Transcript How to Develop & Execute Your Content Strategy @RainMakingMkt @RaniMonson Hypocrite Oath @RainMakingMkt @RaniMonson Let’s Make the Most of Our Time slideshare.net/ranimonson/ @RainMakingMkt @RaniMonson.

How to Develop & Execute Your
Content Strategy
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
Hypocrite Oath
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Let’s Make the Most of Our Time
slideshare.net/ranimonson/
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Your Content Strategy Formula
Your Brand
+
Customers’ Concerns /
Interests
+
Relevant Topics
=
Your Content Strategy
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
Your Content Strategy Formula
Your Brand
+
Customers’ Concerns /
Interests
+
Relevant Topics
=
Your Content Strategy
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
Seth Godin’s Definition of a Brand
A brand is the set of
expectations, memories,
stories and relationships that,
taken together, account for a
consumer’s decision to choose
one product or service over
another.
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Your Brand
• Brand is the single
largest asset of any
organization
• Your job is to protect
the brand by
communicating clearly
& consistently what the
brand stands for
– And what it doesn’t
represent
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Source: SocialMediaToday
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Your Branding
• A clear set of short,
concise messages that
communicate the
benefits of the brand
• Establishing an image
and communicating it
consistently is required
for any brand to
establish itself and to
build awareness
• This becomes the
platform for all
communication tactics
and marketing efforts
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Defining Your Brand
• Start with the 5 W’s
– Who
– What
– Where
– When
– Why
• Don’t forget “how”
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Be Memorable
• What is unique about
your brand?
• How are you different
from the competitor?
• Why are you the best
firm for the job?
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Stuck?
• Ask you customers
– Why did they hire you
– Consider a survey
• Look at companies /
brands you aspire to
emulate
• Review keywords
being searched for on
Google in your field
• Know the competition
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LET’S TALK ABOUT CONTENT
ALREADY
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What is Content, Exactly?
• Content = Information
• Information (aka content) can take many
forms and formats
– Text
– Photos
– Infographics
– Testimonials
– Audio
– Video
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Don’t Confuse Social Media With Content
• Businesses rush to jump on
social media
• Often don’t stop to think
– What they want to say
– Who they want to say it to
– aka a Content Strategy
• Key is to remember social
media is a vehicle - only
– It drives traffic to your content
– But your content isn’t Social
Media
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What Content Marketing Isn’t
• A hard sell
• A push of
your
product /
service /
offering
• Icky
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What’s Content Marketing Is:
Content marketing is any marketing format that
involves the creation and sharing of media
and publishing content in order to acquire
customers.
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Content Marketing means
creating and sharing valuable free
content to attract and convert •
prospects into customers, and •
customers into repeat buyers •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
@RainMakingMkt
Examples:
White papers
ebooks
Infographics
Case studies
how-to guides
Q&A’s
Photos
Testimonials
Video
Audio
@RaniMonson
Why Content Marketing Works
• Demonstrates your
expertise
• Provide a sense of who
you are and how you
work – before they buy
• Create trust and loyalty
when you’re giving
something away for free
– People buy from someone
they trust
• Attract targeted prospects
aligned with your content
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Expectations of Content Marketing
1) Brand awareness -- 79%
2) Customer acquisition -- 74%
3) Lead generation -- 71%
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Importance of Content Increasing
• 91% of now use content
marketing
• 54% of plan to increase or
significantly increase content
marketing spend over next 12
months
• On average, 33% of the
marketing budget will be spent
on B2B content marketing
• And the amount being spent is
growing!
– Hello career change!
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The Smaller the Company (Budget)…
• The more important
content marketing is
• Most cost-effective
with the highest ROI
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TELL ME HOW TO CREATE CONTENT
ALREADY…
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@RaniMonson
Your Content Strategy Formula
Your Brand
+
Customers’ Concerns /
Interests
+
Relevant Topics
=
Your Content Strategy
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
Think About Your Target Audience(s)
• Current Customers
– Much cheaper /
easier to keep them
vs. finding new ones
• New Customers
• Are these the
“same” or
“different”?
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How Can You Help Them?
• Share info that will
make them sleep
better at night
• Help them do their
job better
• Impress their boss
• Sound super smart /
funny at a cocktail
party
• Your content is for
these people!!
• They are the
essence of your
content strategy
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@RaniMonson
Frequency
• To-Do:
– Identify how frequently
you can share content
– Be realistic
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Create a Content Calendar
• It doesn’t have to be fancy
• Make it something you will use
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Content Calendar
• Plan ahead to reinforce
your key messages
• Block out rolling 13
months of what you
know
• Holidays
• Seasons
• Industry events /
conferences
• Your vacation
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Drive Content Marketing Strategy from
Your Blog
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Identify | Create Content
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Curate Content for Calendar
• It Doesn’t All Have to be Original
– Content you curate is created by someone
else
– And you give them credit for their work
• Don’t plagiarize, steal, etc.
– It’s bad content karma
• Sources:
– Industry websites / trade publications /
analysts
– Your business partners
– Guest bloggers
– Competitors
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
@RaniMonson
Create Evergreen Content
What is it?
• It’s always relevant /
green
• Plan: Ready ahead of
time
• Have a list handy – plug
in as needed
@RainMakingMkt
Examples
• FAQs
• Case studies
• Lessons learned
• Recycle popular content
• Guest writers
• How-to guides
• Q&A
• Historical industry info
• Calendar of events
@RaniMonson
Augment With Timely Content
Be careful with:
• Current events
• Politics
• Religion
Typically safe:
• Industry news
• Emerging trends
• Data / facts
• Research reports
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
@RainMakingMkt
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Share Content
• Post to blog
• Repost / repurpose
your own content
– Share on LinkedIn /
social
• Start a dialogue
– Email newsletter
• To Do:
– Identify where to
share
@RainMakingMkt
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Additional Tips
• Read your content to
yourself – out loud
• Ask someone else to read it
• It’s digital!
– You can always fix it later |
Hit delete
• Schedule a deadline for
yourself
– Withhold things you like
until you do it
• Yes punish yourself
• If it just isn’t going to
happen…
– Consider paying someone
else to do it
– That way it will get done
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
@RaniMonson
Truth Is Always Stranger Than Fiction
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Recap: Your Content Strategy Formula
Your Brand
+
Customers’ Concerns /
Interests
+
Relevant Topics
=
Your Content Strategy
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson
Rani Monson
[email protected]
http://www.slideshare.net/ranimonson
@RainMakingMkt
@RaniMonson