@nickcicero

7 Lessons Marketers Can Learn from MasterCard to become a Global Publishing Powerhouse

MasterCard realized that they reached 30 Million people monthly but participated in less than 1% of conversations.

They were ignoring 99% of the conversations that potential and current customers were openly asking for.

“Our goal was simple. Lead a conversation that allows us to inform, engage and demonstrate the value that MasterCard is bringing to the media, bloggers and our stakeholders without simply shouting messages from a soapbox”— Andrew Bowins SVP of External Communications

How did they make this change? These seven steps.

1. KNOW WHAT YOU STAND FOR

— Innovation and the future of payments

— Financial inclusion

— Safety and security

— Travel

— Small business.

Build Content Pillars to Define Brand MissionMasterCard’s rebranded Global Engagement bureau listed five pillars that represent their mission and values:

2. LET INFLUENCERS AND COMMUNITY INFORM CONTENT STRATEGY

Systematically tracking and monitoring conversations around MasterCard and competitors across 55 markets and 26 languages helps communication teams stay on top of trends, talk to influencers directly and share relevant news both globally and locally.

Every Piece of Content Tells a Story

3. STANDARDIZE THE PUBLISHING PROCESS

MasterCard brought four content channels across seven global regions into one system of publishing. The result was cost savings and increase in production speed, in fact they produced and published over 2,500 pieces of original content in the third quarter of 2014

Standardize Publishing = Increase Efficiency

4. PRIORITIZE STORYTELLING OVER PRESS RELEASES

By advocating for the reader & prioritizing content and digital experiences that create value for influencers, bloggers & journalists, MasterCard has pivoted its communications approach from broadcast to dialogue, helping others interact with its stories.

Think About Your Audience

5. INCREASE VISUAL CONTENT

If the average length of a word in the English language is five characters, and tweets can only be 140 characters, by that logic, one photo can convey the same emotion as roughly 35 tweets. Ask yourself: how can you tell that same press release visually?

Pictures Tell A Thousand Words

6. MAKE CONTENT CREATION EASY

By providing content building blocks across inspiration, imagery and information in each teams’ local language, Percolate makes MasterCard’s marketers more efficient visual storytellers.

Align Content Creation to Brand Pillars

1910Images uploaded and created in the MasterCard/Percolate Media Library

716Images edited and branded with

the Percolate Image Editor

7. MEASURE RELATIONSHIP

METRICS

In addition to reach, shares and traffic, MasterCard measures key relationship metrics like time spent/visit & repeat visits. Newsroom teams understand how long readers consume content, how often they come back and what percentage finish full stories over excerpts.

Value Metrics > Vanity Metrics

RESULTS?

This change in publishing has resulted in MasterCard becoming the most visible financial services company globally, with 34% overall year-to-date positive share of voice versus competitors.

Influencers MasterCard engages with quarterly

Growth of monthly website visits

Increase in time spent per visit to the brand’s digital

communications properties

200,000 104% 132%

Results of MasterCard’s Global Publishing Strategy

1. Know what you stand for

2. Let influencers and community inform content strategy

3. Standardize the publishing process

4. Prioritize storytelling over press releases

5. Increase visual content

6. Make content creation easy

7. Measure relationship metrics

How to become a global publishing powerhouse

To learn more about MasterCard’s publishing transformation: download our new case study here.

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