
ha
ling s.
a
er
de
om
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s
cu
Write content for your prospective buyer, how
do you do this? Well put yourself in their shoes
and list all of the issues you think they may
have. Give them a “persona” and build a
profile, a representation of a target customer.
Think about some of the following:
• Where they live
• What problems they may face
• Their responsibilities
• Their frustrations
• What pressure are they under
• What are their needs
• What role do they play in the decision
making unit (DMU)
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• Have they downloaded any prior content
• What technologies would they be using to
access content e.g. PC’s, smartphones,
tablets etc.
When you’ve answered all of those questions
you’ll have a much better idea of the type
of content most suited to that “persona”.
If you operate in the B2B sector the chances
are that the purchasing decisions will be
made by a number of people. The persona
arguments are just as relevant in the B2C
marketplace, the difference may be that
the decision making unit consists of various
family members.
“By publishing content that shows
buyers you understand their problems
and can show them how to solve them,
you build credibility”
ARDATH ALBEE - AUTHOR OF EMARKETING STRATEGIES FOR THE COMPLEX SALE
page 22
Why you need an
editorial calendar
for your content
marketing
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In order for you to plan and manage the content
marketing creation process and to help everyone else
involved keep track of timelines and dates,
it’s a great idea to create an editorial calendar.
Another advantage of an editorial calendar is that
it helps visualize how and where you can re-purpose
articles e.g. the eBook due to be published next
week could be used as a source of blog posts to be
published at a later date, the planned webinar could
fuel several enewsletter articles. By including key dates
within the spreadsheet on, for example, the launch
of a new product or a key trade show, this helps plan
content activities within the necessary timescales.
Key
:
p
i
T
ial
itor
d
e
he
t
e
ith
t
t w rding
ula
e
p
e
,
a
Po
ice
dsh
eg
r
o
a
v
e
n
f
spr
atio
e o be
n
m
r
o
t
e
. to
ec
info nas,
i
c
t
p
g
rso
ch
ts e
din
pe
oin by ea
n
p
a
h
in
pa essed rior to
t
dr
nt p nten
t
ad
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h
of
to t o help
r
e
,t
ov
tors les.
a
cre artic
ir
the
“Instead of one-way interruption, web
marketing is about delivering useful content
at just the precise moment a buyer needs it”
DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT MARKETING STRATEGIST, AUTHOR OF THE NEW RULES OF MARKETING AND PR
page 23
:
ip
T
y
Ke
How to put
together your
editorial
calendar?
r
ste ich
”
a
m
ce
h
n
a
w
a
l
t
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g
ve
h
Ha
she “at a
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tie
sa
spr
tivi rs for
de
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a
pro of all
nda ity
e
l
a
w
iv
,
vie rate c c act
oks es
fi
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log
.
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.
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sed
s
i
e.g ts etc
n
ts m
eve ng ge
hi
not
Identify key dates that may impact the
content you want to create and when you
need it. Brainstorm among the team what
you want/need to produce (keep in mind the
stages of the buying cycle). Identify the best
medium for each piece of content; identify
how/where you may want to re-purpose
each piece. Identify how you will track the
success of each piece. Write an abstract for
each piece, fill in the key fields. Decide who
will create the content.
An editorial calendar can act as a “briefing”
to those tasked with creating your content.
An excel spreadsheet incorporating some
of the headers bulleted below with some
of the key fields already filled in can make
it a much simpler task for an author to get
creative juices flowing rather than handing
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them a blank piece of paper and telling them
you need a story or an article by next week.
Headers could include:
• Publishing date
• Objective
• Draft title
• Audience
• Persona
• Keywords
• Call to action
• Medium
Note: the headers may change depending
on the type of content to be produced.
“Increasingly, the mass marketing
is turning into a mass of niches”
CHRIS ANDERSON - AUTHOR OF THE LONG TAIL
page 24
Content marketers:
Why you should
think and act
like a publisher
Tip:
a,
y
e
K
edi
m
the t it.
Be
n
t re
’
n
do
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With today’s web based tools you can create
your own content and publish that content
on-line wherever your audience is active.
This approach can offer your business massive
advantages against competitors through
improved results in the search engines,
re-purposing content across multiple
platforms, differentiating how and where you
offer your services or promoting your business
as a thought leader. But to achieve real
success you need a plan and considering
how a publisher would go about their business
can provide a good insight into what you
should be doing.
A publisher will look to maximize the ROI from
each piece of content, this means you need
to be focused and objective in your efforts
and the points below can help guide you:
• Make a list of possible content based on
your content marketing strategy
• Prioritise that list and focus on where you will
get the best return
• Select your target audience (think personas)
• Understand what you want to accomplish
from that piece of content e.g. the Call to
Action (CTA)
• Determine the best medium for that piece
of content
• Plan how you can re-purpose that content
across multiple platforms
“Remarkable social media content and
great sales copy are pretty much the same
– plain spoken words designed to focus on
the needs of the reader, listener or viewer”
BRIAN CLARK - FOUNDER COPYBLOGGER
page 25
You will need
a production
schedule
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In order to ensure the content is available
when required it’s a good idea to put
together a production schedule which can
take account of milestone dates for drafts,
iterations and proofreading. Whoever is
responsible for this process should also ensure
that the article uses the correct “tone of
voice” and meets the quality, relevance
and consistency standards required. During
the content creation process its worthwhile
spending some time working on a strong
headline as this can have a massive impact
on whether the content is read or ignored.
Publish your content and measure and
analyse the results. The advantage of
operating in a digital world is that almost
everything can be tracked and measured.
Incorporate your findings into improving your
content and processes in order to increase
future ROI.
:
ip
yT
Ke
ge
sta t
h
c
n
ea
nte
o
At
c
nt
he
me
of t
p
o
k
vel
de ess as his
t
c
pro elf “Is th my
rs
wi
s.
you
ne
i
l
tive
n
i
c
l
l
je
sti
l ob
a
i
t
ini
“There are no magic wands,
no hidden tricks and no secret
handshakes that can bring you
immediate success but with time, energy
and determination you can get there”
DARREN ROWSE - FOUNDER PROBLOGGER
page 26
Mobile marketing;
The next big thing?
“Smartphones are reinventing
the connection between
companies and their customers”
RICH MINER - PARTNER, GOOGLE VENTURES, CO-FOUNDER, ANDROID
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:
ip
yT
Ke
r
nde
e
r
st
ite
t ju
’
nt s
n
e
o
t
r
D
ur
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e
l
you mobi
a
site
on
ile
b
o
and
a m ned
sig
de
.
-up
t
e
s
Mobile Marketing is a red hot topic. The
number of people who own smartphones
that can access the internet is growing
phenomenally and by all accounts will be the
medium of choice for most of us by 2013 to
2015 depending on which reports you read.
• Try to create shorter content “bursts” and
use longer pages because scrolling is
quicker than waiting for multiple pages to
load. Also consider using alternate formats
such as video and audio to conserve
space.
• Try to limit your file size to 20k to
Here’s what you need to do to create a
accommodate slower connection speeds
customer-friendly mobile site:
and avoid using Flash if your content will be
• Get rid of the clutter. Remove items or
viewed on an Apple product
content from your website that you think
• Re-purpose existing content to drive traffic
might be superfluous to a mobile browser.
e.g. turn that 5000 word article into a series
• Check your analytics. If you’re likely
of podcasts for your mobile audience
already using analytics data to determine
• Think about new ways to engage an
how visitors interact on your site, use
audience around your content e.g. video
that information to determine what your
• Claim your business on location-based
customers need from you, what can (and
platforms like Foursquare, Gowalla and
should) be ported over to your mobile site —
Google Places, especially if you have a
and what you can get rid of.
bricks-and-mortar location.
• Be creative, think about how you can
implement a campaign e.g. use QR codes
or think about having an Ap built.
page 27
f
fe o
i
l
e
g
d th nsurin
n
e
e
xt
p: E de by
i
T
o
be
Key
Rc
re
an
Q
c
r
futu
nk
o
i
l
t
you
e
link
t th
o
a
t
h
t
ed
difi
o
ns.
m
aig
p
cam
Bringing
off-line and
on-line
together
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QR codes are similar to the barcodes used by
retailers to track inventory and price products
at the point of sale. The key difference
between the two is the amount of data they
can hold or share. Bar codes are linear onedimensional codes and can only hold up
to 20 numerical digits, whereas QR codes
are two-dimensional (2D) matrix barcodes
that can hold thousands of alphanumeric
characters of information.
This ability to hold more information and
their ease of use makes them practical for
small businesses. When you scan or read a
QR code with your iPhone, Android or other
camera-enabled smartphone, you can link to
digital content on the web; activate
a number of phone functions including email,
IM and SMS; and connect the mobile device
to a web browser. Any of these desired
functions are easily achieved by properly
creating your QR code. It’s a simple
process of entering the appropriate data
into a QR code generator and it only takes
a few minutes.
QR code design is also flexible enough to
allow some creative design approaches
Practical Uses of QR Codes:
• On your business card.
• Brochures and other marketing materials.
• Product packaging
• Convention and event nametags
• Restaurant menus
• Event ticket stubs
• Point-of-sale receipts
• Property leaflets from estate agents
“Don’t be afraid to get creative
and experiment with your marketing.”
MIKE VOLPE - CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, HUBSPOT
page 28
The power
of video
ip:
T
y
e
K
t
rge
o
f
e
n’t
y th pt
Do
a
l
isp
cri
s
d
n
o
t
he
tra
et t
eo
g
d
i
v
o
xt t enefit
e
t
b
in
SEO r key
l
l
fu
you
m
fro
.
rds
wo
According to Google, videos are 50 times
more likely to rank on the first page of search
engines for your targeted keywords than text.
Videos receive a 41% higher click through
rate than text links. Video is more engaging to
us and we view it as a trusted media far more
when making a decision, than reading text.
There are many types of video you can shoot
depending on the project objective, e.g.
• ‘How to’ videos
• Interview style video
• Talking head
• Talk show style with several people
having a discussion
• Product demos
• Customer testimonials
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Ensure the sound quality is good, if required
use external microphones. Check the lighting,
shoot the video, edit where necessary.
On completion, embed video in eNewsletters,
Blogs, Linkedin accounts, Facebook.
Upload to your website, YouTube and Vimeo.
Don’t forget to make your videos shareable,
use keywords in the description, title and
keyword tags. Re-purpose them as podcasts.
“You’ve probably got a device on you that
can shoot decent video, so what’s stopping
you? Capture and share some moments”
STEVE GARFIELD - VIDEO BLOGGER, AUTHOR OF GET SEEN
page 29
How do you stand
out from the crowd
– on-line?
:
ip
yT
Ke
our
y
f
o
all
eb
e
r
r
u
rw
s
o
n
lea
l
E
c
a
i
a
ter
ffer Callma
o
s
ge
ise
to
pa
onc CTA)
c
(
rs
and tion
de
a
c
e
A
r
o
To- your
at t
h
p
ew
hel
cid
e
to d xt.
ne
do
“Good is the enemy of great…The
vast majority of good companies
remain just that – good but not great”
In order to survive, you need to somehow
differentiate your offering from your
competition. In a bricks and mortar store you
can have an enticing shop front, you can
have extremely helpful and professional staff
and you can run sales promotions but if more
of your business is on-line or it’s trending that
way, how do you get found when 75% of
internet users* never scroll past the first page
of search results?
Well the bottom line is, if Google can’t find
you no-one else can and although your
website is extremely important there are other
platforms to consider. The more keyword rich
content you produce and disseminate the
more chance you stand of being found by
the search engines.
So the creation of interesting, relevant,
valuable content is no longer just an option,
it’s critical. A Blog can be automatically
*Source: Marketshare.hitslink.com, Oct 2010
JIM COLLINS - AUTHOR OF GOOD TO GREAT
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output to Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin
via an RSS feed to increase lead generation
opportunities and improve search results.
Blog posts can also be re-purposed into
email content or grouped together to form
an eBook. An eBook can be the basis of a
PPC campaign to collect contact details, the
eBook itself can be re-purposed into a slide
deck that can be uploaded to Slideshare.
The key point here is not to view any initial
content in isolation but to have in mind from
the very beginning ideas of how you can
cut and dice that content to get it in front of
as many people as possible. But remember,
the content has to have a perceived value
to your target audience, if it doesn’t you’ll
fail and just merge in with the masses most
of whom are just producing “me too”
brochureware for a rapidly diminishing
audience.
Don’t make that mistake.
page 30
ip:
T
Key
e
f th
o
n
nd
e e uestio
h
t
q
At
the d
y
l
g
da
hou askin
s
e
you ys be
her
w
a
“
alw elf is
.
s
r
ey”
you mon
e
is th
Social media
marketing?
Make sure you
have a plan!
Social media can be a pretty daunting
activity with the ever growing and ever
changing choice of platforms available.
The important thing to remember is to focus
your attention on where your audience
is active. Don’t spend all of your time on
Facebook if none of your customers or
prospects are there. It’s too easy to get
hooked into collecting likes and pluses and
followers without having a clear view of what
this means for your business or how you can
channel these activities into something more
tangible e.g. revenue (SM purists take note).
Social media is about interaction and you
need to invest time and effort into that
endeavour. Oh and by the way, this is
where having relevant and compelling
content spread across the web helps attract
searchers towards your offering.
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Reaching out to your audience wherever
they are active will help to create a stronger
brand presence in the market and allow you
to listen to your customers (and competitors).
But social media needs to be seen as part
of the total plan and should be used as an
integral part of your marketing strategy.
To view social media as a stand-alone entity
and to go through the process of ticking
boxes dilutes its potential and reduces
the impact it can have on your business.
Measuring the ROI of social media can be
difficult but not impossible. However if you
start out with a plan and a view of what
success will look like prior to the campaign
launch date then at least you will be able to
make a comparison between expectations
and achievement.
“The future of business is social”
BARRY LIBERT - AUTHOR OF SOCIAL NATION – CEO, MZINGA
page 31
Make your content
marketing
efforts work
:
ip
yT
Ke
r
e fo
r
u
as
ke.
me
a
of
t
s
s
s
se
t
ju
o
n
t
use
’
e
p
n
r
d
u
m
o
n
p
D
re
nt a s/
the
asu
o
r
e
f
e
n
rm
m
rmi ent up latfo
e
t
e
De
ont riate p ure th r
c
r
s
you
ea
you pprop
o
m
t
t
a
to
es
van s.
the
g
e
l
a
re
ck
ive
pa
tion bject
c
ra
o
inte
and
s
l
a
go
“Your organisation is becoming
hyperlinked. Whether you like it or not.
It’s bottom up; it’s unstoppable”
DAN WEINBERGER - AUTHOR OF EVERYTHING IS MISCELLANEOUS
The most important piece of advice I can give
is to ensure that you have Google Analytics
enabled on your website. It’s free and can
be added quite easily. You need to sign up to
a Google account and Google provide you
with a piece of code that your webmaster
can add to the pages on your site (or blog).
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A tool with a similar purpose is Social Mention,
this provides real time social media search
results for key words or phrases important to
you. Alternatively you could use Hootsuite
which lets you monitor multiple social network
pages from one platform.
Additional information can be found from
sharing and bookmarking widgets such as
“sharethis” or “Addthis” that you may have on
your web or blog pages. Facebook, YouTube
and Slideshare also offer statistics and counts
and engagement feedback and don’t forget
blog comments.
With analytics added you can track visitors to
specific webpages on your site, identify where
those visitors have come from, how they
moved through your site, any actions they
took (downloaded an eBook), how long they
stayed on your site, what pages are popular
(or not) and the list goes on. The analysis of
this information is very useful for tweaking the
Remember that your visitors will be at differing
content on your website or identifying content stages within the buying cycle and you will
for future development.
need to consider different metrics for each
of those stages.
Google also allows you to set up alerts that
can be emailed to you enabling you to track
activity on key words or phrases, competitor
activities, your own brand, URL or company
name etc, highlighting conversations your
content may have kicked off.
page 32
You’ve generated
the interest, don’t
lose the sale
:
ip
yT
Ke
ct
nta
o
c
our t as
y
p
or
rms
o
Kee as sh
f
ng
form ble, lo elds
fi
ssi
d
po
any off an
m
h
le
e
wit
op
e
unc .
p
o
t
e
lb
pu
ag
wil
p
y
r
the f you
o
out
“Marketers need to build digital
relationships and reputation before
closing a sale”
CHRIS BROGAN - KEYNOTE SPEAKER, FOUNDER. NEW MARKETING LAB
People are beginning to visit your site,
subscribe to your blog and download your
ebook. These visitors may be prospective
customers. But not all of the people visiting
your site will be in a position where they’re
ready to buy. Your visitors will be at different
stages of the buying cycle and your job now
is to help them move along on their journey
towards a sales conversion. So it’s important
that you find a way of engaging with those
visitors to ensure they come back to visit
your website.
A contact strategy via email marketing will
allow you to provide additional information
to educate those prospects, answer their
questions and invite them to download new
content relevant to their needs. The premise
here is twofold:
• Provide enough compelling information
over a period of time on how your product
or service is right for their needs, that the
contact with get in touch with you directly
(when they are ready). Or
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• Move your contact through a marketing
process until they are at a stage where they
can be contacted by the sales team.
To help ensure you’re sending the correct
message to your audience it’s important to
segment your database so that you can be
more specific in your messaging.
Introduce a lead nurturing and scoring
system based on information shared by the
prospect at the initial registration. Additional
information collected through subsequent
engagement will result in an increase in sales
ready leads. This will lead to an improved
sales conversion ratio as your sales team will
be engaging with prospects that already
have a relationship with you and have
expressed a strong interest in what you
have to offer.
page 33
Why your own
marketing efforts
are failing?
“People share, read and generally engage more
with any type of content when it’s surfaced through
friends & people they know and trust.”
MALORIE LUCICH - FACEBOOK SPOKESPERSON
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You’ve just read this ebook, now just pause
for a minute and think about how you
yourself behave when pondering over
purchasing decisions.
Take as an example your usual Sunday
morning routine. Coffee in the kitchen and
you pick up the broadsheet, extract all of the
advertising inserts and throw them in the bin.
You read the supplement, mentally blanking
out all of the on-page advertising. After
coffee you switch on your Sky Plus to catch
up with the previous weeks viewing, recorded
without any advertising showing. You don’t
receive any cold calls because you’ve
registered your telephone number with the
Telephone Preference Service. Then your wife
tells you she needs a new fridge, what’s the
first thing you do? You switch on your PC and
search on Google for fridges.
So why do you expect your customers and
prospects to behave any differently than
you? Why are you still taking out print ads?
Putting together mass mailing campaigns
from bought in lists? Employing cold calling
programmes when your audience is on-line?
The solution to this problem is to use inbound
marketing techniques described in the
previous pages. Inbound marketing combines
content marketing, social media and lead
generation activities to create an integrated
process and strategy aimed at building trust
with your audience through the creation
and distribution of relevant and compelling
content that pulls an audience towards
your offer, generating high quality leads and
boosting your search engine rankings.
If you are not creating content that meets
the needs of your audience and hosting that
content wherever your audience is active,
they will go elsewhere.
Make sure that doesn’t happen. Get your
content marketing strategy up and
running today.
page 34
Resources:
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Content marketing blogs:
• Rame Marketing
• Hubspot
• Content Marketing Institute
• Velocity Partners
• MarketingProfs
• Social Media Examiner
• Social Fresh
• SavvyB2BMarketing
• Mashable
Other fantastic marketing eBooks
• Velocity Partners Content Marketing Workbook
• Junta42 Content Marketing Playbook
• Eloqua Social Media Playbook
• The eBook eBook
• B2B Blogging eBook
• Zero Moment of Truth
Awesome marketing books:
• Managing Content Marketing
• Content Strategy for the Web
• Content Rules
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR
• Inbound Marketing
• Get Content Get Customers
• No Bullshit Social Media
• Launch
page 35
About
Rame
Marketing
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Rame Marketing is a strategic marketing communications consultancy that works with
businesses of all sizes to:
• Improve lead generation activities
• Generate qualified leads
• Increase sales
We specialise in content marketing, social media, lead generation and Google AdWords
management and help businesses within Torbay, Plymouth, Exeter, Devon & East Cornwall.
If your lead generation activities have stalled and you’d like to find out more about smarter
marketing methods to help your business grow, get in touch.
[email protected]
0845 8620769
Mobile: 07856 771528
@ramemarketing
facebook.com/ramemarketing
www.ramemarketing.co.uk
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