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“InsteadofthrowingmoneyawayandsuckinguptoA-listers,nowthereisabetterwaytopromoteyourbusiness.It’scalledcontentmarketing,andthisbookisagreatwaytomasterthisnewtechnique.”

—GuyKawasaki,ChiefEvangelistofCanvaandauthorofTheArtoftheStart2.0

“Howdoyoutakethemaximumamountofriskoutofstartingabusiness?JoePulizzishowsus.Fascinateyouraudience,thenturnthemintoloyalfans.ContentInc.showsyouhow.Useitasyourroadmaptostart-upsuccess.”

—SallyHogshead,NewYorkTimesandWallStreetJournalbestsellingauthor,HowtheWorldSeesYou

“ContentInc.isthemostpersonalofJoePulizzi’sbookstodate.Theglimpseitprovidesintothemindsoftoday’scontentmarketingleadersshouldserveasinspirationtoanyonewhowantstobuildtheirowncompany,careerniche,orenergizedbrand.Youcannotputthisbookdownwithoutfeelingmotivatedtogochangeyourownfutureforthebetter.”

—JeffreyK.Rohrs,CMO,Yextandauthor,Audience:MarketingintheAgeofSubscribers,Fans&Followers

“ContentInc.revealsthemodernsecrettosuccess—attractandbuildaloyalaudiencefirst,figureoutwhatbusinessyou’reinsecond—brilliant!”

—JohnJantsch,authorofDuctTapeMarketingandTheReferralEngine

“ContentmarketingisbyfarthebestmarketingstrategyforeverycompanyandJoeisbyfarthebestguruonthetopic.IwishthisbookwasavailablewhenwestartedourcontentmarketinginitiativeatOpenViewVenturePartners.Itwouldhavesavedusahugeamountoftimeandeffort!”

—ScottMaxwell,ManagingPartner/FounderOpenViewVenturePartners

“TheInternetdoesn’tneedmorecontent.Itneedsamazingcontent.ContentInc.isthebusinessblueprintonhowtoachievethat.Ifyou’reinbusinessandaretiredofhearingabouttheneedforcontentmarketing,butwantthehowandtheproof,ContentInc.isyourblueprint.”

—ScottStratten,bestsellingauthorandPresidentofUnMarketingInc.

“Ifyou’reseriousaboutturningcontentintoabusiness,thisisthemostdetailed,honest,andusefulbookeverwritten.Intherighthands,theadviceinContent,Inc.isworththousandsofdollars.”

—JayBaer,NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofYoutility

“Whatifyoulaunchedabusinesswithnothingtosell,andinsteadfocusedfirstonservingtheneedsofanaudience,trustingthatthe‘selling’partwouldcomelater?Crazy?Orcrazy-brilliant?I’dsaythelatter.Becauseintoday’sworld,youshouldservebeforeselling.”

—AnnHandley,authoroftheWallStreetJournalbestsellerEverybodyWritesandContentRules

“Theapproachtobusinesstaughtallovertheworldistocreateaproductandthenspendabunchofmoneytomarketandsellit.Joeoutlinesaradicallynewwaytosucceedinbusiness:Developyouraudiencefirstbycreatingcontentthatdrawspeopleinandthenwatchyourbusiness(andproducts)sellthemselves!”

—DavidMeermanScott,bestsellingauthorof10booksincludingTheNewRulesofMarketingandPRandTheNewRulesofSalesandService

“Thedigitalagehasfundamentallyreshapedthecostcurveforentrepreneurs.Thekeychallengenowisnolongeraccesstocapital,itisaccesstoaudience.Joevividlydescribestheformulafordevelopingapurpose-drivenbusinessthatconnectswithanengagedandloyalaudiencearoundcontent.Withbrand,voice,andaudience,buildingandmonetizingabusinessiseasy.”

—JulieFleischer,Sr.Director,Data+Content+Media,KraftFoods

“Today,anyone,anywherewithapassionandafocusonacontentnichecanbuildamultimillion-dollarplatformandbusiness.Ididitandsocanyou.JustfollowJoe’splanandhisContentInc.modelandyoucanmakeithappen.”

—JohnLeeDumas,Founder,EntrepreneurOnFire

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Contents

FOREWORDBYBRIANCLARK,CEO,COPYBLOGGERMEDIA

INTRODUCTION

PART1STARTINGTHEJOURNEY

CHAPTER1BEGINNINGWITHTHEENDINMIND

CHAPTER2THECONTENTINC.OPPORTUNITY

PART2THESWEETSPOT

CHAPTER3KNOWLEDGEORSKILL+PASSION

CHAPTER4ADDINGAUDIENCETOYOURSWEETSPOT

PART3THECONTENTTILT

CHAPTER5UNDERSTANDINGTHEPOWEROFTHE“TILT”

CHAPTER6DISCOVERINGYOURCONTENTMISSION

CHAPTER7WAYSTOUNEARTHYOURCONTENTTILT

PART4BUILDINGTHEBASE

CHAPTER8SELECTINGYOURPLATFORM

CHAPTER9CONTENTIDEATION

CHAPTER10THECONTENTCALENDAR

CHAPTER11CONTENTSTAFFING

CHAPTER12THECOLLABORATIVEPUBLISHINGMODEL

CHAPTER13PLANNINGFORREPURPOSING

PART5HARVESTINGAUDIENCE

CHAPTER14THEMETRICTHATDRIVESTHEMODEL

CHAPTER15BUILDINGFORFINDABILITY

CHAPTER16STEALINGAUDIENCE

CHAPTER17SOCIALMEDIAINTEGRATION

PART6DIVERSIFICATION

CHAPTER18THETHREEANDTHREEMODEL

CHAPTER19BUILDINGOUTEXTENSIONS

CHAPTER20ACQUIRINGCONTENTASSETS

PART7MONETIZATION

CHAPTER21WAITINGFORREVENUE

CHAPTER22BUILDINGTHEREVENUEMODEL

PART8NEXT-LEVELCONTENTINC.

CHAPTER23PUTTINGITALLTOGETHER

CHAPTER24JOINTHEMOVEMENT

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

APPENDIXA:CMI’SCONTRIBUTOR/BLOGGINGGUIDELINES

APPENDIXB:ANINSIDELOOKINTOCMI’SPUBLISHINGPROCESS

INDEX

Foreword

Byallreasonableaccounts,Ihadjustthrownmylifeaway.

Upuntilthispoint,Ihaddoneitallthe“right”way.Excelledmyfirstyearoflawschoolandgradedontolawreview.Clerkedforgreatfirmsmysecondandthirdyears.

AndyetIhadjustquitmybiglawfirmjobonlyfouryearsaftergraduation.Evenworse,IhaddoneitsoIcould“writeontheInternet.”

Tryexplainingthatonetoyourmom.

Now,mostunhappyattorneysareafflictedwiththedesiretowrite.Butyoudon’tquityourjobtodoit.AndwhenitcametotheInternetin1998,youhadtowriteabusinessplantosucceed,notcontent.

Afterall,thefirmIquitwastheonethattookMichaelDellfromdormroomtobillionaire.Ihadaccesstoconnections,butIdidn’tseemtowantthem.

Inhindsight,perhapsIwasalittlecrazy.Thewritinglifewasforme,Ithought,butIdidn’twanttobeacoginthemachineofHollywoodfilmsorNewYorkpublishing.

Everyeveningafterworkforfourtediousyears,Ihadbeenstaringatacomputerscreen,exploringtheInternet.Allthosepeople,allovertheworld—therehadtobeawaytomakealivingfromreachingthemwithmywords.

WhatIwasactuallysettingouttodowastostartabusiness.AndyetIhadnevertakenabusinessclass,neverreadamarketingbook,neveroncethoughtofmyselfasanentrepreneur.

Iwantedtobuildanaudienceandfindawaytomakealivingfromit.Fortunately,mycluelessnesswasanasset,becausetheInternetturnedalotofconventionalwisdomonitshead.

Atthetime,e-mailnewsletterswerethevehiclesforcontentpublishing,beforeblogstookover.Istartedoutcreatingwittypopculturee-zineswiththehopeofsellingadvertising.

Asfarasattractinganaudiencegoes,Isucceeded.Tensofthousandssignedup,andoneofmytitlesgotcoveragefromEntertainmentWeekly,SightandSoundMagazine,andmythenhometownAustinChronicle.

WhatIdidn’tget,however,wasrevenue.Onlineadvertisingisatoughgametoday,butin1998foranewbielikeme,itseemedimpossible.

Myproblem,Icametorealize,wasthatIdidn’thaveaproductorservicetosell.ThenIrealizedthatIdidhavesomethingtosell,andtrustme…Ineededthemoney.

Mylawlicensewasstillactive.Soin1999Istartedyetanothere-mailnewsletter,thisonefocusedonlegalissuesrelatedtotheInternet.IwashopingtopickupenoughclientworktosurvivewhileIfiguredouttheotherbusinessmodel.

Ittookoff.Iwassoonturningawayclients,pickingandchoosingthebestwork,securingthebestretainers.Iwasamazed…butmoreimportantly,Iwashooked.

Throughtheprocessofstartingonecompanythatfailed,andonefirmthatdidn’t,Idiscoveredsomethingimportant—Ilovedstartingbusinesses.Ratherthanatraditionalwriter,Iwasanentrepreneurwhocouldwrite,andthat’sservedmewell.

That’sbecausecontentiswhatpeoplewantonline,andmarketingandadvertisingarewhatpeopleeasilyavoid.Iknewhowtocreatetheformer,andthat’showIattractedandheldtheattentionthatledtorevenue,profits,andsuccess.

Thepracticeoflawwasstillnofun,soIsetmysightsonthelucrativerealestateindustry,whichwascluelessaboutthethingsIknewaboutonlinecontentandmarketing.Between2001and2005—despitebeingcompletelyunknownandwithlittlemorethanseveralcontent-richwebsites—Istartedandrantwovirtualrealestatebrokerages.

IwasnowmakingmoremoneythanifIhadremainedanattorneyatthatbig,prestigiouslawfirm.Iwasactuallymakingmorethanmanyoftheseniorpartners.Moreimportantly,Iwasconvincedthatrelevantcontentdesignedtobuildanaudienceofprospectswasthewaytosucceedwhenstartinganewbusiness.

In2005,IdecidedIwantedmore.Ihadnopassionforrealestate—IjusthadtoprovetomyselfthatIcouldsucceedoutsideoflaw.Withthatoutoftheway,Itrulybelievedthatmyjourneyasanentrepreneurhadjustbegun.

InDecember2005,Iregisteredthedomainnamecopyblogger.com.TheideawastoteachpeopletheuniqueintersectionofcontentandcopywritingskillsIhadusedtostartthreesuccessfulservicebusinesses.OnJanuary9,2006,thesitelaunched.

WhatCopybloggerwas(andis)aboutiscalledcontentmarketing.IfiguredtheterminologypartoutthankstoaguynamedJoePulizzi,theauthorofthebookyounowholdinyourhands.Moreonhiminjustabit.

Backto2006.Copybloggertakesoff—despitethefactthatI’magaincompletelyunknowninthefield—becausepeoplewerefrustratedwithtypicalbloggingandonlinecopywritingadvice.Imergedthetwotopicstogetherandadvocatedtheheresy(atthetime)thatyoushouldsellproductsandserviceswithcontentinsteadofrelyingonadvertising.

Here’sashortsummaryofwhathappenednext:

Between2007and2009,Ilaunchedanewstart-upoffCopybloggereveryyear,mostlysoftware,eachofwhichachievedsevenfiguresinrevenueinayearorless.In2010,ImergedseveralofthosecompaniestogethertoformCopybloggerMediainordertoexecuteonagrandervision.

In2014,CopybloggerMediaintroducedacompleteSaaSsystemforcontentmarketersandonlineentrepreneurs.Wealsohit$10millioninrevenue.

DidImentionthatwenevertookventurecapital,didn’tadvertise,andwereprofitableeveryyear?That’sallthankstotheaudienceIstartedbuildingin2006.

Now,I’mnottheonlyonewithastorylikethis.Manystart-upbusinesseshavegrownoutofaudience-firstapproaches,specificallyfromthebloggingworld.Butthestart-upcommunitygenerallyfailedtotakenotice.

ThatchangedabitwiththeinclusionofacasestudyaboutCopybloggerMediaintheNewYorkTimesbestsellerTheLeanEntrepreneur,byBrantCooperandPatrickVlaskovits.That’swhenmyconceptofthe“minimumviableaudience”reachedwellbeyondtheCopybloggerworld.

AnMVAisthepointwhenyouraudiencestartsgrowingitselfthroughsocialsharingandwordofmouth.Evenbetter,it’salsowhenyoustartgettingthefeedbackthattellsyouwhatproductorserviceyouraudienceactuallywantstobuy.

AcasestudyonasinglepageinTheLeanEntrepreneurwascertainlyeye-openingtomanyfledglingentrepreneurs.Butthebookyou’reholdingrightnowismorelikeamasterclassthatprovidesasix-stepprocessforcreatingsuccessfulcompanieslikethesevenI’vestartedsofar(withoutallmyearlymisstepsandmistakes).

Thisisexactlywhatanentrepreneurlikeyouneedstodevelopacontentstrategythatbuildsawinningcompany.Andyoudon’thavetobeawriter;butyoudohavetothinklikeamediaproducer.

ItgoeswithoutsayingthatIwouldhavekilledtohaveContent,Inc.in1998whenIwasstartingout.Sobepreparedtobeenlightened.Andwhobettertodeliverthegoodsthantheguywho’sbeentalkingaboutcontentmarketingsince2001?

TheycallJoePulizzithe“godfatherofcontentmarketing”forgoodreason.Hestartedhisownmultimillion-dollarcompanyusingthesamecontent-intensiveandaudience-firstapproachheadvocateshere.

AsImentioned,Joewastheonewhoconvincedmetoadoptthetermcontentmarketingin2008,justashe’sconvincedmarketingdepartmentsacrosstheworldtocraftcontentstrategiestomarketsmarter.He’sanamazingindustryevangelistandanevenbetterhumanbeing.

There’snobettertimethannowtogetstarted,andContentInc.istheperfectstartingpoint.Justincaseyou’reworriedthatthetacticsandstrategiesyou’reabouttodiscoverwon’tworkinthehereandnow,letmesharethiswithyou.

InJanuary2015,exactlynineyearsafterCopybloggerdebuted,Ilaunchedasimplee-mailnewslettercalledFurther.It’sapersonaldevelopmentpublication,whichmeansI’veonceagainenteredafieldwhereI’mcompletelyunknown.

Althoughtheprojectisyoungandhasnodefinitivebusinessmodel,it’salreadyachievedaminimumviableaudience.Thatallowsmetostartevolvingitanddiscoveringwhattheaudiencewants—andthat’swherethefunandprofitbegin.

Thisonecouldbemybiggestyet.Thepathtoyoursbeginshere.

BrianClark

CEO,CopybloggerMedia

Boulder,Colorado

Introduction

Thereasonablemanadaptshimselftotheworld:theunreasonablemanpersistsintryingtoadapttheworldtohimself.Thereforeallprogressdependsontheunreasonableman.

GEORGEBERNARDSHAW

Ileftasix-figureexecutivepublishingpositionin2007tostartabusiness.EventhoughIhadbeenthinkingaboutleavingmyjobforawhile,andIhadaproductinmindtosell,theproductwasn’tgoingtobereadyanytimesoon.

SoIhadnojobandnoproducttosell(andnoincome).Itwasn’tagoodpositiontobeinwithtwosmallchildren(agesthreeandfiveatthetime)andamortgagetopay.ThewebdeveloperIwasworkingwithdidn’tbelievewecouldgettheonlineofferingreadyforatleastninemonths.Ouch.

Whattodo?Withoutaproducttopitch,Ifocusedallmyattentiononbuildinganaudience.Inafewweeks,theblogwasupandrunning.Threetofivetimesaweek,Iwascreatinganddistributinghelpfulinformationtargetedtomarketersinlargecompanies—theaudienceIwantedtoreacheventuallywithmynewproduct.Afewmonthslater,Iwasstartingtobuildasmall,loyalfollowing.

Fast-forwardtothepresentday.Ourcompany,ContentMarketingInstitute,hasbeennamedtotheInc.500fastest-growingprivatecompanieslistforthreeyearsrunning,becomingthefastest-growingbusinessmediaorganizationinNorthAmerica.Wehaveconsistentlygrownourrevenuesat50percentperyearforthelastfouryears.In2015,we’lltop$10millioninrevenues.

Throughalovelyaccident,Istumbledonapowerfulwaytobuildabusinessinthedigitalage—andnowbelievethereisnobetterwaytogotomarket.Byfocusingonbuildinganaudiencefirstanddefiningproductsandservicessecond,anentrepreneurcanchangetherulesofthegameandsignificantlyincreasetheoddsoffinancialandpersonalsuccess.

Letmerepeatthat:Ibelievetheabsolutebestwaytostartabusinesstodayisnotbylaunchingaproduct,butbycreatingasystemtoattractandbuildanaudience.Oncealoyalaudienceisbuilt,onethatlovesyouandtheinformationyousend,youcan,mostlikely,sellyouraudienceanythingyouwant.ThismodeliscalledContentInc.

ButdidIdevelopamethodthatisdifficulttoreplicate,orarethereotherentrepreneursandstart-upsthatusedasimilarstrategy?

TheTrueStoryofDavidandGoliathThechallengesfacingeveryentrepreneurwhodreamsofsuccesscanbesummedupinoneoftwointerpretationsofthebiblicalstoryofDavidandGoliath.

GrowingupintheCatholicschoolsystem,IheardtheDavidversusGoliathstoryoften.Davidistheultimateunderdog;Goliath,thePhilistinegiant,themostpowerfulwarriorontheplanet.David,ayoungboy,doesn’thaveachancetodefeatsuchapowerfulandskilledwarrior.

ButthroughDavid’sfaithinGod,ahandfulofsmoothrocks,andperhapsasmallmiracle,DaviddefeatedGoliath.

JackWellmanfromtheChristianCrierassertsthat“Goliathhadeverythinggoingforhim.Hehadeveryadvantagepossible.Hehadgreatabilityandhewastrained,equipped,experienced,battletested,andbattlehardened,andhewascompletelyfearless.Hewastotallyconfidentbutitcouldalsobesaidthathewasoverconfident.”Hewasalsoabout6feet9inchestall.

AndthenherecomesDavid,smallandtotallyoutmatched.Justaboy,DavidwonbecausehehadsupremeconfidenceintheLord,whowaswithhim,andthegiantlosttheseeminglyunlosablebattle.

Reachingintohisbagandtakingoutastone,heslungitandstruckthePhilistineontheforehead.Thestonesankintohisforehead,andhefellfacedownontheground.

SoDavidtriumphedoverthePhilistinewithaslingandastone;withoutaswordinhishandhestruckdownthePhilistineandkilledhim.

Davidranandstoodoverhim.HetookholdofthePhilistine’sswordanddrewitfromthesheath.Afterhekilledhim,hecutoffhisheadwiththesword.

WhenthePhilistinessawthattheirherowasdead,theyturnedandran.(1Samuel17)

DavidbeatGoliathbecauseofhisfaithinGod.Ofcourse,DavidhadconfidenceinvictorybecausetheLordwaswithhim.Butperhapsthereisanotherwaytointerpretthisstory…

Goliath:TheUnderdogMalcolmGladwellgavemeanewperspectiveonthisstoryinhisbookDavidandGoliath:Underdogs,Misfits,andtheArtofBattlingGiants.Gladwell’sversionmakesperfectsensetomyentrepreneurialspirit.

AccordingtoGladwell,Goliathwasindeedagiant,whowasalsoextremelyslowtomove.Addtothat,hewaswearing100poundsofarmor.SomemedicalexpertsbelieveGoliathwassufferingfromacromegaly,ahormoneimbalancethatcausesahumantogrowtoextraordinarysize.Ifthatwasthecase,hisvisionwasmostlikelyimpairedaswell.

HowaboutDavid?Yes,Davidwassmallinstature,buthewasanaccomplished“slinger”andcouldtargetandstrikelargebeastsfromgreatdistances.Lightonhisfeet,Davidcouldmoveunsuspectedonatargetandstillwinanattackfromfaraway.

ThebiblicalinterpretationtellsusthatDavid,theunderdog,wasshownfavorbytheLord,whichhelpedhimdefeatGoliath,theheavyfavorite.Actually,Goliathhad

nochancetowin.GodfavoredDavidbyhelpinghimdiscernabetterstrategy.Thefightwasoverbeforeiteverbegan.

ChangingtheGameDavidwonbecauseheplayedanentirelydifferentgamethanGoliathdid.IfDavidwouldhavefoughtGoliathastraditiondemanded,onewarriorinhand-to-handcombatagainstanother,hewouldhavelost.

Andthisiswhathappenstoalmosteveryentrepreneurdreamingupanideathatwillmakehimorhersuccessful.Entrepreneurs,whetherbootstrappedorfunded,havenoresourcescomparedwiththoseofthelargeenterprisestheyarecompetingwith.

ENTREPRENEURSAREGETTINGBADADVICEAccordingtotheU.S.SmallBusinessAdministration,thefirststepinstartingabusinessistodevelopabusinessplan.Thestandardbusinessplanincludesthingslike“definingwhatyouareselling”and“creatingasalesandmarketingplan.”Ofcourseitdoes.I’msureifyousearchthethousandsofdifferentbusinessplansontheweb,theyalllookprettymuchthesame.Everystart-upessentiallyplaysthegamebythesamerules.

EvenPeterThiel,cofounderofPayPalandthefirstoutsideinvestorinFacebook,focusesalltheattentioninhisbookZerotoOneondevelopinganamazingproductunliketheworldhaseverseen.WhileIbelieveThielofferssomeexcellentadvicetoentrepreneurs,thepremiseisthesameasalltheotherexpertadviceoutthere:createaproductfirst.Findtheproblem,andthensolvetheproblemwithanexceptionalproductorservice.

Buttheresultsaren’texceptional…atall.AccordingtotheU.S.CensusBureau,themajorityofbusinessesfailintheirfirstfiveyears.Andeveryotherstatisticoutthereonstart-upfailureactuallysaysit’sprobablyalotworsethanthat.

Whydopeoplegotomarketwiththeirbusinessinthesameway?Ishumanitysodevoidofcreativitythatwe’veacceptedthatthereisonlyonewaytostartandgrowabusiness?

CANCONTENTINC.BEREPLICATED?BrianClark,founderofCopybloggerMedia,shareshisstoryinboththeForewordofthisbookandthroughoutasacasestudy.Brian,arecoveringattorney,hadsomeamazingideasabouthowbusinessesshouldmarketonline.Unfortunately(ormaybeIshouldsayfortunately),hedidn’thaveaproducttosell.

Foroneyearandsevenmonths,Briandevelopedamazingcontentonaconsistentbasistoatargetedaudience.Hedefinedhisultimatemissionas:

Tocreatemediaassetsthatdependedonthepermissiontocontactmyaudience,notthepermissionofamediagatekeeper.

Orshorthand:Becometheexpertresourcethatattractstherightaudiencewithout

havingtobuyadvertisingonsomeoneelse’splatform.

AndBriandidjustthat.Today,CopybloggerMediaisoneofthefastest-growingSaaS(softwareasaservice)companiesontheplanet.

InourresearchforContentInc.,we’vebeenabletouncovercountlessentrepreneursinvariedindustriesusingasimilarphilosophy.Inotherwords,BrianandIarenotalone.Andthebetternews?TheContentInc.modelcanbereplicated(butmoreonthatinasecond).

THECONTENTINC.FUTUREISNOWInthefuture,thousandsofbusinessesaroundtheglobewillbeleveragingaContentInc.go-to-marketstrategy.Why?Becausehavingasingularfocusonaudience,andbuildingaloyalaudiencedirectly,givesyouthebestunderstandingofwhatproductsultimatelymakethemostsensetosell.

ContentInc.tellsusthatthereisabetterwayandabettermodelthatleadstoabetterlifeforentrepreneursandbusinessowners.YouhavetheopportunitytobelikeDavid,wholookslikeanunderdogtotheGoliathsoftheworld,butthetruthisthatyou’vesimplyuncoveredabetterbusinessstrategythanalltherest.

THECONTENTINC.MODELInourexperienceworkingwithhundredsofbusinesses,andthedozensofinterviewsassociatedwiththisbook,we’vefoundthattherearesixdistinctstepstotheContentInc.model(seeFigureI.1).

FigureI.1

1.TheSweetSpotSimplyput,theentrepreneurneedstouncoveracontentareathatthebusinessmodelwillbebasedaround.Tomakethishappen,weneedtoidentifya“sweetspot”thatwillattractanaudienceovertime.Thissweetspotistheintersectionofaknowledgeorskillset(somethingtheentrepreneurorbusinesshasacompetencyin)andapassionarea

(somethingtheentrepreneurorbusinessfeelsisofgreatvaluetohimorherpersonallyortosocietyatlarge).

Forexample,AndySchneiderhasbuiltanentirebusinessaroundhiscelebritypersona,theChickenWhisperer.Andy’sknowledgeareaisbackyardpoultry.Toputitmildly,Andyknowsmoreaboutraisingchickensinabackyardthanjustaboutanyoneelseontheplanet.Atthesametime,Andyhasapassionforteaching.Andyloveshelpinghisfriendswiththeirbackyardchicken-raisingwheneverhecan.

2.ContentTiltOncethesweetspotisidentified,theentrepreneurneedstodeterminethe“tilt,”orthedifferentiationfactor,tofindanareaoflittletonocompetition.

ClausPilgaardisoneofthemostwell-knowncelebrityfiguresinDenmark,allbecauseoftheextraordinarywayhetalksaboutchilipeppers.Claus’sYouTubevideoshavegarneredmillionsofviews,includingonewhereClausconductstheDanishNationalChamberOrchestraplaying“TangoJalousie”whileeatingtheworld’shottestchilipeppers.Thatvideoalone(http://cmi.media/CI-ChiliKlaus)hasseenmorethan3millionviews(notethatthisismorethanhalfthepopulationofDenmark).

Claus’ssweetspotwastheintersectionofhisskillatperformanceartandhispassionforchilipeppers.ButClausrealizedtherewasanabundanceofcontentandexpertsaroundthe“heat”behindchilipeppers,butacontentgaparoundthetasteofpeppers.Asheexplainsinaninterview:

IwasactuallysittingthereinthislittlesummerhousegettingalittleboredandIhadmycamerawithmeandthought,“Whatifyoutalkedaboutchilipeppersinthesamewayasyouweretoldaboutraisingwine?”Youtalkaboutallthedifferentkindsoftastes,notaboutthealcoholbutwhatittasteslike.Isitcoffee,orisitfood?Whatisit?Soinsteadoftellingabouthowhotthesepepperswere,Iwasgettingaroundthepeppersandtalkingaboutthedifferentvarieties.Andthenmybodystartedtotellanotherstory[whileeatingthepeppers].Maybethat’swhythey[thevideos]becamesopopular.

Clausalwayshadapassionforchilipeppers,butitwasn’tuntilhestartedtellingadifferentstoryaround“taste”thatthebusinessmodelgrewlegs.The“tasting”additiontothesweetspot(whatwecallthe“tilt”)iswhatmadethedifference.

3.BuildingtheBaseOncethesweetspotisfoundandthetiltoccurs,aplatformischosenandacontentbaseisconstructed.Thisisexactlylikebuildingahouse.Beforewegetintoallthepaintandfixturesandflooringoptions,wehavetoplanandinstallthefoundation.Thisisdonebyconsistentlygeneratingvaluablecontentthroughonekeychannel(ablog,apodcast,YouTube,etc.).

Today,ContentMarketingInstitute(CMI)offersaprintmagazine,researchpapers,podcasts,ongoingworkshops,andmore…butforthefirstfouryears,itwasjustablog.Theblogbecamethecorechannelthatinitiallydrewintheoriginalaudience.Theblog

originallystartedasjustme,bloggingapproximatelythreetimesperweek.In2010,weopeneduptheblogtoadditionalcontributorsatfivetimesperweek.In2011,theblogwentdaily,evenonweekends.

Notuntilsuccesswasfoundintheblog(theplatform)didCMIdiversifytootherchannels.

4.HarvestingAudienceAftertheplatformischosenandthecontentbaseisbuilt,theopportunitypresentsitselftoincreasetheaudienceandconvert“one-timereaders”intoongoingsubscribers.

Thisiswhereweleveragesocialmediaaskeydistributiontoolsandtakesearchengineoptimizationseriously.Atthispoint,ourjobisnotjusttoincreasewebtraffic.Byitself,webtrafficisameaninglessmetric.Ourgoalistoincreasetraffictoincreasetheopportunitytoacquireanaudience.

Here’showMichaelStelzner,CEOofSocialMediaExaminer,explainsthisstepintheprocess:

Wewerearguablylatetothegame,becausebythetimewelaunchedSME[SocialMediaExaminer]therewerethousandsofotherblogsthatwerededicatedtosocial,butIsawthatasmarketplacejustificationmorethananythingelse.ButIdidn’tdoubtonceIbegan,becauseIknewhowtotrackmetrics;Iknewwhatmattered.IknewemailacquisitionwasthekeymetricandIhaddecidedthatweweren’tgoingtopromote(meaning“sell”)anythinguntilwehadatleast10,000emailsubscribers.AndwegottothatnumbersoquicklythatIknewwewerereallyontosomething.

…lastyearwehad15millionuniquepeoplevisitSME.Wehave340,000peoplethatweemaileverysingleday.Wecurrentlypublish8–10originalarticleseverysingleweek.

Thecriticalacknowledgmentforthisarea:whiletherearemanymetricstoanalyzecontentsuccess,thenumberonemetricisthesubscriber.It’salmostimpossibletomonetizeandgrowyouraudiencewithoutfirstgettingthereadertotakeactionandactually“subscribe”toyourcontent.

5.DiversificationOncethemodelhasbuiltastrong,loyal,andgrowingaudience,it’stimetodiversifyfromthemaincontentstream.Thinkofthemodellikeanoctopus,witheachcontentchannelbeingoneoftheeightarms.Howmanyofthosearmscanwewrapourreadersintokeepthemclosetous(andcomingbackformore)?

ESPN,originallystartedasasports-onlycabletelevisionstationin1979,beganwitha$9,000investmentbyBillandScottRasmussen.Now,almost40yearslater,ESPNistheworld’smostprofitablemediabrandwithoperatingearningsofmorethan$4billionaccordingtoForbes.com.

For13years,ESPNdirecteditsattentionononlyonechannelfor100percentofits

audience-buildingfocus—cabletelevision.Then,startingin1992,thefloodgatesopenedondiversification,firstwiththelaunchofESPNradio.ThenESPN.com(originallycalledESPNSportsZone)launchedin1995,followedthreeyearslaterbyESPNtheMagazine.

Today,ESPNhasapropertyinalmosteverychannelavailableontheplanet,fromTwittertopodcaststodocumentaries.Eventhoughthechannelswerelimitedinthe1980sand1990s(comparedwithtoday),ESPNdidn’tdiversifyuntilthecoreplatform(cabletelevision)wassuccessful.

6.MonetizationIt’stime.You’veidentifiedyoursweetspot.You’ve“tilted”tofindanareaofcontentnoncompetition.You’veselectedtheplatformandbuiltthebase.You’vestartedtobuildsubscribers,andyou’veevenbeguntolaunchcontentonadditionalplatforms.Nowiswhenthemodelmonetizesagainsttheplatform.

Bythistime,youarearmedwithenoughsubscriberinformation(bothqualitativeandquantitative)thatamultitudeofopportunitieswillpresentthemselvestogeneraterevenue.Thiscouldbeconsultingorsoftwareoreventsormore.

RandFishkin,CEOofMoz(originallycalledSEOMoz),startedhisblogonsearchengineoptimizationinsightsbackin2004.Inlessthanfiveyears,Mozhadover100,000e-mailsubscribers.

Randoriginallymonetizedtheaudiencethroughconsultingservices,butin2007,Mozlaunchedabetasubscriptionserviceforsoftwaretoolsandreports.By2009,Mozclosedtheconsultingbusinessentirelyandfocusedonsellingsoftwaretoitsaudience.FigureI.2showstheresults.

FigureI.2RandFishkinhasgrownMozfromastrugglingconsultingpracticetoafast-growing,$30millionenterprise.

Thebestpart?Rand’ssuccesslooksamazinglyunusual,butitisn’t.ThemoreI’veresearchedthis,themoreI’vefoundthatthesearetypicalnumbersforaContentInc.–basedbusiness.Thekeyisfollowingthesixstepsasoutlinedaboveandbeingpatientenoughforthemodeltowork.

THEAUDIENCEFORTHISBOOKFortyyearsago,HarvardBusinessSchoolprofessorHowardStephensondefinedentrepreneurshipinthismanner:

Entrepreneurshipisthepursuitofopportunitywithoutregardtoresourcescurrentlycontrolled.

Beforestartingtheresearchforthisbook,Ibelievedthatthetermentrepreneurwasrelegatedtostart-ups.Accordingtotheabovedefinition,thisisanincorrectpresumption.AsEricReiscontendsinTheLeanStartup,whenyoulookattheentrepreneurinthisway,itshouldbe“regardlessofcompanysize,sector,orstageofdevelopment.”

Atthesametime,Reisexplainsthat“astartupisahumaninstitutiondesignedtocreateanewproductorserviceunderconditionsofextremeuncertainty.”Thiscombinedlookatthecoredefinitionsofentrepreneurshipandstart-upplaysintoReis’sargument,thatneitheronemeansthatthesetermsareownedsolelybynewcompanies.

Fromthisperspective,andleveragingaContentInc.methodology,wehave:

1.Apurestart-up.Youarecreatinganeworganization,launchingacontent-firstmodel.Youareusingfundingfromvarioussourcestokeepthelightsonuntilyoudiscoveryourrevenue-generationproductorservice.AnexampleisBrianClarkandcopyblogger.com.

2.Astart-upinsidealargeorganization.You’vereceivedbuy-intodevelopanaudiencearoundacurrentcustomersegment.Yourgoalistobuildanengagedaudiencearoundacontentniche.Oncethat’scomplete,you’lllooktomonetizetheplatformintoneworcurrentproductsales,orperhapsuseittokeepcustomersmoreloyal.Thisiswheremostenterprisesarewithcontentmarketing.Theybelievethatiftheylaunchacontentplatform,itwillhelptheircurrentbusiness,buttheyarenot100percentsurehowitwillunfoldorwhattheultimatebenefitsmightbe.

3.Astalledbusiness.Youcurrentlyhaveanumberofproductsandservicesyousell,butyouarenothappywithyourgrowth.Youbelievethatbuildinganaudiencearoundcontentcanleadtonewopportunitiesforthebusiness.AnexampleofthisisLEGO.YearsagoLEGO’sgrowthstalled,soittookafreshlookatitsaudienceandplatforms.Today,LEGOisavibrant,growingcompany.Muchofthiscreditgoestothemultitudeofcontentplatformsthecompanywasabletobuild.

ThemajorityofexamplesinContentInc.revolvearoundthecreationofaneworyoungorganization,onethatisdevelopingprocessesaroundbuildinganewaudiencethatbecomesloyalandengagedthroughcontentcreationanddistribution.Evenso,Ibelieve

thisbookisrelevantforanyofthethree“statesofbusiness”above.

HOWTHISBOOKISORGANIZEDYearsagomyfriendHenryandIweretalkingabouthowlongablogpostshouldbeintermsofnumberofwords.Hisresponsewaspriceless.Henrysaidslyly,“Ablogpostislikeaminiskirt…itneedstobelongenoughtocovertheessentialsbutshortenoughtokeepitinteresting.”

Andthat’sexactlywhatyou’llfindineachchapterofContentInc.Somechapterswillbelong,becauseIfeeldepthisneededinthoseareas.Somewillbeshort.Needlesstosay,thisbookhasbeenheavilyeditedtokeepsubjectsinterestingandrelevanttoyou.

Inaddition,I’veincludedkeythemes,actionsteps,andresourcesattheendofmostchapters.Oneofmybigpetpeevesofnonfictionbooksishavingtoalwaysgotothebackofthebookforresources.So,problemsolved…wejustputthematthebackofthechapter.

Andfinally…

Thisbookisnotapersonalmemoir,butIwillbesharingallthesecretsabouthowwebuiltourbusinessusingthestrategiesinContentInc.I’llalsobesharingmultiplecasestudies,likeBrian’sandmanyothers,toshowthattheContentInc.methodologyisnotaone-hitwonder.Anyentrepreneurinanyindustrycan,byfollowingafewimportantsteps,developasuccessfulbusinessbyfocusingonbuildingaudiencefirstandproductsecond.

Thankyoufortakingthetimetomakethisjourneywithme.Iftodaywerethelastdayofyourlife,wouldyouwanttodowhatyouareabouttodotoday?

STEVEJOBS

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Themajorityofstart-upsaroundtheworldbegintheirjourneyinexactlythesamewayaseveryothercompany.Whyarewedoingthissincethemajorityofstart-upsfail?Theformulaneedstochange.

IfellintoahappyaccidentwiththeContentInc.model.AndIwasn’talone.Thegreatnewsisthat,byreverseengineeringmysuccessmodelanddozensofotherslikeit,thereisasystematicwaytocreateaContentInc.businessthatworks.

Whetheryouareasolostart-uporaninnovativegroupwithinalargeenterprise,ContentInc.canandwillworkwithpatienceandtherightcontentplan.

ResourcesMalcolmGladwell,DavidandGoliath:Underdogs,Misfits,andtheArtofBattling

Giants,Little,BrownandCompany,2013.

PeterThiel,ZerotoOne:NotesonStartups,orHowtoBuildtheFuture,CrownBusiness,2014.

ScottShane,“FailureIsaConstantinEntrepreneurship,”NewYorkTimes.com,accessedApril7,2015,http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/failure-is-a-constant-in-entrepreneurship/.

JackWellman,“DavidandGoliathBibleStory,”Patheos.com,accessedApril7,2015,http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/04/15/david-and-goliath-bible-story-lesson-summary-and-study/#ixzz3H9qKZLbb.

HolyBible,NewInternationalVersion,GrandRapids:ZondervanPublishingHouse,1984,1Samuel17.

EricSchurenburg,“What’sanEntrepreneur?TheBestAnswerEver,”Inc.com,accessedApril7,2015,http://www.inc.com/eric-schurenberg/the-best-definition-of-entepreneurship.html.

EricReis,TheLeanStartup,CrownBusiness,2011.

JamesAndrewMillerandThomShales,ThoseGuysHaveAlltheFun:InsidetheWorldofESPN,Little,BrownandCompany,2011.

“ESPN.comFacts,”accessedApril7,2015,http://espn.go.com/pr/espnfact.html.

ClausPilgaard,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

AndySchneider,interviewbyClareMcDermott,December2015.

RandFishkin,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

MikeStelzner,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

Part1

StartingtheJourneyHowwonderfulitisthatnobodyneedwaitasinglemomentbeforestartingtoimprovetheworld.

ANNEFRANK

TobesuccessfulatlaunchingtheContentInc.model,weneedtogetourgoalsandplansintherightplace.Let’sgetstarted!

Chapter1

BeginningwiththeEndinMindGoalsallowyoutocontrolthedirectionofchangeinyourfavor.

BRIANTRACY

Iwentthroughafairlylongperiodofnotfeelingsuccessful,thoughinhindsightit’smoreaccuratetosaythatIdidn’treallyknowwhatsuccesswas.

IgraduatedfromBowlingGreenStateUniversity(justsouthofToledo,Ohio)withadegreeininterpersonalcommunications.Mymajorhadbeen“undecided,”untilthebeginningofmyjunioryear.TheonlyreasonIchoseinterpersonalcommunicationsisthatitwastheonlydegreeIcouldpursuethatwouldallowmetograduateontime.

AsIcameclosetograduation,IfeltlikesportsmarketingwassomethingI’dbegoodat.IwasluckyenoughtogetaninternshipwiththeClevelandCavaliers,theprofessionalbasketballteam,aftergraduation.Butafterfindingoutthatallthemoneywenttotheplayers(theoperationsteamworksverylonghoursforverylittlepay),Idecidedtogotograduateschool.

Withtwoweeksleftbeforefallsemester,someonedroppedoutoftheteachingassistantshipprogramatPennStateUniversity,leavinganopeningforyourstruly.Itaughtfoursemestersofpublicspeakingandendedupwithamaster’sdegreeincommunications.

Overeducatedandunderexperienced,ItraveledtoCleveland,Ohio,tofindajob.Aftersendingoutseeminglyhundredsofrésuméswithnoluck,Itookthemaster’sdegreeoffmyrésuméandstartedtodotempwork.Afterafewmonthlongworkengagements,Ilandedafull-timejobataninsurancecompanyworkingoninternalcommunicationsprojects.

Shortlyafterstartingmynewjob,IreadthebookThinkandGrowRichbyNapoleonHill.ItmadeahugeimpactonhowIdefinedsuccessandwhatIreallywantedtodowithmylife.ThoughIreadtheentirebook,covertocover,therewasonepowerfulpassageIfeltparticularlycompelledtoremember:

Opportunityhasspreaditswaresbeforeyou.Stepuptothefront,selectwhatyouwant,createyourplan,puttheplanintoaction,andfollowthroughwithpersistence.

ItwasthenthatIstartedtosetgoalsformylife.

Next,IreadThe7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeoplebyStephenCovey.Thesecondhabitlistedis“BeginwiththeEndinMind,”whichmeans:

Tobegineachday,task,orprojectwithaclearvisionofyourdesireddirectionanddestination,andthencontinuebyflexingyourproactivemusclestomakethingshappen.

ItwasthenthatIstartedtowritedownmygoalsforthefirsttime.

Afterthreeyearsandafewpromotionsattheinsurancecompany,IleftforanewopportunityatPentonMedia,thelargestindependentbusiness-to-businessmediacompanyinNorthAmerica.ItwastherethatIexpandedonmyeducation,learningtheworldofmediacommunication,marketingcommunications,andcorporatecontentcreation.ItwasatPentonwhereIlearnedthepoweroflisteningtoanaudienceandbecamefamiliarwiththevariousbusinessmodelsthatmademediacompanieswork.

InMarch2007IdecidedtoleavePentonMedia(whereIwasvicepresidentofcustommedia)primarilybecauseIdidn’tfeelIhadanyrealinfluenceoverthedirectionofthecompany(oneofmywrittengoalswastohaveinfluenceatwhateverjobIwascurrentlyin).SoIleftandstartedwhatwastobecometheContentMarketingInstitute.

Inthatsameyear,researchconductedbyDr.GailMatthewsfromDominicanUniversityofCaliforniashowedthatpeoplewhowrotedowntheirgoals,sharedwithafriend,andsentweeklyupdatestothatfriendwereonaverage33percentmoresuccessfulinaccomplishingtheirstatedgoalsthanthosewhomerelyformulatedgoals.

SoIstartedtosharemygoalswithothers;butmoreimportantly,Ireviewedthosegoalsonadailybasis.That’sright—everydayIwouldreadmygoals,makingsureIwasstayingontrack.

Afewyearslater,afterreadingthebookThe10XRulebyGrantCardone,Iseparatedmygoalsintothefollowingsixcategories:

Financialgoals

Familygoals

Spiritualgoals

Mentalgoals

Physicalgoals

Philanthropicgoals

Thedifferenceinthedirectionmylifetookfromthatpointonisbeyondremarkabletome.

TWOACTIONSANDTHEIRIMPACTONACONTENTINC.APPROACH

I’vebeenblessedwithmorethanmyfairshareoffortuneformanyyears,butinthinkingback,I’vefoundthatthosetwodailybehaviorsImentionedhavelikelymadeallthedifference:writingdownmygoalsandconsistentlyreviewingthosegoals.

WhyamItellingyouthis,andwhatdoesithavetodowithcontentmarketingandthisbook?Well,inthiscase,everything.

Everyyear,ContentMarketingInstituteandMarketingProfsreleaseanannualbenchmarkstudyonthestateofcontentmarketinginNorthAmerica,theUnitedKingdom,andAustralia(seehttp://cmi.media/CI-researchforthefullstudy).

Upongettingtheinitialresultsofthelateststudy,welookeddeepintothedatatoseeifwecoulddeterminewhatdifferentiatesthegreatcontentmarketers(thosewhostatetheyareeffectivewithcontentmarketing)fromeveryoneelse.Whilemanycharacteristicscametothesurface,weonlyfoundtwocriticaldifferentiators.Greatcontentmarketersdotwothingsdifferentlyfromtherest

Theydocumenttheircontentmarketingstrategyinsomeway(written,electronic,etc.)(seeFigure1.1).

Theyreviewandconsistentlyrefertotheplanonaregularbasis.

Figure1.1Elitecontentmarketingorganizationshaveahabitofwritingdowntheirplansanddocumentingtheirstrategy.Source:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs

So,ofallthecharacteristicswelookedat,thesetwoactionsmadethemostdifferenceindeterminingcontentmarketingsuccess.Itseemssosimple,butthefactisthatfewmarketersaredoingthesetwothingsconsistently.

Fromapersonalperspective,thesearethesametwoactionsthatmadeallthedifferenceinmylife’ssuccesses,bothpersonallyandprofessionally.

DOTHISFIRSTYes,thisbookisfilledwithactionableitemsonhowtodevelopandexecuteyourownContentInc.initiative;butwithoutsettingdirectionforyourlife,whatgoodwillitdo?

I’veseensomanysmartentrepreneursstartwithabusinessideatheythinkwillchange

theworld,onlytofailmanymonthslaterbynothavingtheirprioritiesstraight.

Yourworkbeginsnow.Beforeyouembarkonthisjourneywithme,youneedtogetyoursixgoalareasinorder.Here’showtodoit.Undereacharea,listatleasttwoactionablegoalswithspecificnumbersandtimetables.Itdoesn’thavetobeperfect.Thegoalswillchangeonanongoingbasisasyoulearnmoreaboutyourself.Andmostlikely,ifyouarereadingthisbook,those“career”goalsmaynotbereadyforshowyet.Noworries…youcanfillcertainareasinasyoudelveintothebook.

ContentInc.TipTryusingEvernotetokeeptrackofyourgoalssoyoucankeepthemwithyouatalltimes,whetheryouareonyourcomputer,tablet,orsmartphone.Ifthatdoesn’tfeelright,justuseatraditionalMoleskinenotebookandkeepitwithyouatalltimes.

ContentInc.inActionMySixGoalAreas

Financial

IowncompaniesthatIcancontrolatadistanceandhavegreatpeopleworkingforme.

1.

2.

3.

Family

Ihavehealthychildrenwhobelievetheycanaccomplishanything.

1.

2.

3.

Spiritual

Iprayeveryeveningwithmyfamily.

1.

2.

3.

Mental

Ireadonebookpermonthonsomethingnon–businessrelated.

1.

2.

3.

Physical

Irunthreetimesperweekandcompeteintwohalf-marathonsperyear.

1.

2.

3.

Philanthropic

IhavehelpedturnCleveland,Ohio,intoavibrantcity.

1.

2.

3.

WhatYouAreRiskingwithaContentInc.ApproachWhenIleftmy“realjob”tostartabusiness,countlessfriendsandfamilymembersvoicedtheirconcerns.

“Areyousureyouwanttotakethatbigariskandleaveasecurejob?”

Thequestionwasunderstandable.Ihadayoungfamilywithtwosmallkids.Heck,evenmyfriendswhowereentrepreneursandbusinessownersquestionedmymovefromasix-figuresalaryandsolidbenefitpackage.

Theproblemwas,as“cushy”assomemayhavethoughtmypositiontobe,Ididn’thavemuchsayinhowthecompanywasrun.Ihadvirtuallynocontroloverwhatthecompanydidordidnotdo.I’mnotsureifmypositionwasatrisk,butmyjobseemedawfullyrisky,benefitsandall.

WhatCanYouControl?Ifyou’veeverreadanyofRobertKiyosaki’sbooks(fromRichDadseriesfame),youmayseeriskabitdifferentlythanmost.Here’sanoverviewofMr.Kiyosaki’sthinking:

Ifyoucannotmakeaphonecallorsendane-mailthatwilldirectlyinfluencehowacompanyisrun,theninvestinginthatcompanyislikegamblingatthecasino.

Ihaveinvestmentsinthestockmarket.IownstockinFacebook,Google,ElectronicArts,andothers.Buttobehonest,sinceIcannotcalltheCEOsofthesecompaniestoinfluencechange,theseinvestmentsareriskytomepersonally.Forwhateveryouthinkaboutinvestinginstocks,ifyouhavenocontroloverwhatdecisionsaremade,youarejustplayingtheoddsthatsomecompanies,forwhateverreason,mayperformbetterovertimeandincreaseinvalue.

IsStartingaBusinessRiskierthanTakingaSteadyJob?Duringaphoneinterviewinearly2015,areportermadethecommenttome,“Youreallytookariskbyleavingyourjobandlaunchinganewconcept.”

Myresponsewassomethinglikethis:

Yes,atfirstitseemedlikeIwasriskingalot.Butinhindsight,Imadethesafestmovepossible.OverthetimeI’vebeenanentrepreneur,manyofmyfriendslosttheirjobs.Anumberofmywell-respectedandincrediblysmartteacherfriendssweatednightsandweekendshopingtheirlevywouldpasssotheycouldkeeptheirjobs.AmazinglytalentedpeopleIknowwhowrite,draw,construct,design,andmoreforotherpeoplehavebeenstrugglingtofinda“steadyjob”tosupporttheirfamilies.Butintakingcontrolofasmuchofmylifeaspossible,Ibelievemymovewastheleastriskyofall.

Ihonorandrespectwhatmanyofmyfamilymembersandfriendsdoforaliving.Whattheydohelpssomanypeopleinmanydifferentways.ButIalsoworryabouttheirlivelihood.

While2014wasanamazingyearformanyofmyfriendsandcolleagues,agoodnumberofmy“corporatefriends”losttheirjobsindownsizingandrestructuringefforts.

TakingControlBackNoteveryoneiscutouttobeanentrepreneurortakeaContentInc.approach.Itrequiresauniquecombinationofpassion,vision,perseverance,patience,andblindbeliefinyourselftobecomeasuccess.ButIbelievewehavetostartthinkingdifferentlyabouthowtheseeminglysafechoiceswemakeareactuallyincrediblyrisky.Somequestionstoconsider:

•Inyourcurrentsituation,doyouhaveenoughcontroltohelpsetthedirectionofthebusiness?WilltheCEOorbusinessleadertakeameetingfromyouandactuallylisten?

•Whatcanyoudoinyourcurrentroletostarttowinoverthatinfluence?

•Areyouinvestinginassetsthatyouhavesomesayin(e.g.,realestateorinvestmentsincompaniesandindividuals),orareyouinvestingallyourmoneyinto“goodbets”(e.g.,thestockmarket)?

Forwhateverreason,we’vebeenlulledintothinkingthatcertainthingsaresafeandcertainthingsarerisky.Ibelievethemajorityofhumanbeingsarelivingwithblindersontothisfact.Myhopeisthatyoustarttolookatyourcurrentjob,yourcareer,andyourinvestmentsabitdifferently.

Somanythingsinlifewehavenocontrolover…forthosefewthingswedohavecontrolover,weneedtograbitandrun.

ASYOUBUILD…

AsyoumoveintobuildingaContentInc.model,therearetwocriticalthingstostartthinkingabout.Thefirstiswhatthelegalentityforthebusinessshouldbe.InourU.S.examples,itseemsthemostpopularlegalmodelisthecreationofanLLC(limitedliabilitycompany)taxedasanScorporation(seeaprofessionallegalconsultantforadviceonyoursituation).Thesecondishiringavirtualassistant.IfyouaregoingtomakeContentInc.workforyou,youneedtobefocusedonthebusiness.Offloadingcallsandschedulingtosomeoneelseisnota“nice-to-have,”butcritical.TworesourcestocheckoutareChrisDucker(http://cmi.media/CI-virtualstaff)andJessOstroff(http://cmi.media/CI-dontpanic),whobothofferhighlyrecommendedvirtualassistantservices.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

BeforeyoubeginyourContentInc.journey,startwithwhy.Whyareyoudoingthis?Whatdoyouwanttoachieve?Visualizewhoyoureallywanttobe.

Writedownandreviewyourgoalsasoftenasyoupossiblycan.

Contemplatewhatyouarereallyriskinginyourcurrentposition.Ourviewofriskisheavilyshapedbywhatothersthink.TrytolookatyoursituationobjectivelyanddetermineiftheContentInc.riskisworthit.

ResourcesNapoleonHill,ThinkandGrowRich,RalstonSociety,1937.

GrantCardone,The10XRule,Wiley,2011.

StephenCovey,The7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople,FreePress,1989.

Dr.GailMatthews,DominicanUniversityGoalsStudy,2007,http://www.dominican.edu/academics/ahss/undergraduate-programs-1/psych/faculty/fulltime/gailmatthews/researchsummary2.pdf.

RobertT.Kiyosaki,RichDad,PoorDad,PlataPublishing,2000.

Chapter2

TheContentInc.OpportunityWhateveryoucandoordreamyoucan,beginit.Boldnesshasgenius,powerandmagicinit!

JOHANNWOLFGANGVONGOETHE

IhadthepleasureofmeetingJonLoomerinSanDiegoatSocialMediaMarketingWorld2013.Asfatehadit,wejusthappenedtositnexttoeachotherduringtheopeningkeynote.Duringoneofthoseuncomfortableicebreakers,JonandIbegantotalkaboutourkidsandhobbies,butIwasreallyinterestedinhisbackstory.

Jonhashadhisshareofstruggles.Afterdealingwithhisson’sbattlewithcancer(neuroblastoma)andbeinglaidofffromworktwotimesinatwo-and-a-half-yearperiod,Jonwasatacrossroads.

Then,inFebruary2012,FacebookrolledoutitsTimelineforPagesproduct.Jonwashookedimmediately.HebecameinterestedinFacebookwhenheworkedforNBA.comin2007,andthisrecentFacebookmovefannedthatinterest.SoJonwenttohiswebsite,JonLoomer.com,andstartedtoconsistentlycreatecontentabouttheFacebookproduct.Everythingwaseducational,helpful,andremarkablydetailed.

Almostimmediately,Jonfeltlikesomethingjustclicked.Thatfirstyear,JonbloggedonthesubjectofFacebookreligiously(creatingapproximately350blogpostsinthatfirstyearalone).

By2015,Jonwasgettingover400,000pageviewspermonthandhad50,000e-mailsubscriberswhoaskedtoreceivehisinformationeveryweek.IfyouaskanyoneaboutwhoistheleadingexpertinadvancedFacebookmarketing,Jon’snamealmostalwayscomesupfirst.

Andthebestpart…Jonhasdevelopedaremarkablysubstantial,growingbusiness—allwhilestillcoachinghissoneveryyearinbaseball.

WhatJonhasaccomplishedwouldhavebeenimpossible20yearsago.Today,thismodel(calledContentInc.)isabsolutelypossible.Butmorethanthat,IbelieveJon,andtheothersyou’llhearaboutinthisbook,hasuncoveredtheleastriskybusiness-launchmodelonthemarkettoday.

MichaelStelzner,founderofSocialMediaExaminer,saysitbest:

It’shardwork.I’mnotgoingtolie.Anyonewhotellsyouthatit’sreallyeasytobuildacontentbusinessisnottellingyouthetruth.Youhavetoacceptthefactthatthisisgoingtobegrueling,difficult,timeconsuming,andlaboriouswork.Butifyou’rewillingtorollupyoursleevesandgetdirty,andarewillingtoconstantlyanalyzewhatyou’redoingandscrapwhatdoesn’tworkandcontinuewhatdoeswork,andkeepatit,youcanbevery,verysuccessful.

WHATCHANGED?Before1990,therewereonlyeightchannelsavailablewhereacompanycouldcommunicatewithaconsumer:atanevent,byfax,throughdirectmail,bytelephone,ontelevision,throughtheradio,onabillboard,orinaprintmagazineornewsletter(seeFigure2.1).In2015,thereareliterallyhundredsofchannelswhereconsumersaccesscontent.

Figure2.1Backin1990,therewereonlyeightchannelstocommunicatewithcustomers.Todaytherearehundreds.Imagesource:JeffRohrs,Salesforce.com

Before1990,largemediacompanieshadthemostpowerbecausetheycontrolledthe

informationchannels…theycontrolledtheaudience.Now25yearslaterthatpowerhasalmostcompletelyshiftedtotheconsumer.Thismeansthattodayanyone,anywhere,canbeapublisherandbuildanaudience.Thisisamajordevelopmentinthecommunicationsmarketthatimpactseverybusiness,largeandsmall.

Inmypreviousbook,EpicContentMarketing,Idetailfivereasonsforthispowershift:

1.Notechnologybarriers.Inthepast,thepublishingprocesswascomplexandexpensive.Traditionally,mediacompaniesspenthundredsofthousandsofdollarsoncomplexcontentmanagementandproductionsystems.Today,anyonecanpublishforfreeonlineinfiveminutes(seconds?)orless.Atthesametime,almost2billionconsumershavesmartphones(eMarketer)and75percentofU.S.householdshaveInternetaccess(U.S.Census).Simplyput,anyonecanpublish,andanyonecanreceivecontent.

2.Talentavailability.WhenIstartedinthepublishingbusiness15yearsago,itwasoftenachallengetofindwritersandothercontentcreatorsofparticularexpertise.Twothingshavechangedsincethen.First,crediblejournalists,writers,andproducersareverywillingtoworkwithnonmediacompanies.Inthepast,manycontentcreatorswouldbalkattheideaofworkingwithnonmediacompanies,becauseitwasoftenconsidered“lower”work.Thatstigmahassincegone.Second,betweenGoogle,dozensofcontentmarketplaces,anddirectaccessthroughsocialmedia,contentcreatorsaresignificantlyeasiertofind.Thismeans,anycompanyofanysizecangetaccesstothebestcontentcreatorsontheplanet(ifthecompanywishestodoso).

3.Contentacceptance.Takealookatthecurrentstateofconsumerbehavior:

61percentofconsumerssaytheyfeelbetteraboutacompanythatdeliverscustomcontent,andaremorelikelytobuyfromthatcompany(ContentCouncil).

Peoplespendmorethan50percentoftheirtimeonlinelookingatcontent(Nielsen).

70percentofconsumersprefergettingtoknowacompanyviaarticlesratherthanads(Content+).

90percentofconsumersfindcustomcontentuseful,and78percentbelievethatorganizationsprovidingcustomcontentareinterestedinbuildinggoodrelationshipswiththem(CMOCouncil).

Thekeyhereisthatyoudon’thavetobetheNewYorkTimesortheleadingtrademagazineinyourindustrytogetpeopletoengagewithyourcontent.Readersareopentoreceivingandengaginginanycontentthatwillhelpthemlivebetterlives,getbetterjobs,orsolveaparticulartask.Thepoint:Youhaveasmuchopportunitytodeliveramazinglyhelpfulcontentasanyoneelse.

4.Socialmedia.Socialmediawon’tworkwithoutvaluable,consistent,andcompellinginformationcreationanddistribution.Ifanyindividualorcompanywantstobesuccessfulinsocialmedia,itneedstotellcompellingstoriesfirst.Interestingandhelpfulstoriesspread,whichmeansthatmuchofthemarketingofourcontentisassistedbyotherpeople.Socialmediaisuselesswithouthavingthecontenttofuelit.

5.Google.EverytimeGoogleupdatesitssearchalgorithms,themosthelpfulandusableinformationrisestothetop.Whilethesystemisnotperfect,it’sextremelydemocratic.Thismeansthateventhesmallestcompanythatunderstandsdigitalcontentcreationanddistributioncanbeatoutabigmediacompanywiththerightprocesses.

Todayanyone,anywhere,canpublishbooks,developmediasites,andcreatefeature-lengthmovies,witheachonehavingtheabilitytoreachanaudiencedirectly.Forexample,writer-directorSeanBakerreleasedhislatestmovie,Tangerine,atthe2015SundanceFestivaltoglowingcriticalreview.Thebigdeal?HefilmedtheentiremovieusinganiPhone5S.

Disruptionishappeningeverywhere,butnowhereisthismoreapparentthanaroundcontentcreationanddistribution.

Entrepreneursandsmallbusinessesneedtoberejoicing.Today’savailabilityoftechnologymeansthatanybusinessinanyindustrycandevelopanaudiencethroughconsistentstorytelling.Nolongerdoesthecompanywiththebiggestmarketingbudgetwinthemostattention.Businessesarenowrewardedonthesubstanceoftheirmessageandontheaudiencetheycanattractthroughtheconsistentflowofinformation.

ENTERCONTENTINC.In2007,LaurenLukebegansellingmakeupproductsoneBayinanefforttosubsidizehermodestdayjobasataxidispatcherinNewcastle,England.InanefforttoimprovehereBaysales,LaurenbegancreatingpracticalmakeupapplicationvideosanddistributedthemonYouTube.Fiveyears,and135millionviews,later,LaurenhadbuiltabiggeraudiencethanEstéeLauderonYouTube.

HowdidLaurendoit?HowdidJonLoomermakesuccesshappen?Didthestarsalignineachofthesecases,oristheresomethingabouthowtheylaunchedandpositionedtheirbusinessesthatwecanlearnfromandreplicate?Didtheyjusthappentofindamodelthatisnotcapitalintensiveinanywayandinwhichthecoreassetisderivedfromsellingknowledge?

Overtwoyearsandcountlessinterviews,we’vebeenabletodeconstructandthenreengineertheContentInc.model.AswenotedintheIntroduction,we’veidentifiedaseriesofstepseachentrepreneurtook,whichtogetherhelpeduscreateanewandviablebusinessmodelforstart-ups(seeFigure2.2):

Figure2.2TheContentInc.model.

Thesweetspot.Mixingaknowledgeareaorskillwithapassionarea.

Thecontenttilt.Lookingatthetraditionalcontentnichedefinedasslightlyoff-center,tocreateatruedifferentiationarea.

Buildingthebase.Consistentpublishinginonecorechannel.

Harvestingaudience.Convertingthepublishingactivitytotheassetofsubscribers.

Diversification.Atthepropertime,expandingthepublishingprocesstoadditionalchannels.

Monetization.Monetizingtheaudiencethroughtheselectionofproductsorservicesthatwillbethesourceofrevenueandprofitforthebusiness.

Outsideofaslightvariationhereandtherewithourmodelcompanies,thesesixstepsdefinetheContentInc.model.Inthenextfewchapters,we’llopenupthekimonooneachoneoftheseareassothatyoutoocanlaunchandexecuteaContentInc.model.

ATHOUGHTONWHYDonSchultz,thefatherofintegratedmarketingandauthorofIntegratedMarketingCommunications,discussestheideathatanycompany,anywhereintheworld,cancopyeverythingaboutwhatyouasacompanydo…exceptforonething—howyoucommunicate.Thewaywecommunicatewithourprospectsandcustomersistheoneremainingwaywecanactuallybedifferent.

Intheirbook,Experiences:The7thEraofMarketing,RobertRoseandCarlaJohnsonbuildonSchultz’scommentarybyaddingthatitiscontent,andtheexperiencesthatcustomershavewithourcontent,thatistheultimatedifferentiator.

ThisiswhyentrepreneursthatfollowaContentInc.strategyhaveastrategicadvantageoverothercompanies.Theentirebusinessmodelisdedicatedtodevelopingcontentexperiencesandbuildinganaudience,andnottopitchingproductsinanyway.

NOPRODUCT?THAT’SGOOD!

SometimeshavingproductofferingshurtsaContentInc.model.Taketheprintmagazineindustry,forexample.Foryears,printmagazinepublishersweresoprotectiveoverkeepingprintadvertisingdollarsthattheywereignoringtheaudience’sneedfordigital.Printmagazineprovidersthatdidn’tlistentothischangearenolongerwithus.

Whenallyourfocusisonanaudienceyouknowdeeply,insteadofaproduct,goodthingsusuallyhappen.Whenwelistenintentlytoouraudience,weareautomaticallyledtonewproductopportunities.Thechallengeisthatsometimeswedon’tknowwhenthemodelwilltakeshape—andwhypatiencewiththeContentInc.modeliskey.AsChrisBrogan,founderofOwnermagazine,states,audiencesareeagerfortheirlivestobechangedinsomeway.FocusingonthatgivesContentInc.theadvantage.

ContentInc.LearningsfromNapoleonHillNapoleonHill’sclassic,ThinkandGrowRich,wasfirstpublishedin1937.Now,inthebook’s78thanniversaryyear,NapoleonHill’slessonsarestillextremelyrelevantandvaluable,especiallytoday.

DesireWhateverthemindcanconceiveandbelieve,itcanachieve.

YoucantalkaboutallthethingsContentInc.businessesshoulddotoattractandretaincustomers—contentstrategy,contentplanning,contentorganization,contentintegration,etc.—butdesireisnumerouno.EverywhereIspeakIheartheobjectionthatmostbusinessessimplydonothavethedesiretobetheinformationalresourcefortheircustomersandprospects—thesebusinessesdon’twantitenough.Theytalkofcontentcreationasachore,notasacoreservicetocustomersthatisnecessaryforthecompany’ssurvival.

FaithFaithisthe“eternalelixir”whichgiveslife,power,andactiontotheimpulseof

thought!

Wantingitisonething,butactuallybelievingyoucanbetheinformationalexpertforyourindustryisanother.WhenwefirststartedJunta42in2007(whichultimatelypivotedtoContentMarketingInstitutein2010),wefirmlybelievedthatwewouldbetheinformationalresourceforourindustry.Itwasunquestioned.Itwasonlyamatteroftime,energy,andpersistence.

Rarelydoyouseethiskindoffaithwithnonmediacompanies.WhenIworkedatPentonMedia(abusinessmediacompany)andmetwiththechiefeditorsforourbrands,theybelievedwithoutquestionthattheirbrandwastheleadingproviderofinformationinthespace.Itwasanonissue…itjustwas.Thatisexactlythekindoffaithyouneedtobetheexpertinyourfield.

SpecializedKnowledgeGeneralknowledge,nomatterhowgreatinquantityorvarietyitmaybe,isofbut

littleuse…

Oneofthebiggestfailureswhenitcomestocontentisalackofspecialization.Iseeheatingandair-conditioningcompaniesbloggingaboutthetownfestivalnextweek.Iseemanufacturingcompaniescreatingarticlesonhumanresourcesbestpractices.Ithurtstoseethis.

Tobetheexpertinyourindustry,youmustfirstdefineyourcustomers’painpointsandthenicheindustryyouwillcoverthatwillmakeadifferenceinyourbusinessandinyourcustomers’lives.Getlaser-focused.Thinkofyourselfasthetrademagazineforyourindustry.Coverthat.Betheexpertinthatarea.Ifyouarealargeenterprise,youwillneedseparatecontentstrategies,notabroadonethatmakesnoimpactonanybody.

ImaginationIthasbeensaidthatmancancreateanythingwhichhecanimagine.

AsNapoleonHillsays,ideasaretheproductsoftheimagination.ForaContentInc.approachtowork,youneedtoembracenotjustbeingafactoryforcontent,butanideafactory.Justasnewsorganizationscoverthe“newsoftheday,”youneedtocoverthenewsasitrelatestoyourcontentniche(moreonthatlater).Takethecontentthatyouhaveandthinkcreativelyaboutstorytellingconcepts—visual,textual,andaudio—innewandcompellingways.

DecisionProcrastination,theoppositeofdecision,isacommonenemywhichmustbe

conquered.

Inhisbook,NapoleonHillprofiledhundredsofthemostsuccessfulpeopleintheworld.Everyoneofthemhadthehabitofreachingdecisionspromptlyandofchangingthesedecisionsslowly,ifandwhentheywerechanged.Unsuccessfulpeople,thebooksays,haveahabit,withoutexception,ofreachingdecisions,ifatall,veryslowlyandofchangingthesedecisionsquicklyandoften.

Thisfirst,successfultypeofmentalityistheoneyouneedtobringtoyourContentInc.endeavor.

PersistenceWill-poweranddesire,whenproperlycombined,makeanirresistiblepair.

Withoutadoubt,thebiggestreasoncontentmarketingfailsisbecauseitstops.I’veseenbusinessafterbusinessstartablogore-newsletterorwhitepaperprogramorpodcastseriesandstopafterafewmonths.Contentmarketingisawarofattrition.It’saprocess.Successdoesnothappenovernight.Youmustcommitforthelonghaulifyouwanttobesuccessful.

Beforeyoudiveintotherestofthebook,Iwanttogiveyouaseriouswarning…thereisquiteabitofriskinvolvedwithunleashingtheContentInc.model.Somethingstoconsider:

Patience.Themodeltakestimetowork.Manyofthecasestudiesdiscussedinthisbook

didn’tblossomforayearortwoormore.Thepayoffisbig,butitmaytakeawhiletogetthere.

Lackoffunds.ContentInc.isnotanimmediate“get-rich-quick”scheme.Youarebuildingavaluableasset.Whileyouaredoingthat,revenuemaybehardtocomeby.Loweryourexpensesandgetleansoyoucanmakeittothefinishline.

Againstthegrain.ContentInc.isaphilosophythatmostexpertswouldvehementlydisagreewith.Youaredoingsomethingthatalmostnoonewouldeverthinkofdoing.

Goingsmalltogobig.Manyfailbecausetheydon’tpickacontentnichethat’ssmallenough.Theyareafraidthenichewillbetoosmalltomonetize.I’veneverfoundthattobethecase.Mostfailuresoccurbecausetheentrepreneurgoestoobroadandnotnarrowenough.

Nowthatyou’vebeenwarned,getreadyforthebusinessmodelthatwillchangeyourlife.Ifyoustickwithitandcanbattleagainstthenegativity,successisyourstohave.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

DevelopingasuccessfulContentInc.modelwilltaketime,butitisnotnearlyasriskyasdevelopingatraditionalbusinessmodel.

Onceyoudeveloparelationshipwithaloyalaudience,youcancreateproductsandservicesandultimatelysellwhateveryouwant.

Ifdoneright,you’llhaveanadvantagebyemployingaContentInc.modelbecauseyou’llunderstandyourfuturecustomers’needs(andinformationalpainpoints)betterthanalmostanyoneelse.

ResourcesJonLoomer,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

“2BillionConsumersWorldwidetoGetSmart(phones)by2016,”eMarketer.com,accessedApril18,2015,http://www.emarketer.com/Article/2-Billion-Consumers-Worldwide-Smartphones-by-2016/1011694.

“CensusBureau’sAmericanCommunitySurveyProvidesNewStateandLocalIncome,Poverty,HealthInsuranceStatistics,”census.gov,accessedApril18,2015,http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2014/cb14-170.html.

“Sundance:SeanBakeronFilming‘Tangerine’and‘MakingtheMost’ofaniPhone,”Variety.com,accessedApril18,2015,http://variety.com/video/sundance-sean-baker-on-filming-tangerine-and-making-the-most-of-an-iphone/.

“AOLandNielsenContentSharingStudy,”SlideShare.net,accessedApril18,2015,http://www.slideshare.net/duckofdoom/aol-nielsen-content-sharing-study.

DonSchultzandHeidiSchultz,IMC—TheNextGeneration,McGraw-HillProfessional,2003.

RobertRoseandCarlaJohnson,Experiences:The7thEraofMarketing,ContentMarketingInstitute,2015.

Part2

TheSweetSpotTheessenceofstrategyischoosingwhatnottodo.

MICHAELPORTER

Everysuccessfulcontentcreatorhasasweetspot.Nowit’syourturntofindyours.

Chapter3

KnowledgeorSkill+PassionYourworkistodiscoveryourworkandthenwithallyourhearttogiveyourselftoit.

BUDDHA

MatthewPatrickgrewupinthesmallcityofMedina,justoutsideCleveland,Ohio.Foraslongashecanremember,he’sbeenpassionateaboutgaming,fromgrowingupwithaMario-themedbedroomtolatenightswithfriendsplayingDungeons&Dragons.Duringhighschoolwhenmostboysinhisclasswentoutforsports,Matthewjoinedshowchoir,playedtheviolainorchestra,andtookpartineverystageshowtheschooloffered.

Yes,Matthewlovedperforming,buthewasalsoagenius,scoringaperfect1600onhisSATonhiswaytoacollegedegreeinneuroscience.Insteadofgoingtofraternitypartiesonweekendsatcollege,Matthewhosted“FridayFondue”nightsplayingZelda(apopularvideogame).

Aftercollege,MatthewhadhissightssetonactingandmovedtoNewYork,wherehetouredwithvariousshows.Fortwoyears,Matthewtookwhateverrolewasavailable—andsawaboutasmuchsuccessastheaveragestarvingactorinNewYork.Toputitlightly,timesweretough.Theaterwasn’tthelifeMatthewwashopingfor.

By2011,Matthewgaveuphisdreamofbecominganactoranddecidedtogoaftera“real”job.Unfortunately,actinganddirectingwerenotskillsthatinnovativeenterpriseswerehiringfor.Overthenexttwoyears,Matthewsentoutcountlessrésumés.Duringthattimehewasunemployed,andworseyet,hisconfidencehadbottomedout.NotonepersonopenedadoortogiveMatthewtheshotheseeminglydeserved.

Matthewpulledhimselfupbyhisbootstrapsanddecidedtocreatearésuméboosterthatcompaniessimplycouldn’tignore.Hebelievedthatifhecouldshowcompaniesthatheknewhowtocreateanaudienceandthatheunderstoodtheinnerworkingsofnewmedia,enterpriseswouldseevalueinthoseskills.

Whilewatchinganonlineprogramonlearningthroughgaming,theideaofcreatingGameTheoryvideoswasborn.GameTheorybecameaweeklyYouTubevideoseriesthatcombinedMatthew’spassionforgamingandvideogameswithhisskillsetofmathandanalytics(seeFigure3.1).

Figure3.1MatthewPatrickcombinedhispassionforvideogameswithhisknowledgeexpertiseinmathandanalyticstodevelophissweetspot.

After56episodesoveraone-yeartimeframe,Matthewhadanaudienceof500,000YouTubesubscribersinterestedinhistakeonhowmathworksingaming.Forexample,hisepisode“HowPewDiePie[anonlinevideocelebrity]ConqueredYouTube”generatedmorethan5millionviews.Hisepisode“WhytheOfficialZeldaTimelineIsWrong”sawmorethan4milliondownloads.

Today,MatthewPatrick’sGameTheorybrandhaswellover4millionsubscribers.MatthewhasbeenhireddirectlybysomeofthebiggestYouTubestarsontheplanettohelpthemattractmoreviewers.EventhemightyYouTubeitselfhiredMatPat(hisonlinename)toconsultdirectlytohelpYouTuberetainandgrowitsaudiencenumbers.

THESWEETSPOTStartwhereyouare.Usewhatyouhave.Dowhatyoucan.

ARTHURASHE

TheContentInc.modelisdependentonfirstidentifyingthesweetspot.Simplyput,thesweetspotistheintersectionofaknowledgeorskillareaandapassionpoint(seeFigure3.2).

Figure3.2Thesweetspot.

Let’stakealookatavarietyofsweetspotsamongotherContentInc.entrepreneurs.

ClausPilgaard(BrandedasChiliKlaus)AswesaidintheIntroduction,Clausgrewupamusician.HewasadmittedtotheRoyalAcademyofMusic,wherehegraduatedin1996.HebecameamusicdirectorforseveralreviewsinDenmark,goingbythenameof“KlausWunderhits,”andevenappearedonalocalvarietyshowcalledVarieté007.

Claushadalwaysbeenanamazingmusician,butitwasn’tuntilhefoundhissweetspot,incombinationwithchilipeppers,thatClausbecameaDanishphenomenon(seeFigure3.3).

Figure3.3ClausPilgaard’sskillinperformancemusicandhispassionforchilipepperscreatedapowerfulsweetspot.

MichellePhan

Atanearlyage,MichellePhanfoundthatshewasanartist.Simplyput,shecoulddrawwiththebestofthem.Michelle’schildhoodwasfraughtwithturmoil.Herfamilymoveddozensoftimeswhileshewasachild,andabusewassomethingshewasunfortunatelyfamiliarwith.

Drawingonherface(makeup)becameareleaseforMichelle.Shebelievedthatmakeupcouldmakeeveryonesuperheroes,wheretheycouldescapeanddefeatevil,evenagainstallodds.In2005,Michellestartedablogcombiningherskillinartanddrawingandherpassionformakeup(seeFigure3.4).

Figure3.4MichellePhanisahighlyskilledartist.Herloveofmakeupmixedwithherskillinarthasmadethedifference.

Today,Michelle’smakeuptutorialshavebeenseenoverabillion(yes,billion)times.NowoneofYouTube’stopstars,Michellehasexpandedherempiretoincludeabook(releasedin2014)andafullcosmeticlinecalled“em,”producedbyL’Oreal.

AndySchneider(BrandedastheChickenWhisperer)AndySchneideristhebackyardpoultrykingandhasbecomethego-toresourceforanythingandeverythingchickens.AsAndybegantoraisechickensinhisAtlanta-areabackyard,hebegantosellthemtohisfriendsdirectlyandthenonCraigslist.Thereweremanywhowereinterestedinraisingtheirownchickens,buttheyneededalotofeducationtojustgetstarted.SoAndyformeda“meetup”inAtlantatoanswerquestionsfromthoseinterestedinbackyardpoultry(seeFigure3.5).

Figure3.5AndySchneider’ssweetspotmixeshisknowledgeofbackyardpoultrywithhispassionforteaching.

AccordingtoAndy,“AllthesepeoplearefromtheAtlantametroarea;wecouldmeetonceamonth,haveagreattime,breakbreadinthemeetingroominthebackroomofarestaurant,andshareourexperiencesandlearn.SoIgotonlineandfoundagreatresource,Meetup.com,verypopular,millionsofmeetupsallaroundthecountryforpeoplewhohavehobbies.”

Thatclubmetseveraltimesamonth,andastheclubgrew,localmediastartedtonotice.ThelocalCBSaffiliatedidaninterviewwithAndy,whichwaspickedupbyAtlanta’smajornewspaper,theAtlantaJournalConstitution.Fromthere,AndygrewtheChickenWhispererplatformintoabook,amagazine(withover60,000subscribers),andaradioshow,whichhasnowrunforoverfiveyearswithmorethan20,000weeklysubscribers.Healsotravelsaroundthecountrydoingroadshows,exclusivelysponsoredbyKalmbachFeeds,hismajorfinancialsupporter.

FINDINGYOURSKILLORKNOWLEDGEAREAInlookingatvariousContentInc.subjects,themodelcanworkbyidentifyingeitheranexceptionalknowledgeareaorauniqueskill.Whatdowemeanbyknowledge?Knowledgeisinformationacquiredaboutaparticularsubjectthroughstudyorobservation.

JosephKalinowski,ourcreativedirectoratContentMarketingInstitute,hasknowledge(bythedefinitionabove)inanumberofareasincludingthebandKISS,thePittsburghSteelers,StarWarsactionfigures,andJackDaniels.Inanyoneofthesetopics,Josephwoulddestroytheaveragepersonwithhisknowledgeinthatarea.

Inadditiontohisknowledgeareas,Josephisalsoaskilledgraphicdesigner.Skillisdefinedbydictionary.comas“theabilitytodosomethingwell”oranareathatapersonhas“expertiseorcompetence”in.Simplyput,skillisknowledgeusedproperly.

IfJosephweregoingtoemployaContentInc.strategyandlooktobuildanaudienceinaspecificmarketordemographicarea,hecouldchoosefromthenumberofknowledge

areashehas,orhecouldlooktohisskillingraphicdesign.

WheretoStart?Ifyouareanindividual,beginbylistingthoseareasinwhichyouhavealargeskillsetorknowledgeareainsomethingversustheaverageperson.Thisisbrainstormingtime,somoreisbetteratthispoint.

Ifyoucompletedtheexercisecorrectly,youshouldhavevastlymoreknowledgeareasthanskillareas.

Here’showmineturnedout.

MaybeyoursituationisclosertothatoftheIndiumCorporation.Indium,aglobalmanufacturingcompanyheadquarteredinupstateNewYork,developsandmanufacturesmaterialsusedprimarilyintheelectronicsassemblyindustry.Atitscore,thecompanydevelopssolderingmaterialstokeepelectroniccomponentsfromcomingapart.

RickShort,Indium’sdirectorofmarketingcommunications,knewthatIndium

employeeshadmoreknowledgeaboutindustrialsolderingequipmentthanjustaboutanyothercompanyintheworld.Thismakessense…solderingistheknowledgeareawhereIndiummanufacturesmostofitsproducts.

Atthesametime,theIndiumcultureisthatofsharingknowledge…ofarisingtideliftingallships.Thecompanyhadsubject-matterexpertsthatwerewillingtoshare,aswellasamarketingteamthatwasexcitedaboutsharingknowledgeviasocialmedia(ararityforamanufacturingcompany,especiallyin2005;seeFigure3.6).

Figure3.6Indium’ssweetspothashelpedthecompanybecometheleadinginformationalexpertonsolderingforengineers.

Thatplatformchosenforthissweetspotwasablog.TodayIndiumhasover70blogsand21bloggers.Sincethefirstblogwasbegunin2005,Indiumhasgeneratedmoreleadsatjust25percentofitspreviousmarketinginvestment.

UNLEASHINGYOURPASSIONSteveJobs’scommencementspeech,givenin2005,hasbeenwatchedover10milliontimes.Init,hegivesthefollowingadvice:“You’vegottofindwhatyoulove….[T]heonlywaytodogreatworkistolovewhatyoudo.Ifyouhaven’tfoundityet,keeplooking,anddon’tsettle.”

CalNewport,authorofthebookSoGoodTheyCan’tIgnoreYou,believesthatifSteveJobshadtakenhisownadvice,AppleComputerwouldhaveneverhappened.Newportstatesthat“ifayoungSteveJobshadtakenhisownadviceanddecidedtoonlypursueworkheloved,wewouldprobablyfindhimtodayasoneoftheLosAltosZenCenter’smostpopularteachers.”

WalterIssacson,whoauthoredtheJobsbiography,seesitdifferently.Jobs’spassionwasnotforZenBuddhismspecifically;itwasforsimplicity.EverythinginSteveJobs’sliferevolvedaroundthesimple,whichextendedintoApple’scoredesignconstruct.AsJobsnoted:“Thewaywe’rerunningthecompany,theproductdesign,theadvertising,itallcomesdowntothis:Let’smakeitsimple.Reallysimple.”

ApplewasfueledbySteveJobs’spassionforsimplicity.AndasCharlesSchwabis

quoted,“Apersoncansucceedatalmostanythingforwhichtheyhaveunlimitedenthusiasm.”

ThisisexactlywhatwefindintheContentInc.model.Skillisonething,butthepassionistheenergybehindwhatmakesthemodelsuccessful.It’swhyformonths,andinmanycasesyears,entrepreneurscreatetheircontent,ultimatelywaitingforthepayoff.

Simplyput,forContentInc.towork,youneedtogetupeverydaylovingtherightsideofthatsweetspot,ortheworkdoesn’tgetdone.MatthewPatrickhasapassionandloveforvideogames.AndySchneiderlovesbeingtheteacher.ClausPilgaardhasapassionforchilipeppersthatmostpeoplesimplydonotunderstand.MichellePhangetsupinthemorningeveryday,readytocoverherselfinmakeup.RickShortatIndiumhadtheinsighttounderstandthecompany’spassionforsharingknowledge.

Allthese“passions”madeitpossiblefortheworktobedone.WithContentInc.,passionisthefuelthatmakestheenginego.Alltheskillintheworldwon’tmakeyourcontentenginegowithoutpassion.

CanContentInc.WorkWithoutPassion?JayBaerisCEOofmarketingconsultingfirmConvince&Convert,aswellastheNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofYoutility.ThefollowingistakenfromaninterviewwithJayonContentInc.andpassion:

Contentforwhichyoudonothaveapassionisreallyhardtogetgoodat.Ifyoudon’tlovethecontentyou’recreating,itisunlikelytobegoodenoughtohaveanimpact.Andthat’swhymostofthepeoplewhoyouwouldconsidertobedisproportionatelygoodatcontenthaveatruelove,eitherforcontentmarketingasadiscipline,oratrueloveforthesubjectmatterthatthey’recreatingcontentabout.

MarcusSheridan[formerCEOofRiverPools&Spas]iseffectivenotbecausehe’sthegreatestwriterintheworld,butbecausehereallywantstoeducatepeopleaboutswimmingpools.Joe[Pulizzi]iseffectivebecausehereallywantstoevangelizeaboutcontentmarketing.It’snotthathehassomedisproportionatelyextraordinarywritingtechniques.That’sthepartthatwedon’ttalkaboutverymuchbecausewewanteverybodytobelievethatallyouhavetodoiswanttocreatecontentandfollowtheinstructionsinthebooksthatwewriteandeverybodycandoit;andyeah,everybodycandoit,buttheycan’tdoitgreatbecausetheymaynothavethesamelevelofpassion.

Andifyoudohavethatpassionandyouhavethatburningdesiretoeducateorteachaboutwhateversubjectlightsyouup,thatcontentcanbegoodenough,canbeinfusedwithpassiontothedegreethatyoucanbuildabusinessoutofitlikeneverbefore.Tenyearsagoyoucouldn’teverdo…say…publishyourownnewspaper…how’sthatgoingtowork?Buttodayyoucanjustsay,I’mgoingtomakeaYouTubevideoeverydayaboutJapanesewhiskey;andifyoukeepyournosetothegrindstone,eventuallyyoucanbetheJapanesewhiskeyguyandyoucantakeads,youcangivespeechesandallofthosethingsthatcanhappen.

ANALTERNATIVEVIEWOFTHESWEETSPOTIfyouareanestablishedcompanywithanexistingproductbase,findingthesweetspotbetweenknowledgeorskillandpassionmaynotcomenaturally.Inmylastbook,EpicContentMarketing,Iofferanalternativesweetspotmodelthatmayworkinreplacement(seeFigure3.7).

Figure3.7Leveragingpassioninalargerorganizationisoftenachallenge.Inthesecases,replacepassionwithacustomerpainpointarea.

Whyisthismodelimportant?Yourbusinessmighthaveaknowledgeareathatmaynotberelevanttocustomers.Forexample,thereareanumberofGeneralElectricexecutivesthatareknowledgeableinbusinessstrategy.GE’sinternaltrainingprogramsaresomeofthemostfamouseverdevelopedbyacorporation.Thatsaid,thatknowledgemaynottranslateintosolvingacustomerissueorpainpoint.SoGE’sknowledgeofbusinessstrategymaynotworkinthesweetspotmodel,dependingonthecustomersGEistargetingwithaContentInc.initiative.

DougKessler,cofounderofcontentagencyVelocityPartners,believesthesweetspotisthree-dimensional:it’simportanttoknowtheexactsize,shape,anddepth.

“Size—yoursweetspotshouldbeafocusedarea;astightafocusaspossiblewithoutleavingstuffout.”

“Shape—youneedtoknowexactlywhereyourexpertisereachesandwhereitstops.”Justbecauseyouhaveknowledgeofcertainareasdoesn’tmeanthatauthoritynaturallyextendstootherareas.

“Depth—yourexpertisegoesasdeeplyasitneedstogo;youdon’thavetopretenditgoesdeeper.”

I’vefoundthatthissweetspotexamplegainsmoretractioninalargerenterpriseenvironment,andI’veseenbothtypesofsweetspotsworkindifferentsituations.Findtheonethatworksbestforyou.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

TheContentInc.modelbeginswiththesweetspot,theintersectionofyourknowledgeorskillareaandyourpassion.Whileit’spossibletodevelopasweetspotwithoutapassionpoint,it’sthepassionthatgivesusourdrivetocontinueuntilwebuildasuccessfulContentInc.model.

Whilewehavemanyknowledgeandskillareas,wehavemuchfewerpassions.Lifeistooshorttoworkonsomethingeverydaythatwearenotpassionateabout,soyoumaywanttostartwithyoupassionsfirst.

Ifyourcompanyisalreadyestablished,considerreplacingyourpassionareawithacustomerpainpointtodevelopyoursweetspot.

ResourcesMatthewPatrick,“DrawMyLife:GameTheory,MatPatandYou,”YouTube.com,

accessedApril19,2015,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mkuIP_i3js.

MatthewPatrick,interviewbyClareMcDermott,February2015.

AndySchneider,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

MichellePhan,“DrawMyLife:MichellePhan,”YouTube.com,accessedApril19,2015,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05KqZEqQJ40.

BruceJohnston,“HowIndiumFiguredOutTheirSocialMediaMarketingContent,”Practicalsmm.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://practicalsmm.com/2012/06/25/how-indium-corporation-figured-out-their-social-media-marketing-content/.

CRSA,Inc.,“B2BSocialMediaCaseStudyGuide:Indium(Manufacturing),”SlideShare.net,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.slideshare.net/csrollyson/b2b-social-business-case-study-indium.

TheAppleHistoryChannel,“SteveJobsStanfordCommencementSpeech,”YouTube.com,accessedApril19,2015,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA.

CalNewport,“DolikeSteveJobsDid:Don’tFollowYourPassion,”FastCompany.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.fastcompany.com/3001441/do-steve-jobs-did-dont-follow-your-passion.

WalterIsaacson,“HowSteveJobs’LoveofSimplicityFueledaDesignRevolution,”Smithsonianmag.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-steve-jobs-love-of-simplicity-fueled-a-design-revolution-23868877/?no-ist.

JayBaer,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

“DifferenceBetweenKnowledgeandSkill,”Differencebetween.net,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-knowledge-and-

skill/.

DougKessler,“B2BContentMarketing:FindingYourSweetSpot,”Econsultancy.com,accessedApril19,2015,https://econsultancy.com/blog/9279-b2b-content-marketing-finding-your-sweet-spot.

Chapter4

AddingAudiencetoYourSweetSpotMysweetspotisfiguringouthowtomakeaproductthatpeopleloveandhowtorefineittomakethemloveitmore.All

therestisbusinessnoise.

NOLANBUSHNELL

Inearly2014,IhadtheopportunitytoparticipateinaworkshopforanumberofenterprisemarketersinToronto,Canada.Inoneparticularconversationattheworkshop,theblogmanagerforabillion-dollartechnologycompanytoldmeshewashavingproblemswithherblog.Shehadbeenaddingmoreandmoredailycontenttotheblogandatthesametimewasseeingstagnantwebsitetrafficandfarfewersubscribersandconversions.

Myfirstquestionwasthis:“Whoistheaudienceforyourblog?”

Sheanswered:“Wetarget18differentaudiencesontheblog.”

“Ifoundyourproblem.”

WHO’STHEWHO?Thesweetspotisaplacewhereacombinationoffactorsresultsinamaximumresponseforagivenamountofeffort.

WIKIPEDIA

CountlessbusinessesfailwiththeirContentInc.modelbecausetheystopafteridentifyingtheintersectionoftheirknowledgeareaorskillandtheirpassion.Tothispoint,it’sallaboutus.It’ssharingwhatweknow.

Whocares?Probablynotverymanypeople.

Inordertocompletethesweetspotformula,weneedtoidentifythe“who.”Whoistheaudienceforyourcontent?Remember,fortheContentInc.modeltowork,weneedtofigureouthowwecanbuildtheenginethatpositionsusastheleadinginformationalexpertinourparticularmarketniche.Wewanttodefineouraudienceasspecificallyaspossible.

Askthefollowingquestions:

1.Whoisheorshe?Howdoesthispersonliveanaverageday?

2.What’stheperson’sneed?Thisisnot“Whydoesthepersonneedourproductorservice?”but“Whatarehisorherinformationalneedsandpainpointsastheyrelatetothestorieswewilltell?”

3.Whywillthispersoncareaboutus,ourproducts,ourservices?It’stheinformationprovidedtohimorherthatwillmakethatpersoncareorgarnerattention.

Yourideaofthe“who”doesn’thavetobeperfect,butitneedstobedetailedenoughsothatyoucanclearlyvisualizethispersoninyourheadasyoudevelopcontent.

DougKessler,cofounderoftheUKagencyVelocityPartners,saidthesweetspotis“thethingyourcompanyknowsbetterthan—oratleastaswellas—anyoneelseintheworld.”Understandingthe“who”givesyouthecontextyouneedtomakethishappen.

MarcusSheridanfromRiverPools&Spasbecametheworldwideleaderininformationaboutfiberglasspoolsforthosehomeownersinterestedinpurchasingapool.IfMarcusweretargeting,let’ssay,manufacturersoffiberglasspools,thecontentwouldbevastlydifferent.It’sthe“who”thatgivesthecontentthecontextitneedstobesuccessful.

TheStoryofRiverPools&SpasInlate2009,RiverPools&Spas,a20-employeeinstalleroffiberglasspoolsintheVirginiaandMarylandarea,wasintrouble.HomeownerswerenotrunningoutandbuyingfiberglasspoolsduringtheGreatRecession.Worseyet,customerswhohadactuallyplannedonbuyingapoolwerecallingupRiverPoolstorequesttheirdepositsback,which,insomecases,ranaround$50,000ormore.

Formultipleweeks,RiverPoolsoverdrewitscheckingaccount.Notonlywasitbecomingdifficulttopayemployees,butthecompanywaslookingatpossiblyclosingupshopforgood.

MarcusSheridan,CEOofRiverPools&Spas,believedthattheonlywaytosurvivewastostealmarketsharefromthecompetition,andthatmeantthinkingdifferentlyabouthowthecompanywenttomarket.

Atthebeginningofthisprocess,RiverPoolsdidjustover$4millioninannualrevenuesandspentapproximately$250,000ayearonmarketing.TherewerefourcompetitorsintheVirginiaareathathadgreatermarketsharethanRiver.

Twoyearslaterin2011,RiverPools&SpassoldmorefiberglasspoolsthananyotherfiberglasspoolsinstallerinNorthAmerica.Thecompanyalsodecreaseditsmarketingspendfrom$250,000toaround$40,000,whileatthesametimewinning15percentmorebidsandcuttingitssalescycleinhalf.Theaveragepoolbuilderlost50to75percentinsalesduringthetimethatRiverPoolsincreasedsalestomorethan$5million.

Needlesstosay,RiverPools&Spasstayedopenforbusiness.

HowdidMarcusdoit?Hewrotedowneveryconceivablecustomerquestionandanswereditonhisblog.Today,fromsearchengineresultstosocialmediasharing,MarcusandRiverPools&Spasaretheleadinginformationproviderintheworldonthesubjectoffiberglasspools.

TheRestoftheStoryRiver’sstoryhasbeensharedaroundtheworld.It’safairlypopularContentInc.example.Buthere’ssomethingyouprobablydon’tknow.RiverPoolsisnowanational,evenaninternational,forcebecauseofitscontentcreation.Marcuswasbeingcalleduponbycompaniesallovertheworldtoinstallpoolsandwasevenaskedtoflyintooverseeaninstallation.Unfortunately,RiverPoolsonlyservicedcompaniesinaverysmallareaandcouldnottakeadvantageoftheadditional

demand.

Entermanufacturing.RiverPoolsmadethedecisiontobeginmanufacturingitsownfiberglasspools.Thiscameaboutdirectlybecauseofitscontentexposure.RiverPools&Spasisnowpositioningitselfastheleadinginstallerandmanufactureroffiberglasspools,takingthebusinessinacompletelyunexpecteddirection.

Onceyoudevelopanaudiencearoundyourcontent,theopportunitiestoselladditionalproductsisalmostendless.RiverPools&SpasisanexampleofContentInc.inaction.

MAKINGITREALAsweaddinouraudiencegroup,we’veaddedanewdimensiontooursweetspot(Figure4.1).

Figure4.1Byaddingyourspecificaudiencetothemix,nowthesweetspottrulybecomesmeaningful.

Let’sgobacktoourfriendtheChickenWhisperer.AndySchneider’soriginalsweetspotwasaknowledgeareaofbackyardpoultryandapassionforteachingandinstruction.

Nowlet’saddtheaudiencetomakeoursweetspotcometolife(Figure4.2).

Figure4.2Wrappingthesweetspotwithaspecificaudiencewillbringyoursweetspottolife.

Nowwehaveenoughinformationtocapturethesweetspotinasinglesentence.Thisisverysimilartohowmediacompaniesstarttoconstructaneditorialmissionstatement(moreonthisinChapter6).

AndySchneider’smissionstatementmighthavelookedsomethinglikethis:

Helpingsuburbanhomeownersansweralltheirpossiblequestionsregardingraisingchickensathome.

PUTTINGITALLTOGETHERNowthatyou’veseenavisualexampleofthesweetspot,let’sstartaddingsomedimensiontoyourmodel.Here’sausefultemplateyoucanusetobegintoconstructtheinitialstagesofyourstrategy.

Mission:________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

KeyAudience:(Beasspecificaspossible.)____________________

________________________________________________________

SampleTitles/Functions:___________________________________

________________________________________________________

WhyThisGroupIsImportant:(Thisisacriticalfirststeptothinkingaboutthepurchasepowerthesepeoplehave.You’lllearnmoreaboutthisinChapter22onmonetization.)

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

SampleTopicAreas:______________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

HereareexamplesofwhatacompletedformlookslikeforContentMarketingInstitute.Wehavethreedifferentaudiencesthatwetargetwithourcontent.NotethatwhenwebeganourContentInc.modelin2007,weonlyfocusedononeaudience.Weaddedthesecondaudiencegroupin2014andthethirdgroupin2015.

ContentMarketingInstituteMission:Advancethepracticeofcontentmarketing.

KeyAudience:Contentmarketingpractitioners.CMIhelpsthepeoplewhoareplanningandexecutingthecontentmarketingstrategyintheirlargeenterpriseorganizations.

SampleTitles/Functions:Contentmarketingdirector,contentmarketingmanager,managerofdigitalstrategy,vicepresidentmarketing,digitalmarketingmanager,publicrelationsmanager/director,directorofsocialmedia,communicationsdirectors.

WhyThisGroupIsImportant:Themajorityofmarketinginorganizationsstillinvolvespaidmedia.CMIbelievesthat,overthenextdecade,themajorityofmarketingwillbecontentcomingdirectlyfrombrandsinsteadofadvertisingorsponsorshiponoutsideproperties.Enterprisestodayarecompletelyunequippedtohandlethistransformationandneedvastamountsofeducationandtrainingonthestrategiesandtacticsofcontentmarketing.

SampleTopicAreas:Buildingastrategy;buildinganaudience;operationalizingtheprocess(includinggettingexecutivebuy-inandcontinuallyjustifyingandcommunicatingprogress);contentcreation;contentpromotionanddistribution;measurementandROI.

IntelligentContentMission:Educate,motivate,andprepareenterprisecontentpractitionerstodelivertherightcontent,attherighttime,totherightaudience,overtherightchannel,onanydevice,sothatcontent(andthosewhoplan,create,anddeliverit)isvaluedbytheaudienceandthebusiness.

KeyAudiences:IntelligentContenthelpsthepeoplewhoneedtounderstandthe“plumbingbehindthecontent.”

•Contentstrategistswhoarechargedwithmakingcontentascalablefunctionwithintheirenterpriseorganization

•Marketerswhoneedtoscaletheircontentoperationsandmakethemmoreefficient

SampleTitles/Functions:Contentstrategists,userexperiencedesign,marketingchangemanagement,technicalcommunicators,directorofmarketing,marketingtechnologists,digitalcontentmanager,digitalmarketingmanager,managermarketingprograms,marketingtechnologyspecialistroles.

WhyThisGroupIsImportant:Mostcontentmarketingprogramsinvolveanideawithoneorpossiblytwooutputs.Inshort,theprogramdoesn’tscale.Intelligentcontentmeansleveragingtechnologyandprocessessothat:

•Contentcanbeviewedasanassetintheorganization

•Thestrategyissetupinsuchawaythatcontentcanbereusedinmultiplefashionswithmultipleoutputswhenthecustomersneedit

Thenextgenerationofcontentmarketingprogramswillneedtobecomemoreintelligentinnatureinorderformarketingtotakealeadershiproleintheoverallorganization.

SampleTopicAreas:Taxonomy,globalization,enterprisecontentmanagement,personalization,responsivedesign,contentengineering,contentreuse,localization/translation,agilemarketingprocesses,contextualization.

ContentInc.Mission:Helpentrepreneursbecontent-driveninsteadofproduct-orservice-drivenandcreatemediaassetsthatdependonthepermissiontocontactanaudience,notthepermissionofamediagatekeeper.

KeyAudience:Entrepreneurs,growthstart-ups,smallbusinessesthatwanttogrowlarge.

SampleTitles:Founder,CEO,COO,owner,entrepreneur-in-residence,executivedirector

WhyThisGroupIsImportant:Webelievethenextgenerationoflargeenterprisesneedstofocusonbuildingaudiencesinsteadofjustreleasingnewproductsandservices.

SampleTopicAreas:Howtobuildyourbusinessaroundcontentfromthegroundup;makingcontentmarketingscalableforgrowth;howtobuildanaudience;choosingtherightcontentniche;howtovalueasubscriber;leveragingemployeesformarketing;staffingissues;businessmodelselection.

InthemovieTheGrandBudapestHotel,thejobofthelobbyboywastoknowtheclientelesowellthathecouldanticipatetheirneeds.Thatisyourrolenow.Yourjobistolearnyouraudiencesowellthatyou’llbeabletodevelopongoingcontentthatissogood,thepeopleinyouraudiencearenotevenawaretheyneededitinthefirstplace.

Ifyouareinneedofaneasy-to-useresourceonbuildingoutwhoyouraudiencereallyis,you’llfindtheCMIresourceonaudiencepersonas(http://cmi.media/CI-personas)helpful.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

TobesuccessfulwithourContentInc.strategy,youhavetobecomeindispensabletoyouraudience.Thatmeanscreatingastrategythatcanactuallypositionyouastheleadinginformationalorentertainmentexpertinyourcontentarea.

Themoreaudiencesyoutarget,themorelikelyyouwillfail.Focusonthemostdefinedaudiencepossible.

Asyougetstarted,don’tgetboggeddownfocusingonmorethanoneaudience.Chooseoneaudienceandbecometheindispensableexperttothataudience.Oncethatissuccessful,youcanmoveontootheraudiences.

ResourceTheGrandBudapestHotel,FoxSearchlightPictures,releasedMarch2014.

Part3

TheContentTiltYoucan’tdependonyoureyeswhenyourimaginationisoutoffocus.

MARKTWAIN

Thereissomuchofthesamecontentoutthereintheworld.TosucceedwithContentInc.,youneedtostepoutofthepack.Let’sdothis!

Chapter5

UnderstandingthePowerofthe“Tilt”Whenatroutrisestoafly,itdoesnotswimasmuchastiltitsfinsandjetskyward.

JOSEPHMONNINGER

InthemovieTheMatrix,starringKeanuReevesandLaurenceFishburne,Reeves’scharacter(Neo)istestedtoseewhetherheis“TheOne.”WhileNeoisoutsideinthewaitingarea,ayoungprotégéisholdingupspoonafterspoon,bendingeachone.AsNeositsbesidetheprotégé,theyoungboytellsNeothathehastolookatthespooninadifferentway…thatthespoonactuallydoesnotexistatall.

Soonafter,Neowasabletotilthisheadtothesideandslowlybendthespoon.

TELLINGADIFFERENTSTORYPeterThiel,cofounderofPayPal(alongwithTeslafounderElonMusk)andFacebook’sfirstoutsideinvestor,believesthatmostbusinessescopyotherbusinessesandthusfail.InhisbookZerotoOne,Thieltellsbusinessesthattheyshould“figureoutsomethingthatnobodyelseisdoingandlooktocreateamonopolyinsomeareathat’sbeenunderdeveloped.Findaproblemnobodyelseissolving.”Sadly,mostcompaniesarecreatingcontentandtellingstoriesthatarenodifferentfromanythingelseoutthere.

Justtype“SEOe-book”intoGoogle,andyou’llgetover20millionresults.Therearealotofbusinessestalkingaboutthesamethingsinthesameway.JayBaerbelievesthatmostbusinessessimplynevergothroughtheprocessoffindingacontentnichethattheycanown.InaninterviewwithJay,hetacklesthisconcept:

It’slike,“HeyIlikeknitting,andI’mgoingtostartaknittingblog.”Really!Thereare27otherknittingblogs.Whywouldanybodyreadyours?Whatisdifferent?Whatisunique?Whatisinteresting?Whywouldanyonestopreadingtheknittingblogthatthey’vebeenreadingforthelastthreeyearsandreadyoursever?Andifyoucan’tarticulatethat,youneedtogobacktothedrawingboard.AndmostpeopleIfindwhohaven’tbeendoingthisforawhilejustdon’tgothroughthatcompetitivecalculus,andit’sdangerous.

Therearehundredsofblogsonchilipeppersthattellstoriesaboutthe“heat”ofthepeppers.ClausPilgaardfoundawaytotellastorythatwasradicallydifferentfromthatofhiscontentcompetition…hismessagingwasaroundthe“taste”ofthepeppers.Claus’scontenttiltmadeallthedifference.

CONTENTTILTINGIfContentIncisgoingtoworkforyou,yourcontentmustbedifferent.Itmustfillacontentholethatisnotbeingfilledbysomeoneelse.AsPeterThielsuggests,wemust

findaproblemareathatnooneelseissolvingandexploitthatareawithcontent.

Thisiscalled“contenttilting.”

Thewordtilthastwoprimarydefinitions.Thefirstistocausetolean,incline,slope,orslant.Ifwetiltaglassoratable,wegettolookatitfromadifferentperspective.Neo,inTheMatrix,tiltedhisheadandsawthespoondifferentlyandgainedknowledgebecauseofit.

Theseconddefinitionoftiltistoaimorthrust,asyouwouldtiltalanceinajoust.Withthistilt,welookatthecontentnicheinsuchawaythatcreatestheopportunityforustoattack,andlead,andultimatelyownthecategory.

WhileidentifyingthesweetspotiscriticaltotheContentInc.process,it’sthecontenttiltthatwillseparateyoufromeveryoneelseinyourmarketarea.AndrewDavis,authorofBrandscaping,callsthis“thehook”—asimpletwistonafamiliarthemedesignedtoentraporensnareyouraudience.Without“tilting”yourcontentjustenoughtotrulyhaveadifferentstorytotell,yourcontentwillfadeintotherestoftheclutterandbeforgotten.

CASESTUDY:ANNREARDONSydney,Australia’sAnnReardonisthe“bakingqueenofYouTube.”

In2011,aftergivingbirthtoherthirdson,Annwaslookingforsomethingtododuringhernightfeedings,soshelaunchedarecipesitecalledHowtoCookThat.“Iwrotearecipeposteveryweekandmadesomevideostocomplementthewebsite.ThevideosweretoobigtouploadtomywebsitesoIuploadedthemtoYouTubeandstartedembeddingthemontomysite.”

Beforestartingafamily,Annwasaqualifiedfoodscientistanddietitian(herskillarea).Atthesametime,shehadapassionforteachingandworkingwithchildren,soshechangedcareersandbeganworkingwithyouthinapoorerareaofWesternAustralia.

“Iabsolutelyloveditandhavesomanygreatmemories,”sharesAnn.“ButourbudgetwasextremelytightsoitwasduringthistimethatItaughtmyselftoeditvideosfortheyouthministry,aswellasself-cateringforlotsofevents.OvertimesomeoftheyoungadultsaskedifIcouldteachthemhowtocook.Agroupwouldcomeoverandwe’dallbakeandhaveagreattimeinmykitchen.”

Youmaybethinkingthatrecipeblogsand“how-to”bakingonYouTubearenothingnew,andyou’dberight.WhatseparatesAnnishercontenttilt.

Annfocusesherrecipesandbakingonseeminglyimpossiblecreations,suchasdessertswithfivepoundsofSnickersbarsandacakethat,whenslicedopen,isaperfectreplicaofanInstagramlogo.

“ManypeoplestartaYouTubechannelandtrytocopywhathasalreadybeendonebutthehorsehasalreadybolted,”Annexplains.“Foreverysinglebreathyoutake,thereis8hoursofnewvideofootageuploadedtoYouTube,soIhavetogiveviewersagoodreasontocomebackandwatchmychannel.”

InJanuary2012,Annsawher100thsubscriberonYouTubeandwasthrilled.Exactlythreeyearslater,Annhasamassedmorethan1millionsubscribersandreceives(believeit

ornot)morethan3,000commentsperweek.Inanaveragemonth,she’llseeover16millionviewsofhervideos.

AlongwiththesubstantialrevenuesfromhercutofYouTubeadvertisingroyalties,shehaslaunchedanappcalled“SurpriseCakes”andanotherappforphotosharing;andaswell,shehasanumberofsponsoredcontentopportunitieswithbrandssuchaselectricalappliancecompanyBrevilleandkitchenwarecompanyWorldKitchen.

Yes,Annfoundhersweetspot,thecombinationofherknowledgeoffoodandherpassionforteaching,butitwashercontenttiltofseeminglyimpossiblefoodcreationsthathasmadeallthedifference(Figure5.1).

Figure5.1AnnReardon’scontenttiltof“impossiblefoodcreations”iswhatseparateshercontentfromthethousandsofotherbakingblogs.

TheOddStrugglewithStart-UpsandContentJayAcunzo,directorofplatformatNextViewVentures,aBoston-areaearly-stageventurecapitalcompany,workswithanumberoftechnologystart-upsontheconceptofcontentmarketing.Oddlyenough,whilemosttechstart-upswanttocreatethebestproductintheworldfortheirniche,theydon’tbelievethesameabouttheircontent.

Inaninterview,Jaynotes:

Isay[tostart-ups],doyouthinkthatyourproduct,eithernoworinthefuture,isgoingtobethebestsolutiontosolvingwhateverproblemyou’veidentifiedinthemarket?Becausethat’sreallywhytechfoundersstartcompanies;theyseeaproblemandtheywanttosolveitbetterthanwhatisinexistence.So100%ofthesefounderssayunequivocallyyes,we’regoingtohaveabetterproductthan

ourcompetitors.

SothenIsay,whyisittrueforyourproductbutnotyourcontent?Andformeitalwayscomesbacktomentalityandskillset.Theydon’tthinkaboutcontentinthewaythat[marketers]thinkaboutit.Theythinkaboutitasarandomcollectionofbestpracticesthatjustgetrecycled.“Sowe’vegottoblogalot…welleveryoneelseisbloggingsowhyshouldweblog?”

It’snotaboutthat.It’saboutcanyousolvetheprobleminawaythatisunique?Yourproductdoesthat,butyourcontentshoulddothat.Everybodyistalkingabouttheoreticallyhowtodomarketingandyou’relike“Thisisreallyhard;I’mgoingtobuildaproductthatisgoingtomakemarketingreally,reallysimpleandalmostlikeplugandplay.”That’sgreat!You’reconfidentyourproductcandothat,soifyou’regoingtocreatecontent,don’tjustblog;do[somethingdifferent].

They[start-ups]aresoconfidentthattheycandosomethingdifferentthatnoonehaseverseenbeforewiththeirproduct,andthereisalotofnoise.Alotofpeoplehavedonewhatthey’redoingbefore,butthey’relikeno,Idon’tcare;I’mgoingtodobetter.Yetwhentheycometothecontent,they’relikeno,Ican’tbedifferent.Ithinkit’smentalityandskillsetthatiscausingthemtosaythat.

…Ithinkyoujusthavetothinkmuchharderaboutchoosingyournicheandonwhatangleontheproblemyou’retakingwithyourproduct…thathastocomethroughwithyourcontent.Andguesswhat,ifyou’recontentreflectstheproductandit’sstillnotinnovativeenough,chancesarethatyourproductwasn’tgoingtostickanyways,soyoumightwanttorevisittheactualthesisforthebusiness.I’malwaysblownawaybythat.Alltheseentrepreneursaresoconfidentthatwecansolvethisproblembetterthananybodyelsewithourproduct,anditshouldarticulatethatthroughthecontenttooandtheyjustdon’tthinkthatway.

SETTINGTHE“BESTOFBREED”GOALThosewhosucceedwere—atonepointoranotherintheirlives—willingtoputthemselvesinsituationsthatwere

uncomfortable,whereastheunsuccessfulseekcomfortfromalltheirdecisions.

GRANTCARDONE,THE10XRULE

KevinPlank,CEOofUnderArmour,nowthenumbertwosportsapparelcompanyintheworld(behindNike),statesthatifyoudon’thavethebusinessgoalofbeingnumberoneinyourmarket,you’llnevermakeit.Whentalkingabouthisownorganization,hesaysthateveryemployeeatUnderArmourknowsthatthemissionistobetheclearleader,noquestionsasked.

ThesamegoesforyourContentInc.goals.Yourultimateobjectives—thosebighairyaudaciousgoals(asnamedbyJimCollinsofGoodtoGreatfame)youworkedoninChapter1—shouldmakeyoucringeatleastalittlebit.

Icompletelydisagreewithmarketingexpertsandconsultantswhosayit’snotnecessarytobetheleadinginformationproviderforyourindustry.I’mcallingbullonthat.

Yes,itisabitaudacioustogooutonalimbandclearlystatethatyourcontentshould

beanirreplaceableresourceforyourreaders(andcustomers)…thatyouareindeeddrivingwherethemarketisgoingfromaninformationstandpoint(likeamediacompany).Thatsaid,beaudacious!

Ifyouarenotstrivingtobethego-toresourceforyourindustryniche,youaresettlingforthecomfortable,whateverthatmeanstoyouingoal-settingterms.

Simplyput,youwon’tbesuccessfulwiththeContentInc.approachifyousettle.

WHATIFYOURCONTENTWEREGONE?Let’ssaysomeoneroundedupallyourcontentandplaceditinabox,likeitneverexisted.Wouldanyonemissit?Wouldyouleaveagapinthemarketplace?

Iftheanswertothisisno,thenwe’vegotaproblem,Houston.

Wewantcustomersandprospectsneeding…no,longingforourcontent.Itbecomespartoftheirlives…theirjobs.

Today,it’sharderandhardertobuyattention.Youhavetoearnit.Earnittoday,tomorrow,andfiveyearsfromnowbydeliveringthemostimpactfulinformationyourcustomerscouldeveraskfor.Settheuncomfortablegoalsthatwilltakeyourbusinesstothenextlevel.

LookatthegoalsyousetinChapter1.Ifyouarecompletelycomfortablewiththem,youaresettlingforgoodenough.Butgoodenoughwon’twinthebattleforcustomerattention.Begreat!

FINDINGYOURCONTENTMARKETINGHEDGEHOGLet’sgobacktoJimCollinsagainandhisfantasticbookGoodtoGreat.Ifyouknowanythingaboutthebook,youknowaboutthehedgehog.

Thehedgehog,inbusiness,isthatthingyourbusinesscanbethebestat…thatcombinesyouruniquetalentsandpassionintosomethingyoucanmakemoneydoing.

InexpandingonthistopicforContentInc.,Ibelieveweneedtolookatthehedgehoginfourways:

1.Whatwecover.Inyourniche,maybeyouproducethebestresearch,orthebesthow-toinformation,orthebestinvestigativejournalism.

2.Howwecoverit.Thisischannelspecific.YoupossiblyhaveawinningvideoserieslikeGameTheoryfromMatthewPatrickorHowtoCookThatfromAnnReardonoranamazingpodcastlikeEntrepreneurOnFirefromJohnLeeDumas.

3.Whywecoverit.Thisisyourhigherpurpose.Tobeatrulyeffectivecontentmarketer,youhavetobecreatinganddistributingcontentforthebettermentofyourreader-customer.Onceyoufindthat,thenyoucanintroduceaproduct.Thematchingofyourcustomers’informationalorentertainmentneedsandwhatyousellistheContentInc.jackpot.

4.Whomwecoveritfor.Aretheregroupsofpeoplethatarenotgettingtheinformation

theyneedtodotheirjobsbetterorlivetheirlivestothefullestextent?Yourhedgehogmightbecoveringapieceofinformationforthatnichegroupandthendoingitbetterthananyoneelse.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Thesweetspotisnotenough.InorderforourContentInc.modeltosucceed,weneedtotiltourcontentinsuchawaythatseparatesusfromthecompetition.

Themajorityofcontentdevelopedeverydayisjustlikeeverythingelseoutthere.Itdoesnothingforthereaderortheproducer.Itdoesn’tmatterthefrequencyofdeliveryorthechannelyoudeliverthecontentthrough;ifthecontentdoesn’ttelladifferentstory,itwillmostlikelybeignored.

ResourcesTheMatrix,WarnerBrothers,releasedMarch1999.

PeterThiel,ZerotoOne,CrownBusiness,2014.

KarstenStrauss,“YouTubeStarUsesSugartoAttractanArmyofFollowers,”Forbes.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2014/08/29/youtube-star-uses-sugar-to-attract-an-army-of-followers/.

BrevilleFoodThinkers,“CupcakePiñataCookies,”HowtoCookThat,byAnnReardonandBreville,YouTube.com,accessedApril19,2015.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_nAfETePR8&list=UUrwSKj1SUAbS-HkfhZRhbSg.

DavidReardon,e-mailinterviewwithJoePulizzi,March2015.

SamGutelle,“YouTubeMillionaires:AnnReardonKnows‘HowtoCookThat,’”Tubefilter.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://www.tubefilter.com/2015/01/22/ann-reardon-how-to-cook-that-youtube-millionaires/.

CNBC,SquawkBoxinterviewwithKevinPlank,February5,2015.

JayBaer,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

JayAcunzo,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

“Tilt:Definition,”Dictionary.com,accessedApril19,2015.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tilt.

JimCollins,GoodtoGreat,HarperCollinsPublishers,2001.

Chapter6

DiscoveringYourContentMissionEverythingunderthesunhasbeensaid…youhavetofindanewwaytosayit.

HENRYWINKLER

Besidestheunderlyingbusinessmodel(howthemoneycomesin),thereisonethingthatmediacompaniesdowiththeircontentplanningthatnonmediacompaniesdonotdo.Doyouknowwhatitis?

It’stheeditorialmissionstatement.Mediacompaniesstarttheirstrategiesbydevelopinganeditorialmissionstatementthatguidestheircontentcreationeffortsandservesasabeaconfortheoverallbusiness.I’velaunchedover30mediaproductsinmycareer,frommagazinestonewsletterstoeventstowebinarprograms.Ineveryoneofthoselaunches,thefirstfewdayswerespentcreatingandfine-tuningtheeditorialmission.Itissimplythefirststepinestablishingasuccessfulstrategy.

Mostbusinessestodayhavetheopportunitytobepublishers.Thesmartonesfollowthebasicstrategiesthatmediacompanieshaveusedforyearstosuccessfullybuildtheiraudiences.

YOURCONTENTMISSIONAmissionstatementisacompany’sreasonforexistence.It’swhytheorganizationdoeswhatitdoes.Forexample,SouthwestAirlines’smissionstatementistodemocratizethetravelexperience.ThemissionstatementforCVSistobetheeasiestpharmacyretailerforcustomerstouse.So,insimpleterms,themissionstatementanswersthequestion,“Whydoweexist?”

Icoverthecontentmarketingmissionstatementinmostofmykeynotepresentations.It’scriticaltofirstsetthetonefortheideaofcontentmarketing…oranymarketing,forthatmatter.Marketingprofessionals,withbothsmallandlargebusinesses,getsofixatedonchannelssuchasblogs,Facebook,orPinterestthattheyhavenocluetotheunderlyingreasonofwhytheyshouldusethatchannelinthefirstplace.The“why”mustcomebeforethe“what.”

Yourcontenttilt(Chapter5)needstobeexpressedinawaythatyoucancommunicatetoyouraudience.It’saboldstatementwhenyouputyourflaginthegroundandtellyouraudiencewhyyouaredifferent.

InEpicContentMarketing,Idiscussthreepartsofthecontentmissionstatement:

Thecoretargetaudience

Thematerialthatwillbedeliveredtotheaudience

Theoutcomefortheaudience

MyfavoritemissionstatementfromatraditionalmediacompanyisfromInc.magazine.YoucanfinditsmissiononitsAboutUspage:

WelcometoInc.com,theplacewhereentrepreneursandbusinessownerscanfindusefulinformation,advice,insights,resourcesandinspirationforrunningandgrowingtheirbusinesses.

Inc.’smissionstatementincludes:

Thecoretargetaudience:Entrepreneursandbusinessowners.

Thematerialthatwillbedeliveredtotheaudience:Usefulinformation,advice,insights,resources,andinspiration.

Theoutcomefortheaudience:Runningandgrowingtheirbusinesses.

Inc.’smissionstatementisincrediblysimpleandincludesnowordsthatcanbemisunderstood.Simplicityiskeyforyourcontentmarketingmissionstatement.

NotethatnowhereinthemissionstatementisInc.talkingabouthowitmakesmoney.That’swheremoststart-upsgowrongwiththeircontentcreation…theyalwayswanttotalkaboutwhattheyaregoingtosell.Ifyoudothat,you’llneverevengetoffthegroundwithyourContentInc.strategy.

CASESTUDY:DIGITALPHOTOGRAPHYSCHOOLDarrenRowsebuilttwoamazinglysuccessfulContentInc.models.Thefirstone,ProBlogger,focusesonsmallbusinessblogging.Thesecond,DigitalPhotographySchool,isoneoftheleadingsourcesforbeginningphotographersonhowtogetthemaximumoutoftheirpicture-takingskills.

Butitdidn’tstartoutthatway.Initially,Darrenlaunchedacamerareview–typeblog.Asheexplains:

PrevioustoProBloggerIstartedacamerareviewblogthatwasmyfirstcommercialsortofblogandthathadgottentothepointwhereitwasfull-time,butitwasn’taverysatisfyingblogtowrite.Myreaderswouldcomeforonedaytoresearchacertaincameraandthendisappearandnevercomeback.SoIalwayshadthisdissatisfactionwithitthatIwasn’tactuallybuildingacommunity;Ithinkthat’swhatreallyfeedsme,havingongoingreaders.Ialwayswantedablogthatwasabitmoreabouthelpingpeopleinalong-termway.

Afterthisinitialexperimentdidn’tquitework,Darrencamebacktophotographyblogging,butchangedhiscontenttilt.Darren’s“aha!”momentcamewithhisfocusononeparticularaudience.

“IguessoneofthedoubtsIhadalongthewaywasaroundfocus,”saysDarren.Herecalls:

Verymuchearlyonitwasaboutbeginners,soitwasverybasiccontentandIhadsomedoubtsaboutwhetherIshouldstartexpandingintomoreintermediatelevelcontent,butIkindofstucktothatbeginnerstuffforthefirsttwoyearsandreallybuilttheaudiencethereuntilmyaudiencebegantogrowintothenextlevelof

content.SoIdidn’texpandtheexpertisetooearly,whichwasgoodinhindsight.

Thatdecisionpaidoff,andDarrensawhistotale-mailandsocialaudiencegrowtowelloveramillionsubscribers.

Let’stakealookatDigitalPhotographySchool’scontentmission.Youcanfinditonthewebsite’sAboutUspage(http://cmi.media/CI-DPS).

WelcometoDigitalPhotographySchool—awebsitewithsimpletipstohelpdigitalcameraownersgetthemostoutoftheircameras.

Let’sdissectthemissionstatement:

Thecoretargetaudience:Digitalcameraowners.

Thematerialthatwillbedeliveredtotheaudience:Simpletips.

Theoutcomefortheaudience:Getthemostoutoftheircameras.

Darrenexpandsonhismissionbysaying:

This“School”isnotaformalonebyanymeans.Therearenoclasses,noteachers,noexams—ratherit’salearningenvironmentwhereIthinkoutloudaboutwhatIknowandwhereinourForumwesharewhatwe’relearningbyshowingourphotosandaskandanswereachotherquestions.Also,unlikemostschools,theinformationhereisfree.

It’snowonderthatbeginningandintermediatephotographersengageinDarren’ssiteonaregularbasis.Darren’scontenttilt,thereasonwhyheseparatedhimself,washisinsightandabilitytoturnhisfocusonabeginneraudiencewithhelpful,consistenttipsthathisreaderscoulduseimmediately.LonggoneareDarren’sdaysofreviewingcameras.

WANTS,NOTNEEDSMoreandmore,IfindthatthebestContentInc.programsrevolvearoundaspirations,notneeds.I’vebeenguiltyoftellingmarketersto“focusoncustomerpainpoints”since,well,forever.Focusingonpainpointsjustgetsyoutothefrontdoor.

Togettotheheartofyourcustomers’needs,youhavetofocusonwhattheywanttobeandhelpthemgetwheretheyreallywanttogo.Insteadofthebasicslike“savingmoney”and“loweringcosts,”let’sraisethebartothingslike“givingourcustomersmorefreetimetolivethelivestheywantto”or“beingapersonthatcanmakeadifferenceintheworld.”

What’sinaName?In2008IsatinanAmericanBusinessMediaexecutivemeetingandlistenedtoPeterHoytspeak.PeterisCEOofHoytPublishing,afamily-ownedmediacompany.HoytstatedthatthenameHoytPublishinglimitedmanyopportunitiesforthecompany,sothecompanychangeditsnametotheIn-StoreMarketingInstitute(renamedlaterasPoint-of-PurchaseInstitute).

Uponmakingthatchange,Hoyt’srevenuesskyrocketed.“TheinstitutereallycaughtonanddevelopedintosomethingmuchbiggerthanIthoughtitwouldbe,”Hoytsaid.“Ithasprovidedmillionsofdollarsinnewrevenueandprofit.Ournetoperatingprofitwentfrom7%in2006to19%in2008,andwekeepreinvestingthatyieldtofurtherservetheindustry.”

Hoyt’sexperienceswereadirectreasonwhyIchangedournametoContentMarketingInstitute.Notsexybyanymeans,butthenamechangepositionedusasimmediateexperts.Wealsodidn’thavetospendtimetellingpeoplewhatwedid—theyimmediatelyknew.

Themoralofthestory?Sometimestakingaboringnamethatsaysexactlywhatyoudoisbetterthanabrandthatyouhavetoputadditionalmarketingintosopeopleknowexactlywhatyourcontentmissionis.TheChickenWhisperer,theGameTheoryvideoseries,andDigitalPhotographySchoolallfollowthismodel.Anditworks.

Itsoundscorny,butit’ssocritical.Tobecomethatoneresourcethatcutsthroughtheclutter,thepeopleinyouraudienceneedtobelievethatyourcontentcanchangetheirstars(fromthemovieAKnight’sTale).

So,likePeterThielpreaches,forgetwhatyourso-calledcompetitioniscreatinganddistributingtoyourcustomers.Youarebetterthanthat.Instead,becomethecontentthatyourcustomerswanttoengagewithovereverythingelse.It’sthatkindofaspirationthatwillgiveyouthevisiontoputaplanandteamtogetherthatwilltrulymakeadifference.

Inthekitchenofourhouse,thereisamissionstatementonthewall.Irefertoitoften.Sodomytwoboys,nowages12and14.

Themissionstatementisourfamilypurpose.It’swhatwestrivetobetodayandintothefuture.Ibelievethatmissionstatementhasbeencrucialtoourfamily’ssuccessandhappiness.

Hereiswhatitsays.

ThePulizziMissionAsPulizzis,weholdtruethefollowingwithongoingpurposeandaction:

WethankGodeverydayforourblessings,evenondayswhenwearechallengedorfacehardships.

Wealwayssharewhatwehavewithothers,andhelpoutwheneverwecantowhoeverisinneed.

Wepraiseeachother,asweareeachblessedbyGodwithuniquetalents.

Wealwaysfinishwhatwestart,alwaystryeventhoughwemaybeafraid,andalwaysgivetheactivityofthemomentourfullattention.

ShortVersion:

ThankGod.AlwaysShare.SayNiceThings.GiveOurBest.

Whenthekidshavequestionsaboutwhattheyshouldandshouldn’tdo,mywifeandIrefertothemissionstatement.Andthebestpart?Whenvisitorscomeintoourhouse,themissionstatementisnoticedrightawayandalmostalwayscommentedupon.It’soneofthoselittlethingsthatmakeadifference.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Oncethecontenttiltisidentified,wecanbegintobuildourcontentmission.Asoundmissionincludeswhothespecificaudienceis,whatcontentwedelivertothataudience,andwhattheaudienceoutcomeis.

Somanycompaniesfocusonwhattheircompetitionisdoing.Withcontent,youcompetewithtens,evenhundreds,ofsources.Thus,it’spointlesstofocusonwhatthecompetitiondoes.Focusonyouraudience.

Sure,youcanbesuccessfulfocusingoninformationalneeds,buttakeyourprogramtothenextlevel.Ifyoucanhelppeoplelivebetterlivesorgetbetterjobs,you’llgrabthememotionallyandkeepthemassubscribersforlife.

ResourcesTheNerdistPodcast,HenryWinklerinterview,December15,2014.

DigitalPhotographySchool,accessedApril19,2015,http://digital-photography-school.com/.

AKnight’sTale,ColumbiaPictures,releasedMay2001.

MarieGriffin,“TheIdeaThatTransformedHoytPublishing,”AdAge.com,accessedApril19,2015,http://adage.com/article/btob/idea-transformed-hoyt-publishing/273350/.

Chapter7

WaystoUnearthYourContentTiltIthinkbeingdifferent,goingagainstthegrainofsocietyisthegreatestthingintheworld.

ELIJAHWOOD

TosucceedwithContentInc.,youneedtocreateaplatformthatistheleadinginformationalorentertainmentresourcearoundyourcontentniche.Thisisnoteasytodo.Manyentrepreneurshaveideasaboutwhatitistheywanttocreatecontentaround;theyjustdon’tgothatextramiletoclearlydifferentiatethemselves.

Thischapterwillhelpyoudojustthat.Hereareanumberofstrategiesandtacticsyoucanleveragetohelpidentifyyourcontenttilt.

AMAZON.COMPRESSRELEASEMETHODIanMcAllister,generalmanagerforAmazonSmile,Amazon’scharitablearm,statesthatbeforeanewproductispresentedfordevelopmentatAmazon,JeffBezos,Amazon’sCEO,requiresthatafullpressreleasebewrittenasiftheproductwerefullybuiltandreadytolaunch.

“Iteratingonapressreleaseisalotlessexpensivethaniteratingontheproductitself(andquicker!),”saysMcAllister.

ThistypeofapproachiscriticalforvisualizingourContentInc.strategyandidentifyingwhatmakesusstandout.Itisourdifferentiatingfactor.AmandaMacArthur,managingeditorforMequodaDaily,detailsthecriticalpartsoftheAmazonpressreleasemethod.InleveragingAmanda’swordswithacontentmarketingviewpoint,thisishowtofindyourcontenttilt:

Heading—Namethecontentareainawaythereaderwillunderstand.

Subheading—Describewhothemarketforthecontentisandwhatbenefittheyget.

Summary—Giveasummaryofthecontentandthebenefit.

Problem—Describetheproblemyourcontentsolves.

Solution—Describehowyourcontentelegantlysolvestheproblem.

QuotefromYou—Aquotefromaspokespersoninyourcompany.

HowtoGetStarted—Describehoweasyitistogetstarted.

CustomerQuote—Provideaquotefromahypotheticalcustomerthatdescribeshowtheyexperiencedthebenefit.

ClosingandCalltoAction—Wrapitupandgivepointerswherethereadershouldgonext.

AccordingtoFastCompany,“Thepointistohelp[Amazonemployees]refinetheirideasanddistilltheirgoalswiththecustomerinmind.”

ItcandothesameforyouandyourContentInc.strategy.

LEVERAGINGGOOGLETRENDSAndrewDavis,authorofBrandscaping,believesthatGoogleTrendsisthemostimportantandmostunderutilizedtoolwhenitcomestolocatingyourcontentniche.Davis,nowaworldwidekeynotespeaker,includesasectionineveryoneofhispresentationsonthepowerofGoogleTrends.

GoogleTrendsisafreetoolofferedbyGooglethatshowsthesearchresultsandpatternsofkeywordsworldwideorspecifictoregions.Forexample,ifyoutype“kitchenblender”intoGoogleTrends,you’llseethatthesearchespeakeveryDecemberineveryyear,convenientlyrightaroundtheholidaysandgift-givingseason(Figure7.1).

Figure7.1SearchresultsonGooglefor“kitchenblender”peakeveryDecember.

Nowlet’sgobacktoJayBaerandhisexample(fromChapter5)ofsomeonestartingaknittingblog:“IlikeknittingandI’mgoingtostartaknittingblog.Really!Thereare27otherknittingblogs.Whywouldanybodyreadyours?Whatisdifferent?Whatisunique?Whatisinteresting?Whywouldanyonestopreadingtheknittingblogthatthey’vebeenreadingforthelastthreeyearsandreadyours?”

Here’swhereGoogleTrendsearnsitsstripes.IfwedoaTrendssearchforknitting,wefindthatoverallsearches(Figure7.2)areactuallydownforthatterm(notagoodsign).

Figure7.2SearchpatternsviaGooglearoundthetermknittingovertime.

Butifwedigabitdeeper,we’llfindgold.Movingdownthepage,asFigure7.3shows,youseeasectioncalled“Relatedsearches.”Here’swherewefindourtilt.Underthe“Topics”area,wefindthatinformationaroundloomknitting(theproductcategory)isup300percentinsearches.Ifwelookunderthe“Queries”section,wefindthat“loomknitting”isbreakingout,aswellas“knittingforbeginners,”“knittingascarf,”and“knittingstiches.”

Figure7.3ByscrollingtothebottomofaGoogleTrendssearch,youcandiscoverrelatedsearchesandbreakoutterms.

IfwegobacktoJay’sexample,insteadofjustfocusingonknittingingeneral,thedatamightbetellingustofocusoninnovativemethodsforusingaknittingloom(forbeginners).

ASKYOURPOTENTIALREADERSThisissuchlow-hangingfruitthatIalmostdidn’tincludeitasastrategy.Askingyourcustomersorpotentialreadersseemslikesuchasimplethingtodo,butsadlyit’srarelydone.

Irecentlyconductedaworkshopforoneofthelargestmanufacturingcompaniesintheworld.WhenIcametothesectionaboutbuildingthecontentmission,seniormarketerswereaskediftheyeversurveyedortalkedtotheircustomerstoidentifycontentgapsoropportunitiestotelldifferentbutneededstories.Unfortunately,eachoneofthemsaidthatthemarketingteamhadn’tbeenemployinganysurveysoraskingtheiraudiencewhattheirpainpoints,needs,orwantswereinanyway.

Hereisanopportunitytotakeadvantageofwhatlargeenterprisesdon’tdowell—talktoyourreaders.Whetheryouaskpotentialreaders(whichcouldbeyourfriendsorfamily)face-to-faceoryousendoutasurvey(usingatoollikeSurveyMonkey)viae-mail,eitherorbothwaysshouldbepartofyourregularstrategy.Thisisespeciallycriticalinthebeginningstagesasyouarediscoveringyourniche.

SettingUpListeningPostsIstartedinthepublishingindustryinFebruary2000atPentonMedia.Ilearnedwhatgreatstorytellingwasallaboutfrommymentor,JimMcDermott.Jimconstantlytalkedabouttheimportanceof“listeningposts.”Listeningpostsareallaboutgettingasmuchfeedbackfromavarietyofsourcesaspossiblesoyoucanfindthetruth.

Settinguplisteningpostsiscriticalforalleditors,journalists,reporters,andstorytellerstomakesuretheytrulyknowwhatisgoingonintheindustry.Foryou,listeningpostsarecriticalsothatyoucanidentifyyourcontenttiltandmakesureit’sanopportunityforyoutodifferentiateyourself.Allofusneedlisteningpoststotrulydiscoverourcustomers’needs.Thefollowingareallmeansofgettingfeedbackfromcustomers—ineffect,functioningaslisteningposts.

1.One-on-oneconversations.AdeleRevella,oneoftheleadingthinkersaroundaudiencepersonas,believesthatnothingcanreplacetalkingtoyourcustomersoraudiencedirectly.

2.Searchofkeywords.UsingtoolssuchasGoogleTrendsandsearchenginekeywordalertswillallowyoutotrackwhatcustomersaresearchingforandwheretheyarehangingoutontheweb.

3.Webanalytics.Diveintoyourwebanalytics.Findingoutwhatcontentyourreadersareengagingin(andwhattheyaren’t)canmakeallthedifferencetoyoursuccess.

4.Socialmedialistening.WhetherthroughLinkedIngroupsorTwitterhashtagsandkeywords,youcaneasilyfindoutwhatyourcustomersaresharing,talkingabout,andstrugglingwithintheirlivesandjobs.

5.Customersurveys.SurveytoolslikeSurveyMonkeycaneasilybedeployedtogatherkeyinsightsintoyourcustomers’informationalneeds.

TESTINGTILTSJayAcunzofromNextViewVenturesemploysatestingstrategyeverytimehe’sconsideringanewcontentarea.Recently,whilegatheringdataforatargetcontentarea,hetooksmallsubsetsofhisdatabaseandsentouttestcontenttodifferentgroups.Foreachonehemeasuredtheopenrate,theclick-through,theon-siteengagement,andtheunsubscriberate.Hedidthisforsixweeksand,attheendoftheprocess,identifiedaclearandoverwhelmingwinnerinacertaincontentsubcategory.

MatthewPatrick,founderofGameTheory,whomwemetinChapter3andwhohasoneofthemostpopularYouTubechannelswithover4millionsubscribers,foundhisnichethroughtestingaswell.AccordingtoMatthew,“Ireallystartedtoapproachtheplatforminaveryexperimentalway.IwoulddoA/Btests;Iwouldrunverysmallexperimentswithdescriptionsandthingslikethat.AndovertimeIwasabletoreallygetasenseofhowusersengagewiththisplatform,butalsohowYouTubeandtheiralgorithmsworktokindofsortvideosandspreadthemacrossthesystem.”

OncethedatatoldMatthewwhatmadeahitandwhatdidn’t,hebuilthismodelaroundthat,whichskyrocketedhisContentInc.modeltosuccess.

REPOSITIONTHECONTENTAREATheContentMarketingInstitutewaslaunchedinApril2007.EventhoughIhadusedthetermcontentmarketingonandofffortheprevioussixyears,itwasstillnewmarketingterminology.

Thedominantindustrytermatthetimewascustompublishing.Fromconversationswithseniormarketingpractitioners(CMI’stargetaudience),Icouldtellthatthattermwasnotsomethingthatresonatedwiththem.Butwasthereanopportunityforcontentmarketing?Couldchangingtheindustryterminologybeourcontenttilt?

ItinkeredwiththeGoogleTrendstoolandlookedatanumberofphrasevariations.HereiswhatIfoundasitrelatedtothedominantindustryterm(custompublishing)andanemergingterm(contentmarketing).

Custompublishing.Ifthiswereastockforpurchase,weatCMIdefinitelywouldn’twanttoownit.Everyyearpeoplesearchedforthistermlessoften.Inaddition,manyofthearticlesreferred,nottoourideaofbrandscreatingcontent,buttocustomizedprintbooks.Thisconfusionwasaproblem.

Contentmarketing.Thetermdidn’tevenregisteronGoogleTrends.Ibegantothinkthatifenoughoftherightcontentwascreated,amovementaroundthetermcouldbestarted.Withconfusionaroundtheothertermssuchasbrandedcontentandcustomcontent,itwaslikelythattheindustryneededanewtermaroundwhichtorallykeythoughtleaders.Inaddition,withoutaclearleaderinthe“contentmarketing”group,CMIcouldmovequicklyandgainsearchmarketshareifdonecorrectly.AsyoucanseeinFigure7.4,thisstrategypaidoff.

Figure7.4Thetermscontentmarketingandcustompublishinghavetakenoppositepaths,accordingtoGoogleTrends.

SoacombinationoftalkingtoouraudienceandusingfreetoolslikeGoogleTrendshelpedCMIdefineitscontentnicheand“tilt”aroundthisnamechange.

HubSpot,theextremelysuccessfulmarketingautomationenterprise,employedthesamestrategywiththeterminboundmarketing(Figure7.5).In2006,HubSpotlaunchedablogaroundtheconceptanddevelopedabook(calledInboundMarketing),avideoseries,andaneventcalledInbound.Asyoucansee,thecommunitygatheredaroundthistermandhelpedthrustHubSpotintoaleadershipposition.

Figure7.5Contentareascanbeexploitedwithanamechangeandalotofvaluablecontent.Theterminboundmarketingisanexampleofthis.

DOINGTHEWORKI’mwindingdownthischapterwithaninvaluablelessonandquotefromIraGlass,thepopularhostandproducerofThisAmericanLife.Glassstatedthefollowingonhisshow:

Putyourselfonadeadlinesothateveryweekyouwillfinishonestory.Itisonlybygoingthroughavolumeofworkthatyouwillclosethatgap,andyourworkwillbeasgoodasyourambitions.AndItooklongertofigureouthowtodothisthananyoneI’veevermet.It’sgonnatakeawhile.It’snormaltotakeawhile.You’vejustgottafightyourwaythrough.

Sometimes,tofindyourcontenttilt,yousimplyhavetogetstarted,dothework,anddiscovertheopportunities.JeffBullas,themostpopularsocialmediastrategistinAustralia,startedouthiscontentplatformbywritingaboutcelebritynews(hisfirstpostwasaboutJenniferAnniston).Aftermonthsofcreatingcontent,Jefffoundhisgroovespecifictotheemergingpracticeofsocialmedia.Jeffhadtodotheworktogettothecontenttilt.

ThesamesituationhappenedwithJayBaer.Jayinitiallylaunchedablogprimarilyaboute-mailmarketing.Inaninterview,hesaid:

AndIdiscoveredinabout30secondsthateverytimeIwroteaboutemailmarketingIgot150visitstothesite,andeverytimeIwroteaboutsocialmediaIgotabout1000visitstothesite.AndafterthathappenedforawhileIthough,hum…Idon’thaveadegreeinstatistics,butIseeatrendhere.

SoIsaid,we’regoingtowriteaboutsocialmediauntilsomebodytellsusnottowriteaboutthat,soIspentallmytimewritingaboutthat.ThenIhaddoneabunchofsocialmediaconsultinginthepastandsaid,wellIguessifthere’sthatmuchdemandforthisinformationthenthat’sgoingtobethefocusofthebusiness,anditwas.

Jaywouldneverhavefoundthisoutifhehadnotputhimselfouttherecreatingcontent.It’scompletelyacceptablethatyoutakeyourbestshot(likeJaydid)atacontenttiltandstartdevelopingtheplatform.MaybethenyouwillfindtheContentInc.nichethatwilldriveyoursuccess.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

OneofthemostunderutilizedmarketingtoolsontheplanetisGoogleTrends.Itisyourjobtoleveragethistooltounearthyourcontenttilt.

Ifyoufocusonlisteningtocustomersfirstandsellingsecond,itwillopenupamazingnewopportunitiestopositionyourcompany.

Sometimestofindyourcontenttilt,youneedtodothework.Perfectionisunattainablewithcontent,soifyouhavestalledyourplansuntilyoufindtherighttilt,thebest

prescriptionmaybetojustbeginthecreationprocess.

ResourcesThisAmericanLife,producedbyIraGlass,WBEZ,2014,

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/.

AmandaMacArthur,“AnInspirationalPressReleaseTemplatefromAmazon,”Mequoda.com,http://www.mequoda.com/articles/audience-development/an-inspirational-press-release-template-from-amazon/.

AustinCarr,“TheRealStoryBehindJeffBezos’sFirePhoneDebacleandWhatItMeansforAmazon’sFuture,”FastCompany.com,http://www.fastcompany.com/3039887/under-fire.

JayAcunzo,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

AdeleRevella,BuyerPersonas,JohnWiley&Sons,2015.

JayBaer,interviewbyClareMcDermott,January2015.

ToddWheatland,“ThePivot:4MillionPeopleGladBullasWentBacktoTech,”ContentMarketingInstitute.com,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/01/the-pivot-jeff-bullas/.

Part4

BuildingtheBaseItisnotthebeautyofabuildingyoushouldlookat;it’stheconstructionofthefoundationthatwillstandthetest

oftime.

DAVIDALLANCOE

You’vefoundyoursweetspotandidentifiedyourcontenttilt.Nowit’stimetodothework.

Chapter8

SelectingYourPlatformPilotshavetheirnamespaintedjustbeneaththecanopyoftheiraircraft.Thisgivesthepilotasenseofownershipforhisorherjet.What’smore,likecars,eachaircrafthasitsownpersonality,soit’simportantforapilottogettoknowand

lovehisaircraft.

SIMONSINEK

Ifyou’vecompletedtheworktothispoint,congratulations.Believeitornot,thestrategybehindtheContentInc.modelisthehardestpart.Anyone,anywhere,withalmostnoresourcescancreateablog,podcast,orYouTubeseries,butittakesresearchandthinkingtobuildanaudience.Thataudienceiswhatwillultimatelypoweryourentirebusinessmodel.

WHERETOSTART?AsMichaelHyattsaidinhisbookandblog,bothentitledPlatform,yourideasandstoriesneedaplacetoliveifyouaregoingtosucceed.AccordingtoMichael,“Withoutaplatform—somethingthatenablesyoutogetseenandheard—youdon’thaveachance.Havinganawesomeproduct,anoutstandingservice,oracompellingcauseisnolongerenough.”

Thegreatestmediaentitiesofalltimeselectedoneprimarychannelinwhichtobuildtheirplatform:

WallStreetJournal—Printednewspaper

Time—Printedmagazine

TEDTalks—In-personevents

ESPN—Cabletelevisionprogramming

HuffingtonPost—Onlinemagazineformat

RushLimbaugh—Radioshow

Asyoucanseefromtheexamplesabove,youhavetwochoicestomakewhenbuildingyourplatform:

1.Howwillyoutellyourstories?Willitbethroughwrittenword,throughvideo,throughaudio,orinperson?

2.Wherewillyoutellyourstories?Whatchannelwillyouchoosetodistributeyourcontent?

MathewPatrickfromGameTheorydecidedtocreateconsistentvideosanddistributethemonYouTube.

DarrenRowsefromDigitalPhotographySchoolusesmostlyarticleswithimages,

leveragingawebsitedevelopedinWordPress.

JohnLeeDumasfromEntrepreneurOnFire(EOF)doesapodcasteveryday;hedistributesitmainlythroughiTunes,Stitcher,andSoundCloudanddeliversshownotesonawebsite.

BEFOREYOUSTARTInEpicContentMarketingIdiscusssixprinciplesofcontentmarketingthatwork.Youneedtoremembertheseatalltimesduringtheprocessofbuildingandexecutingyourplatform.

1.Fillaneed.Yourcontentshouldanswersomeunmetneedoforquestionforyourreader.

2.Beconsistent.Thegreathallmarkofasuccessfulpublisherisconsistency.Whetheryoupublishamonthlymagazineordailye-mailnewsletter,thecontentneedstobedeliveredalwaysontimeandasexpected.ThisiswheresomanyContentInc.strategiesfalldown.

3.Behuman.Findwhatyourvoiceis,andshareit.Ifyourcompany’sstoryisallabouthumor,sharethat.Ifit’sabitsarcastic,that’sokaytoo.

4.Haveapointofview.Thisisnotencyclopediacontent.Youarenotgivingahistoryreport.Don’tbeafraidtotakesidesonmattersthatcanpositionyouandyourcompanyasanexpert.OneofthereasonsMarcusSheridan,andhiscompanyRiverPools&Spas,hasbeensuccessfulistheemotionandbluntnessMarcusrelaysinhiscontent.Peopleappreciatethat.

5.Avoid“salesspeak.”WhenweatContentMarketingInstitutecreateapieceofcontentthatissolelyaboutusratherthanforaneducationalpurpose,itonlygarners25percentoftheregularamountofpageviewsandsocialshares.Sometimestherearebusinessreasonstodothis,butthemoreyoutalkaboutyourself,thelesspeoplewillvalueyourcontent.

6.Bebestofbreed.Althoughyoumightnotbeabletoreachitattheverybeginning,thegoalforyourcontentultimatelyistobebestofbreed.Thismeansthat,foryourcontentniche,whatyouaredistributingistheverybestofwhatisfoundandisavailable.Ifyouexpectyourreaderstospendtimewithyourcontent,youmustdeliverthemamazingvalue.

InallourContentInc.casestudies,thesesixelementsarepresent.BesuretheyareonyourmindthroughoutyourprocessofbuildingyourContentInc.model.

CONTENTTYPESAccordingtothe2015ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfsSmallBusinessContentMarketingStudy,themostpopularcontenttypesareasfollows(inorderofusage):

Articlesorblogposts

Textualstoriesine-newsletters

Videos

In-personevents

Reportsorwhitepapers

Webinars/webcasts

Books(printordigital)

Printedmagazines

Audioprogramming

Printednewsletters

ThemajorityofContentInc.successstoriesfallintothesefollowingcontenttypes:

Articlesorblogs(orcontent-basedwebsites).CMI’smainplatformforbuildingaudienceisbydistributingcontentviaablog.Blogsstartedatthreetimesperweekandnowruneverydayormultipletimesperday.

E-newsletterprograms.Asoneexample,SocialMediaExaminerdeliversdailycontentviae-mailtoover300,000businessownersandmarketers.

Videos.Everyweek,MatthewPatrick(GameTheory)distributesafreshvideoviaYouTube.

Podcasts.Everyday,JohnLeeDumas(EOF)presentsanewpodcastinterview.

CompaniesutilizingContentInc.strategiesdiversifytheircontentchannelsintootherpropertiesoncetheyattractalargeenoughaudience.Inthebeginning,it’simportanttofocusoncreatingamazingandrelevantcontentwithmostlyonecontentchannel(podcast,video,blog,etc.).

Fordetailedinformationonthespecificprosandconsofeachcontenttype,downloadthecomplimentaryContentMarketingPlaybookathttp://cmi.media/CI-playbook.

THECONTENTCHANNELNowthatyouknowhowyouaregoingtotellyourstory,youneedtodecidehowyouaregoingtodeliverthecontent—thechannel.Overthelongterm,you’llbedistributingyourcontentthroughanumberofchannels(seePart5,“HarvestingAudience”),butrightnowyouneedtomakeadecisionaboutthe“core”channel.

Youneedtoconsidertwomajorquestionswhenmakingthisdecision:

Whatchanneloffersthebestopportunitytoreachmytargetaudience?(Reach)

Whatchannelgivesmethemostcontroloverpresentingmycontentandbuildingmyaudience?(Control)

Let’slookatthechartinFigure8.1.

Figure8.1AbloglikeCopybloggerhasmorecontrolbutlessreachthancontentprogramslikeGameTheoryandEntrepreneurOnFire.

BrianClark’sCopybloggerhasalmostinfinitecontroloveritschannel,aWordPresssitethatitowns.Atthesametime,Copybloggerneedstobuildasystemtoattractpeopletoitscontentsinceitswebsitedoesn’tresidewithinanotherecosystemthatcannaturallybringittraffic.

Ontheotherhand,EntrepreneurOnFire(podcast)andGameTheory(video)haveagreaterreachpossibilitythanCopybloggersincetheypublishwithinanenvironmentwithabuilt-inaudience.EOFpublishesviaiTunes,wheretherearemillionsofpeoplewhosearchfornewpodcastseveryday.SamethingforGameTheory.ItstargetaudienceofteenagersisalreadyonYouTubeeveryday.AslongasGameTheorycontinuestocreatecompellingcontentthatYouTubewilldeliver,itshouldgrowanaudiencethere.

TheproblemwithEOFandGameTheoryisthattheyareleveragingplatformsthattheyhavelittleornocontrolover.GameTheoryhasover4millionsubscribers.That’samazing,buttechnicallyGameTheorydoesn’tcontrolthosesubscriberrelationships;YouTubedoes.YouTubecoulddecidetomorrowthatitdoesn’twantGameTheorytohaveaccesstothosepeople,oritmightdecidetopublicizeothercontenttoMatthewPatrick’saudience,likeJimmyFallon,insteadofGameTheory.

ConsidertheexampleoftheduoSMOSH,theYouTubesensationswhobuiltanaudienceof20millionsubscribersonYouTube.Overthepastcoupleofyears,callstoactionattheendoftheirvideocontentwerealwaystotheirownedwebsite,Smosh.com,wheretheycouldsignuppeopleforane-mailsubscriptionprogramthattheyhadcontrolover.Thepointhereisifyouchoosealow-controlchannelasthemaindriverofyourcontentdistribution,beawarethatatsomepointyou’llwanttoconvertthesubscribersonthatplatformtoyourownsubscribers(seeChapter14).

BEWAREOFSOCIALCHANNELSAlthoughsocialchannels,suchasFacebookandLinkedIn,aregreatplacestobuildyourdigitalfootprintandfollowers,youultimatelyhavenocontroloverwhatthosecompaniesdowithyourconnections.Sure,LinkedInletsyourcurrentconnectionsseeallthecontentyoupublishonLinkedIn,butLinkedIncouldchangeitsmindtomorrow.Ithaseveryrighttodosoasaprivatebusiness,andyou,afreememberoftheLinkedIncommunity,havenorights.

SocialchannelslikeFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,Pinterest,andInstagramandnewerchannelslikeTumblrandMediummayallbesolidconsiderationstobuildaplatformdependingonwhomyouaretargeting,butit’simportanttounderstandthedangers.

THESAFESTBETLookatthefastest-growingmediacompaniesoftoday,suchasBuzzFeedorViceMedia,ormorematurenewmediaplatforms,suchastheHuffingtonPost.YoucanevenlookatatraditionalpublisherliketheNewYorkTimesorTimemagazine.Theyareallverygoodatleveragingsocialchannelsandbuildinganaudienceonthosechannels,buttheydon’tbuildtheirmainplatformonsocialchannels.

Ineverycase,theybuildwebsitesorprintproperties(bothwithsubscribers)thattheycanownandcontrol,andtheyleverageotherchannelstodrivepeoplebacktothesitestheyownsotheycanconvertpassersbyintoanaudiencetheycanmonetize.

PLATFORMSINACTIONOpenviewVenturePartnersinvestsingrowth-orientedtechnologycompanies.Backin2009,OpenviewlaunchedacontentplatformcalledOpenviewLabs(http://cmi.media/CI-openview),whichdeliversregulararticlecontenttoattractsubscriberstoane-newsletteroffering(whichnowboastsover36,000subscribers…notbadforaventurecapitalcompany;seeFigure8.2).

Figure8.2OpenviewVenturePartnersusesthecontentbrandOpenviewLabsonablogplatform.

KraftFoods,oneoftheleadingcollectionsoffoodbrandsintheworld,ownsKraftRecipes.com(http://cmi.media/CI-kraft).AccordingtoJulieFleischer,KraftFoods’seniordirectorofData+Content,KraftRecipes.com,Kraftemploys20culinaryprofessionalswhoworkwithKraftproductseveryday.Therearecurrently30,000recipesonthecompany’swebsite,whereKraftactuallygeneratesdirectrevenuefromadvertisingonthesite(Figure8.3),aswellasprintadvertisinginitsmagazine,KraftFood&Family.

Figure8.3Kraft’scontentandrecipesiteKraftRecipes.com.

JohnDeerelaunchedTheFurrowmagazinein1895.Itisstillpublishedtoday,producedinprintanddigitalformatin14differentlanguagesanddistributedto40countries(http://cmi.media/CI-furrow).TheFurrowhasalwaysfocusedonhowfarmerscanlearnthelatesttechnologytogrowtheirfarmsandbusinesses(Figure8.4).

Figure8.4OneoftheoldestContentInc.initiativesontheplanet,TheFurrowmagazinefromJohnDeere.

GotTech?

WhatShouldIUsetoBuildMyWebsite?Althoughthereareanumberofopen-source(e.g.,Joomla,Drupal)andclosed-source(.NET)websitepublishingplatforms,mostContentInc.businessespowertheirwebsiteswithWordPress.Approximately75millionsitesarepoweredbyWordPress,whichaccountsfor19percentofallwebsitesontheplanet.Inaddition,WordPresshasavibrantcommunity,whichmeansifyouneedtoaddaplug-intoyoursite,it’sprobablyalreadybeencreated.

WhatE-mailPlatformShouldIUse?Thereareanumberofexcellente-mailsystemsoutthereforsmallbusinesses.ConsiderEmma,MailChimp,orAweber.Becausee-mailsubscribersarecriticaltoyourContentInc.plan,it’ssmarttogetstartedwithareputablee-mailprovidersoonerratherthanlater.

HollywoodcelebrityGwynethPaltrowrecentlylaunchedherownContentInc.strategy,calledGoop(http://cmi.media/CI-goop).Originallyconceivedin2008asaweeklye-newsletterontravelrecommendationsandshoppingtips,Goophasevolvedintoafullyfunctioningmediasitewithover1millionsubscribers(Figure8.5).

Figure8.5ActressGwynethPaltrowisbuildingaContentInc.powerhouseatGoop.com.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Thegreatestmediabrandsofalltimestartedthesameway,deliveringthesamecontenttypeinthesamecontentchannelforyears.

Whenchoosingtheappropriatechannelforyourstrategy,understandtherisksofasocialchannelthatyoudon’town.Whiletheopportunityforgainingaudiencemaybegreater,ultimatelytheriskismuchlargersinceyoudon’townthatasset.

Inalmostallcases,yourblogplatformstrategywillworkbestinaWordPressplatform.Beforeyoulaunch,checkoutWordPressfirst.

ResourcesMichaelHyatt,Platform,http://michaelhyatt.com/platform.

MicheleLinn,“KraftFoods:ToolstoCreatetheRightRecipeforYourContentMarketing

Plan,”ContentMarketingInstitute.com,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/10/kraft-content-marketing/.

CraigHodges,“HowKraftOwnstheRecipeBusiness,”KingContent.com.au,http://www.kingcontent.com.au/how-kraft-owns-the-recipe-business-five-lessons-from-julie-fleischer/.

TomEwer,“14SurprisingStatisticsAboutWordPressUsage,”ManageWP.com,https://managewp.com/14-surprising-statistics-about-wordpress-usage.

Chapter9

ContentIdeationAnideathatisnotdangerousisunworthyofbeingcalledanideaatall.

OSCARWILDE

AnnHandley,authorofthebookEverybodyWrites,believesintheContentInc.conceptfortworeasons,Handleysaysinaninterview:

Numberone…becauseitdoesputtheneedsofyouraudiencefirst,inthesensethatyouseetheaudienceascollaborativewithyourbusiness…Ilikethataudiencecentricpointofview.

Thesecondthingisthatcreatingcontentisn’tjustformarketing.It’snotjustanexternalexercisedesignedtogrowanaudience;…thebeautyofcontentisthatitactuallyalsogrowstheindividual.Soitgrowsthecontentcreatoratthesametime.Thatmeansitalmostforcesyoutoevolveyourthinking.Whenyou’recreatingcontentandyou’regettingfeedbackfromtheaudienceitallowsyoutohoneyourvision,aswellasembedyourvisionultimatelywithwhateveritisthatyou’recreating.

Lookatanyleadinginformationalresourceontheweb.Thecontentthatisfirstdevelopeduponlaunchisalwayssignificantlydifferentthanitisnow.Overtime,thecontentevolvedtobettermeettheneedsoftheaudience,andatthesametimethecontentcreatorsbegantofindtheirownsweetspot(whichsometimestakestimetofind,aswe’vediscussed).

Finishingracesisimportant,butracingismoreimportant.

DALEEARNHARDT

TogettoapointofContentInc.success,weneedtodothework.Nowthatyou’veidentifiedyoursweetspotanddeterminedwhatdifferentiatesyouandyourcontent,comingupwithconsistentlycompellingcontentideasmayseemdaunting.Puttingintheworkmakesallthedifference.

Mostentrepreneursfailatdevelopingideasfortheircontentbecausetheyfailtoplan.Ifyouareatapointwhereyouaresittinginfrontofthecomputerwaitingforinspirationtostrike,you’redoingitwrong.

Thereisnoonerightwaytodevelopideasforyourcontentprojects,butyoudoneedaprocess.

THECONTENTAUDITBeforeyoucandeterminewhatkindofcontentyouneed,youfirstneedtofigureoutwhatyouhave.Inaddition,youneedtodeterminewhetherwhatyouhaveisanygoodatallor,betteryet,whetheryouhavesomerawcontentthatisstillincrediblyvaluablethatyoucan

leveragethroughoutyourContentInc.strategy.

Whyisthissocritical?I’veworkedwithdozensofcompaniesthatlaunchednewe-booksandwhitepapersandhiredfreelancersandeditors,onlytofindoutmidwaythroughtheprocessthatmuchofthecontentinitiativehadalreadybeencreated.Conductingevenasimplecontentauditwouldhavesavedthosecompaniestimeandmoney.

Forafulloverviewofwhyandhowtoconductacontentaudit,you’llfindahandyresourceathttp://cmi.media/CI-audit.

50QUESTIONSOneoftheamazingthingsaboutMarcusSheridan’ssuccesswithRiverPools&Spasisthathe’sneveractuallyinstalledafiberglasspool,eventhoughthemajorityoftheworldbelievesheistheexpert.Hissecret:“Theultimatecontentstrategyislistening.”

Marcuslistenstocustomers,toemployees,topodcasts…he’saconsummatelearner.Thenhebrainstormsforcontentideas.“Ifyoudon’tcomeupwithatleast50questions,youhaven’ttriedhardenough,”saysSheridan.“Ifyouwritetwotimesperweek,that’sawholeyear’sworthofcontent.”

Openanotebookandmakealistofquestionsyouraudiencewouldliketoknowabout.Atthispoint,thereisnowronganswer.Don’tstopandcorrectanything—justwritequestions.Finishyourlistof50questionsandtakeabreak.Afterawhile,comebacktothelisttofindthediamonds.

LEVERAGINGFREEWRITINGMarkLevy(authorofAccidentalGenius)gavemeacrashcourseinsomethingcalled“freewriting.”Freewriting,alsocalledstream-of-consciousnesswriting,isawritingtechniquewherethepersonwritesforasetperiodoftimewithoutregardforspellingoreventhetopic.Markusesthistechniquewithhisclientstounearththerawcontentattheheartofthecontentcreator.

NatalieGoldberg,authorofTheTrueSecretofWriting,outlinestherulesoffreewritingtoinclude:

Giveyourselfatimelimit.Writeforasetperiod,andthenstop.

Keepyourhandmovinguntilthetimeisup.Donotpausetostareintospaceortoreadwhatyou’vewritten.Writequicklybutdonotrush.

Paynoattentiontogrammar,spelling,punctuation,neatness,orstyle.Nobodyelseneedstoreadwhatyouproduce.

Ifyougetofftopicorrunoutofideas,keepwritinganyway.Ifnecessary,writenonsenseorwhatevercomesintoyourhead,orsimplyscribble:doanythingtokeepthehandmoving.

Ifyoufeelboredoruncomfortableasyou’rewriting,askyourselfwhat’sbotheringyou,andwriteaboutthat.

Whenthetimeisup,lookoverwhatyou’vewritten,andmarkpassagesthat

containideasorphrasesthatmightbeworthkeepingorelaboratingoninasubsequentfreewritingsession.

HAVINGFUNWITHGOOGLEALERTSGoogleAlertsisafreeservice(allyouneedisaGmailaccount)thatdeliverswebcontenttoyourinboxrelatedtothewordsyouaresearchingfor.Forexample,ifyouareinterestedincontentaroundthemultiplayergameMinecraft,youcouldaskGoogleAlertstosendyouanotificationwhenGooglefindsanewpage,say,onMinecrafttipsorMinecraftreleases.

Youcanreceivealertsastheyhappen,everyday,oreveryweek.Thesearticlescanbecomenewfodderforyourcontentideas.

Note:Also,don’tforgetthatGoogleTrendsrisingorhottopicsisagreatresourceforthisaswell.

TWITTERHASHTAGSAswithGoogleAlerts,yourindustrymayhaveanumberofhashtagsthatcanbeabeaconfornewcontent.Forexample,therearemultipleconversationsonthewebgoingonaround“intelligentcontent.”Thehashtagforintelligentcontentis#IntelContent.BysearchingTwitterorsettingupadashboardwithaTwittermanagementsystemsuchasTweetdeck,youcanmonitorwhatisgoingonaroundthetopicinsocialmedia.YoucanalsousehashtagsinFacebookandLinkedIn,butI’veneverfounditashelpfulasTwitter.

ANALYZEYOURANALYTICSJayBaerwouldneverhavefoundhiscontenttiltofsocialmediawithoutanalyzinghiswebtraffic.Afterpublishingapostaboutsocialmedia,hewasseeingdoubleandtriplethetrafficversushisformertopicofe-mailmarketing.

Makeahabitoflookingintoyouranalyticsonaweeklybasis.Findoutwhatpeoplearemostinterestedinandhowtheyarefindingyourcontent.Itmaymakesensetocreatemorecontentaroundwhat’smostimportanttoyouraudience.

Note:Whiletherearehundredsofanalyticssystems,GoogleAnalyticsisfreeandisrelativelyeasytoinstallonyourwebsite.

EMPLOYEEDISCUSSIONSSomanyemployeesareafraidtohelpyoucreatecontentbecausetheydon’tunderstandthatmuchofthevalueisaddedintheeditingprocess.Foryourpurposes,youwantthe“raw”contentfromthem…theinformationthatmakesthemsubject-matterexperts.

Relievethemembersofyourteamoftheirworriesbyassuringthemthatthecopywillbe“polishedup”duringediting.Thengetthemrollingbyofferingthefollowingtips:

Recordit.Justasinyour50questionsorfreewritingexercise,justhavethemgetitout.Gettogetherforcoffeewithyouremployeesandrecordtheconversation.Simplytalk

withthemaboutthechallengestheyareseeing.Beforeyouknowit,you’llhave20contentideas.

Storyboarditout.Iftheemployeesarehavingatoughtimeopeningup,tellthemtovisualizewhattheywanttosayandwritedownkeyphrasesorconceptsontostickynotes.Theycanevendrawwhatthey’rethinkingonstickynotes.Thisisanespeciallygreatwaytoorganizethoughtsforalongerpiece.

ASKYOURSOCIALNETWORKSAlthoughit’simportantnottoabusethis,askingyoursocialnetworkscanbehelpful,especiallyifit’saroundaspecificarea.Thereasonwhyyouarereadingthisbookrightnow,andnotreadingaboutanothertopic,isbecausetheideaforContentInc.wasfarandawaythemostrequestedpieceofinformationmysocialnetworkaskedfor.(SeeFigure9.1toseethethankyounotetomyfriendsandfollowersonFacebook.)

Figure9.1Gatheringdirectfeedbackfromyourconnectionsviasocialmediacansometimesbeablessing.

HelpfulTechAnumberofprolificbloggersuseEvernotetotracktheircontentideas.Evernoteisanappthatisusedforjournalingandthatcansyncwithallyourdevices(smartphone,tablet,etc.).JoeChernov,VPofcontentatHubSpot,usesEvernotetotracknewideas

andrandomthoughtsandevenwrite“in-progress”blogs.

Somepeopleliketovisuallytrackcontentideas,usingmind-mappingsoftwaresuchasMindjet.NewtBarrett,mycoauthoronGetContentGetCustomers,usesMindjettolayouteachbookchapter,inadditiontothebooktableofcontentsandcasestudydetails.

MichaelHyattravesaboutScrivener.Scrivenerisusedmostlybyscreenwriters,butlatelymoreandmorebloggershavetakentothetool.

READACOMPLETELYIRRELEVANTBOOKEveryonceinawhileIdryupcreatively.NomatterwhatIdo,Ijustcan’tgetfocusedonacompellingtopic.Inthiscaseoflastresort,Ipickupabookthatiscompletelyirrelevanttomycontentarea.I’vealwaysfoundthatmybestcontentideaspopintomyheadwhileI’mreadingagoodbook.IhighlyrecommendStrangerinaStrangeLandbyRobertHeinleinorclassicslikeToKillaMockingbirdorTheHitchhiker’sGuidetotheGalaxy.

Ifyoudon’thavetimetoread,youdon’thavetime(orthetools)towrite.Simpleasthat.

STEPHENKING

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Beforeyoucreateanynewcontent,besuretoanalyzetherawcontentyoualreadyhaveavailable.

Customerquestionscanbeagoldmineforcontentideas.

Nothingworksbettertoseewhat’sworkingwithyourcontentthanlookingatactualcontentbehavior.Makeanappointmentwithyouranalyticsprogramatleastweeklytobegintodeterminewhatiscatchingfire.

ResourcesMarkLevy,AccidentalGenius,Berrett-KoehlerPublishers,2010.

NatalieGoldberg,TheTrueSecretofWriting,AtriaBooks,2013.

BillMiltenberg,“ToSaveHisBusiness,MarcusSheridanBecameaPoolReporter,”PRNews.com,http://www.prnewsonline.com/featured/2012/09/06/to-save-his-business-marcus-sheridan-became-a-pool-reporter/.

StaceyRoberts,“HowtoConsistentlyComeUpwithGreatPostIdeasforYourBlog,”ProBlogger.net,http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/02/03/content-week-how-to-consistently-come-up-with-great-post-ideas-for-your-blog/.

Chapter10

TheContentCalendarYoucanhaveitall.Youcan’tjusthaveitallatonce.

OPRAHWINFREY

Nomatterhowgoodweareatwhatwedoorhowmanyyearswe’vebeendoingit,weallseektheelusive“betterway”toaccomplishoureverydaytasks—newtoolstoexplore,newtechniqueswithwhichtoexperiment,newinformationtotakeintoconsideration.Innovationsareconstantlyemergingtohelppeopledowhattheydoinlesstime,withlesswastedeffort,andwithgreatersuccess.Reinventionispracticallyacommoditywetradethesedaystokeeppushingourdigitallyenabledsocietyforward.

Eventhemoststeadyandstalwartoftoolsinthecontentmarketer’sarsenal—theeditorial(content)calendar—hastransformeditselfovertheyears,fromasimplespreadsheetfortrackingwhatwepublishtoanessentialcomponentformanagingtheentirelifecycleofourorganization’scontentmarketingprogram.

AllContentInc.entrepreneurshaveonethingincommon—theykeepandruntheirworkflowthroughacontentcalendar.Let’sgetstarted.

THEBASICSStartbygatheringtheContentInc.strategyinformationonwhichyouwillbebasingyourcontentcreationefforts.Youranswerstothefollowingquestionswillhelpyoudeterminewhatyouneedtotrackinyourcalendar,aswellashelpyoustayfocusedonyourmarketinggoalsasyouplanyourcontentcreation.

Whomareyoucreatingcontentfor?Keepingyourtargetaudiencetopofmindasyoucreateyourcalendarwillbeessentialforplanninghowtodeliveronitsneedsthroughyourcontentmarketing.

Whyareyoucreatingcontent?Yourcontentmarketingmissionandgoalswillimpactwhatyoupublish,whereyoupublish,andhowoften,aswellashowyourteamprioritizes,organizes,andcategorizes,andtagsitscontentcreationefforts.Forthemostpart,yourcontent’ssuccesswillbebasedongettingorkeepingsubscribers(seeChapter14).

Whatresourcesdoyouhaveatyourdisposal?Whetheryouhaveadedicatedteamofwritersandvideographers,astableofindustryproslookingtosharetheirinsight,orjustahandfulofreluctantexecswhowillneedsomeseriouscontentcreationhand-holding,theformats,frequency,andoverallworkflowyoutrackinyourcalendarwilllikelydependonwhoiswritingandwherehisorherexpertiselies.

Howcanyoustandout?Whatunmetindustryneedscanbeaddressedwiththecontentyoucreate?Whatgapsexistinyourcurrentcontentcreationefforts—ortheeffortsof

yourcompetitors?Whatindustryeventshappenthroughouttheyeartowhichyoucantieyourcontentforaddedexposurepotential?Knowingwhereyoucanplayaleadroleinowningtheaudience’sattentionwillhelpyoufillyoureditorialcalendarwithimpactfulcontentthathelpsyoumeetyourbusinessgoals.

SETTINGUPTHECALENDARThereareanumberofpaidandfreecalendaringtoolsthatcanhelpyousetupyourcalendar.Afewoftheseinclude:

Trello

DivvyHQ

KaPost

CentralDesktop

Workfront

However,it’sperfectlyfinetostartoutwithasimpleExcelspreadsheetorashareableGoogleSheettotrackyourcontent’sprogressthroughyoureditorialprocess.

ShannaMallon,awriterforStraightNorth,offerssomesuggestionsonaquick,easywaytobuildacontentcalendarthatmapstoyoursalescycle.Atthemostfundamentallevel,werecommendthatyoureditorialcalendarincludethefollowingfields:

Thedatethepieceofcontentwillbepublished

Thetopicorheadlineofthecontentpiece

Theauthorofthecontent

Theownerofthecontent—i.e.,whoisinchargeofensuringthatthecontentmakesitfromideationtopublicationandpromotion

Thecurrentstatusofthecontent(updatedasitmovesthroughyourpublishingcycle)

Dependingonyourcompany’scontentnicheandmission,yourteam’sworkflow,theformatsandplatformswithwhichyouplantowork,andthevolumeofcontentyouwillbecreating,youmayalsowanttotracktheseelementstohelpyoustayorganizedandoncourseoverthelongterm:

Thechannelswhereyourcontentwillbepublished.Thiscanincludeonlyyourownedchannels(suchasyourblog,website,e-mailnewsletters,etc.),oryoucanexpandyourtrackingtoincludepaidandsocialmediachannels,aswell.

Contenttypes.Isitablogpost?Avideo?Apodcast?Aninfographic?Anoriginalimage?Togetmoremileagefromthecontentyoucreate,youmightwanttoconsiderrepurposingitintootherformatsatsomepoint(seeChapter13).Soit’shelpfultokeeptabsonthetypesofassetsyouhaveonhandrightfromthestart.

Visuals.Speakingofassets,it’simportantthatyoudon’toverlooktheappealthatvisualscanlendtoyourcontent,intermsofbothsocialsharingpotentialandoverallbrandrecognition.Trackingthevisualelementsyouincludeinyourcontentefforts—suchas

coverimages,logos,illustrations,charts—willmakeiteasiertoensurethatyourworkhasasignaturelookandcohesivebrandidentity.

Topiccategories.Thishelpsmakeyourcalendarsmoresearchablewhenyouarelookingtoseeaboutwhichtargettopicsyoualreadycreatedalotofcontent—orwhichyouhaven’tcoveredoftenenough.

Keywordsandothermetadata.MetadatawouldincludemetadescriptionsandSEOtitles(iftheydifferfromyourheadlines),whichwillhelpyoukeepyourSEOeffortsalignedwithyourcontentcreation(moreinChapter15).

URLs.Thisinfocanbearchivedasaneasywaytokeepyouronlinecontentauditsupdatedortolinktoolderpiecesofcontentinthenewcontentyoucreate.

Callstoaction.Thishelpsyouensurethateverypieceofcontentyoucreateisaligningwithyourcompany’smarketinggoals.

Audienceoutcome.Perhapsmyfavoritepartofthecalendar,addingareaderoutcomeisimportantifyouareworkingwithmultiplecontentcreators.Listingtheoutcomemeansyouarespecificwithwhatyouwantyouraudiencetogetoutofyourcontent.Isittogetabetterjob?Learnaspecifictask?Liveabetterlifeinsomeway?Havingthatlistedwillhelpanypersonorteamcreatingthecontentunderstandthetruepurposefromtheaudience’spointofview.

Itmaybehelpfultohavemorethanoneeditorialcalendar—forexample,youmighthaveamastercalendarwhereyoucanseeeverythingataglanceandseparatecalendarsforspecificactivities.TheCMIeditorialteamusesasimilarmethod:Wecreatedaspreadsheetwithmultipletabssothatallthevariouseditorialinformationwetrackcanbefoundinonedocument.

Figure10.1showsoursampleeditorialcalendartemplate,whichyoucandownloadathttp://cmi.media/CI-caltemplateandcustomizetoyourspecificneeds.

KEEPINGYOURCALENDARFILLEDANDFOCUSEDAswediscussedinthepreviouschapter,contentideationisanongoingandimportantprocess.Asyourcontentideasbecomemorerefined,theplaceforthemisyourcontentcalendar.

AsyoucanseeinthesampletemplateinFigure10.1,theCMIteamalsousesourcalendartotrackthetopicideaswewanttotrytocoverinfuturecontentpieces(underthe“Blogposts–Ideas”tab).Keepingarunninglistofideaswithinourcalendarspreadsheetmakesitaneasyreferencetoolwhenweneedsometopicinspirationorstarterideasforbrainstorms.

Figure10.1AsimpleexampleofaneditorialcalendarinMicrosoftExcel.

Again,thefieldsyousetupinyourspreadsheetcanvarybyneed,butattheveryleastwerecommendthatyoutrack:

Thetopicidea

Theowneroftheidea

Thetargetkeywordsandcategoriestowhichthecontentwouldmap(seeChapter15)

Whomightbeavailableandqualifiedtoauthorthepiece

Atimeframeforwhenyouwillpublishit

MicheleLinn,CMI’sVPofcontent,recommendsaddingadditionaltabstoyourcontentcalendarspreadsheet,including:

Existing“brick”content(downloadablee-booksorwhitepapersusedtoattractsubscribers)thatcanbeusedasacalltoactioninnewcontentpieces

Ideasforcontentthatcanberepurposedintomultiplecontentpieces

Contentthatcanbecompiledandcurated

WORKINGAHEADAcommonquestionfromentrepreneurspertainstotiming.Exactlyhowfaraheaddowehavetopluginoureditorialcalendar?

Whilethereisno“onerightway”todothis,contentteamswillgenerally:

Meetonceperyeartodiscusstheoveralldirectionandeditorialstrategy.Thisgivesyouageneralsenseofyourcontentdirectionasitalignstoyourvision.

Meetquarterlytocompilethecontentthemesfortheupcomingquarter.Thistakesyourgeneralcontentandgetsspecificwithweeklythemes,contributors,andproductionschedules.

Meetweeklytomakechangesasneeded.Thisgivesyourteamtheopportunitytotakeadvantageoffreshcontentthatmayneedtofindahomeinthescheduleorperhapstotakeadvantageofindustrynews(calledreal-timemarketing).

Thebesteditorialteamshaveagreatideaofwhattheywillpublishoverthenextmonth—andknowexactlywhattheywillpublishoverthenexttwoweeks.Ifyouandyourteamaregettingupnotknowingwhatcontentwillbeproduced,thiswillleadtolacklustercontentandprocessmistakesthatwilltakeatollonyourmodel.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Withoutacontentcalendar,yourstrategywillnotsucceed.

Althoughjustonemajoreditorialplanningmeetingayearmaydo,thecontentteamshouldmeetmultipletimespermonth.

Addingan“outcome”fieldtoyourcontentcalendarwillgivecontentcreatorsclarityabouttheultimatemissionofeachcontentasset.

Chapter11

ContentStaffingNoneofusisassmartasallofus.

KENBLANCHARD

InalmosteveryinterviewwithentrepreneurswhoemployedaContentInc.strategy,therewasnoteam.Itwasjusttheloneentrepreneurtryingtogetabusinessstarted.ThiswascertainlythecasewithmeandContentMarketingInstitute.ThesamewithBrianClarkandCopybloggerMedia.ThesamewiththeChickenWhispererandwithMichellePhan,themakeupmillionaire.

Butfortheplatformtoworkbeyondahobby-basedbusinessandblossomintoagrowthcompany,scalabilityiskey.Thatmeansyouneedateamtogetyoutothenextlevel.

CONTENTROLES“WhatstaffingrolesdoweneedtobesuccessfulwithaContentInc.approach?”

Ihearthisquestionallthetimeincompaniesofallsizes.It’sacriticalquestion,andonethatisnoteasytoplanfor…butplanwemust.

WhilethereisnoperfectstructureforaContentInc.organization,andeachoneisdifferentdependingontheaudienceandthecontentniche,weneedtothinkaboutfillingcertainrolesnowsothatsuccessisattainable.

Note:Don’tthinkofthelistbelowasnewjobtitles,perse,butratherasthecorecompetenciesthatneedtobeaccountedforacrosstheenterprise.Asyou’llsee,manyofthese“roles”canbefilledbymultipletitles.

ChiefContentOfficer(akaFounder)Thisismostlikelyyou.Thispersonisresponsibleforsettingtheoveralleditorialandcontentmissionstatement.Aseverystaffmemberworkstocreateandcuratecontent,itistheCCO’sresponsibilitytomakesurethatthestoriesremainconsistentandmakesensetotheaudience(s).

Inaddition,theCCOmustunderstandhowthestoriestranslateintoresultsthataddresstheorganization’sbusinessissues(drivingnewsubscribers,keepingcurrentsubscribers,leadingthewaytorevenue,etc.).

Sampletitles:chiefcontentofficer,founder,owner,CEO,publisher

ManagingEditorHalfstorytellerandhalfprojectmanager,themanagingeditorexecutesthecontentplanonbehalfoftheCCO.WhereastheCCOfocusesonstrategy(andsomecontent),the

managingeditor’sjobisallexecution,workingwiththerolesbelowtomakethestoriescomealive(includingcontentscheduling).

Sampletitles:managingeditor,chiefeditor,projectmanager

ChiefListeningOfficerTheroleoftheCLOistofunctionas“air-trafficcontrol”forsocialmediaandothercontentchannels.Thispersonistheretolistentothegroups,maintaintheconversation,androute(and/ornotify)feedbacktotheteammemberswhocanengageinappropriateconversations(toyou,toeditorial,orperhapstothesalesteam).Thisfeedbackmechanismiscriticalifthecontentisgoingtomakeadifferenceforyourcustomers.TheCLOalsoneedstokeeptabsonhowthecontentisperformingonownedmediasites(likeablog)andgetthatintelligencebacktotheCCOandmanagingeditor.

Sampletitles:socialmediamanager,communitymanager

DirectorofAudienceThispersonischargedwithmonitoringthemembersofyouraudience,makingsureallcontentcreatorsareintimatelyfamiliarwiththeircharacteristics,theirpassiontriggers,andtheactionsyouwantthemtotake.Thedirectorofaudienceisalsoresponsibleforbuildingsubscriptionassets(directmaillists,e-maillists,socialmediasubscriptions)thatcangrowandbesegmentedasyourcontentmissionmaturesandexpands.

Sampletitles:audiencedevelopmentmanager,circulationmanager,subscriptionmanager

ChannelMasterWhereveryourcontentisheaded(socialmedia,e-mail,mobile,print,inperson,etc.),thechannelmasterisresponsibleforgettingthemostoutofeachchannel.WhatworksbestonSlideShare?Whenshouldyousendyoure-mails,andhowfrequently?What’stheappropriateratioofownedversuscuratedcontentyourbusinessshoulddistributeonTwitter?Whoiskeepingtrackofmobilestrategyandexecution?Yourteamwilllooktothechannelmasterfortheseandotheranswers.

Sampletitles:managingeditor,marketingdirector,socialmediamanager,e-mediamanager

ChiefTechnologistAsmarketingandinformationtechnologycontinuetomerge,therewillbeaneedforatleastoneindividual(maybemore)whosesolepurposeistoleveragetheproperuseofthesetechnologiesintothecontentmarketingprocess.Thepersoninthisrolewillberesponsibleforyourpublishingsystems(theplumbing)suchasyourwebsiteinfrastructureande-mailsystemsandhowtheyintegratetogether.

Sampletitles:e-mediamanager,ITmanager,webservicesmanager

CreativeDirectorThedesignandlookofyourcontentismorecriticalthanever,especiallyasvisualsocialchannelsbecomeanincreasinglyimportantmethodtoattractandretainsubscribers.Thecreativedirectorisresponsiblefortheoveralllookandfeelofallyourcontent,includingthewebsite,blog,images,photography,andeveryotherpieceofcollateralyoucreate.

Sampletitles:creativedirector,graphicdesignmanager

InfluencerRelationsTheroleformerlyknownasmediarelationswillevolveintothatofamanagerofinfluencers.Thisperson’sresponsibilitiesincludedevelopingyour“hitlist”ofinfluencers,maintainingdirectrelationshipswiththem,andintegratingthemintoyourmarketingprocessinthemostimpactfulways.

Sampletitles:publicrelationsmanager,mediamanager,marketingdirector,communicationsmanager

FreelancerandAgencyRelationsAscontentdemandscontinuetoevolve(andincrease),yourorganization’srelianceonfreelancetalentandotherexternalcontentvendorswillgrowaswell.Organizationsneedtocultivatetheirown“expert”contentteamsandnetworks,anditisthisperson’sjobtonegotiateratesandresponsibilitiessothatallmembersofyourteamareunitedintheirworkonbehalfofyourContentInc.program.

Sampletitles:managingeditor,projectmanager

ContentCurationDirectorAsyoubegintodevelopcontentassets,you’llhavesomeamazingopportunitiestorepackageandrepurposeyourcontent(moreonthatinChapter13).Theroleofthecontentcurationdirectoristocontinuallylookatallthecontentassetsbeingdevelopedbytheorganizationandstrategizewaystocreatenewpiecesofcontentfromthem.

Sampletitles:socialmediadirector,contentcurationspecialist,contentdirector

ContentCurationCaseStudy:DwellIn2014,IkeynotedtheNicheCEOSummitalongsidesomeamazingpublishers,includingMichelaO’ConnorAbrams,presidentofDwellMedia.IfyouarenotfamiliarwithDwell,itevolvedfromasmall,nicheprintmagazinefocusedondesigntoafast-growingmultimediadesignbrand.

UnderMichela’sleadership,thecompanybecameoneofthetopwebsitesintheworld,withnearly300,000paidmagazinesubscribersandwithsocialmediaaudiencenumbersthatwouldmakeyoublush(includingover500,000followersonTwitter).Sure,thecompanyhasstruggled,likeallofushave,makingchangesinhowitcreatesanddistributescontent.Butitwasonechangethat,Michelanoted,madeall

thedifference.

SheHiredaChiefContentCuratorContentcuration,forthemostpart,involvestakingotherpeople’scontent(let’scallthisOPC)andaddingtoit,enhancingit,and/orgivingitanewcontextorperspectivesothatitevolvesintoanewpieceofcontent.CMIplayedaroleinthisconceptbydefiningcontentcurationas:

Contentcurationisameansbywhichweeithersupplementorpromoteourbrand’spointofviewtoourspecificaudienceswithinthecontextofhowthe“world”istalkingaboutthatparticulartopic.

WhilecontentcurationwithafocusonOPCisimportant,thecontentcurationtechniquethattookDwelltothenextlevelisfocusedoninternalassets—thatis,curatingcontentthatDwellhadalreadycreated.

Dwelltaskedthiscontentcurationpersonwithgainingacomprehensiveandin-depthunderstandingofallthecurrentcontentassetsownedbytheorganization(i.e.,nooutsidecontentgetsfactoredin).Startingwithafull-blowncontentaudit,thecuratorwhoholdsthispositionultimatelytakesresponsibilityfor:

•Understandingthecontentassetsavailabletoworkwith,includingtextualcontent,imagery,andaudiocontent

•Effectivelytagging,categorizing,andcoordinatingthesematerialsintoadataassetmanagementsystem

•Workingwiththecontentmarketingteamonaclearchannelplan

•Developingandexecutingacontentcurationstrategybyusingexistingresources

Oncethecontentisorganizedandthereisaprocessinplaceforcontinualassetplacementandmanagement(includingmakingsurethoseassetsareeasilyfindable),thecuratorcanbegintofillneededgapsintheoveralleditorialcalendarwithouthavingtospendmoneycreatingnewcontent.

Howdoesthiswork?JustaquicklookatDwell’sTwitterfeedshowsexampleafterexampleofstoriesandimagesculledfromarchivedstories.

Whencontentistaggedcorrectlyandthecuratorcanstarttospotthemes,newcontentpackagesemerge(suchasthedesignimagesfeaturing“partypads,”allcomingfromdifferentissuesoverthepastyears—seeFigure11.1).

Figure11.1Dwellhasfoundthatconstantlyrepurposingimageandblogcontentintosocialmediacollectionshasbeensuccessful.

Michelabelievesthatthesecret(ornow,notsosecret)recipetoDwell’srecentsuccesshasbeenthisnewfoundrole.

HOWTHEROLESTRANSLATEINTOREALPRODUCTIONAtCMI,wehaveanumberofpeoplethatmakeuptheaboveroles,specifically:

JoePulizzi,founder.Isettheoveralltoneofthecontent.Icontinuallylookathowoursubscribersaregeneratingrevenuefortheorganization.Ialsoserveasthekeyspokespersonforthebrand,whichmarketingleveragesinavarietyofways.

–Role:chiefcontentofficer(partial)

MicheleLinn,vicepresidentofcontent.ThecontentteamreportstoMichele.Michele’sfocusisondevelopingcontentthatattractsorretainssubscribers.

–Roles:chiefcontentofficer(partial),managingeditor

CathyMcPhillips,marketingdirector.Cathyisresponsiblefordistributingthecontentinallouravailablechannelsandanalyzingtheresults.AlloursubscriptiongoalsalsoultimatelyfalltoCathy.

–Roles:channelmaster,directorofaudience

JosephKalinowski,creativedirector.JoeoverseesthevisualdirectionofeverypieceofcontentthatflowsoutofCMI.

–Role:creativedirector

MoninaWagner,communitymanager.Moninaoverseesalloursocialchannelsandlistenstohowtheaudiencereactstoourcontent.

–Role:chieflisteningofficer

LauraKozak,e-mediamanager.Ultimately,anycontentthatgoesuponanownedwebproperty(website,blog,eventsite)isLaura’sdomain.

–Role:chieftechnologist(partial)

DavidAnthony,ITdirector.Davidmanagesallourtechnologyinfrastructure,includinghosting,marketingautomationsolutions,andwebsiteintegrity.

–Role:chieftechnologist(partial)

LisaDougherty,directorofblogcommunityandoperations.Lisaworkswithallourfreelancewritersandcontributors,assistingthemintheirstyleandensuringtheymeetdeadlines.

–Role:freelancerandagencyrelations

AmandaSubler,publicrelationsandmediamanager.Amandaworkstogetourcontent,suchasourresearch,placedinmediaoutletsandonbloggersites.

–Role:influencerrelations

JodiHarris,editorialcontentmanager.Jodi’sgoalistoworkwithallourcurrentcontentassetsandbuildnewe-booksandreportsthatwilldrivenewsubscribers.

–Role:contentcurationdirector

CMIalsohasanumberofspecializedrolesthatfillgapsintheprocess:

ClareMcDermottischiefeditorofourmagazineproperty,ChiefContentOfficer.

AngelaVannucci,projectdirector,overseestheproductionofthemagazineandproject-managesallourwebinars.

RobertRose,chiefstrategyofficer,servesaschiefcontentofficerforourproperty,IntelligentContentConference,andoverseesallourtrainingandadvisory.

MarciaRieferJohnstonismanagingeditor,IntelligentContent.AtCMI,wecoverspecializedareasofcontenttargetingspecificportionsofouruserbase.

ChuckFrey,director,onlinetraining,ownsallourpiecesoftrainingmaterialoutsideofblogposts.

PamelaMuldoon,podcastdirector,producesallourpodcasts.

LisaMurtonBeets,ourresearchdirector,ownseveryresearchreportwedoatCMI.

Foreverypieceofcontentwedeveloponthesite,itischeckedandproofedbytwopeople,YatriRolestonandAnnGynn.Wealsocheckeverypieceofcontentsoitalignswithoursearchengineoptimizationstrategy.

OUTSOURCINGYOURCONTENTTOFREELANCERSYoumayfindthatyouneedhelpdevelopingongoingcontent—orthatyouneedadditional

contentproducerstokeepupwiththespeedandqualityofproduction.

Howdoyougoaboutfindinggoodexternalcontentcontributors(sometimescalled“stringers”)?Shouldyoulookforagoodwriterandteachhimorheryourbusiness?Orshouldyouhiresomeonewhoknowsyourindustryandteachhimorhertowrite?Thefollowingareafewtipstoconsider:

HowGameTheoryOperationalizesContentGameTheoryisaYouTubechanneldevotedtoanalyticsandmathbehinddifferentvideogameexperiences.FounderMatthewPatrick,whostartedfromnothing,hasdevelopedanaudienceofmorethan4millionsubscribers.Below,Matthewgivesadetailedlookathowhestaffshismultiplebusinesslines.

GameTheoryoperatestwokindsofbranchesthatnicelysynergizewitheachother.Thereistheproductioncomponent,whichisalloftheYouTubeandcreativeprocesses.ThebiggestpropertyistheGameTheorists,whichcurrentlyemploysaround13–16peopleatthispoint.Thatincludesfreelanceeditors,writers,salesteam,etc.

…ontheproductionside,[thereare]customvideosforvideogamebrands,traditionaladvertisersandthingslikethat,whichliveontheGameTheoristschannel,thatarepromotingtheirproductortalkingabouttheservicethattheyoffer…I’mwritingthecopy,I’mtheinfluenceortalentinthatandthenwe’realwaysgettingacrosstheirmessagingpointsanddrivingtheaudiencetoconvertsales.

Soinadditiontodoingjustourownstandardvideos,agoodnumberofthosearebranded,eitherbyvideogamecompaniescominginandaskingforapieceofcustomcontentordirectresponsecompanies,orjustotherbrandsaskingforsomekindofawarenesscampaign.That’stheproductionside.

Thenthereistheconsultancywing.Ontheconsultancysideweoperateverymuchlikeatraditionalconsultancy.OurspecialtyisgrowinganorganicaudienceinthemediaspacewithaspecificemphasisaroundYouTube.Andsorightnowourserviceofferingreallyrangesthegamutbasedonwhattheclientneeds.Wehaveeverythingfromfullone-dayworkshopswherewewillcomeintoyourcompanyandbasicallytakeyouandyourteamthroughYouTube101to301;hereiseverythingyouneedtoknowaboutcontent,whatworksontheplatform,howtooptimizeyourpresenceusingverygranularlevelsofoptimizations,andmovingforwardhowcanyoustrategizeforsuccess.

Andthentherearealsosomelonger-termprojects.Sowehavepeoplewhoareworkingalmostinafull-timecapacitywithvariouscompaniesactingastheircontentmanagers,astheirchannelmanagers.

It’sreallybeenaspectrum,butthatisallontheconsultancyside.That’sthefundamentalprinciple,data-drivendecisionmakingtohelpgrowanorganicaudienceinthenewmediaspace.

Rememberthatexpertiseishelpful,butit’snotadealkiller.Giventhechoicebetweenagoodwriterwhohasapersonalitythatcloselymatchesyourorganization(butwhoisshortonindustryexpertise)andanindustryveteranwhoknowshowtowritebutwithwhomyoucan’tstandtobeinthesameroom,gowiththepersonality.Chemistryandpersonalityarethingsthatareentirelyhardtochange;researchisaskillthatcanbetaught—passionisn’t.

Lookingforamarketerorwriterorvideographerisnottherightapproach.Evenlookingforacontentstrategistmightnotbe….Ithinkwhatyoureallyhavetofocusonisunderstandingtheaudienceyou’retryingtoattractwithcontentandactuallylookingforpeoplewhounderstandtheaudience,whohavedomainknowledgeandexpertisethat’sbeyondyourproductoryourcategory,butunderstandtheaudiencewaybetterthanyou.(AninterviewwithAndrewDavis,Brandscaping)

Hireright—copywriters,journalists,technicalwriters.Becauseyou’vespentsomuchtimeonyourstrategyandyourprocess,youshouldbeveryawareofwhatkindofwriteryou’relookingfor.Understandthatcopywritersworkverydifferentlyandhaveverydifferentsensibilitiesthanjournalistsdo.Ifyou’relookingforsomeonetowriteblogpostsforyou,acopywritermightnotbeyourbestbet.Ontheotherhand,ifyou’relookingforsomeonetobeefupyourpersuasivecalltoactionforallthegreatwhitepapersyou’reputtingtogether,thenagreatcopywritermaybeexactlywhatyouneed.

Developtherightbusinessrelationship.Understandtheelementsofyourbusinessrelationship,andmakethemclear.Forexample,willtherebeonecontentitemperweek—andwillyourwriterbepaidamonthlyfee?Ifso,howwillyouhandlemonthsthathave4½weeks?Willtherebeanextrapostthatweek?Giventhesizeofyourorganization,youneedtomakecleartheinvoicingandpaymentterms—orunderstandwhatthewriterneeds.Alsobeclearonexpectations.Thereshouldbenosurprisessuchasblogpostssuddenlybecoming1,000wordswhenthey’resupposedtobe750…orcontentthemesgoingwildlyofftopic.

Herearesomeofthethingsyou’llneedtocommunicatetoyourfreelancewriters:

Whatcontenttheywillproduceandwhereitfallsonthecontentcalendar.(Beveryspecificwhendraftsaredue.)

Thegoalsfortheirspecificcontributions(bothyourgoalsandtheoutcomefortheaudience).

Whatexpertiseorotherthird-partyinformationtheywillneedaccessto.(Willtheybeinterviewinginternalpeople,bringinginexternalinformation,orreworkingyourexistingmaterial?)

Yourbudget(perpiece,hourly,retainer,orbarter).

Thenumberofrevisionsforeachpiece.

Therearealsoanumberofexcellentservicesouttherethatcanhelpyoufindtherightcontentprovider.Sometoconsiderinclude:

Scripted

Zerys

Upwork

NewsCred

Contently

WriterAccess

Foracompletelistandoverviewofcontentmarketplaceoptions,checkoutRobertRose’sfullreportathttp://cmi.media/CI-collaboration.

BUDGETINGFACTORSInthenearpublishingpast,freelancersusedtogetpaid$1perword.Thisstillremainstrueforhigh-qualityanduniquecontent,likethatforresearchreportsandwhitepapers.Forarticlecontent,someserviceswillpriceyourcontentaslowas5centsperword.

Wordofwarning:Youusuallygetwhatyoupayfor.AtCMI,we’vefoundthemostsuccessintheretainermodel—thatis,workingwithafreelanceronanumberofcontentassetsoveraperiodoftimeandthenpayingamonthlyfeeforthework.Thisarrangementisusuallyappreciatedbybothsides.Thebusinesscanbudgetmoreeasilywithasetnumber,andthefreelancerdoesn’thavetocountwords.Afterall,apieceofcontentshouldonlybeaslongasitneedstobe,sowhysetalimit?(Arangeshouldbejustfine.)

ContentThroughCurationBookBub,whichoffersusersdealsandnotificationsonbestsellingbooks,realizedthatitsbestcontentcreationplanwasthroughexternalcuration.Insteadofcreatingoriginalcontent,Bookbublaunchedwithane-mailnewsletteralmostexclusivelymadeupofcuratedpiecesofcontentfromexistingbooks.Anditworked.Today,withmillionsofsubscribers,Bookbubhasbecomeanamazingresourceforthoseconsumerswhojustlovetoread.

Ifyouarethinkingaboutcurationsoftware,considerserviceslikeCurata,PublishThis,AtomicReach,andPercolate.Foracompletelistofproviders,checkoutCMI’scontentcurationtoolkitathttp://cmi.media/CI-curation.

TESTFIRSTWithalargesupplyofwritersintheworkforce,thereisnoneedtostartwithalong-termrelationship.Testawriteroutwithafewstories,andseehowthatworks.Askyourself:Istheperson’swritingstyletoyourexpectations?Doesheorshedeliverontime?Isthepersonactivelysharingthecontentviahisorherownsocialnetwork?(Thisisveryimportant.)

Oncethewriterhasmetyourexpectationsintheseareas,thensetoutonalong-termdeal.I’veseentoomanymarketersandpublishersgettheir“rockstar”freelancers,onlytokillthedealafewmonthslaterwithneitherpartyhappy.Testthepersonoutfirstsoyou

don’twasteyourtime.

TRYFLEECINGTHEMASTHEADRememberthemasthead?Itwasthatplacewhereyoufoundallthewriters,editors,andcirculationmanagersthatworkedataprintmagazine.Todaymastheadsarehardertolocate,buttheystillexist.Andoncefound,theycanbeextremelyusefultoyourmodel—youjustneedtoknowhowtousethem.

Openinguptheleadingtrademagazineorvisitingawebsiteinyournicheandfindingthemastheadisagoldmineforcompetentwriters.Thesewriters(manypart-time)notonlyunderstandyourcustomerbasebutcanformulaterelevantandoriginalcontentinaskilledway.

Besideswriters,themastheadalsolistseditorswhocanhelpturnyourrawcontentintoanengagingstory.

Themastheadalsoprovidesinformationonyouraudience.Itshowscirculationandthepublishingrolesresponsibleforcirculationdevelopment,audiencebuilding,andsubscribergeneration.(Note:Anothergreatplacetogetinformationaboutcustomerdemographicsisthepublication’smediakit.)Thiscanhelpintargetingsubscribers,buildingrelationships,andultimatelygettingpeopletobuyfromyou.

Designneeds?Checkthemastheadforthataswell.

Andthetimingcouldn’tbebetter.Atmanymediacompaniesandtradepublishers,thebusinessmodelsaren’tworkingsowell.Raisesarehardertocomebythesedays.Thatleavesthedoorwideopenforyouandyourbusiness.

BEFOREYOUHIREThemajorityofourCMIstaffisbuiltfromcontractors.Thesearepeoplethatwantflexiblehours,arelookingforoptionsfortheirlife,anddonotnecessarilywanttowork40hoursaweek.Whatwe’vefoundisthatthereisamazingtalentouttherewithindividualsthatarelookingforthiskindofflexibility.

WhenIstartedinthemediabusiness15yearsago,wecontractedwithcreativedesignersandfreelancejournalistsfromallovertheworld.Wehadtodothistofindthebestresourcestocompleteaparticularproject.

Alotofownerswanttheiremployeesdoingallthecontenttaskswithoutworryingaboutthemworkingforothercompanies.Theyfeelitiscriticaltobuildingtheircompanyculture.Thismayworkforsome,butthecreamofthecropinthemediaindustrywantmoreopportunity.A1099relationshipworkswellinmostcases.Forourbusiness,andinafewveryimportantsituations,wewouldnotbeabletohiretherighttalentwithoutthistypeofflexibility.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Asastart-up,themajorityofcontentrolesmustbecompletedbyoneortwopeople.Asyougrow,determinethemorebasicjobsatfirstandbegintooutsourcethose,freeingyoutofocusonhigher-valueactivities.

Curatingthecontentyou’vealreadycreatedcouldbethekeytokeepingyourbudgetundercontrol.

Themostamazingwritersanddesignersinyourindustrycanbefoundbyreviewingthemastheadsofyourindustrytradepublications.

Beforeyouhire,considerworkingwithafreelancecontentcontributorinacontractorrelationship.Itwillsaveyoumuchpainifitdoesn’tworkout.

Chapter12

TheCollaborativePublishingModelAlonewecandosolittle,togetherwecandosomuch.

HELENKELLER

IwentouttomyfriendsthatIhadbuiltrelationshipswith….AndIdecidedtoask[them]iftheywouldconsiderwritingonearticleamonthuntiltheywerebored.

Sothefiveofusessentiallyeachwroteonearticleamonth.ThenIgotavolunteer…andsheworkedforfreeasmyeditor,behindthescenes,puttingeverythingintoWordPress.

…I’lltellyouinthefirstcoupleofweeksthethingexploded.Wehad10,000e-mailsubscribersliterallyinlike2½months.(MichaelStelzneronfoundingthesocialmediamarketingeducationsiteSocialMediaExaminer,whichnowboastsover350,000subscribers.)

Whatdothesecompanieshaveincommon:Forbes,ContentMarketingInstitute,SocialMediaExaminer,CopybloggerMedia,Moz,HubSpot,MarketingProfs,HuffingtonPost,andMashable?

Theyalluseacollaborativepublishingmodel.Insteadofhavingonlyacoresetofwritersandjournalistsemployedbythebrand(liketraditionalpublishinghasdone),thesebrandsreachouttotheircommunitytorecruitandrequestrelevantcontenttopublishontheirplatform.

Andtheyallareextremelysuccessfulbusinesses!

WHYCONSIDERCOLLABORATIVEPUBLISHING?Collaborativepublishing,asabusinessmodel,istheideathattheentrepreneurorbusinessactivelyrecruitsoutsidecontributorstobuildaplatformandanaudience.Oncetheplatformisbuiltandseessomesuccess,theopportunityexiststobringinthoughtleadersandcommunityexpertstofillcontentholesinyourworkflow.

Outsidethebenefitofcoveringcontentareasthatmaybedifficultforyoutodoyourselforbypayingfreelancers,thebiggestbenefittoacollaborativemodelistheopportunitytoattractanewaudiencetoyourcontent.Contributorshavetheirownfollowersandsubscribers,who,ifthingsaredoneright,canbeconvertedtobecomeapartofyouraudience.

Manytraditionalmediacompaniesshowcase“employed”talentonly.Theydonotencouragemembersofthecommunitytocontributetostories.Thispresentsaclearopportunityforyou.

TheHuffingtonPostwasfoundedin2005byanumberofinvestorsincludingArianna

Huffington,aspokespersonforthepoliticalleftintheUnitedStates.In2011theHuffingtonPostsoldforover$300milliontoAOLandisoneofthetop100mostpopularsitesintheworld,accordingtoAlexa.com.

TheHuffingtonPosthashundredsofniche,targetedsites,wherethousandsofcontributorsaroundtheworldpublishcontentforfree,inexchangefortheopportunitytobepublished.TheHuffingtonPostemploysacollaborativepublishingmodel.Sure,ithiressomeamazingjournalists,writers,andcontentproducers,butmuchofwhatyouseeonthesiteisproducedbythoughtleadersandactivemembersofthecommunity.

THEPROCESSThereareanumberofwaystoidentifycontributorstodevelopthecollaborativemodel(wecovereachoftheseinChapter16onstealingaudience),butthekeytomakingthemodelworkisasmuchabouttheprocessasitisthetalent.

Thefirstimperativeistosetstrictguidelinesandexpectationswithyourcontributors.Ifyouarelaxaboutthecontentyouallowonyoursite,you’llneverbetheleadinginformationalexpertinyourniche.

Belowisasamplee-mailthatwesendouttoallourinquiringcontributors:

Greatto“meet”youTim!

You’llfindourfullblogguidelineshere(http://cmi.media/CI-guidelines),butI’vesummarizedthetop-lineinfobelow,foryourconvenience.

Oureditorialmissionistoprovideexpert-levelinsightsandcutting-edgeinformationthatwillhelpourreadersadvancetheconversationaroundcontentmarketing—aswellasadvancetheirskillstonewlevelsofsuccess.Withthisinmind,welookforpoststhataddresstheneedsofexperiencedB2BandB2Ccontentmarketerswhoworkatlargeorganizations,andweaskthatallsubmissionssatisfysomespecificrequirements:

•Postsshouldbefocusedonadvancedprinciples,techniques,tools,andprocessesthatcontentmarketersneedtobecomefamiliarwithtobesuccessful.Ifyouwanttorunanyideasbyus,we’rehappytoletyouknowwhatmaywork.

•Ratherthansimplyofferingbroadadvice,postsshouldoutlineandexplainhowtoexecuteonthekeyrecommendationsdiscussed.

•Theyshouldincluderelevantvisualswheneverpossible.Videosandothervisualcontentarestronglyencouraged.

•Whereapplicable,theyshouldprovideinformationortoolsthatreaderscanuse,suchasatemplate,astep-by-stepprocessguide,orachecklist.

•Weencouragetheuseofreal-lifeexamplesand/orsamplecasestohelpillustratebestpracticesand/ordemonstratehowtomakeadviceactionable.

Hereisthelistofkeytopicswecover:

•Strategy

•Operations,Teams,andProcess

•BuildingYourAudience

•ContentCreation

•VisualContentandDesign

•SocialMedia

•SEO

•ContentDistributionandPromotion

•MeasurementandROI

•IndustryNewsandTrends

Ifyoudecideyou’dliketocontributeanarticle,kindlyletmeknowanapproximatetimeframesoIcangetyouontheradartofollowup.Bygivingmeadate,IpromiseIwon’tstalkyouandyoucanadjustthedateasneededasIrealizeprioritiesshift.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorwouldlikeadditionalinformationonanything,pleasefeelfreetoreachout.Ilookforwardtoworkingwithyou!

Haveagreatweek!

Cheers,

Lisa

ForaninsidelookattheentireCMIpublishingprocessandhowweexecutethecollaborativepublishingmodel,pleaseseeAppendixB.

AREMINDERSYSTEMFORCONTRIBUTORSOnceyouhaveasetnumberofcontributors,theprocesscangetextremelycomplex.It’simportanttokeepopencommunicationwithallyourcontributors.Whenyoureceiveaninquirytocontributetoyoursite,followthesesteps:

E-mail#1.Sendoutconfirmationofthesubmissionreceiptandwhatthecontributorshouldexpectaroundthegeneraltimingoftheprocess.

E-mail#2.Notifyregardingapprovalorrejectionofthepost.Ifconfirmed,thereistypicallyarequestforrevisions.

E-mail#3.Sendapreviewofthepost.Oncethearticlehasbeenfinalizedandsetupforproduction,yourblogeditorsendsapreviewofthepost,aswellasthelikelypublicationdateandanyideasonwaysthewriterscansharethearticlewiththeirownaudience.

E-mail#4.Notifythecontributorofanyblogcomments.Oncesomeone’sfirstcommentcomesin,theblogeditororsocialmediamanagerwillforwardthattotheauthorandrequestthatheorsheengageandrespond.

E-mail#5.Sendnotificationoftoppost.Ifthearticleisperformingwell,you’llwanttoletthecontributorknowandkeepincontactwithhimorher.Thismeansthatthe

contributorissomeoneofvalue.Youmaywantthatpersontodevelopanotherarticleatsomepointortobecomearegularcontributor.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Asyoubuildoutyourchannel,you’llneedhelptocreatecontent.Whileoutsourcingforpayisalwaysanoption,buildingacollaborativepublishingmodelshouldbeconsidered.

Forcollaborationtowork,communicationiskey.Buildaprocessbeforeyoureachouttocontributors.

Sometimeslessismore.Startyourcollaborativepublishingprocesswithlessoftherightpeoplefirst…thenbuildouttheprogram.

Resources“TheHuffingtonPost,”Wikipedia,accessedApril28,2015,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post.

Top500GlobalWebsitesbyTraffic,Alexa.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.alexa.com/topsites/global;3.

Chapter13

PlanningforRepurposingTorepurposeanoldthought,ideaormemorytoanewpurposeistheheightofcreativity.

STEVESUPPLE

RobertRose,CMI’schiefstrategyofficer,teachesthemarketersinallhismasterclassesthat“you’renotcreatingablogpost,avideoorawhitepaper…youaretellingastory.Thatstorycanbetoldamyriadofwaystohelpextendyourcontentmarketingstrategy.”

Everycontentideainvolvesastoryyouaretryingtotell.Ifyourememberthatthestorycanandshouldalwaysbetoldinmanydifferentways,you’llhavealeguponthecompetition.

Inthefallof2013,Icommittedtopublishingmythirdbook,EpicContentMarketing.Betweenmybloggingschedule(Ipublishedoriginalcontentonceaweek)andmyspeakingschedule(approximatelytwospeechesperweek),Iwashavingtroublemakingthetime.Ineeded60,000relevantwordsinsixmonths.

Enterthe“blog-to-book”strategy.IfiguredIneededabout25chaptersofabout2,000wordsachapteroverthenext6monthstocompletethebook.AndIhadabout25weeksuntilduedate.SoeveryweekIwroteanarticlethatwouldbepublishedoneitherContentMarketingInstituteorLinkedIn.Eacharticlefilledaholeinthebook’stableofcontentsandultimatelybecamepartofthebook.

Insixmonths,thebookwascomplete.Iwasabletofulfilltwoofmycontentcreationobligationssimplybyplanningahead.

Mostbusinessessimplydon’tthinkaboutrepurposingaheadoftime.Theythink,“Ineedablogpostorawhitepaper.”Theydon’tthinkintermsofthestrategyRobertdiscussesabove—ofhowonestoryideacanbetoldindozensofdifferentwaysdependingonthecontentneedsoftheorganization.

CASESTUDY:JAYTODAYJayBaerpublishesathree-minutevideoshowcalledJayToday.ItcoversJay’sideasaboutbusiness,socialmedia,andmarketing.Jay’steamatConvinceandConvertpublishesanumberofcontentpieces,includingdailyblogposts,researchreports,podcasts,andmore,butaccordingtoJay,“JayTodayvideosareamongthestrongestperformers…and[have]becomealynchpininourinitiativetofurtheratomizeourcontent.”

Howdoesathree-minutevideobecomethestapleofapublishingempire?BecauseeachJayTodayvideobecomesatleasteightdifferentpiecesofusefulcontent.

Aftereachepisodeiscomplete,thecompanypoststheshowtofivedifferentplaces:

ItsYouTubechannel

iTunesasavideopodcast

iTunesasanaudiopodcast

Itswebsite

ItsFacebookpage

ThecompanyalsotranscribeseveryepisodeusingaservicecalledSpeechpad,whichcostsabout$1peraudiominutefortranscription.

Ifthat’snotenough,thenJaybeginstheprocessofatomization.Heexplains:“ForeachJayTodayepisodethathasbeentranscribed,myteamandIreworktheheadlineandcopythreedifferentways,andpostthevideoandwrittencontentasablogpostonLinkedIn,Medium,andon[ourwebsite],whereItakethebestepisodeofthepriorweekandrewriteiteveryWednesday.”

Allinall,Jay’sonevideo,encompassingallofthreeminutesinlength,becomes:

AvideoonYouTube

AvideoonhisFacebookpage

AniTunesepisode

AvideoiTunesepisode

Anepisodeonhiswebsite

Ablogpost(onceperweek)

ApostonLinkedIn

ApostonMedium

AGoogle+post

2to3tweets

2LinkedInshares

NothingaboutwhatJaydoesiscomplex.ThedifferencefromwhatmostbusinessesdoisthatwhatJaydoesisplanned—thatthereispurposebehindallthecontentcreation.

Nexttimeyouhaveanideaforablogpostoravideo,justrememberthat’snotthecase…youhaveanamazingstorytotell.Thenextstepistocomeupwithallthewaysyoucantellthatstory.

HowtoGetMorefromContentInc.ThroughRepurposingByArnieKuenn,CEOofVerticalMeasuresandAuthorofContentMarketingWorks

Developingnewmaterialsforyourcontentmarketingrequiresagreatdealofeffort,fromcomingupwithanideaandresearchingthetopictocontentcreationandpromotion.Thereareoftenmultiplepeopleinvolvedintheprocess:copywriters,designers,SEOspecialists,socialmediamarketers,andothers,whichcanmakecontentmarketingquitetheinvestment.Fortunately,greatcontentcanberepurposedintosomethingnewanddifferent,continuallyfurtheringyourinvestmentalongthe

way.

TheBenefitsofContentRepurposingContentrepurposingrequiresalteringapieceofcontenttomakeitfreshbychangingtheangleorswitchinguptheformat.Integratingrepurposingintoyourstrategycanlowercosts,advanceproduction,expandaudiencereach,andprovidemyriadadditionalbenefits,including:

Expandingoneideaintoseveralcontentpieces.Forexample,thetopicofapopularblogpostcanbeusedforaslideshow,avideo,afreeinformationguide,awhitepaper,apodcast…yougettheidea.Repurposingallowsyoutoleveragetheresearchyouconductedforonepieceoforiginalworkacrossadditionalcontentprojects.

Substantiallycuttingcontentcreationtime.Certainelementsthathavealreadybeencreatedorcurated—likeimages,quotes,ortext—canbeappliedtonewworks.

Servingmultipledifferentaudiences.Somepeoplearevisuallearners,whileothersmaypreferreadingadocument.Further,somepeoplelovetoreadin-depthresearcharticles,whileotherswishtoquicklyskimblogpoststogaininformation.Contentrepurposingallowsyoutoappealtomultipleaudienceswithdifferentcontentpreferences.Forexample,ifyou’vecreatedgreatvideocontent,yourscriptcanbeusedasthebasisoftextdocuments,suchasblogpostsordownloadablePDFs.Similarly,statistics,facts,andfigurescanbeillustratedthroughdatavisualizationanddeliveredasinfographicsorcharts.

Cross-promotingcontent.Throughrepurposingefforts,youcancross-promoteyourgreatcontentpiecesacrossmultiplechannels.Forexample,inaYouTubevideodescription,youmaylinktoablogpost,aslideshow,andaninfographicaboutthesametopic,whichsendstraffictoyourwebsiteorblog.Thistargetedtrafficreinforcesbrandingandincreasesthelikelihoodofattractingasubscriber.

Extendingcontent’slongevity.Withsomuchcontentbeingpublishedeveryday,peopleareboundtomissablogpostorvideoonceinawhile.However,throughrepurposing,youraudiencemaycomeacrossyourcontentafterithasbeenaltered,throughadifferentchannel.Additionally,repurposingevergreencontentexpandsthelifecycleevenfurther,asitcanremainrelevantforyearstocome.

TheContentRepurposingProcessCreatingarepurposingplanatthebeginningofyourdevelopmentwillhelpyoubrainstormandproducecontentefficiently,whilekeepingyourrepurposingprocessstreamlinedandinalignmentwithyourothergreatcontentefforts.

Considerthefollowingfoursteps:

1.Takeonestoryidea.Begintothinkofdifferentwaysinwhichthestorycanbetold.Inthisinitialphase,itisimportanttoconsiderhowonetopiccanbetranslatedacrossmultipletypesofcontent.Forexample,ifyouhaveastorethatsellssunglasses,yourtopicmaybe“sunglassestrendsfor2016.”Thoughbroad,

thistopiccanbethefocalpointofmanycontentprojects.

2.Onceyouhaveageneraltopic,thinkofhowitcanbealteredandappliedacrosscontenttypestoappealtonumerousaudiences.Inthesunglassestrendsexample,afewcontentpiecesyoucancreatemightinclude:

•Blogpostsonwomen’sormen’ssunglassestrendsfor2016

•Aninfographicillustratingdifferentstylesofsunglassespredictedtobepopularin2016

•Avideointerviewingyourexpertemployeesabout2016sunglassestrends

•Aslideshowfeaturingimagesanddescriptionsofthetopsunglassesstylesfor2016

•Ane-bookonhowtochoosesunglassesfor2016thatfityourfaceandstyle

Andthat’sjustthebeginning.Withawide-rangingtopiclikesunglassestrendsfor2016,itiseasytoseehowresearchingoneconceptcanleadtomultiplecontentpieces.Eachpiecehasadifferentpointofviewandistransformedtoappealtoaspecificaudience,butthecoreidearemainsthesame.

3.Nowthatyouhaveassembledalistofdifferenttakesonyourcoreidea,startresearching,keepingthefirstpieceyouwanttocreateinmind.Startwithwhateverpiecemakesthemostsense.Ifyoucreateaslideshow,canyoueasilyadaptittocreateaninfographic?Canavideoscriptworkasablogpost?Thefirstpieceofcontentyouconstructwilltakethemostworkupfront,asitrequiresthegreatestamountofresearchanddevelopment.However,knowthatwhenyou’vefinishedresearchingforyourfirstcontentpiece,youcanundoubtedlyapplyyourfindingswhencreatingadditionalcontentinthefuture.

4.Afteryouhavecreatedyourfirstpieceofcontent,repurposeyourresearchandotherelementsfromtheprojecttomakenewworks.Youmayneedtoresearchmorespecificfacetsofyourcoreideaasyougo,butmostofthegruntworkshouldalreadybecompleted.

KeyContentTypesThereareavarietyofcontenttypesyoucanutilizeincontentrepurposingprojects,andit’spossibleforoneideatobeusedacrossallmedia.Considerthefollowing:

Blogposts.Everycontentideayouhaveshouldbefeaturedinablogpost,ifnotmultipleposts.MostContentInc.modelshaveablog,andwithgoodreason—assmallbusinesseswithblogsgenerate126percentmoreleads(subscribers).Blogpostsareagreatplacetostartwhencreatingcontent,especiallyifyouhaveanactiveblogwithlotsofaudienceparticipation.Youmaybeabletogarnerfeedbackaboutyourcoreideafromreaders,andaudienceparticipationmaysparkadditionalinspirationonhowtotakethatideafurther.

E-booksandfreeguides.Youcancreatee-booksandfreeguidesbycompilingalltheblogpostsyou’vewrittenaboutacertaintopicandaddingadditional

components,suchasatableofcontents,images,morein-depthresearch,anindex,etc.Oftene-booksandfreeguidesaremoredetailedthanblogpostsandareconsideredhigh-valuepieces.Whenofferingahigh-valuepiece,youmaybeabletocollectvisitorinformationinexchangeforaccess.Forexample,youmayofferane-booktopeoplewhosignupforyoure-mailnewsletter,ormakeafreeguideavailableforthosewhoenterbasicvisitorcontactinformation.

Video.Contrarytopopularbelief,youdonothavetohaveaprofessionalrecordingstudiotoproduceacaptivatingvideo.Asmartphoneoreverydayportabledigitalcameracanrecordcompellingvideotobeusedincontentrepurposingprojects.Whenthinkingofvideoideas,considerinterviewingyouremployeesorindustryexpertsorcreatingaskitbasedonafacetofyourcoreconcept.Keepinmindthatyoucanalsoproduceavideowithoutrecordinganythinglive—throughmovinggraphicsandvoice-overaudio.

Infographics.Infographicsareexcellentvehiclesfordata,processes,andvisualcontent.Theycanbeusedtoexplainatopicinastep-by-stepfashion,showcasedatainaninterestingway,orillustrateastory.Whenatopiclendsitselftovisualinterpretation,creatinganinfographicisthewaytogo.

Slideshows.Slideshowsarenotjustforpresentationsanymore.Creatingaslideshowcanoftenchallengeyoutosimplifyanidea,asyoudon’twanttocreateatext-heavyslideshow.Ifsomeonewantstoreadatextdocument,heorshewillseekoutablogpostorfreeguide.Slideshowscatertovisuallearners,featuringimagesandshortdescriptions.

GettheMostOutofYourContentInsummary,contentrepurposingisaveryefficientwaytomakethemostofyourgreatcontentcreationefforts.Numerouscontentpiecescanstemfromjustonemainidea,eachcateringtoadifferentaudienceinauniqueway.Theprocessofrepurposingcansaveyoutimeandmoneyandextendyourinitialcontentmarketinginvestment,makingitaworthwhilestrategy.

AFINALREMINDERRemember,justbecauseyouarerepurposingthesamecontentmanydifferentways,youarenotduplicatingcontent.Everystoryyoutellshouldbeuniqueinitsownway.ThatmeansifyouareleveragingthesamecontentassetinablogpostversusaFacebookpostorYouTubevideo,eachstoryneedstobetoldinadifferentway.AnnHandleycallsthis“reimagining”thecontent.

Theworstthingyoucandoistakethesamecontentandspamitoutoverallyourchannels.Thatwillneverwork.Besuretofocusonwhichaudienceuseswhichchannelandadaptyourstoriesaccordingly.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Mostrepurposingisn’tplanned…ithappensafterthecontentiscreated.Smartbusinessesplanoutthedifferentcontentassetsinadvance.

Remember,youaretellingastory.Thatstorycanbetoldinmanydifferentways.

Planningforrepurposingmeansthateverycontentassetyoucreateneedstobedifferentinsomeway.

ResourcesDavidGould,“ContentRepurposing:HowtoLowerMarketingCostsandExpand

AudienceReach,”VerticalMeasures.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.verticalmeasures.com/content-marketing-2/content-repurposing-how-to-lower-marketing-costs-and-expand-audience-reach/.

MikeMcGrail,“TheBlogconomy:BloggingStats[Infographic],”socialmediatoday.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/blogconomy-blogging-stats-infographic.

JayBaer,“HowtoMake8PiecesofContentfrom1PieceofContent,”convinceandconvert.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-make-8-pieces-of-content-from-1-piece-of-content/.

Part5

HarvestingAudienceYoucanonlybuildsomethingmassivebystartingwithsomethingsmalltoeffectivelyclosethedistance.

DANNYINY

You’vechosenyourplatformanddevelopedtheassetsandapublishingschedulethatattractsanicheaudience.Nowit’stimetocreateasystemthatbuildsthevaluablesubscriberbaseforyourcompany.

Chapter14

TheMetricThatDrivestheModelImademistakesindrama.Ithoughtdramawaswhenactorscried.Butdramaiswhentheaudiencecries.

FRANKCAPRA

AfterFacebook’sIPOin2012,thestockdippedbyover50percent,downtolessthan$20pershare.Sincethen,Facebook’svaluehasmorethanquadrupled.Themajorreason,accordingtoaFastCompanyarticle,isarevisionthatFacebookmadetoitsmanagementandperformancestructure.

DuringthetimeFacebook’sstockwasstruggling,Facebook’sadteamhadbeenresponsibleforrevenue,whiletheproductteamwasfocusedonuserengagement.Aftermonthsoflacklusterresults,andaclearlackofaunifiedteameffort,Facebookdecidedtorewardallitsemployeesontheirperformanceagainstasinglemetric:revenue.Itwasarguedthat“theenterprisewouldgetawholelotmoreideas,andtheywouldbebetter,morecreative,morediverse.”

Andboy,didthischangework.InNovemberofthatyear,AppAdscameout,representingatruecollaborationbetweentheadteamandtheproductteam.Itwasagamechangerandaddedover$1billioninrevenue.

THEREWILLBEONETORULETHEMALLOneRingtorulethemall,OneRingtofindthem;OneRingtobringthemallandinthedarknessbindthem.”

J.R.R.TOLKIEN,LORDOFTHERINGS

LikeFacebook’ssolefocusonrevenue,yoursolefocusisononesimplemetric—thesubscriber.Whenyougotosleepatnight,youshouldbethinkingofattractingsubscribers.Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,youshouldhavesubscribersetchedinyourbrain.TheContentInc.modelonlyworksifyoucanbuildaloyalaudienceofsubscribersovertime.Period.

AsAndrewDavisstates,“Focusingoncreatingasubscriberdatabaseisdevelopingacustomerdatabasebeforeyouactuallyhavecustomerstosellto.”

LikeasubscriptiontoNetflixor(indayspast)anewspapersubscription,yourgoalistodeliversuchamazingvaluethroughcontentthatyouraudienceiswillingtogivesomepieceofpersonalinformationupasavalueexchange(e-mailaddress,homeaddress,etc.).TheonlydifferenceinyoursituationfromtheNetflixexampleisthatyouaregivingyourcontentawayforfree,sothatyoucanmonetizethatrelationshipatalaterpoint.

JohnJantsch,founderofDuctTapeMarketing,followedaContentInc.strategy,includingacommunityblogeffortandbookseries,togrowamultimillion-dollarconsultingpractice.ButJohn’slightbulbmomentcamewhenheaddeda“signmyguestbook”areatohiswebsiteintheearly2000s.Insteadofjustlookingatwebsitetraffic

analytics,Johnwasbeginningtobuildasubscriberdatabase.ThosesubscribersgaveJohntheabilitytolaunchhisconsultingnetworkandbuildamultimillion-dollarplatformintheprocess.TheTonightShowhostJimmyFallonisbecomingoneofthesubscriptionkingsof

media.Aftereveryshow,you’llseemultipleclipsfromtheshow(seeChapter13onrepurposing)sharedaroundsocialmediatopromote(youguessedit)subscriptions.Aftereveryshortclip,you’llseeahumorousclipofJimmyFallonaskinghisaudiencetosubscribe(Figure14.1).

Figure14.1Thenew“kingoflatenight,”JimmyFallon,focusesheavilyonbuildingdigitalsubscribers.

ThefollowingareallthesubscriptionoptionsforTheTonightShowandNBCthatareshowninthetextareabeloweachofFallon’svideosonYouTube:

SubscribeNOWtoTheTonightShowStarringJimmyFallon:http://bit.ly/1nwT1aN

WatchTheTonightShowStarringJimmyFallonWeeknights11:35/10:35c

GetmoreJimmyFallon:FollowJimmy:http://Twitter.com/JimmyFallonLikeJimmy:https://Facebook.com/JimmyFallon

GetmoreTheTonightShowStarringJimmyFallon:

FollowTheTonightShow:http://Twitter.com/FallonTonightLikeTheTonightShow:https://Facebook.com/FallonTonightTheTonightShowTumblr:http://fallontonight.tumblr.com/

GetmoreNBC:

NBCYouTube:http://bit.ly/1dM1qBH

LikeNBC:http://Facebook.com/NBCFollowNBC:http://Twitter.com/NBCNBCTumblr:http://nbctv.tumblr.com/NBCGoogle+:https://plus.google.com/+NBC/posts

Quick-QuiltingCapitaloftheWorldAsreportedintheClaimYourFamepodcastbyAndrewDavis

Ifyou’renotaquilter,thismaybethefirsttimeyou’veheardofthetownHamilton,Missouri—thequick-quiltingcapitaloftheworld.Themonikerwasearnedthankstoadown-to-earth,engagingquiltshopownerandhercustom-made,YouTubevideoquiltingtutorials.JennyDoanisthecofounderoftheMissouriStarQuiltCo.,aquiltshopinHamiltonthatboaststhelargestselectionofpre-cutfabricsintheworld.

In2008,Hamiltonwashithardwiththeturnoftheeconomy.ResidentsJennyandRonDoanhadraisedtheirsevenchildrenonRon’sincomeasamachinistfortheKansasCityStar.Manyresidentsweregettinglaidofffromtheirjobs,andJennyandRon’skidswerebecomingconcernedabouttheirparents’financialfuture.Tostaybusy,Jennywouldsewquiltsforfamilyandfriends.Thoughshesewedtogetherthefabricpiecestomakeabeautifulquiltherself,Jennyneededsomeonewhohadalong-armsewingmachinetoaddthebatting—theinsulationwithinthequiltfabric.Demandwassogreatthatitcouldtakeninemonthstoayeartosecurethebatting-filledfabric.ThatgaveJenny’sson,Al,anidea.

AlandhissisterSarahinvested$24,000intoalong-armsewingmachine,adozenboltsoffabric,andabuildinginHamiltonfortheoperation.Thefamilyworkedtwoyearsonthebusinesswithouteverbringinghomeapaycheck.Itwaschallengingtogrowthebusinessinatownofjust1,800people.Aldecidedtheyneededawebsite.But,asweallknow,justbecauseyoubuildit,doesnotmeantheywillcome.

TheDoansknewtheyhadtodosomethingdifferenttoattractwebvisitorsanddrivemoreonlinesales.AlsuggestedJennycreatequiltingvideotutorialstopostonYouTube.WithJenny’snaturalandengagingcamerapersonalityandAl’samateurbehind-the-scenesabilities,theMissouriStarQuiltCo.’sYouTubechannelwascreated(seeFigure14.2).

Figure14.2TheMissouriStarQuiltCompanyhasbeenabletoamassover200,000subscriberssince2009.

Thechannelreceived1,000subscribersinitsfirstyear,10,000inyeartwo,andtodayhascloseto250,000subscribers.Jenny’svideoshavereachedasmanyasahalf-millionviews.Thevideoshavedrivennewtraffictotheirwebsite,gaininganaverageof2,000onlinesalesperdayandmakingthemtheworld’slargestsupplierofpre-cutfabrics.Jennyreceivese-mailsfromindividualsallovertheworldwholovewatchinghervideos.Fromwar-tornIrantoSouthAfricatoacrosstheUnitedStates,Jenny’sfansloveher.

Thoughthisinitselfisanamazingstory,thesuccessdoesnotstophere.AsMissouriStarQuiltCo.grew,sodidtheneedformorestaff.Todate,Jennyandherfamilynowhave120employeesworkinginHamilton.Theyalsoinvestedinthreeotherbusinesses,twolocalrestaurants,andabakery.Theirretailwarehousedisplays20,000boltsoffabric,andtheyoperatefivefabricshopsonHamilton’smainstreet.Theyalsocreateda“sew-and-stay”retreatcenter.Byyear’send,theywilladdanothereightfabricshopstotheirquiltingempire.

TheDoansdon’tnecessarilyknowwherethecompanywillgofromthere.Theirfocusisonmakingthebestquiltsandprovidingthebestproductsfortheircustomers.Inthemeantime,theyarechanginglivesandrebuildingatown,onequiltatatime.

THESUBSCRIBERIMPORTANCEHIERARCHYAswediscussedinChapter8,yourgoalistobuildcontentassetswhereyouhavethemaximumamountofcontrol.Thisisespeciallytrueforthetypesofsubscribersyouattract.WhileIbelievethatanyfan,follower,orsubscribercanbeagoodthing,theyarenotequalinvalue.

Forexample,let’ssaythatyoubuildyourplatformonFacebook.Overtime,you’vebeenabletoattract50,000“fans”onthatplatform.

InNovember2014,Facebookmadesomedrasticchangestoitsplatformtohidepostsfrompages,suchas:

Poststhatsolelypushpeopletobuyaproductorinstallanapp

Poststhatpushpeopletoenterpromotionsandsweepstakeswithnorealcontext

Poststhatreusetheexactsamecontentfromads

WhilethismakessenseforFacebook’sbusinessmodeltowork,atthesametimeitmeansthatFacebookhastherightnottoshowcertainposts.FacebookexpertMariSmithrecentlystatedthat“bottomline,mostPagescannolongerrelyonorganicreachtogainsolidbusinessresultsonFacebook.Youneedtohaveaconsistentcontentstrategy…todrivetraffictoyourwebsiteandbuildyouremaillistviaads.”

IknowsomebusinessesthathaveseenorganicreachonFacebookfallto1percentorless.Atthesametime,ScottLinabarger,formercontentmarketingdirectoratClevelandClinic,statedthatsomepostsfromthehospitalsawupto60percentorganicreachonFacebook.Itreallydoesn’tmatterthough.YoushouldleverageFacebookhoweveryoucan,butyouneedtoknowthatFacebookcontrolstheultimatereach,notyou.

Asyouanalyzeyourdigitalfootprintandbegintobuildyouraudience,yourfocusneedstobeatthetopofthishierarchy(Figure14.3).Simplyput,itcomesdowntotheamountofcontrolyouhaveovertheconnections.

Figure14.3Allsubscribersarenotcreatedequal.Ifyouhaveachoice,e-mailsubscribersarethemostvaluableultimatelybecauseofcontrol.

E-mail.Mostcontrolandeasiestaccess.Extremelyhelpfulandrelevante-mailswillbreakthroughtheclutter.

Printsubscribers.Incredibleamountofcontrol.Communicationneverinstantaneousandfeedbackdifficult.Costchallengesduetoprintandpostalcharges.

LinkedInconnections.Fullcontroloverwhatyousendtofollowersandconnections,butchannelisverycongested,soitmaybechallengingtobreakthroughwithaconsistentmessage.

Twitterfollowers.Fullcontroloverwhatyousendtofollowersbutmessageshaveaneight-secondlifespan,soitmaybechallengingtoreachaudienceregularly.

iTunessubscribers.Fullcontroloverthedeliveryofaudiocontent,butiTunesdoesn’tgiveyouaccesstowhosubscribestoyourcontent.

Medium/Tumblr/Instagram/Pinterestsubscribers.Fullcontroloverdeliveryofcontent.Userswillseeyourcontentiftheychooseto.Noultimateownershipoverplatform.

YouTubesubscribers.Somecontrolovercontent,butYouTubecandecidetoholdsomeofyourcontentbackifsubscribersaren’tengagingwithyourcontent(called“subscriberburn”).

Facebookfans.Facebookcontinuallymodifiesitsalgorithm,whichisoutofyourcontrol.Fansmayormaynotseeyourcontentdependingonthisalgorithm,althoughquality,helpful,andinterestingcontenthasthebestchanceofbreakingthrough.PromotionalcontentalmostalwaysisshutdownbyFacebook.

Whileyouhavemorecontrolwithcertainsubscriptionoptions,JeffRohrs,chiefmarketingofficeratYextandauthorofAudience,isadamantthatnocompany“owns”itsaudience:“Thereasonthattheaudienceisindifferentplacesisthatnoaudienceisowned.Regardlessofwhetheryou’reamajortelevisionnetwork,popstar,orprofessionalsportsteamwithrabidfans,yousimplydonotownyouraudience.Theycangetupandleave—mentallyorphysically—atanytime.”

Thisisexactlythereasonthatamazinglyhelpfulandrelevantcontentistheonlywaytokeepouraudienceconnectedtous,regardlessofwhichsubscriptionoptionsyouchoosetoleverage.

YOUNEEDANE-MAILOFFERINGRegardlessofwhetheryouareaYouTubestarorapoolguy,youneedane-mailofferingtoattractsubscribers.BuzzFeed,thenewmediaentertainmentandnewssite,gaineditspopularityduetosocialsharingonFacebookandTwitter.Whilethisistrue,andFacebookandTwittersubscribersareimportanttoBuzzFeed,everypageonitssitehasapromotiontogaine-mailsubscriberstoitsdailye-newsletter(Figure14.4).

Figure14.4EvensocialmediapowerhouseBuzzFeed.comfocusesonbuildinge-mailsubscribers.

Aswell,businesspublicationFastCompanyincludesanicelittlee-mailcalltoactionatthebottomofeveryarticle(Figure14.5).

Figure14.5AttheendofeveryFastCompany.comarticle,thereisacall-to-actionforthecompany’sdailye-mailoffering.

Let’slookattheContentInc.exampleofEntrepreneurOnFire.comfromJohnLeeDumas.HismainsubscriptionchannelisiTunes.ThismakessensesinceJohn’skeyplatformcomprisesaudiopodcasts.ButgotoJohn’swebsite,andthefirstthingyou’llseeisacalltoactionforane-mailsubscription(Figure14.6).

Figure14.6EntrepreneurOnFire.comshowsfirst-timevisitorsafull-displaypromotiontocollecte-mailsubscribers.

MarketingAutomationAswe’vediscussed,e-mailmarketingtechnologyisofcriticalimportanceasyoubuildoutyouraudiencedatabase.Asyoubegintogetmoreadvancedandconsidernurturingcontentandloyaltycontent,youmayneedamorerobustsystem.Entermarketingautomationtechnology.

Beforeyouselectanykindofautomationtechnology,besureyouactuallyneedit.Morecompaniesthannotinvestinmarketingautomationtechnologybutquicklyrealizetheydon’thavethestaffingresourcesandinvestmentdollarstokeepupwiththeplatform.

Whenyouareready,considerplayerssuchasAct-OnSoftware,Marketo,OracleEloqua,Percolate,Pardot(ownedbySalesforce.com),HubSpot,andInfusionsoft.

AsyouemployyourContentInc.strategy,youneedsomekindofe-mailoffering.Thiscouldbea:

Dailye-mailnewsletterbasedonyouroriginalblog

Dailye-mailnewslettercuratingthebestinformationfromtheweb

Weeklye-mailnewsletterorweeklyreportofferingindustryinsight

Reportofferingafreshideatoyouraudienceeverymonth

TIPSFORGAININGSUBSCRIBERSThinkaboutthelasttimeyouclickedonanarticleonsocialmediaanditdirectedyoubacktothewebsite.Ifit’slikemostsites,thecallstoactionwereallabouttheproducts.Perhapsaproductdemo?Maybeanewproductoffering?

WithaContentInc.model,everypieceofcontentwesendoutdrivestoanotherpieceofcontentthatcanbesubscribedto(ane-mailoffering).AtCMI,ourbestsubscriptiongeneratorisapop-over(sometimescalleda“pop-up”)usingatoolcalledPippity(Figure14.7).

Figure14.7ContentMarketingInstituteusesasoftwarepackagecalledPippitytoshowapop-overtocollecte-mailsubscriptions.

Inthepastweservedupthepop-overafter15secondsoronthesecondpageofafirst-timeuser’svisittothesite.Recently,wechangedthisduetothefollowingtestingresults;wenowservethepop-overwhensomeoneleavesthesite.Herearetheresultsofourtest:

StandardPop-Over

Datesserved:2/1–2/15

Impressions:11,486

Conversions:356

Conversionrate:3.10%

Exit-OnlyPop-Over

Datesserved:2/16–3/3

Impressions:41,683

Conversions:914

Conversionrate:2.19%

Althoughtheconversionpercentagewasloweronexit-only,wedecidedtokeepitinplacebecauseoftheadditionalconversions(over100percentgrowthinconversions).Thisissomethingyoushouldtestoutyourself.

Otherwaystoenhanceyoursubscriptionopportunitiesinclude:

Askforonlyane-mailaddress,orjustanameande-mailaddress,forstarters.Askingfortoomuchinformationatfirstwilldamageyourabilitytogainsubscribers.

Promotesubscriptionsonyourwebsiteandsocialplatforms.

Placesubscriptionoptionsinthefooterofyoure-mailsignatureline.Dothesameforallyouremployees.

LeverageSlideSharePro,whereyoucanuploadPowerPoint-typepresentationsandcollecte-mailnames(subscriptions)whenpeopledownloadthem.(Note:SlideShareisownedbyLinkedIn.)

Youneedallyouremployeesandcontractorstounderstandyourkeymetric.Tellthemoften.Belowisasamplenotetoallouremployeesaboutourgoalsandwhatwewantthemtodothisweek(thisnotecomesfromourVPofcontent,MicheleLinn).

Hieveryone,

AsImentionedbrieflyinFriday’scall,theeditorialteamistryingtobeveryfocused.Ourtwobiggoalsare:

Goal#1:Buildingouremaillist.

Goal#2:GettingsubscribersengagedinadditionalCMIproducts.(Themoresomeoneisengaged,themorelikelytheyaretoattendoureventsandbuyfromus.)

Afewthingstonote:

1.Weliketoencouragesign-upsforthesethreethings,astheyallrequiremorethanemailaddress.Thishelpsthemarketingteambuildoutthedataforoursubscriberbase:

•ChiefContentOfficerMagazine

•Webinars

•SlideShare(Note:SomeoneissubscribedtoourweeklynewsletterwhentheydownloadaPDFoftheSlideShare)

2.Wehavetwoprimarygatedpiecesofcontentonthesitetoattractsubscribers:

•DocumentedcontentmarketingstrategyeBook:http://cmi.media/CI-documented=

•InfluencermarketingeBookandtoolkit:http://cmi.media/CI-distribution

3.Welookalotatpoststhatgetthemostconversions—aswellaspoststhathavelowertraffic,buthigherconversions—andpushpeopletothatcontent.Wewillcontinuetosendthatlisttoyouonaweeklybasissothatyoucansharethoseout

toyourownsocialnetworks.

Asalways,ifyouhaveanyquestionsonthis—orideasonhowtospreadthe4kindsofcontentmorewidely—pleaseletmeknowanytime.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Withoutanaudience,yourContentInc.strategywillnotwork.

Whileactivitymetricsarecriticaltomeasurethesuccessofyourcontent,yourultimategoalshouldalwaysbetogetorkeepanaudience.Laser-focusingonthatmakesallthedifference.

Thereareanumberofwaystobuildanaudience,butnotallsubscribersarecreatedequal.Ifyouhaveachoice,gofore-mailfirst.

Webtrafficandsocialmediasharesaregreat,butifyouarenotbuildinganaudience,thosemaybemeaninglessmetrics.Focusonthemetricsthathelpyoubuildanopt-inaudience.

ResourcesAustinCarr,“Facebook’sPlantoOwnYourPhone,”FastCompany.com,accessedApril

28,2015,http://www.fastcompany.com/3031237/facebook-everywhere.

FacebookforBusiness,“AnUpdatetoNewsFeed:WhatItMeansforBusiness,”Facebook.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://www.facebook.com/business/news/update-to-facebook-news-feed.

MariSmith,Facebookstatusupdate,Facebook.com,January3,2015,https://www.facebook.com/marismith/posts/10152509018550009.

JeffreyK.Rohrs,“TheProprietaryAudience,”October25,2013,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.exacttarget.com/blog/the-proprietary-audience-aka-no-audience-is-owned/.

Chapter15

BuildingforFindabilityThetruedelightisinthefindingoutratherthanintheknowing.

ISAACASIMOV

MattCutts,Google’sleadingsearchevangelist,recentlydeclared:“Ifirmlysupporttheideathatpeopleshouldhaveadiversifiedwayofreachingtheiraudience.SoifyourelyonlyonGooglethatmightnotbeasstrongofanapproachcomparedtohavingawidevarietyofdifferentavenuesbywhichyoucanreachpeopleanddrivethemtoyourwebsiteorwhateveryourobjectiveis.”

Accordingtothe2015ContentMarketingBenchmarkresearchfromContentMarketingInstituteandMarketingProfs,moremarketersarefocusingoncontentpromotionthaneverbefore.Why?Companiesofallsizesarespendingvastamountsofmoneyoncontentcreation,onlytofindoutthatnooneisengaginginthatcontent.Developingongoingcontentwithoutaclearstrategyforcontentfindabilityisnoplanatall.

SEARCHENGINEOPTIMIZATIONGettingyourcontentfoundthroughsearchenginesisthekingofcontentfindability.AccordingtowebpresencemanagementcompanyConductor,approximatelyhalfofallwebtrafficcomesfromorganicsearch(nonpaidresults).

FortheContentInc.modeltobesuccessful,youneedtofocusonsearchengineoptimization(SEO)atalltimes.Foralongtime,themembersofCMI’sstaffbelievedthatiftheyunderstoodthebasicsofSEOandcreatedvaluable,shareablecontent,thecontentwouldbefoundintheorganicsearchrankings.Althoughrespectabletrafficwascomingtooursitefromsearchengines,gettingalotmoreseriousaboutSEOinthelastfewyearsmorethandoubledsearchresults—anddoubledourbusinessintheprocess.Betteryet,themajorityofnewsubscriberscomeinthroughsearchenginesratherthananyothersource.Needlesstosay,SEOiscriticalforoursurvival.

Your“HitList”ofKeywordsEverymonthCMIreviewsa“rollinglist”ofourtop50keywordphrases(like“contentmarketing”or“howtocuratecontent”).Foreachphrase,wemonitorourplacementinGoogle,checkhowwearedoingagainstcompetitors,anddeterminehowwearetrendingfromthepreviousmonth(arewedoingbetterorworse?).(SeeFigure15.1.)

Figure15.1CMIanalyzesarollingsetof50keywordspermonthtotracksearchengineoptimizationperformance.

Wealsolookattheresultsonahistoricalbasistotrackhowtheteamisdoingonourmostimportantkeywords(Figure15.2).

Figure15.2Everykeywordphrase’sperformanceistrackedmonthlyinGoogleandBing,alongwiththelinktothepieceofcontentthatisranked.

Ourgoalistodrivesubscriptionsfromeverypageofcontent.TheCMIstafftreatseverypagelikealandingpageandmonitorstoppagesforwaystoincreasetraffictoaspecificpage,aswellasincreasetheconversionofreaderstosubscribers(Figure15.3).

Figure15.3Everycontentpageistreatedlikealandingpage,andeachoneismeasuredonhowmanysubscriberscomeinthrougheachpage.

Howdowebuildastrategyforthisconcept?Below,CMI’sSEOspecialistMikeMurrayexplainshowtointegratesearchintheContentInc.model.

Ifhalfofyourtrafficcomesfromorganicsearch,wheredoestheotherhalfcomefrom?Hereareanumberoftacticsyoushouldconsideraspartofyourmodel.

12KeywordSelectionTipsforSEOandSmallBusinessContentMarketingByMikeMurray,CMI’sSEOSpecialist

Smallbusinessownersandentrepreneurscanill-affordtooperateinthedarkwhenitcomestokeywordselectioniftheywanttobuildanaudiencefromsearchenginetraffic.

Toooften,ownerstakewildstabswiththeirkeywordchoices.Sure,theycanoccasionallyguesswell.Buthowoftenaretheireffortsawasteoftime?

ThegoodnewsisthatyoucanattractsomesearchenginevisitorsbyconstantlycreatingcontentevenwithoutanSEOstrategy.Withkeywords,youwillrankforsomethingbecausesearchenginealgorithmsvaluecontent.

Youneedtoberealistic.Everypageorblogpostwon’ttakeyoutothefirstpositiononGoogle(orothersearchenginesforthatmatter).Maybeakeywordphrasewith10,000searchesamonthwillbeoutofreach.YoucanstillgetmoreoutofSEOwithjustabitmoreeffort.

Youcanreferencethefollowingchecklistasyouconsiderwhatkeywordstoplayupinyournewcontent(don’toverlookopportunitiestoalsoupdateolderarticles).

1.HaveIexploredkeywordresearchresources?CheckoutSerpStatandSEOChat’sfreeGoogleKeywordSuggestTool.Evenifyoudon’tadvertiseonGoogle,getaGoogleAdWordsaccounttoaccesstheKeywordPlanner.PaidtoolsincludeKeywordDiscoveryandWordTracker.IoftenuseSEMrush,whichsuggestspossiblekeywordsthatyoumaynothaveconsidered(itanalyzesmorethan100millionkeywords,includingdataaboutcompetitors).WithinafewminutesofusingSEMrush,IhadanExcelspreadsheetfilledwith6,000keywordideasfromanInc.5000company.YoushouldalsolookatthekeywordsthatpeopleuseatSocialMention.

Youcanmakealistofkeywordphrases,butsearchcountsmatter.Sometimesyoucangoafterakeywordphrasewith1,000monthlysearches.Quiteoften,youmaywantsomethinglesscompetitive.Idon’truleoutkeywordphraseswith50searchesamonth.

2.Isthekeywordphraserelevant?Doesthekeywordphrasereallymatchyourproductsandservicesandyourtargetaudiences?Keywordspecificityisparamount.

Keepinmindthatthekeywordsearchesyoudiscovermayincludeunusualkeywordcombinationslike“socceruniformsyouth.”Youcanseehowtheyrank,butpropersentencestructurewillforceyoutoswitchtheorderofthewords.Youcanprobablyusetwodifferentspellingsinsomecases(butavoiddoingthatonthesamepage).“Swingset”and“swingset”wouldbeoneexample.

3.Arewebuyingthiskeywordphrasethroughpaidsearch?Ifyou’respendingmoneyonpaidsearch(payperclick),theperformancedatacanbehelpful.Butpayingforthoseclickswon’tguaranteeorganicsuccessforyoursmallbusiness.Onlysomeofthekeywordsmaydowell.Dependingontheconversions,youmayseevalueinkeepingakeywordphraseforbothpaidandnaturalsearch.

4.AmIalreadyrankingforthekeywordphrase?Areyouamongthetop10,top20,top30,orfaroutat99?UsetoolslikeSheerSEO,WebCEO,andMoztogetrankingdata.EnterpriseSEOTools:TheMarketer’sGuideexploresdifferentplatformsthatcanhelpyoumanage,track,andoptimizethousandsofkeywords(someareexpensive,butsomepackagesareaffordable).Thisfreereportisavailableathttp://cmi.media/CI-seotools.

5.Willmynewpageadequatelymentionthekeywordphrase?Althoughsearchenginesdetectthemesorconcepts,theoutstandingcontentshouldstillincludeyourmoststrategickeywordphrases.Rankingswillalsobeheavilyinfluencedbythepagetitle,pageheader,websiteage,inboundlinks,andmanyotherfactors.

6.Howmuchtrafficismywebsitereceivingforthekeywordphrase?Inyourwebsiteanalytics,startwiththewordsthatpeopleusetoreachyourwebsiteandthekeywordphrasescapturedinyourinternalsitesearchaftertheyarrive.Maybesomeonesearchesfor“Clevelandaccountingfirms,”butthatmaypromptyoutolookatsomeoptionslike“accountingfirmsinCleveland”or“ClevelandOhioCPAfirms.”Youcanworkthosephrasesintoexistingcontentornewpages.

Ialwayslookatmultiplekeywordphrasesonawebpagethatrankhighon

searchengines.Youmayfindthatasinglepagecouldsupport“heatingandcoolingDallas”and“Dallasheatingcooling.”However,bothphrasesmaynotappearamongthetoppositions.Youmayneedtocreateanewpagedevotedtooneofthephrases,whichwon’tneedtoappearontheoriginalpage(givingmoreweighttoaremainingkeywordphrase).

7.AmIrefiningmysetofkeywords?Evenafteryoucreateyourkeywordset,youshouldevaluateitbasedonyournewkeywordideas,industrytrends,thecompetition,youranalytics,keywordsyouseeonsocialmedia,andothersources.Don’tjustmakeanoteofwordsyoucomeacross.Thinkofvariationsaswell.

8.Isthiskeywordphrase(orsimilarphrases)alreadyconverting?Youcantrackkeywordsthroughyourwebsiteanalyticsandconversionfunnels,includinge-commerce(connectingkeywordsandlandingpageswithproductsales).SomebusinessesgainadditionalinsightswithcalltrackingservicessuchasthoseofferedbyMongooseMetrics,Marchex,andothers.

9.Aretherecallstoactiononthepage?IfyouwantakeywordphrasetopayoffforyourContentInc.strategy,makesurethepagehasacompellingcalltoaction.Canavisitorcallatoll-freenumber,requestademo,downloadaguide,orrequestmoreinformation?

10.Arethererelatedpagesthatcouldsupportaninternallinkstrategy?Asinglepagecanrankwell,butsometimesithelpstocreateseveralrelatedpagessosearchenginescandeterminethatyou’reemphasizingasimilarsetofkeywordphrases.Cross-linkthestrategickeywordsonseveralofyoursimilarpagesorposts.

11.Howwillthiskeywordphrasechoicefitintofuturecontent?Yourkeywordselectionoptionsshouldbebasedonplannedcontentfortheweeksormonthsahead,notjustthecontentyoualreadyhaveorarewritingtoday.Withacontentcalendar,consideranynumberofkeywordpossibilitieswellbeforewritinganarticleorcreatingablogpost.

12.Isthekeywordphraseinourdomainname?In2012,Googledecidedtogoafterlow-qualityexact-matchdomainsforwebsites(meaningtheirrankingscouldbeaffected).I’msureGooglewantedtodealwithobnoxiousdomainslikethispretenddomain:seocontentmarketingtipsforsmallbusinessmarketers.com.However,forrespectablewebsites,thedomainnamestillseemstohaveapositiveimpactonsearchenginerankings.

GUESTAPPEARANCESINOPCAsnotedearlierinthebook,OPCisshortfor“otherpeople’scontent.”ThemoreourthinkinggetsspreadaroundinOPC,thebetterchanceswewillhavetoattractnewpeopletooursiteandbuildsubscribers.Asyoudevelopbetterrelationshipswithinfluencers(seeChapter16),oneofyourgoalsistofindopportunitytohelpthoseinfluencerswiththeircontent.Thatcouldmeandevelopingaguestblogpostforthemorguest-starringinawebinarfortheiraudience.

Since2007,I’vewrittenoriginalorrepurposedarticlesforover200differentwebsites.Atthesametime,I’veparticipatedinover30outsidewebinarsayear.Thesetwoactivitieshavebeencriticaltooursuccess.HowdoIknow?InFebruary2015,userscametotheCMIsitefromover2,500differentplaces.Muchofthatdiversityisbecausewesharecontentonotherpeople’ssites.

InApril2015,Googleannouncedthatitsalgorithmwouldfavorthosesitesthatare“mobileready.”Thatmeans,ifyourwebsitedoesn’trenderwellonmobiledevices,yourcontentmaybepenalizedbyGoogle.

CREATEMORELISTSWITHYOURCONTENTAsmuchasI’mnotafanofthis,listsgetfoundandshared.Asaresult,morepeopleblogandlinktothatcontent,makingiteasiertobefoundinsearchengines.CMI’sbest-performingcontentisalmostalwaysanumberedlist.

Evenmoreimpactfuliscompilinganindustrylistofinfluencers.Forbesmagazineisperhapsthekingofthis—themagazinedevelopsmultiple“bestof”reportseachmonth(Figure15.4).

Figure15.4Forbesexecutesanumberof“bestof”programs,includingthisone.

CONSIDERSTUMBLEUPONAccordingtoanalyticsblogKISSmetrics,manybusinessesoverlookthevalueofStumbleuponaspartoftheircontentpromotionactivities.ReadersuseStumbleupontofindor“stumble”ontorelevantarticlesandsitesbasedontheircurrentinterests.

Statcounterfoundthatofthetopsevenmost-traffickedsites,Stumbleuponisoneoftheleadersindrivingtraffictothosesites.AddingStumbleupontoyoursitetoolbarwouldbeasolidfirststep.

GETINVOLVEDWITHREDDIT

InFebruary2015,communitysiteReddithadover150millionuniquevisitors.OnReddit,consumersofeveryinterestsharestories,vote,andcomment.Dependingonyournichearea,theremaybeafewsubgroups,calledsubreddits,whereconversationsarehappening.Bybeingactiveinthesecommunities,youmayreceiveopportunitiestoshareyourexpertise—andyourarticles.

CREATEUNIQUERESEARCHIt’snotevenclose.Moresitesshareouroriginalresearchthananythingelsewedo.Ifthiscouldbeanopportunityforyou,besureyouplanyourresearchasanongoingseries,likequarterlyorannually.Thatmeanseverytimetheresearchisreleased,youhavesomethingnewandamazingtotalkabout.

ANSWERQUESTIONSATQUORAQuoraisaquestion-and-answerplatform.Mostlikely,possiblesubscribersareaskingquestionsthatyoumaybeabletoanswer,againshowingyourexpertiseanddrivingpeopletoyourwebsite.

CONTENTSYNDICATIONSyndicatingyourcontentmeansyouactivelyplaceyourarticlesonotherpeople’ssites.Inthepast,manyhavethoughtthatsearchengineslikeGooglepenalizeyoursiteforduplicatecontent.Googlesaysthisisn’ttrue:“Let’sputthistobedonceandforall,folks:There’snosuchthingasa‘duplicatecontentpenalty.’”

MichaelBrenner,headofstrategyforNewsCred,believesthatcontentsyndicationisanuntappedopportunity.Asheshares:

AtSAP,Ibuiltanaward-winningcontentmarketinghubcalledSAPBusinessInnovationandstarteditwithlittlebudget.Howdoyoubuildacontenthubonasmallbudget?Youneedanarmyofvolunteercontentcontributors.

Ididthisbysyndicatingcontentfromotherexperts(mostlyemployees,tostart)withtheirpermission.WhenIstartedshowingbusinessresultsandmybudgetsincreased,Iaddedlicensedcontentaswellasadditionalpaidoriginalcontent.

Licensingyourcontenttoothersites(syndication)maymakesensetogiveyoutheaddeddistributionyouneed.AndeventhoughIbelieveoriginalcontentcreationisthenumberoneoptionforContentInc.modelstogrow,syndicatingotherpeople’scontentmaybesomethingtoconsideruntilyourcontentfactoryisinfullgear.

OrganizationslikeNewscredandPRNewswireshouldbeconsideredifthisinterestsyou.

LEVERAGEHAROHelpaReporterOut,orHARO,isasiteforjournalistsandreporterslookingforexpertcontentsources.CMIhasusedHAROforthepastfewyearsandreceivedplacementin

theNewYorkTimesbecauseofit.

ADDIMAGESTOYOURTEXTCONTENTSkywordresearchhasfoundthatbusiness-orientedwebpageswithimageshaveperformed91percentbetterthanthosepageswithoutimages.Whenindoubt,alwaysaddanimagetoyourtextualcontent(Figure15.5).

Figure15.5FormypodcastThisOldMarketingwithRobertRose,CMIdevelopsacustomimagethatisleveragedaspartofoursocialmediapromotion.

SiteslikeHuffingtonPostandBuzzFeedpracticethisreligiously.Addingimagesdoesnothavetobeanarduousprocess.Considerthefollowing:

Asyoudevelopyourcontentcalendar,hireagraphicdesignertodevelopcustomizedposts.

SubscribetoanonlineimageservicelikeBigStockorShutterstock.Whilethisisfine,westillrecommendhavingadesignergointotheimageandcustomizeitenoughtomakeityourown.

Doityourself,usingaprogramsuchasCanva.

MAKESUREMOSTOFYOURCONTENTISUNGATEDInthesummerof2014,Iconductedaworkshopforsomeleadingtradeassociations.Themajorityofthemwerestrugglingwithgettingtheircontentfoundontheweb.Why?Because90percentoftheircontentwasonlyaccessibletomembers,whohadtologintoaccessthecontent.Thismeansthat90percentoftheircontentgoesunnoticedbysearchengines,anduserswholikethecontentcan’tshareitonsocialmedia.

AccordingtonotedauthorandspeakerDavidMeermanScott’spersonalstatistics,awhitepaperore-bookofhiswillbedownloadedatleast20timesmoreandupto50timesmorewithoutagateinfrontofit.Yougetbetterresultswithoutaleadforminfrontofdownloadablecontent.

Yes,youwantcertaincontentassetswithaforminfrontofthemtogrowyoursubscriberlists,butthevastmajorityofyourcontentneedstobeeasilyaccessibletoyouraudience,enhancingbothsearchandsocialmediasharingopportunities.

BRANDSCAPINGBrandscaping,accordingtoauthorAndrewDavis,isdefinedas“acollectionofbrandsworkingtogethertoproducegreatcontent”(seeFigure15.6).Thinkofanexamplewhereyouhavegreatcontent,butyouneedadditionalmarketingexposure.Orpossiblysomeoneinyourindustryhassomeamazingresearchthatyoureallywanttosharewithyouraudience.Inthesecases,perhapsapartnershipcanbecreated.

Figure15.6Twodifferentcompanies,TraackrandSkyword,partneredtogether(brandscaping)onaneducationale-book.

TestYourTitleslikeUpworthyUpworthy,oneofthefastest-growingsitesontheweb,focusesonsharingandcuratingcontentthat(itbelieves)upliftstherestofhumanity.InDecember2013,over87millionpeoplevisitedUpworthy.

Whataccountsfortheextraordinarynumberofvisits?AccordingtoUpworthy,“ItwasbecausemillionsofmembersoftheUpworthycommunitywatchedthevideoswecuratedandfoundthemimportant,compelling,andworthsharingwiththeirfriends.”

HowdoesUpworthygetpeopletoopenitse-mailstowatchthevideosandthensharethemwithfriends?TheUpworthystaffismeticulousaboutitsheadlines.Foreacharticle,Upworthywritesaminimumof25differentheadlines.ThenthecompanydoesvariousA/Btestswithitssubscriptionliststoseewhichheadlineledtothemoste-mailopensandthemostshares.OnceUpworthyfindsthebestperformer,thecompanydistributesthatwinningheadlinetotheentiree-maildatabase.

PAIDCONTENTDISTRIBUTIONOPTIONSBeforeyougainorganicsearchtractionandbuildamassiveaudienceofsubscribers,yourcontentmayneedaboosttogainreadership.Itiscompletelyacceptabletoengageinpaidcontentdistributiontechniquestoacquirenewsubscribers.Hereareacoupletoconsider:

Payperclick.Untilyoucanbefoundinyourtargetkeywordsonsearchengines,itmaymakesensetopayforpromotion.Payperclick(PPC)istheideathatyoupromoteyourcontentonsearchenginesandarechargedeverytimesomeoneclicksonyourlink.PPCchargescanrangefrom5centsforlesspopularkeywordphrasesuptomultipledollarsperclickforpopularsearches(like“mesothelioma”).

Contentdiscovery/recommendationtools.ServiceslikeOutbrain,Taboola,andnRelateformpartnershipswithmediaandbloggingsitesandwillpromoteyourcontent,forafee,onthesitesofyourchoosing.TheinvestmentworksexactlythesameasforPPC(youarechargedeverytimesomeoneclicksonyourstory).Thebiggestdifferencewithcontentrecommendationtoolsisthatthecontenthastobeintheformofaninterestingstory(ortheserviceswon’tshowit).Figure15.7showswhatacontentrecommendationsectionlookslikeonCNN.com.

Figure15.7Manypublishers,includingCNN,usecontentdiscoveryenginesatthebottomoftheirarticlestopromoterelevant(andsponsored)content.

SOCIALMEDIAADVERTISINGAlmosteverysocialwebsite,includingFacebook,LinkedIn,Twitter,andInstagram,acceptsadvertising.Eachoftheseservicesletsyoutargetveryspecificaudienceswithyourcontent.Figure15.8presentsanexamplefromFacebookpromotingawebinar(promotingvaluablecontentisthebestwaytoleveragesocialadvertising).

Figure15.8PromotingyourcontentinsocialmediaoutletslikeFacebookcanbeagreatwaytotargetaveryspecificaudiencewithcontent.

NEWSRELEASESERVICESServicessuchasPRNewswireandPRWebwilltakeyourpressreleaseanddistributeittothemediasitesofyourchoosingforadditionalpromotion.Remember,thereisnosetformat.Youcanbeascreativeasyoucantogetattentionamongthethousandsofotherreleasessentoutthatday.PRprofessionalMitchDelaplanehadabitoffunwithhispressreleasein2011andendedupbeingpromotedonsites,suchasTechCrunch,asthe“bestpressreleaseever”(Figure15.9).

Figure15.9MitchDelaplane’s“bestpressreleaseever”waspickedupbymultiplemediaoutlets.

Formoreinformationonpromotionoptionsforyourcontent,checkoutChadPollitt’sguidetocontentpromotion(http://cmi.media/CI-promotion)andRobertRose’sfullreportoncontentdiscoverytools(http://cmi.media/CI-native).

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Whiletherearemanywaysforyourcontenttobefound,thecenterofthefindabilityuniverseissearch.

Whilesettingyourcontenttobefoundinsearchenginesisnotrocketscience,mostcompaniesdon’tdothesmallthingsneededtobefoundbysearchengines.Besuretocreateaprocessforthis.

Advertisingyourcontenttobuildsubscribersisaviableoption.Lookatallavailablechannelstoseehowyoucangetyourcontentinfrontoftherightpeople.

Resources

EricEnge,“LinkBuildingIsNotIllegal(orInherentlyBad)withMattCutts,”stonetemple.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://www.stonetemple.com/link-building-is-not-illegal-or-bad/.

NathanSafran,“310MillionVisits:NearlyHalfofAllWebSiteTrafficComesfromNaturalSearch[Data],”conductor.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.conductor.com/blog/2013/06/data-310-million-visits-nearly-half-of-all-web-site-traffic-comes-from-natural-search/.

KristiHines,“4WaystoIncreaseTrafficwithStumbleUpon,”KISSmetrics.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://blog.kissmetrics.com/increase-traffic-with-stumbleupon/.

GoogleSupport,“DuplicateContent,”Google.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66359?hl=en.

MichaelBrenner,“GettheBiggestSEOBangforYourContentMarketingBuck,”ContentMarketingInstitute.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/brenner-seo-content-marketing/.

UpworthyInsider,“WhatActuallyMakesThingsGoViralWillBlowYourMind,”Upworthy.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://blog.upworthy.com/post/69093440334/what-actually-makes-things-go-viral-will-blow-your.

AlexiaTsotsis,“TheMostAmazingPressReleaseEverWritten,”techcrunch.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/12/news-about-news/.

Chapter16

StealingAudienceInfluencermarketingisgettingotherstoshareyourstory,generateinterest,andmakeyourcase.

ARDATHALBEE

Themajorityofmarketingprofessionalsmightcallthischapter“influencermarketing,”butI’dratherjusttellitlikeitis.Thegoalofbuildingarelationshipwithaninfluencer(definedas“theplacewherethepeopleinyouraudiencearehangingoutonthewebiftheyarenotonyoursite”)istostealtheinfluencer’saudienceandmakeityours(Isaythisinthenicestwaypossible).

Rightnow,thepeoplewhomakeupyouraudiencearenotjuststandingaroundwaitingforyourcontent.Theyareactivelyinvolvedandengagedinmobile,video,audio,andtextualcontentforinformationalorentertainmentpurposes.Ifyouaregoingtobreakthrough,youneedtotakethatattentionanddirectittowardyourcontent(notaneasytask).

Thischapterisallabouthelpingyoudojustthat:stealaudience!

MAKINGTHECASEThismethodoftappingintoinfluencerstohelpamplifyyourcontentisotherwiseknownas“influencermarketing.”It’saprettystraightforwardconceptwhenyouthinkaboutit:

Influencershaveapreestablishedaudiencethatisalreadyreceptivetotheirideasandrecommendations;theyarevaluedbyyourtargetaudience.

Influencershaveabuilt-inleveloftrustwiththeirreaders.Thehopeis,theseinfluencerswillforgethesestrongconnectionsonyourbehalfandhelpyoubuildcredibility.

Theycanhelpyoucreatetherightcontentthatreallymeetsyourconsumers’needs,becausetheyhave“on-the-ground”experienceandperspective.

Bypartneringwiththem,you’reabletogetyourcontentandmessagingoutintherightway,attherighttime,totherightpeople.

Theultimategoalistobuildandexpandyourownaudience.

WHAT’SYOURGOAL?JustasyouneedastrategyforyourContentInc.program,youalsoneedastrategyforyourinfluencermarketingprogram.Beforelaunchingyourinfluencerprogram,youneedtoclearlyunderstandanddocumentwhatyouspecificallywanttoaccomplish.Saidanotherway:Howwillyourinfluencerprogramhelpyouachieveyourbusinessgoals,andhowwillitleadtoaudiencebuilding?

Somepotentialobjectivestoconsideroruseasastartingpointtobuildyourownlistof

goals:

Brandawareness.Howmanypeopleviewed,downloaded,orlistenedtothispieceofcontentbecauseoftheinfluencer?

Engagement.Howresonantisthiscontent,andhowoftenisitsharedwithothers?Howistheinfluencerhelpingtoincreasesharing?

Leadgeneration.Howistheinfluencerhelpingtoconvertpeopleintovaluablesubscribers?

Sales.Didyoumakemoneybecauseofthiscontentsharedbytheinfluencer?WhatrevenueorROIcanyouapplytothisprogram?(SeeChapter22.)

Customerretentionandloyalty.Howcananinfluencerhelpretainacustomer?

Up-sellorcross-sell.Isthereawaytouseaninfluencertohelpsomeonebecomemoreinvestedinyourbusiness?

IDENTIFYINFLUENCERTYPESThetypeofinfluenceryouneeddependsonyourspecificobjective.Forexample,ifyouraimisawarenessandabroadreach,youmaychooseabiggernumberofinfluencerstoworkwithwhocanallproduce“bite-sized”piecesofcontenttoincreaseyourshareofvoice.Butifyouarelookingtoretaincustomersorup-sell,youmaywanttouseotherclientsasinfluencers.

HowCanYouIdentifytheRightInfluencers?Influencerscancomeinmanydifferentforms.Frominsideyourorganizationoutward,theycantaketheformof:

Bloggers

Customers

Membersofapurchasinggroup

Industryexpertsandanalysts

Businesspartners

Internalteammembersorexperts

Mediasites

Fromthesegroupsyouwillformyourinfluencer“hitlist”(see“BuildYourHitListofInfluencers”below).

HOWTOMANAGETHEPROGRAMNowthatyou’veestablishedwhatyou’retryingtoachievewithyourinfluencermarketingprogramandwhomyou’dideallyliketoreach,youwillhaveabetterunderstandingofwhetherornotyouhavetherightresourcesin-housetodotheworkneeded.Somethingstoconsider:

Howmuchcapacitydoesyourinternalteamhavefortakingonapilotgroupofinfluencers?

Doyouhaveanytoolsavailablein-house(onesyouuseforsociallistening,contentmanagement,etc.)thatyoucanleverageforaninfluencermarketingprogram?Seethesidebar“InfluencerListeningTools”forsuggestions.

InfluencerListeningTools•Klout(tofindandscoreinfluencers)

•LittleBird(tofindinfluencers)

•GoogleAlerts(toidentifyincomingcontentbasedonkeywords)

•Traackr(tofindandforminfluencerrelationships)

•TapInfluence(tofindregisteredinfluencersopentopartnershippossibilities)

Whenyoufullyunderstandyourinternalcapabilities,you’llbeabletodeterminewhatsizeprogramyoucanmanageandidentifywhatotherresourcesyou’llneedtoengagetodeploytheprogramthatwillmeetyourobjectives.

CREATECONTENTWORTHSHARINGInordertogetinfluencerstoworkwithyou,totrulypartnerwithyou,inamplifyingyourcontent,you’regoingtoneedsomethingcrucial:compellingandrelevantcontent.Timeandtimeagain,influencerswillpushbackonbrandsforforcingoverlypromotionalmessagesintotheirhard-earnedsites,becauseauthenticityisthepiecethatkeepstrustbetweenthemandtheirreaders,andnoone—notevenyourbrand—isworthjeopardizingthat.So,inshort,asperfectlystatedbyAndyNewbom,“Createsomethingforinfluencerstoinfluenceon.”

BUILDYOURHITLISTOFINFLUENCERSDoesyourinfluencermarketingprogrameverfeellikeaspiralingrabbithole?It’sbecausetherearesomanypotentialpathsyoucantake,andthepotentialpoolsizeofinfluencerstotapintocanfeelsomewhatoverwhelming.Here’swhattypicallyrunsthroughanentrepreneur’smindwhenbeginningtolaunchsuchaprogram:

Whomdoweevenreachoutto?

HowdoIknow“who’sgood”andwhohaspowerfulinfluence?

HowdoIevenmanageinfluencersonceIstartworkingwiththem?

Theseunknownscanfeeldauntingforanyteam,ofanysizeandanylevelofexperience.Tohelpgetyoustarted,thesearethenextthreesteps:

1.Buildasmallpoolofpotentialpartnersandlearnmoreaboutthem.

2.Beginyourinfluenceroutreach.

3.Test,assess,andoptimize.

Thefirstthingtodoinbuildingyourpoolofinfluencers,aftersettingyourobjectivesandidentifyingtheinfluencer“types”withwhomyouwanttowork,istositbackandlisten.Soundsprettypassive,buttakingthetimetotrulyunderstandwhatyourpotentialinfluencer’sfocalpointsarewillbecrucialinunderstandinghowyoucanworktogether.

Tostart,considerbuildingatemplatethatwillhelpyoukeeptrackofthetoppeoplewithwhomyou’dliketowork.It’slikelyyoualreadyhavesomekindoflist,buthavingaconsistentwaytokeeptrackofthemandassessthemisanimportantplacetostart.

IfyouuseatoollikeKloutorothersocialrankingtool,youcanincludethatscore.Othertimes,yourscoringcanbealittlebitmore“gutbased”asyoureadthroughtheinfluencers’work.Whichbringsupaveryimportantpartofthisprocess:readyourpotentialinfluencers’work!Readtheirarticles,seehowtheyrespondtocomments,reviewtheirtweets,andreallygetasenseofwhatmattersmosttothem.Togaugethelevelandextentoftheirinfluence,youcanalsoseewhoisrespondingtotheirworkandfollowingthem—allgoodthingstoincorporateinyourspreadsheetaswell(thesepeoplecouldbepotentialinfluencers,too).

WAYSTOIDENTIFYPOTENTIALINFLUENCERSAmandaMaksymiwfromLatticeEnginessuggeststhesestepstobuildyourlistofinfluencers:

Useyourlisteningtoolstoidentifypeopletalkingaboutcertaintopicsbasedonkeywords.

Askyourcustomersorothersinyourindustry(neverunderestimatethepowerofwordofmouth).

Searchonsocialmediaplatforms,especiallyLinkedIn.

Networklikecrazy.Attendeventsindifferentareas—getoutofyourbubble.Talktocustomers,partnersandsales.

Askpeersinyourmarketing,productdevelopmentorsalesteams.

Askotherinfluencers.You’dbesurprisedastohowmanyofyourtoptierinfluencersworktogetherandrecommendeachother.

Getinvolvedintheforumsanddiscussionboards/groupsdiscussingyourcontent.JoiningTwitterparties,webinarsandevenreadingthroughthelatestindustryreportsorblogpostscanquicklymakeyouawareofwhothekeyplayersareinyourspace.

HOWMANYINFLUENCERSSHOULDIADDTOMYPOOL?Theanswertothisquestionwilldependheavilyonhowyourespondtothe“HowtoManagetheProgram”sectionabove.Buttostart,andforefficiencypurposes,mostpeopletendtoleantoward5to10influencersasareasonableandmanageablestartingpoint.

BEGINOUTREACH

Onceyou’veidentifiedapotentialpoolofinfluencersandyou’vespentenoughtimereadingthroughtheirworktowanttotakethenextsteptowardoutreach,takeafewminutestoconsiderthefollowing:

Howwillyoureachouttothisperson?

Whatcanyouofferthatisvaluable?

Whatexactlyareyoulookingforfromthisrelationship?

Thisiswhereallthattimespentreviewingtheperson’sworkwillpayoff;sendingageneric,impersonalrequesttoatop-tierinfluencermayendupsoundingprettyinsulting.Andremember,thisisatwo-wayrelationship;gonearethedayswherecompaniescouldthrowmoneyorsamplesatbloggersandexpectthemtofawnoverthebrand.Influencershavetheabilitytobemuchmoreselective,andtheyexpecttoberespectedforthetalent(andaudience)theybringtoyourprojects.

SOCIALMEDIA4-1-1SocialMedia4-1-1isasharingsystemfirstpresentedbyAndrewDavisthatenablesacompanytogetgreatervisibilitywithsocialinfluencers.Irecommendusingthisasafirst-approachmethodbeforedirectlye-mailinganinfluencer.Here’showitworks.

Foreverysixpiecesofcontentsharedviasocialmedia(suchasTwitter):

Fourarepiecesofcontentfromyourinfluencertargetthatarealsorelevanttoyouraudience.Thismeansthat67percentofthetimeyouaresharingcontentthatisnotyours—andcallingattentiontocontentfromyourinfluencergroup.

Onepiececanbeyouroriginal,educationalpieceofcontent.

Onepiececanbeyoursalespiece,suchasacoupon,productnotice,orpressrelease.

Whilethenumbersdon’thavetobeexact,it’sthephilosophythatmakesthiswork.Whenyousharethecontentofinfluencers,theynotice.Andyoushouldsharewithoutaskingforanythinginreturn(foramonthorso),sothatwhenyoudoneedsomethingsomeday,theinfluencersaremorelikelytosayyes.

Thekeytomakingthisworkisconsistency.Takeyourpilotlistof5to10influencersandshareeachinfluencer’scontentatleastonceadayforamonth.

MAKINGTHEFIRSTCONNECTIONThereareafewwaysyoucanstarttomakeconnectionswithyourtargetinfluencers:

Givethemsomesocialmedialove,eitherthroughareply,retweet,ormention(usetheSocialMedia4-1-1plan).

Providethoughtfulcommentsontheirblogposts.

ConnectwiththemonLinkedIn,introducingyourselfandexplainingwhyyou’dliketoconnect.

Shootoverane-mail.Ifyouwanttogothee-mailroute,Figure16.1offersanexample.

Figure16.1Sampleofapossiblee-mailsenttoaninfluencer.

Thekeyforyouroutreachisnottoseemlikeyou’reaskingforafavor,butrathertosuggestacollaborationinsomeformthattakesintoaccounttheperson’sskillsfirst,withyourneedssecondary.

NURTUREINFLUENCERRELATIONSHIPSAfteryou’vestartedmakingconnectionswithyourtargetedinfluencers,youmayfeelmorecomfortableaskingtoworktogetherindifferentways,suchas:

Requestingthattheycocreatecontentwithyou

Requestingcustomcontentcreatedexclusivelyforyourplatforms

Askinginfluencerstoshareyourcontentontheirplatforms

Herearesomepotentialprojectstoengageyournewinfluencerstoworkonwithyou:

1.Askforaquoteforanarticle.

2.Requesttospeakataconference.

3.AsktojoinorbeaguestonaTwitterchatorwebinar.

4.Provideaquoteforane-book.

5.Gatherresponsesonaspecifictopicforacrowdsourcedblogpost.

6.Requestpermissiontoshareorlinktotheircontent.(Youdon’thavetorequestit,butit’spoliteandwillcertainlyshowthatyou’reinterested.)

7.Requestinformationordataforacasestudy.

8.Asktowriteaguestblogpostorfeatureinone.

9.Includetheminanexpertpanelatanindustryevent.

10.AsktobeaguestonapodcastorGoogleHangout.

HOWFARCANYOURCONTENTGO?Onethingtoconsideristhescalabilityofthecontentthatyouarecreatingtogether.JustasyouexecutewithyourContentInc.strategy,yourinfluencerprogramneedslegsthatextendbeyondasinglepoint-in-timecampaign(seeChapter13onrepurposing).Forexample:

Considerroundingupmonthlyguestblogpostsintoquarterlye-books.

Ifyou’vehadaseriesofinfluencershostwebinarsorpodcasts,gatherthoseintorobustresourceguides.

Puttogetheracollectionofquotesorinsightsfromyourinfluencersandconsolidatethemintobestpracticesarticlesorroundtableposts.

ASSESSANDOPTIMIZETHEPROGRAMAlthoughitwilltaketimeandeffortonyourpart,eventuallyyougettoaplacewithyourinfluencerswhereatruerelationshipexists.Askingforcontentsharingwillnolongerfeellikeafavorbecauseyouputintheefforttoshowthatyoutrulyrespectandvaluetheircontributionsbeyondjusttheiraudiencereach.Nowisthetimetothrowinsomegoodwill“relationship-building”effortstofurthersolidifyyourloyalty.Forexample,youcaninviteyourinfluencerstoanexclusiveevent,askforinputonanewproductorservicebeforeanyoneelse,crowdsourceideaswiththemasa“pilot”group,orsendthemsmalltokensofappreciation(likeagiftcardforcoffee)orhandwrittenthankyounotes.

Theseactionswillmakethemfeelasvaluedanduniqueasyoualreadyknowtheyare(anditneverhurtstoremembertheirbirthdays,too).

MEASURINGTHEPROGRAMHere’sanideaofhowtosetupyourKPIs(keyperformanceindicators)dependingontheobjectivesyouestablishedattheonsetofyourprogram:

Regardlessofwhatyouchoosetomeasure,beonthelookoutforareasofpotentialimprovement,especiallyinthebeginning.Noprogramisperfect,andtheabilitytogrowatrulyrobustinfluencermarketingprogramtakesalotoftimeandeffort.Byshowingmorethanjustyoursuperficialsuccesses,you’lldemonstratethethoughtfulnessyouputbehindgrowingtheseworkingrelationshipsintosomethingmeaningfulforyourcompany.It’snotalwaysprettyand,likeanyrelationship,canmeansome“give-and-take”foreveryoneinvolved.Butintheend,thesestrongvoices,projectingyourcompanymessagesforyou,withoutsolicitation,willhaveanROIthatfarexceedsmanyoftheotherprogramsinyourmarketingmix.

CASESTUDY:CONTENTMARKETINGINSTITUTECMIdefinesaninfluencerasablogger,competitor,ormediaorganizationthatiscreatingcontentofinterestforourtargetaudience.

Togivetheseinfluencersvisibility,werateourinfluencerlistquarterlyinour“Top42ContentMarketingBlogs.”Initially,thislistwasmadeupofinfluencerswefoundby

trackingkeywords(like“contentmarketing”)inGoogleAlerts,authorsinindustrytradepublications,thosethatweretalkingaboutthetopiconTwitter,andotherbloggersthatwejustfoundinteresting.Theinitiallistincluded42influencers.

GettingtheAttentionofInfluencersInfluencersareimportantpeople.Theygenerallyhaverealjobsandareextremelyactiveonsocialnetworks,spendingtheirtimesharingcontentandblogging.Gettingontheirradarisnoteasy.Sotogettheirattention,wegaveawaycontentgifts.Wedidthisinafewdifferentways.

First,weusedtheSocialMedia4-1-1methodasdescribedabove.Weexecutedthisprogramformonths.TheCMIteamtrackedour“topcontentmarketingblogger”list.Wethendecidedwecouldgetbettervisibilitywithinfluencersbyactuallyrankingthempubliclyandsharingtherankingswiththemasses.Thiswasanincrediblesuccess.

Wehiredanoutsideresearchexperttoputtogetheramethodologyofhowtorankthetopbloggers,lookingatareassuchasconsistency,style,helpfulness,originality,andafewotherdetails.Theneachquarter,CMIwouldpublicizethelist,showcasethetop10,sendoutapressrelease,andmakeabigdealoutofit.Needlesstosay,thetop10andthehonoredtop42lovedthelist.Notonlydidmostofthisinfluencergroupsharethelistwiththeiraudiences;approximatelyhalfofthetop42influencersplacedourwidget(withpersonalrankofthatparticularinfluencer)ontheirhomepage,linkingbacktooursite.Sonotonlywerewebuildinglong-termrelationshipswiththeseinfluencers,butweweregettingcrediblelinksandtrafficaswell.

Inadditiontothetopbloggerslist,CMIstartedtoputtogetherlargeeducationale-booksshowcasingtheinfluencers’work.Forexample,in2009andagainin2011,welaunchedtheContentMarketingPlaybook.Theplaybookincludedover40casestudiesaboutcontentmarketing,withmanycomingdirectlyfromourinfluencers.Wemadesuretonoteintheplaybookwhichexamplescamefromwhichinfluencers.

Whenwereleasedtheplaybookandlettheinfluencersknowaboutthepublication,themajorityofinfluencerswehighlightedintheplaybookeagerlysharedthecontentwiththeiraudiences.It’simportanttonotethatalltheinformationwesharedinthepublicationwaseither“fairuse”materialandproperlycitedorusedwiththeinfluencer’spermission.

Sincethen,mostofthepeopleonouroriginalinfluencerlisthavebecomeactivecontributorsintheCMIcommunity.Somestartedwritingblogposts,othersparticipatedinourweeklyTwitterchats,othersbecamespeakersatourevents,andstillotherswentontowritebooksande-booksforus.Andmaybethebestpart,halfofouroriginaltop10influencersarenowgoodfriendsofmine.Needlesstosay,it’sbeenanincrediblesuccess.

Whosaysstealingdoesn’tpay?

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Youneedsubscribers,andinfluencersthatshareyourcontentcanhelpyougetthose.

Mostbusinessesthatleverageaninfluencerstrategydon’thaveadefinedprocessbehindit.Whenyouexecuteyourinfluencerstrategy,doitwithadefinedgroupandcadenceofcontentsharing.

Whenstartinganinfluencerstrategy,youneedtosharemoreinfluencercontentthanyourowncontenttomakemaximumimpact.

Chapter17

SocialMediaIntegrationSocialmediaisnotabouttheexploitationoftechnologybutservicetocommunity.

SIMONMAINWARING

Foratime,socialmediaandcontentcreationmayhaveseemedinterchangeable,buttheyareactuallyquitedifferent.Thoughtherecanbequiteabitofoverlap,theeasiestwaytothinkabouttheirrelationshipisthatcontentisneededtodrivesocialmedia,whilesocialmediaismostessentialduringtwokeycontentmarketingprocesses:

Listeningtothepeopleinyouraudiencetounderstandwhattheycareabout,soyoucancreatecontentthattheywillfindengagingandrelevant

Distributingcontent(fromyourbusiness,aswellasfromothers—i.e.,theSocialMedia4-1-1approach)

Inshort,youreallycan’thaveonewithouttheother.

Ifyouarejustgettingseriousaboutyoursocialmediadistributionefforts,it’sbesttostartsmall.Considerthetopsocialplatforms(Twitter,LinkedIn,Facebook,andYouTube),andseewherethelargestconcentrationofyourtargetaudiencemembersarecongregating.

FOCUSB2Bcompaniesaretraditionallyhesitantabout,say,Pinterest;yetifyoureallydoubledownandfocusonPinterestasakeystrategy,I’mabsolutelysureyoucanmakethatwork.It’sjust[aquestionof]whereareyougoingtodirectyour

resourcesbest[for]havingarealpotentialtoengagewiththecommunitybetter.

TODDWHEATLAND,HEADOFSTRATEGY,KINGCONTENT

Choosethechannelswhereyoucanbuildandengagewithagenuinecommunity,andfocusyourattentiononthose.Studywhatothersaredoinginthisspacesoyoucanlearnwhatpeoplerespondtothemostfavorably.Andby“others,”Idon’tmeanyourcompetitionbut,rather,anyonewhomaybetakingyouraudience’sattentionawayfromyoursocialmediacontent(suchasyourinfluencergroup).Askyourselfhowyoucanbemoreusefulorentertainingthanothercontentproviders.

TESTWhileitmakessensetochoosetheprimarychannelsyouwillfocuson,thelandscapeischangingquickly,andit’simportanttoexperimenttokeepyoursocialmediacontenteffortsfreshandcurrent.AsAirbnb’schiefmarketingofficerJonathanMildenhalltoldusduringContentMarketingWorld2013,“Ifyoudon’thaveroomtofail,youdon’thaveawaytogrow.”

Itdoesn’tmakesensetostartusingaplatformsimplybecauseit’sbecometrendyorbecauseyourcompetitorshaveapresencethere.Butdon’tletfearoffailurestopyoufrom

tryingsomethingnew.Followtheserecommendationstoguideyouinyourdecisions:

Don’tsignupforanaccountwithouthavingaplanforwhatyouwilldothere.

Doprioritizethechannelsyouwanttoexperimentwith,andspendadedicatedamountoftimetotestoutwhatworks—andlearnfromwhatdoesn’t.Youmaydiscoversomethingnewaboutyouraudience,oryoumaylearnthatit’snotaprioritychannelforyourbusiness.

CUSTOMIZESo,aFacebookpostshouldbeverydifferentthan[oneon]Pinterest,orTwitter,orLinkedIn,butalotoftimesit’sjust“Ugh,justputitallout,becauseyou’vegotthetoolsoyoudoitandyouhitsendsoitgoestoallyourchannels.”

MICHAELWEISS,SPEAKERANDCONTENTMARKETINGSTRATEGIST

Theeasiestwaytoturnoffyourcommunitymembersistobroadcastthesamemessageacrossmultiplechannels.Instead,determinethekindofcontentthatintereststhemembersofyourcommunityinawaythatisusefultothem.Planaheadtomakesureyouareleveragingyourcontentassetsinmultiplewaysbutarestillcommunicatingitdifferentlyonyourpreferreddistributionchannels.

SOCIALCHANNELSTOCONSIDERHere’saquickoverviewandmyrecommendationonresourcestocheckoutforeachmajorsocialmediachannel.Remember,youshouldleveragesocialmediatodevelopaudiences,butyoudonotgetdirectaccesstothem.That’sthedomainoftheplatform,suchasFacebookorYouTube.Youshouldbeusingsocialmediatoultimatelydrivepeoplebacktocontentofferssoyoucangrowyoure-mailsubscriptionlists.

FacebookAccordingtoPewResearchCenter,71percentofadultInternetusersand58percentoftheentirepopulationareonFacebook.ThatmeansFacebookmatters.Mostlikely,atleastaportionofyouraudienceisleveragingFacebook.

AswediscussedinChapter14,Facebookcontinuallychangesitsalgorithmstoshowthemostinterestingandengagingcontenttousers.ThismeansthatpromotingyourselfonFacebookwon’twork.

BrittKlontz,digitalcontentstrategistatDistilled,recommendsthesetwoFacebookinitiatives:

Provideexclusiveaccess:Oneofthebestwaystocontinuallyengagefansandcreatenew“likes”isbyprovidingexclusiveaccess,aslongaswhateveryou’reprovidingaccesstoisrichandmeaningful.#PepsiExclusivedoesthiswithevents,butyoucanalsoprovideexclusiveaccesstodealsoreventofunorparticularlyhelpfulpiecesofcontent.Youmight,forexample,writeanextensiveguideforaprocessorprocedureyouknowyouraudiencewillbeinterestedin,hostitonamicrosite,andprovideanaccesscodetoyourfans.Thisway,they’llfeelrewardedwithexcellent—andfree!—contentjustforreturningtoyourpage.

Makegooduseofhashtags:Whilehashtagscanbeeffectiveacrosstheboardwhenitcomestosocialmedia,they’reespeciallyeffectiveforbrandsthatalreadyhavecultfollowingsonFacebook.Nutella,forexample,incorporatesa#spreadthehappyhashtagthroughoutallofitsFacebookcontent.Thistagappearsoftenin“vs”competitions(i.e.,“NewYorkbagelorNewOrleansbaguette?”),andisusedtoinvitefanstosharetheirownphotos,videos,andrecipes.Again,thehashtagmakessearchingeasy,anditengagesfansinawaythatencouragestheirowncreativity.

Bestresources:Mozoffersanexcellentbeginner’sguidetoFacebook(http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/facebook),whileJonLoomer.comistheabsolutebestplaceformoreadvancedFacebookstrategies.

TwitterTwitterhasbecometheofficialbroadcastingtooloftheweb.HowdoyoumakeyourstorystandoutonTwitter?Herearesometipstofollow:

Tellastorythroughyourtweets.Presentaconsistentvoicetotellthestoryofyourindustryandyourbrand.Eachpostshouldbecompellinginitsownright,butbesuretotakeaconsistentvoiceintoconsideration.

Makeuseofhashtags.Includingonetothreerelevanthashtagswithyourtweetmakesitsimpleforpeopletofindyourcontent.(Forexample,weatCMIuse#cmworldforourannualevent.)Creatinganoriginalhashtagandlinkingittoaspecificcampaignisanevenbetteruseofthetactic.

Useitasatestingground.Tweetyouroriginalcontent,andkeeptabsonwhichpiecesofcontentgetmoreshares.Usethisinformationtodirectyourfuturecontentefforts.

Coverindustryevents.Tweetlivecoverageofeventsthataresignificantforyouraudiencetoofferinsightsinrealtime.Thatway,yourbrandcanactastheeyesandearsforindividualswhocan’tmakeittotheevent.

Bestresource:TwitterPower3.0fromJoelComm.

AnewappcalledPeriscopehasbeengrowingrapidlyinpopularitysincethebeginningof2015.Periscope,ownedbyTwitter,isaneasywaytolive-streamaneventorinterview,andthenitworkswellwithTwittertoletyourfollowersknowtheeventistakingplace.

LinkedInLinkedInhasbecomesomuchmorethanacompanyRolodex.Itisperhapsthemostpowerfulbusinesspublishingplatformontheweb.Sincelaunchingits“influencer”programwherenichecelebritieswereabletopublishcontentexclusivelyonLinkedIn,thecompanyhasnowopeneduppublishingtoeveryuser—forfree(Figure17.1).

Figure17.1AnyonewithaLinkedInaccountcannowpublishoriginalarticlesontheplatform.

Herearesometipsifyouintendtopublish:

Understandwhataudienceyou’dliketotargetonLinkedInandpublishcontenttheretoattractthataudiencetoyoursubscriptionofferings.

TakefulladvantageofyourprofilebyembeddingyourSlideSharepresentationsandYouTubevideosandlinktoallyourcontentresources.

Doanauditofyourteam’sprofiletomakesureeachemployeeisrepresentingthecompanyproperly.

Bestresource:MaximizingLinkedInforSalesandSocialMediabyNealSchaffer.

SlideShareSlideShareisbestknownastheYouTubeforPowerPointpresentations.ButsinceLinkedInpurchasedthecompany,SlideSharehasaddedfullvideocontenttoitsarsenal.Over60millionprofessionalsvisitthesiteeachmonthlookingforhigh-qualitypresentations.

SlideShare’sPROfeature(nowfree)isabletocollecte-mailsubscriptionswhilesomeoneisviewingthepresentation.ThishasnowbecomeCMI’sthird-bestsubscriptiongenerator.

Bestresource:TheMarketer’sGuidetoSlideSharebyToddWheatland.

InstagramPurchasedbyFacebookinearly2014for$1billion,Instagramisstillthemostdominantimage-sharingsocialmediasite.HerearetwoideastoleverageInstagram:

Shareunique,behind-the-scenes,andpersonalcontent.Getpersonalwithyouraudience;givefollowersaninsiderviewoftheinnerworkingsofyourorganization.Abehind-the-scenesfeelcomeswithanexclusivityfactor.

Turnfollowersintosourcesofcontent.Askyourfollowersforpicturesthatrepresentyourbrand,andrewardthebestcontributorswithrecognition.Offerthemasenseofownershiptostrengthentherelationship.

Bestresource:ThePowerofVisualStorytellingbyEkaterinaWalter.

PinterestPinterestisanextremelypopularphoto-sharingsite,whereyoucanactivelymanageyourownphotosandshareimagesandvideosfromothers.It’sbeenextremelypopularintheretailspacetodate.InterestedinseeingifPinterestcanworkforyou?Here’ssomeideasthatwillhelp:

Decideiftheplatformfitsyouraudiencebeforejumpingin.Asaninterest-drivencommunity,Pinterestisgearedtoward18-to34-year-oldwomen,butit’sbeginningtoexpand.Ifagoodportionofyouraudiencelandsinthiscategory,it’sagoodfit.

It’smorethanjustimages.Videosarepowerful(andpinnable).Ifyouhaveastrongrepertoireofvideocontent,usePinteresttodrivetrafficbacktoyourwebsiteorYouTubechannel.

Showyourcustomerssomelove.Strengthenrelationships,highlightsuccessstories,anddrivemoretrafficbycreatingaboardshowingofftheachievementsofyourcustomers.It’sagreatwaytoillustrateyourworkwithoutmuchbraggadocio.

Shareyourreadinglist.Sharebookrecommendationsthatarerelevanttoyouraudiencetoestablishastrongerbond.Leveragingbooksthatyou’veactuallyreadhelpsdemonstrateyourbrand’scommitmenttoconstantimprovement.

Showyourcompanypersonality.Insteadofaloneproductimageoraposedstaffpicture,showyourproductorteaminactionforanimagewithmorepersonality.Actionshotshelpthepeopleinyouraudienceimaginethemselvesasacustomerorclient.

Bestresource:PinterestPowerbyJasonMilesandKarenLacey.

Google+

InMarch2015GoogleannouncedthatitwassplittingGoogle+intophotosandstreams.SomebelievethatthismarksGoogle’smoveawayfromGoogle+intosomethingcompletelydifferent.Regardless,manybusinesseshavefoundthatGoogle+canbeoneofthemostpowerfulsocialmedianetworksforactiveengagement.

Forexample,CopybloggerMediarecentlydecidedtokillitsFacebookpageentirelyandfocusoncommunicatingwithitsaudienceviaGoogle+.

Regardless,youneedtobeawareoftheconstantchangesinGoogle+(it’sbeenthiswayfromthebeginning,asGooglehasn’tquitefoundtherightfityet).

Bestresource:PayattentiontoMashable.comforthelatestchangesinGoogle+.

YouTubeI’velistedYouTubeherebecauseitisindeedasocialmedianetwork,butIbelievethebestopportunitiesinYouTubeareasaplatform,aswe’veseenwithMatthewPatrickandClausPilgaard.IfyouchoosetosharecontentonYouTubeoutsidetheplatformmodel,considerthefollowing:

YouTubeisthenumbertwosearchengineintheworld,sodevelopingcontentspecificallyforsearchfindabilityissomethingyouneedtofocuson.

WhatevercontentyoudecidetopublishonYouTube,doitconsistently,justasyouwouldonanyotherplatform.Themajorityofcompaniespublishwithoutanyparticularschedule,whichneverworksinbuildinganaudience.

Bestresource:YouTubeMarketingPowerbyJasonMiles.

VineVineisavideo-sharingservicewhereyoucanrecordsnippetsuptosixsecondslong.AsofAugust2014,over100millionpeoplewatchVinevideoseachmonth.

LikeYouTube,VineisbigbusinessforContentInc.models.HusbandandwifeMichaelAlvaradoandCarissaAlvaradoarethefolk-popbandUstheDuo.Theyhaveamassedmorethan4.5millionfollowersandover600millionloopplaysoftheirvines,whichtheyconvertedintoarecorddealwithRepublicRecords,aninternationaltour,andarecentlyreleasedsecondalbum(Figure17.2).

Figure17.2LikeYouTube,VineisbigbusinessforContentInc.models.ThehusbandandwifeteamofMichaelandCarissaAlvarado,arethepopbandUsTheDuo.Theyhaveamassedmorethan4.7millionfollowersandover700millionloopplaysoftheirvines,whichtheyconvertedintoarecorddealwithRepublicRecords,wentontoaninternationaltour,andrecentlyreleasedtheirsecondalbum.

Bestresource:TheBeginner’sGuidetoVineonMashable(http://mashable.com/2013/12/11/vine-beginners-guide/).

TumblrAsofthisprinting,Tumblrnowhostsapproximately500millionblogs,makingitanindustrypowerhouse.HerearesometipstomakingTumblrworkforyou:

Useyourtags.Tagcontenttohelpwithsearchability.Includedescriptivetagsoneachpieceofcontenttogiveyourpagemuchstrongervisibility.

Postsnippetsofcontent.Snaganeye-catchingquotefromapopularpostonyourblog,includethelinkandtags,andsharethepreview.Othersnippets(likepictures)workwelltoofferapreviewofyourcontentbeforetheviewermakesthejump.

Reblog,comment,and“like”often.UsethesefeaturestosharecontentfromotherTumblrusers.Thatway,youreducesomeoftheburdenofcontentcreationwhilestillgettingtheattentionofinfluencers.Youcanalsocreaterelationshipsthatmayresultinmorepeoplesharingyouroriginalcontent.

Linkbacktoyourpage.AttachalinktoyourTumblroneverypieceofcontentyou

post.Ifcontentgoesviral,userscantraceiteasilybacktoyourpage.Withoutthatlink,yourcontentmayspiraloff,givingyouverylittleabilitytotracksharing.

Focusyourcontent.Makesureyourcontentfitsatightnichetohelpyoudominatesearchresultsandfocusinonthetopwaysyouraudiencefindsyou.

Bestresource:“QuickGuide”(Tumblrhttp://quickguide.tumblr.com/).

MediumIn2012,TwittercofounderEvanWilliamslaunchedapublishingsitecalledMedium.Medium’sobjectiveisforindividualsanywheretobeabletosharetheirperspectivewithothersinameaningfulway.Itis,perhaps,thebestplacetocreatecontentandgetongoingcommunityfeedbackwithinthecontentitself.

Personally,IloveeverythingaboutMedium,fromtheuserexperiencetothecommunityinteraction…except…youhavelittlecontroloveryouraudience.Thatsaid,ifyouarelookingforanaudiencetoshareaparticularpointofview,andgainrapidfeedbackfromthataudience,Mediumisasolidsolution(Figure17.3).

Figure17.3Mediummakesitpossibletoviewcommentsinlinewiththecontent,insteadofatthebottomlikemostblogsdo.

Bestresource:TheMarketer’sGuidetoMediumfromKISSMetrics(https://blog.kissmetrics.com/marketers-guide-to-medium/).

YikYakandSnapchatI’veneverusedYikYakorSnapchat,butI’vereadenougharticlestoknowthatbothservicesaregoingtobearoundforawhile.Bothsocialmediasitesgivetheusersanonymity(iftheywish).AsmoreandmoremillennialsmoveawayfromFacebook(thisishappening),kidsandyoungadultsarefindingahomeonthesetwosites.Ifyoutargetyoungeraudienceswithyourcontentniche,you’llneedtocheckforopportunities.IfIhadtoputmymoneyonthenextbigapp,itwouldbeSnapchat.

THEKEYELEMENTSOFASOCIALMEDIACONTENTPLANAsmentionedabove,forbestresults,youneedadedicatedplanforeverychannelonwhichyouintendtodistributesocialmediacontent.Justbecauseyoucansharesomethingoneverychannelthereis,doesn’tmeanthatyoushould.

Tostart,itmaybehelpfultolookathowmostmarketersaredistributingtheircontentinsocialmediachannels.ThebigthreeofLinkedIn,Twitter,andFacebookcontinuetodominateworldwide,withcontenderssuchasPinterest,SlideShare,andInstagramontherise(Figure17.4).

Figure17.4Mostbusinessesleverageanaverageoffivetosixsocialmediachannelstodistributetheircontent.Source:2014ContentMarketingInstituteannualresearch:http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.

Tocreateabasicsocialmediaplan,answerthesequestionsforeverychannelyouareconsidering.

WhatIstheGoalofThisChannel?Youneedareasontobeoneverychannelonwhichyoudecidetopublishcontent.“Togainfollowers”isnotaviablereason,inandofitself,but“togainfollowersonFacebooktodrivetrafficbacktoourwebsitetoenlistsubscribers”is.TheimportantparthereisthatyourcontentonthechannelservesasamethodtoconvertviewersintotakingthenextstepinyourContentInc.process—i.e.,movethemfromFacebookfollowertowebsiteviewer,e-mailsubscriber,eventattendee,orhoweveryoumonetizetheplatform.

WhatIstheDesiredAction?Similartothepointabove,figureoutwhatyouwantsomeonetodoineachchannel.Share?Comment?Visityourwebsite?Registerforsomething?

WhatIstheSpecificTypeofContenttheAudienceWantstoGetinThisChannel?

Customizethecontentyoudistributeoneachchannel.Considerwhatmessagesareappropriateforeachchannelandcreateamessageyouthinkwillresonatewiththatspecificaudience.Thinkaboutthekindofinformationalneedspeopleinthischannelhaveandhowyoucanhelp.Willyouprimarilypublishtext,images,orvideo?

WhatIstheRightToneforThisChannel?Asyouconsiderthetopicsandcontentformatsineachchannel,it’scriticaltodeterminewhattheoveralltoneforthechannelshouldbe.Friendly?Fun?Conversational?Professional?

WhatIstheIdealVelocity?It’sasmartideatounderstandhowoftenyouwanttopublishcontentineachchannel.Howmanypostsdoyouwanttopublishperdayorweek?Whattimeofdayisbest?You’llhavedifferentcadencesdependingonifyouaresendingorrespondingtotweets,updatingyourFacebookstatus,orpublishinganewSlideShare,forexample.OurteamfoundthatpostingonFacebookonceortwiceaday,monitoringTwitterallday,andspendingtimeeachdayonLinkedInworksbestforCMI.Buteverycompanyisdifferent,soyouwanttospendsometimedeterminingtheschedulethat’slikelytoworkbestforyouandyourcustomers.

Keytip:Letyourgoalsdictatethedecisionsyoumakeinregardtosocialmediacontent.Forexample,sincethegoalofyourContentInc.planshouldbetoincreasee-mailsubscribers,woulditreallymakesensetobroadcastallyourblogpostsonFacebookandTwitter?Whatreasonwouldreadershavetosubscribetoyoure-mailprogramiftheycangetthesameinformationonthesocialchannelstheyalreadyvisitregularly?Thinkabouthowyoucantweakandrepurposethecontentyoushareonyoursocialnetworks,asitappliesbothtoyourgoalsforthechannelandtoyouroverarchingbusinessobjectives.

ANEXAMPLEFROMCMIAsCMIhasgrownoverthepasteightyears,so,too,hasoursocialmediapresence.Atthebeginning,weadmittobeingabithaphazardwithourapproach;butovertheyearswehavedevelopedamorestrategicplanandtailoredourcontentmarketingprocessesaccordingly.

Hereishowourmarketingdirector,CathyMcPhillips,andcommunitymanager,MoninaWagner,approachsomeofourkeychannelsintermsofbothcontentanddistribution:

TwitterWe’reactiveonTwittereveryday,sharingthoughtsfromourcommunity,aswellaspromotingourowncontent.However,ourfavoritethingwedoonTwitterisourweekly

#CMWorldchats(everyTuesdayatnoonET).It’ssomethingwestartedinthesummerof2013asawaytopromotethetopicsandspeakersfromourannualContentMarketingWorldevent,butitwassousefulthatourcommunityaskedustocontinuethechatsthroughouttheyear.Twitter,bothduringthechatsandatothertimes,hashelpedusdevelopacommunityofinfluencersandatrustednetwork.ThiscommunityhasguidedmanyofoureffortsinregardtoourdailyblogpostsandevensomesessionsandtracksforContentMarketingWorld.

LinkedInOurLinkedInstrategyfocusesondiscussingindustrytrendswiththemembersofourCMILinkedIngroup.Wehavenoticedthatthisgrouptendstolikecontentspecifictocareersandtocontentmarketingstrategies(seeFigure17.5).We’vealsousedittobouncearoundideasweareconsideringforeitherourmagazineorourliveevents.Ithashelpedusgaugeinterestandneedsandfine-tunesomeofourefforts,asaresult.Also,byactivelymoderatingpostswithinthiscommunity,ourgroupmemberstrustthatthecontentappearinginourgroupfeedhasbeenvettedbytheContentMarketingInstitute,whichhelpsmaintainourpositionasatrustedcontentmarketingresource.

Figure17.5LinkedIn’srecentcontentpromotionchangeshaveenabledbusinessestogetmoreattentionfortheiroriginalcontent.

FacebookThisisthechannelwhereweliketosharethefunsideofCMI(afterall,isn’tthatwhatFacebookisallabout?).Weuseittodiscussnews,events,andanewcontentmarketingexampleeachweek,aswellastoshareexcitingnewsandannouncementsonthingsthat

arehappeningwithinCMI.Wehaveafunteam,andthisgivesusallanopportunitytoshowcaseourpersonalities.Ourweeklycoverageofcontentmarketingexampleshasallowedustosharesomegreatworkbybrands,whichhasgivenouraudienceachancetoseetheworkofothersandthink,“Wecoulddothattoo.”Wealsotrytoinspireouraudiencewithweeklymotivationalgraphicposts(anothergreatwaytorepurposeolderblogpostsandarticles)(seeFigure17.6).

Figure17.6CMItakesquotesfromseniorstaff,presentsthemvisually,andsharesthemonFacebookweekly.

SlideShareWeaimtopublishthreeorfournewSlideSharepresentationspermonth.Ithasbeeninterestingtotrackwhichkindsofpresentationsgetthemostviewsandleads,andwemakesuretomixupourpresentationstoalignwithourcontentmarketingstrategyandstillgenerateinterestandbuzz.SincemostofCMI’scontentisungated,publishingpresentationsonSlideSharegiveourcommunityaccesstoviewandreferencenearlyeverythingweproduce—allweaskinreturnisane-mailaddressifourcustomerwantstodownloadthecontent(thisisanimportante-mailsubscriptiongeneratorforCMI).The

longer-formcontentweshareherehasincreasedoursubscribers,sincethesepresentationsarebettersuitedfordownloadingandreferencingorprinting,whileourshort-formandlivelierpresentationshaveahighertendencytogetsocialsharesandtodrawinnewfollowers.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Youdon’thavetobeactiveineverysocialchannel.Atthestart,choosethebesttwoorthree(whereyouraudienceishangingout)andputresourcesbehindthem.

Yes,wewanttobuildoutourdigitalfootprintandaudienceonsocialchannels,butrememberthegoalistobuildoure-mailsubscriptionaudienceasmuchaspossible.

Mostbusinessesdon’tplantheircontentdistributiononsocialmedia.Itjusthappenswhenevertheygettoit.Treatyoursocialchannelsasimportantlyasanyothercommunicationchannel.

ResourcesBrittKlontz,“HowtoKeepFacebookViableasaContentMarketingPlatform,”

ContentMarketingInstitute.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/05/keep-facebook-viable-content-marketing-platform/.

MaeveDuggan,NicoleEllison,CliffLampe,AmandaLenhart,andMaryMadden,“DemographicsofKeySocialNetworkingPlatforms.”PewInternet.org,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/demographics-of-key-social-networking-platforms-2/.

SethFiegerman,“WhyGoogle+IsSplittingintoPhotosandStreams,”Mashable.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://mashable.com/2015/03/02/google-plus-changes/.

CraigSmith,“25AmazingVineStatistics,”expandedramblings.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/vine-statistics/.

JonSwartz,“Twitterco-founderEvanWilliamshasplansforMedium,”usatoday.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/12/19/evan-williams-medium-co-founder-twitter-instagram/20320963/.

JimBabb,“9WaystheMostInnovativeMediaOrganizationsAreGrowing,”medium.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://medium.com/@jimbabb/9-ways-the-most-innovative-media-organizations-are-growing-5ac50d7457d5.

BusinessInsider,“The30MostPopularVineStarsintheWorld,”businessinsider.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-vine-stars-2014-12#22-us-the-duo-9.

Part6

DiversificationCareerdiversificationain’tabadthing.

VINDIESEL

Youbuiltthemodelandarereapingtherewardswithnewsubscribersandaudienceloyalty.Nowisthetimetodiversifyyourportfolioandstakeyourclaimastheleadingvoiceintheindustry.

Chapter18

TheThreeandThreeModelWelearnwisdom:First,byreflection,whichisnoblest;second,byimitation,whichiseasiest;andthirdbyexperience,

whichisthebitterest.

CONFUCIUS

Nowthatyouraudienceisgrowing,it’stimetotakeyourContentInc.strategytothenextlevel.InContentInc.interviewswefindtrends,consistencies,andsurprisingrepetitioninthepatternsthatdefinesuccess.Icallthisthe“threeandthree”model.Thefirstthreearepersonal.

IT’SPERSONAL:PLANNINGTHEFIRSTTHREEInJeopardystyle:

Theanswer:Ablog,abook,andspeaking.

Thequestion:Whatarethethreemostcriticalstrategiesanentrepreneurcandotobuildathrivingpersonalbrand?

Frompersonalexperience,buildingablog,writingbooks,andspreadingmymessagethroughpublicspeakinghavebeenthethreemostimpactfulstrategiesforgrowingmypersonalbrand.Allthreehaveledtothemostamazingbusinessopportunities.

Butit’snotjustme.JayBaer,AnnHandley,MarcusSheridan,MichellePhan,AnnReardon,andothersuccessfulthoughtleadersfromaroundtheworldsuchasMichaelHyattandTonyRobbinshaveusedthisstrategy.Eachofthesesuccessfulentrepreneursleveragesthesameformula.Let’sbreakitdown.

Theblog.Aplaceonthewebwhereyoudistributeyourdifferentiatedstoryonaconsistentbasisandwhichissharedbyyouraudiencetogainwiderreach.MostContentInc.strategiesusethisasthemainplatform.

Thebook.Thegreatestbusinesscardontheplanet.Thebookisyourstoryinphysicalform.Ifsomeoneasksyouwhatyouareallabout,youhandthepersonthebook.

Speaking.Theblogandthebookleadtopublicspeakingopportunities.Conferenceprovidersfromaroundtheworldwillreachouttoyoutogainyourinsightandexpertiseintheareayounowown.Thinkofitthisway—youwillgetpaidtogetyourmessageinfrontofanentirelynewaudience(talkaboutstealingaudience!).

Nowthatwehavecoveredbuildingyourblogplatform,here’showtoexecutethenexttwo:thebookandpublicspeaking.

8TIPSFOREXECUTINGABOOKIn2010,over2millionbookswerepublishedaroundtheworld(over300,000inthe

UnitedStates).Justahandfulofpeoplemademoneyfromthebookitself.Sohere’sthedeal:donecorrectly,youmakemoneyfromotherthingsyousellinyourContentInc.program,notfromthebookdirectly.Thegoalforabookistohelpexpandyourbusinessopportunities.

Creatingabookthatmakesanimpactonyourindustryandbusinessisanythingbuteasy.Nevertheless,therearesometipsI’vepickedupalongtheway(inpublishingfourbooks)thatwillmakeadifferenceinhelpinggetyourbookofftheground:

1.Doa“Deep-Dive”ContentAuditYoumayalreadyhaveatreasuretroveofmaterialthatcanberepurposed,oratminimumyouhavecontentthatcanbecollectedtoformtheinitialworkingsofsomekeychapters.Besureyoudotheworkupfronttoseewhatyouhavetostartwith.

Keypoint:Don’toverlookthisstep.Mostindividualsstartfromgroundzerowithwritingabook.Ifproperlydone,acontentinventorywillgiveyouaheadstart.

2.MinetheBlogForallfourofmybooks,includingthisone,alotofthematerial,ideas,andcontentoriginatedfromexistingblogposts.Ifyouhavesixmonthsofblogs,youmightalreadyhavehalfabook.Nowwritingabookisnotaneasyendeavor,butyoumayhavealotoftherawcontentalreadyatyourdisposaltodevelopabook.

Keypoint:The“blog-to-book”strategycanbeamazinglyeffective.Asyoucreatecontentforyourblog,keepyourbookinmindandstarttobuildthechaptersasyougo,usingtheblogastheconduit.

3.CocreateDoyouhavekey,noncompetitivepartnersthattargetthesameprospectsandcustomersasyou?Ifso,considerreachingouttothemaboutpartneringonthebookconcept.Also,onceyoustartpromoting,youhavetwodifferentnetworkstoreachoutto.

InaphoneconversationwithNewtBarrettin2007,IlearnedthatNewtwaswritingabookoncontentmarketing,sameasIwas.Afterafewadditionalcalls,wedecidedthatpartneringmademoresense,andin2008,GetContentGetCustomerswasbornasajointproject.

Keypoint:Youdon’thavetodothisalone.Mostlikely,youhavemanypartnerswhowillbenefitbygettingyourmessageouttothepublic(andtheymayhavethecontentassetstohelp).

4.GetItFundedMyfirstbookGetContentGetCustomerswasself-publishedbeforeMcGraw-Hillpurchasedtherights.Muchoftheup-frontinvestmentforthebookwascoveredthroughsellingbulkshipmentstopartnercompanies.Thisenabledustocovermuchoftheup-frontcostsofthebook.

JeffRohrs,formerVPofmarketingatSalesforce.comandnowchiefmarketingofficerforYext,wasworkingonabook,entitledAudience.Herecognizedquicklythatthetopicsinthebookwereonesthathisemployerdeeplycaredabout.Becauseofthis,SalesforceassistedJeffinbringingthebooktolife.

Keypoint:Mostlikely,thereareplayersinyourindustrythatcareaboutthebookyouareproducing.Ifitmakessense,approachingthemearlycouldhelpyoufundyourproject.

Ifyoudecidetopublishthebookyourself,tryserviceslikeAmazon’sCreateSpaceorLightningSource.Bothservicesdoon-demandprinting.Ifyouarewillingtopayapublisher,checkoutaservicelikeAdvantageMedia.It’spricierthandoingityourself,butthecompanyhandleseverythingintheprocessforyou,includingtheongoingmarketingifneeded.

5.IdentifyYourMission—WhatYouWantReaderstoGetfromYourBook

Beveryclearaboutwhatyouwantyourreaderstogetoutofthebook.Writeitdownandkeepitpostedonyourwallasyouworkonthebook.Manywritersfocusonwhattheyaretryingtosay,insteadofpinpointingthemainfocusofinterestforthereader.

Keypoint:Gosmalltogobig.Focusonacontentnichewithyourbookwhereyoupositionyourselfastheleadingexpertinyourniche.

6.IncludetheInfluencersIfpossible,includekeyexamplesfromindustryinfluencers,aswellaspartners,aslongasit’sgoodcontent.Themorepeopleyouincludeinyourstories,themoreopportunitiesforoutsidesharing.

Keypoint:Repeatafterme…Ishouldnotwritetheentirebookbymyself.You’dbesurprisedaboutthenumberofpeopleouttherethatwouldlovetobeincludedinyourbookandgiveyoutherightstousetheircontent(noticethenumberofguestarticlesinthisbook).Also,ifyouincludeothersinthebook,theyaremorelikelytoshareitwiththeirfriendsandcolleagues.

7.ConsideraGhostwriterBelieveitornot,manyofthebooksfromtheauthorsyoulovehavebeenwrittenbysomeoneelse.Iknow,hardtobelieve,right?Butit’strue.Thebestghostwritersouttherestartatabout$50,000andthengoupfromthere.Ifyousimplycan’tmaketheinternaltimeordon’thavetheresourcestogetitdone,considerit.

Keypoint:Youmaynothavetheskillsorthetimetomakeabookhappen.Therearesomeamazingpeopleouttherewhocanhelp.

8.GetEditorialHelp

Authorsshouldnotedittheirownwriting.Ifyouwanttocreateaprofessionalpieceyouareproudof,youneedtoidentifyreviewersandeditorsthatwillgiveyouhonestfeedbackaboutthecontentandthestyleofthebook.

Keypoint:Oneeditortoreviewthebookasyoudevelopitandoneeditortoreviewthefinalmanuscriptarethebareminimum.

ElementsofaBookProposal•Titlepage.Includeanimageandcontactinformation.

•Conceptbrief.Highlighttheproblemandwhythebook’scontentwillbevaluable.

•Conceptsummary.Giveacompellingoverviewofthebook.Includethekeytakeawaysthatreaderswilllearn.

•Chapteroutlinesample.Makethisascompleteaspossible.

•Abouttheauthor.Provideadetailedlookatyourlifeandtellwhyyouarequalifiedtowritethisbook.

•Author’sbackstory.Explainhowyougottothispointinlife.

•Bookmarketingsection.Includeallyourmarketingassets.Howmanyconnectionsdoyouhaveonwhichchannels?E-mailaddresses?Upcomingspeakingengagements?Anypartnershipswithtradeassociations?Thisisthemostcriticalsection.Thepublisherwillwanttoknowhowmanycopiesyoucansell.

•Audiencesection.Showwhotheaudienceforthebookisandwhythisbookwillfillacontentgap.

•Thecompetition.Listthebooksthatmostcloselycomparewithyourcompetitiveset.

•Introductiontothebook.Includethisifpossible.

Overall,theproposalshouldbebetween10and15pages.

Abookisnotjusta“nicetohave,”it’sagamechanger.Apublishedbookopensupmoreopportunitiesthanyoucouldeverimagine.Nowisthetimetoputyourbigideainmotion.

TOPWAYSTOGETSPEAKINGGIGSItwasthemiddleof2008.Atthetime,Iwasstillworkingontheblogplatformandbuildingaloyalaudience.NewtBarrettandIhadjustreleasedourself-publishedbook(throughLightningSource),GetContentGetCustomers.ItwasthenthatIreceivedanintriguinge-mailfromBelgium.

Inthee-mailalargeBelgianpublishingcompanytoldmeitwashostingalargecustomereventinBrusselsandwantedtoknowifIwasavailabletospeakattheevent.Thecompanyofferedtoflymeover,allexpensespaidplusasmallstipend.Howdidthishappen?Theblogandthebook.

WhatInowknowisthatit’snexttoimpossibletotrulybeathoughtleaderinyourindustrywithoutakillerblog,athoughtfulbook,andaspeechthatrocks.Yes,thefirsttwoarecritical,butit’sasaregularspeakerwhereyouhitthelottery.Whenyougetregularspeakingengagements,peopletalkaboutyou,spreadyourmessage,andwanttoactivelydobusinesswithyou.It’swherethemagichappens.

Manyconferenceproducerswon’tevenconsideryouasaspeakerunlessyouhaveapublishedbook.

IfyouthinkpublicspeakingcanmakeadifferenceinyourContentInc.model,herearethetopwaystogetspeakingengagements.

BacktotheBlog:YourProofofExpertiseIfpeopleaskedyouforproofofyourexpertise,whatwouldyoushowthem?Awards,perhaps?Maybetestimonials?

Whilethosearefineanddandy,theyaresecondaryintoday’sworldofabsolutelyeverythingbeingavailableontheweb.Asaconferenceproducerlookingtochoosethebestspeakersforourevent,thefirstplaceIgoistotheprospectivespeaker’sblog.Aconsistentlydeliveredblogisproofofbothdedicationtoandpassionfortheindustry.Also,ifdoneproperly,theblogveryquicklyshowsyourareaofexpertise.Thatmeansifyoublogaboutallsortsoftopics,itwillhurtyou.Getfocusedonwhatmakesyoualeadingexpertinyourfield.

AVideoExampleFortheContentMarketingWorldevent,wereceivedover500speakingsubmissionsin2015.Idiscountedalmost200immediatelybecausetheydidn’thavealinktoapriorspeakingeventoracompilationofspeakingengagements.

Mostconferenceplannerswon’tsignonspeakerswithoutatleastseeingthemspeakinsomecapacity.Thatmeansifthespeakerselectioncommitteehasn’tseenyouspeak,andyoudon’thaveaproperexampleofyourspeakingskillsinaction,youwon’tgetthespeakingengagement.

Ifyou’veneverdoneanyspeaking,makeavideo.Evenaneditedvideowillsufficesopeoplecanseeyouinfrontofacamera.

AndrewDavishasawebsite(athttp://www.akadrewdavis.com/)dedicatedjusttohisspeaking.Itincludesmultiplevideos;thereisevenonethatspecifieswhathebelievesmakesagreatspeechandanotherthattellsyouhowhecanhelpyoupromoteyourevent.

GetaHookYouneedsomethingtostandoutandseparateyourselffromthepack.Whyshouldanyonechooseyou?Whyareyouspecial?Herearesomeideas:

Getacolor.Orangeismycolor.Iwearsomeformoforangetoeveryevent…shirt,

suit,shoes,pocketsquare,etc.Ihaveanentirewardrobededicatedtothecolor,andIhavesetthatexpectationwithmyaudience.

SocialmediaexpertMariSmithusesturquoiseashercolor(Figure18.1).Sheevendecoratesthestagebeforeshebeginshertalk.Ifcolorisnotyourthing,tryacertainthemeorcostume.

Figure18.1FacebookexpertMariSmithleveragedherpassionforonecolortoassistinhernotoriety.

Theelevatorpitch.Canyouveryquicklystatewhatyouspeakabout?Isiton“networkingforshypeople”or“howfinancialcompaniescangrowwithoutadvertising”?Don’teversayyoucanspeakonanything…thatmeansyouwillspeakonnothing.Refinethepitchthatencompassesyourniche.

FocusontheHitListSomanypublicspeakingwannabestalkaboutwantingtospeakmoreoften.WhenIask,“Whatarethetopeventsyou’dliketospeakat?”you’dthinkI’daskedthemtorecitetheApostle’sCreed.

Ifyoudon’thaveaclearvisionofwhereyouwanttospeak,thenyoudon’twantitbadenough.Followthesesteps:

Createyoureventbucketlist.Havealistofatleast10eventsthatyourtargetcustomerattends.Thenfindoutwhenspeakingsubmissionsaredueforeachevent.Developacalendarforit.

Contacteachone,usingtheproperchannels.(Donotsendane-mailoutsidetheform…eventorganizershatethat.)Conveyaclearvisionforyourspeech(whereitcouldbe

placed,whyit’sagoodfit,howlongitwillbe).Includealinktoyourvideo.Eventplannersdislikeuncertaintythemost,somakesureyouarespecificandtakeoutalltheguesswork.

Shareyourtermsupfront.Ifyourequiretravelexpensespaid,saythatnowtoavoidconflictlater.You’llbecuttingyourselfoutofsomeevents,butifthat’syourdeal,that’syourdeal.

THENEXTTHREE:ALLBUSINESSNowweturnourattentiontothesecond“three”ofourmodel.Incontrasttothefirstthree,whicharepersonal,thenextthree—digital,print,andinperson—arebusiness(seeFigure18.2).

Figure18.2Thethreeandthreemodel,visuallyrepresented.

Takealookatsomemediabrandsthatyoumayhaveheardof:

ESPN.Multiplepropertiesindigital,aprintmagazine,andmultiplein-personevents.

Forbes.Multiplepropertiesindigital,aprintmagazine,andmultiplein-personevents.

Inc.Multiplepropertiesindigital,aprintmagazine,andmultiplein-personevents.

Asapublisher,Ihavealwaysbelievedinthethreelegsofthepublishingstool—print,digital,andinperson.Thosearethethreekeychannels,andtobethetrueinformationalexpertforyourniche(likethoselistedabove),youneedallthree.That’swhywelaunchedaprintmagazineandanin-personeventinconjunctionwithourkeyplatform(theblog).

Asyoubegintolearnmoreaboutthebehaviorofyouraudience,you’llseepatternsshowingthatthemoreyoucangetthepeopleinyouraudiencetoengageinyourcontentindifferentways,themorelikelytheywillbetobuyfromyou.

CMI’smainrevenuedriverisanevent,ContentMarketingWorld.It’simperativethatwecommunicateinawaythatmaximizesthechancesforouraudiencetoattendtheeventinperson.

AfterContentMarketingWorld2014,weaskedattendeeswhatchannelstheyaccessfromCMI.Whatwefoundwasastounding:80percentofourpaidattendeesconsistentlyengageinatleastthreechannels(Figure18.3).

Figure18.3CMIfindsthatthosethatspendmoneytogotooureventsengageinmultipleothercontentinitiativesthroughouttheyear.

Thisisexactlywhyit’simperativeatthediversificationstageoftheContentInc.modeltobeginbuildingoutpropertiesineachchannel.Sincethemajorityofthisbookcoversdigitalchannelsindetail,let’squicklylookatprintandin-personevents.

THEPRINTOPPORTUNITYAccordingto2015ContentMarketingInstituteandMarketingProfsresearch,onlyaboutoneinthreemarketersusestheprintedchannelaspartofacontentmarketingstrategy.Marketerstodayaresofocusedondigitalchannelsthatthey’veallbutforgottenthepowerofprint.

NowamIsayingthatyoushouldbelookingatprintasanopportunityrightnowtogetandkeepaudienceattention?Yes,that’sexactlywhatI’msaying.Ibelievetherehasneverbeenabiggeropportunityforbrandsintheprintedchannelthanrightnow.

WhileIwouldnotwanttobeinthebroad-based,horizontalprintgame(àlaUSAToday),highlyniche,highlytargetedpublicationsareflourishingasamarketingtool.Forexample,ThinkMoneymagazinefromTDAmeritradeseesabout90percentofitscustomerstakedirectactiononaproductitsellsthroughitsprintmagazine.Themagazine

isatruecollisionofamazingdesignandprovocativeinformation.It’sthetypeofcontentthatisanticipatedbyitstraderaudience.Andbetteryet,sincetradersareinfrontofcomputersalldaylong,theylookforwardtotheopportunitytodisconnectanddiscover.

Andthebestfinding:subscriberswhoregularlyreadthemagazinetradefivetimesmorethanthosewhodonot.Nowthat’samagazinethatwillalwaysgetbudgetapproval.

IsPrintDead?Digitalprognosticatorssaythatmostprintmediawillbegoneinthenextdecade.Ithinkanyonewhomakesthosetypesofcommentsdoesnotunderstandhistory.JusttypeintoGoogle“thedeathofTV,”andyou’llseehundredsofarticlespredictingtheendoftelevision.Onecouldmaketheargumentthatrightnowisthegoldenageoftelevision,withamazingshowslikeHouseofCards,TheWalkingDead,andGameofThronesleadingtheway.

TheevolutionoftheInternetdoesn’tkilloffthesechannels…itmakesuslookatthemdifferentlybecausetheyareuseddifferentlybyconsumers.

Andjustrecently,onlinehousingrentalserviceAirbnblaunchedacustomermagazinecalledPineapple(theuniversalsymbolfor“welcome”).Aswell,digitalcarserviceUberlaunchedamagazineforitsdriverscalledMomentum.Whenthemostinnovativecompaniesontheplanetarenowlookingatprint,it’stimetotakenotice.

Hereareafewreasonstostartingthinkingprint.

ItGrabsAttentionHaveyounoticedhowmanyfewermagazinesandprintnewslettersyougetinthemailthesedays?Idon’tknowaboutyou,butIdefinitelypaymoreattentiontomyprintmail.There’sjustlessmail,somoreattentionispaidtoeachpiece(IactuallygetexcitedwhenInc.magazinearrivesattheoffice).Opportunity?WithtraditionalmagazineslikeNewsweek,SmartMoney,andothersceasingpublication,thereisaclearopportunityforbrandstofillthegap.

CustomersStillNeedtoKnowWhatQuestionstoAskWelovetheInternetbecauseconsumerscanfindanswerstoalmostanything.Butwheredowegotothinkaboutwhatquestionsweshouldbeasking?Italkedtoapublisherrecentlywhosaid:“Thewebiswherewegotogetanswersbutprintiswherewegotoaskquestions.”

Theprintvehicleisstillthebestmediumontheplanetforthinkingoutsidetheboxandaskingyourselftoughquestionsbasedonwhatyouread—it’s“leanback”versus“leanforward.”Ifyouwanttochallengeyourcustomers,printisaviableoption.

PrintStillExcitesPeopleItalkedtoajournalistwhosaidit’sharderandhardertogetpeopletoagreetoaninterviewforanonlinestory.Butmentionthatitwillbeaprintedfeatureandexecutives

rearrangetheirschedules.Theprintedwordisstillperceivedasmorecredibletomanypeoplethananythingontheweb.Itgoestotheoldadage,“Ifsomeoneinvestedenoughtoprintandmailit,itmustbeimportant.”

We’veseenthisfirsthandwithourmagazine,ChiefContentOfficer.Contributorslovebeingfeaturedonthewebsite,buttheycravehavingtheirarticleintheprintedmagazine.It’samazinghowdifferenttheperceptionisoftheprintversusonlinechannelwhenitcomestoeditorialcontribution.Thisgoesaswellforconsumers.

PrintLetsPeopleUnplugMoreandmore,peopleareactivelychoosingtounplug,ordisconnectthemselvesfromdigitalmedia.I’mfindingmyselfturningoffmyphoneande-mailmoretoengagewithprintedmaterial.TodayIrelishtheopportunitieswhenIcan’tbereachedforcomment.

IfI’mright,manyofyourcustomers(especiallybusyexecutives)arefeelingthesameway.Yourprintcommunicationmaybejustwhattheyneed.

SOCIALCONNECTIONSNEEDIN-PERSONEVENTSIattendedanexecutivemeetingatPentoninthemid-2000s,wherethesubjectofthemeetingwaswhattodowithoureventsportfolio.Therewasconcernthatbecausemoreofouraudiencewascommunicatingonlineand,increasingly,throughsocialmedia,therewouldbelessofaneedforconferencesandevents.

Boy,werewewrong!

In-personeventsandconferencescontinuetogrow.Asmorepeopleconnectsocially,weareseeinganincreasedneedforthosepeopletomeetface-to-face.

Somequestionstoconsider:

Doesyourcontentnichehaveadedicatedevent?

Iftheanswerisyes,couldtherebeanopportunitytodevelopasmalleventforjustoneparticularportionofyouraudience.

Let’slookatCMI’seventportfolio:

ContentMarketingWorldisthelargestindustryevent.Wehavemultipletracksformarketersandbusinessownersofalltypes.Itattracts4,000delegates.

IntelligentContentConferenceisourWestCoasteventthatonlytargetsmoretechnicallysavvymarketersandcontentstrategists.Itattracts400delegates.

CMIExecutiveForumisaninvitation-onlyeventforseniorexecutiveswhoareconcernedaboutcontentmarketing.Itattracts40delegates.

MichaelStelzneraddedaneventtohisContentInc.portfolioin2012.BrianClarkaddedonein2014.RandFishkinhasbeenrunninghisevent,entitledMozcon,foryears.

Theconferenceyoudesigncanbesmall,midsize,orlarge,butthereismostlikelyadeepneedforyouraudiencetomeetandnetwork,strengtheningyourindustryleadershipatthesametime.

DigitalEventsAsmuchasIbelieveinthepowerofin-personevents,youmaywanttoconsiderlaunchingadigitaleventtotestthewaters.WebinarsandvirtualtradeshowtechnologyfromcompanieslikeON24andGoToWebinararerelativelyinexpensiveandlogisticallymucheasiertoproduce.

Thegreatestnewandoldmediacompaniesaroundtheworldstartedoutleveragingonechannel.Astheyhavegrown,eachonehasbuiltoutthedigital,in-person,andprintchannelstowrapitsreadersin“contentlove.”YouropportunityistodothisfromanindividualandbusinessperspectivetoultimatelydriveyourContentInc.model.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Asyoubegintodiversifyyourplatform,besuretolookbeyonddigitalforhiddenopportunities.Thegreatestmediabrandsintheworldleveragenotonlydigital,butin-personandprintcomponentsaswell.

ThemostsuccessfulContentInc.entrepreneursfocusonablog,abook,andpublicspeaking.AllthreeoftheseincombinationwillhelptakeyourContentInc.strategytothenextlevel.

ResourcesNehaJewalikar,“AreSocialMediaandContentMarketingtheSame?,”radius.com,

accessedApril28,2015,http://radius.com/2014/10/27/content-marketing-social-media-interview-joe-pulizzi-cmi/.

Statistica,“FactsonTradeShowMarketingintheUnitedStates,”statistica.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.statista.com/topics/1498/trade-show-marketing/.

Chapter19

BuildingOutExtensionsWithoutcontinualgrowthandprogress,suchwordsasimprovement,achievement,andsuccesshavenomeaning.

BENJAMINFRANKLIN

AndySchneider(theChickenWhisperer)initiallybuilthisplatformbydoingin-personmeetups(monthlygatheringswithhisaudienceinAtlanta)andhomeshows.Thattransformedintohisverypopularradioshow,BackyardPoultrywiththeChickenWhisperer,nowoverfiveyearsold.AndythenpublishedthebookTheChickenWhisperer’sGuidetoKeepingChickens,followedbytheprintmagazine,titledTheChickenWhispererMagazine,sentto60,000subscribers.

ScottMcCaffertyandMikeEmichlaunchedWTWHMediawithoneplatform,DesignWorldOnline,asthego-toonlineproductresourceformechanicalengineers.Shortlyafter,DesignWorldmagazine(print)waslaunched.WTWHthenlaunchedbothacustomereventandanindustryeventformechanicalengineers.

Andthiswasjustthebeginning.ScottandMikehavenowlaunchedadditionalplatformsintoseveralassociatedindustriessuchasrenewableenergy,fluidpower,andmedicaldesign(Figure19.1).Today,withmorethan1millionregisteredusers,WTWHhasgonefromnothingtoan$11millionbusinessinlessthan10years.

Figure19.1WTWHMediareachesover1milliondesignengineers.Itdidthisthroughthehelpofmultipleacquisitions.

CHOOSINGTHERIGHTEXTENSIONSTherearetwodifferentwaystolaunchadditionalplatformextensions:

Addingchannelswithinthesameplatform.Forexample,MatthewPatrickandhisGameTheorybrandareinthemidstoflaunchingadditionalshowstotargetdifferentaudiences,allontheYouTubeplatform.DarrenRowsefromDigitalPhotographySchoollaunchedasubsitecalledSnappinDeals,aspartofthecurrentwebsiteplatform.

Extendingwithcurrentbrandintonewplatforms.ThisistheAndySchneiderexampleoftakingthein-personplatformandlaunchingaradioshow,abook,andamagazine.

ThestandardContentInc.modelisgoingtoalreadyhaveanonlineplatform(awebsiteorblog)andane-newsletterofferingtobuildthesubscriptionlist.Fromthat,themostcommonbrandextensionswithinthemodelare:

Books

Podcasts

Events

Magazines

ContentMarketingInstitutehaslaunchedbrandextensionsintoallfourplatformtypes.Let’stakeaquicklookateachone.

BooksChapter18toldyouwhydevelopingabookiscriticaltobuildingyourpersonalbrandandoptimizingallpossiblebusinessopportunities.AtCMI,weassistthemembersofourstaffincreatingbooksintheircoreexpertisearea(Figure19.2).Forexample,inadditiontomyownbooks(suchasEpicContentMarketing),RobertRose,ourchiefstrategyofficer,recentlyreleasedhisnewbook,Experiences:The7thEraofMarketing.Andwealsopartnerwithindustryinfluencers.Asexamples,wehelpedunderwriteandpromoteinfluencerbookssuchasBrandscapingbyAndrewDavisandTheMarketer’sGuidetoSlideSharebyToddWheatland.

Figure19.2JustasamplingofsomeoftherecentprintedbookslaunchedthroughCMI.

PodcastsCMIlauncheditsfirstpodcastinNovember2013calledPNR’sThisOldMarketing,whereRobertRoseandIcoverthecontentmarketingnewsoftheweek.ThiswasanaturalextensionsinceCMIdidn’thaveanewsoffering,andwebelievedouraudienceneededthiskindofinformation.Eachepisodeisrepurposedintoablogpostwithshownoteslaterintheweek,aswellase-bookcompilationsassubscribergiveaways.

OnthebasisofthesuccessofThisOldMarketing,CMIlaunchedapodcastnetworkthatincludesadditionalpodcastssuchasAndrewDavis’sClaimYourFameandPamelaMuldoon’sContentMarketing360.

Podcasts:GettingStartedIt’seasierthanevertogetstartedwithpodcasting.Here’swhatyouneed:

•Aprofessionalmicrophonetorecordyourpodcasts.IrecommendtheAudio-TechnicaAT2020USB(costapproximately$100).

•Awaytorecord.PCuserscanleverageAudacityforfree.MacuserscanuseGarageBand.Bothsoftwareprogramswilledityourpodcasts.

•Awaytopublishandsyndicateyourpodcasts.WeuseLiberatedSyndicate(https://www.libsyn.com/),whichhostsallourpodcastsandautomaticallyfeedsthemtoiTunesandStitcher.

EventsInSeptember2010,CMIannouncedthatitwasplanningContentMarketingWorld,ourflagshipevent,inSeptember2011.ThekeythatmadethisworkwasaluncheonmeetingthattookplaceinNovember2010.WeorganizedthelunchwithmarketingandgovernmentalleadersinCleveland,Ohio,toannouncetheeventand,wehoped,gaintheirsupport.Atthatevent,wesecuredourplatinumsponsor.

Initiallywereservedhotelmeetingspacetoaccommodate150people.Bytheeventdate,wehad660peopleattendingtheevent,takingovermuchofthehotelspace.

Theeventconceptworkedforthefollowingreasons:

Weincludedinfluencersearlyintheprocess.

Wegaveplentyoftimeforouraudiencetobudgettimeandexpensesfortheevent.

Weofferedthepeopleinouraudiencetoolstoattendtheevent,suchasacompletedocumentonhowtheycouldjustifytheeventtotheirboss.

Webudgetedforasmalleventbutsecuredalocationthatwecouldgrowintoiftheneedarose.

Weplannedfarinadvance.Asitwasourfirstevent,wehadtolearnalltheinsandoutsofeventplanning,andsothetimewasnecessary.

Wehiredareputableandexperiencedeventplanner.

Infiveyears,thatlittleeventideahasgrowninto4,000delegatesfrom50differentcountriesandisnowthelargestrecurringbusinesseventindowntownCleveland.

MagazinesChiefContentOfficer(CCO)magazine(Figure19.3)waslaunchedinJanuary2011.AsofSeptember2015,CCOhasdelivered23issuesto20,000marketersforeachissue.CCOisnowcriticaltoouroverallstrategysincethecontentofthemagazineandthecontentoftheoriginalplatform(theblog)arenowfullyintegrated.

Figure19.3ChiefContentOfficermagazine.

TheoriginalideaforCCOwastoreachchiefmarketingofficersandotherseniormarketersthathadbudgetaryresponsibilityforcontentmarketing.Ourstrategywassimple.Getthemagazineintotheirhands,andtheywouldbegintoseecontentmarketingasavaluablego-to-marketstrategyandstartfundingcontentresourceswithintheenterprise.

Understandingthebudgetingbehindwhatmakesamagazineworkiscritical.Areastoconsiderinclude:

Projectmanagement.Thefeeforsomeonetooverseetheproductionofthemagazine.

Editorial.Rawcontentcosts(includingoutsidecontributors),managingeditorialcosts,andproofreadingfees.

Design.Someonetolayoutthegraphicsforthepublication.

Photosandillustrations.Investmentinanyphotoshootsorcustomgraphiccreation.

Databasefees.Chargestomakesureyouraudiencelistispostalready.

Printing.Costtoprintthepublication.

Postage.Postofficefeestodelivereachissue.

Shipping.Anybulkshippingfeesfromtheprinterortoyourofficelocation.

Commissions.Ifyourmagazineissupportedthoughadvertisingrevenue,you’llneedtopayacommissiontothesalesperson.Commissionratesaregenerally8–10percentforoneofyourstaffandupto20–25percenttohireafreelancesalespersonwhocoversallhisorherowncosts.

Ourgeneralfolio(pagecount)isbetween40and64pages.Yourcostwilldependonthenumberoftotalpages,numberofeditorialpages,andtotalprintcount,butyoushouldpreparetospendatleast$40,000anissue.Tosubsidizethis,weincludesponsoradvertisersinthepublicationtodefraythosecostsentirely.

Althoughthereareotherextensionoptionssuchaswebinarprograms,videoseries,andmobileapps,considerlookingatthesetopfourfirst:books,podcasts,events,andmagazines.

ContentVelocity

WhenJonLoomerstartedhisContentInc.model,heproduced350postsinthefirstyear.Inthesecondyear,hedecreasedhisoutputto250posts.Bythethirdyear,hewasat100originalpiecesofcontent.

Thepoint?AsJonbuilthisaudienceandbegantodiversifyintoothercontentofferings,herealizedhedidn’thavetocreateasmuchcontenttogetthemaximumamountofimpact.Althoughthisisdifferentdependingontheplatformyouarebuilding,morecontentisn’talwaysthebestuseofyourresources.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Onceyou’vebuiltthebase,starttocontemplatethebestopportunitiesfordiversification.

OneofthehottestContentInc.extensionstodayisaroundpodcasting.Withthetechnologybarrierscomingdownrapidlyforpodcastingaccessibility,wehaveonlyseenthestartofthepodcastingrevolution.

Chapter20

AcquiringContentAssetsBuyland,they’renotmakingitanymore.

MARKTWAIN

Irecentlysatinamarketingmeetingwithoneofthelargestproducersofconsumergoodsintheworld.Thediscussioncenteredonbuildingaudiencesthroughcontentinvariousmarkets.Insomeofthemarkets,thecompanyalreadyhadasolidcontentplatformbuilt.Inothers,therewasnothingonthehorizon.

Theplanbeingdiscussedwasanacquisitionstrategyofmultiplepropertieswheretheorganizationwouldapproachand,iftermswereworkedout,buybloggingsitesandmediapropertiesthatalreadyhadabuilt-inaudienceandcontentplatform.

Sometimesitmakessensetobuild.Sometimesitmakessensetobuy.

TWOTHINGSBloggingsitesandmediacompanieshavetwothingsthatwewantandneed.

Thefirstisthecapabilitytotellstories.Theyhavethepeopleandprocessestochurnoutamazingcontentonaconsistentbasis.

Thesecond,andmaybemoreimportant,isthatblogsandmediasitescomewithbuilt-inaudiences.

Althoughmergerandacquisitionstrategieshavebeenhappeningeversincethefirstmediacompanywaslaunched,nonmediacompaniesarestartingtogetintothisgamerecently.PhotographysuppliesstoreAdoramaputabuyinggrouptogetherwhenJPGmagazinewasgoingoutofbusiness.ThegroupgotaccessnotonlytoJPG’sContentInc.platformandcontent,butalsotoJPG’s300,000subscribers(whichjusthappentobeAdorama’sprospectsandcustomers).

L’Oreal,theglobalmakeupconglomerate,purchasedMakeup.comfromLiveCurrentMediaforover$1millionbackin2010.MarketingautomationcompanyHubSpotwantedtoaddanagencyblogtomatchitsmarketingandsalesblogs,soitapproachedAgencyPostandacquiredthebloginsteadofstartingfresh(Figure20.1).Inmid-2015,theSurfStitchGroup,aleadingonlineretailerinAustralia,purchasedtwosmallmediacompaniesinthesurfingindustry,furtherpositioningSurfStitchastheclearcontentleaderinthecategory.

Figure20.1MarketingautomationcompanyHubSpotdecidedtoacquireanoutsideblog,AgencyPost,tofillitsagencyblogchannel.

ScottMcCaffertyandMikeEmichfoundedWTWHMedia,LLC,in2006afterrunningaboutiquemediarepfirm.Ninemonthsprevious,Scottattendedsalesmeetingswithsixdifferentpublishingoperations.Atthosemeetings,Scottnoticedaconsistenttrend:whenhebroughtuponlineadvertisingsolutions,everypublishertoldhimtostayfocusedonsellingprintpages.Scottknewheneededtomakeachange.

ScottandMikewentaheadanddevelopedacomprehensivebusinessplanwithcloseto50pagesdetailingprojectionsandassumptions.Withinthatnearly10-year-oldplan,thereweretwocriticalfactorsthatremaintruetoday.Theybelievedreaderswouldtakecontroloftheirinformationchannelsandmarketerswouldrequiremeasurableresultsfromtheirinvestments.

Asthebusinessgrew,ScottoftenreferredtobusinessadvicehereceivedfromDavidMurdock,chairmanandCEOofDoleFoodCompany.InasocialmeetingwithMr.Murdock,Scottaskedhimhowheboughtandsoldcompanies.Murdockstatedthathesimplymadealistoftheindustriesinwhichhewantedtoacquireabusinessandalistofcompanieshewantedtopurchase.Hethenwouldcalleachownerandaskifheorshewantedtosell.Somewouldsayyes;somewouldsayno.

ApplyingMr.Murdock’sadvice,ScottmadelistsofwebsitesintechnologiesthatWTWHcovered.Hethene-mailedtheownersaskingiftheywouldconsiderselling.

Overaneight-yearperiod,WTWHhasidentifiedandnegotiatedfivetransactionsapplyingthisprinciple.Alongtheway,herecognizedacertainmixofcommoningredientswithineachtransaction.

•Typically,thesiteswerecommunitybasedwithanactiveusergroup.

•Theywereownedandoperatedbyasingleoperatorwhoviewedthebusinessasahobby.

Today,WTWHMedia,LLC,isafour-timeInc.5000honoreewithcloseto50teammembersheadquarteredinCleveland,Ohio.Thecompanymanagescloseto40-plustechnology-basedwebsites,fiveprintpublications,andaseriesofverticaleventsandprovidesmarketingservicesinthedesignengineering,renewableenergy,fluidpower,andmedicalmarkets.In2015,thecompanyforecastscloseto$11millioninsales.

AsyoubuildoutyourContentInc.strategytogrowyourindustrydominance,acquisitionstrategiesareanaturalpathtofollow.

THEPROCESSOFACQUIRINGACONTENTPLATFORMCMIpurchasedmultiplepropertiestoaddtoitsplatform,includingaWestCoastconferencecalledIntelligentContentConferenceandanawardsprogramdubbed(fittingly)theContentMarketingAwards.Wemadethedecisionthatpurchasingtheseplatformsmademoresensethancreatingthemfromscratchandthencompetingwiththeseproperties.

Toacquirenewplatforms,followthesesevensteps.

Step1.DetermineYourGoalLikeanygoodbusinessdecision,startbydeterminingthereasonsitmightpossiblymakesensetopurchaseanexistingcontentplatform.Yourbusinessobjectivesforapurchasemightinclude:

Tocoverageographicareathatyourbusinessiscurrentlyabsentfromwithanin-personcomponent.Theultimategoalwouldbetoreachmorecustomersforcross-selling,up-selling,anddecreasingyourcustomerturnoverrateinthatregion.

Toinsertyourbrandintotheconversationaroundatopicyouarenotwellknownfor.Let’ssayyoumanufactureacertaintypeofsteel,andyou’veidentifiedsomeuseintheoilandgasindustry.Itmaythenmakesensetolookatsmalleroilandgasblogsitesoreventsandimmediatelybecomeacrediblepartoftheindustrylexicon.

Toaccomplishsubscriptionobjectives.Mostlikely,theplatformwillcomewithabuilt-inaudienceforyoutonurture,grow,orleverageforcross-selling.

Topurchasethecontentassetsthemselvesandtheassociatedsearchengineoptimizationandsharingbenefitswiththem.

Step2.ClearlyIdentifytheAudience

Forthistowork,youneedaclearunderstandingoftheaudiencegapyouaretryingtofill.Forexample,CMItargetssenior-levelmarketersatlargeorganizationsforourmagazine,ChiefContentOfficer.Wetargetmarketing,PR,socialmedia,andSEOmanagersanddirectors(the“doers”)atmid-marketandlargerenterprisesforContentMarketingWorld(ourevent).

Step3.MakeYourShortListofPlatformsAfteryouidentifyyourobjectiveandyouraudience,startmakingalistofrelevantplatformsthatwillhelpyoumeetyourgoals.Thekeyistoavoidsettinganylimitationsatthispoint.Youcanlistevents,blogsites,mediasites,associationsites,andmaybeevensomesitesdirectlyfromyourinfluencerlist.

Whenyouaremakingthelist,it’shandytoputitallintoaspreadsheetcontainingrelevantsubscriberinformationsuchas:

Originationdate.

Currentnumberofsubscribers.

Knownrevenuesources(listeachofthem).

Ownershipstructure(forexample,independentbloggerormediacompany).

Foraconferenceortradeshow,hereisalistofassetswelookforwhenpurchasinganevent:

Numberofattendees(pasttwoyears)withpercentageofgrowth(orloss).

Numberofexhibitors(pasttwoyears)withpercentageofgrowth(orloss).

Numberofmediapartners(pasttwoyears).

Generalregionallocation.

Registrationcost(ratecard).

Marqueevalue(thisisasubjectiveratedeterminingthecachefortheevent—afive-pointscaleshouldworkjustfine).

Possibilityforsettingupamediaplatformaroundtheevent(again,somethingonafive-pointscaleissufficient).Theideahereisthattheremaybepotentialtobuildtheeventintoafullyfunctionalmediaplatformwithonlinecontent,webevents,andmore.

Step4.ApproachtheBestOpportunityTherearetwoapproachesIrecommend,andI’veseenbothofthemwork.Youcanreachouttoyourtoppickandseewheretheconversationgoes.Theissueisthatyouareputtingallyoureggsinonebasket.Abetteroptionmaybetoapproachyourtopthreepicksallatonceandconveyyourintentions(i.e.,thatyouareinterestedinpurchasingtheirwebsite,event,etc.).

You’lllikelybeamazedatthereactionsyoureceive.Someoftheoperatorswillneverhaveimaginedthatthey’dbeapproachedonapurchase.Others(probablythosewitha

mediabackground)willalreadyhaveanexactideaoftheirexitstrategyandwhattheyarelookingfor.

Thekeyatthispointistogetdiscussionsstartedsoyoucangaugewherepotentialinterestmaylie.Worst-casescenariowhenapproachingapossiblesellerthatisn’tinterestedinsellingisthatyounowhavethepotentialtogrowarelationshipfromthisfirstcontact.Simplyput,youneverknowwhenintentionsmightchange,andnowyouhaveaninsidetrackiftheydo.

AndrewDavisbelievesthatthebestopportunitiesforacquisitionareamazingcontentcreatorsthatlackanykindofbusinessmodel.Thegoodnews?Todayeveryindustryhasmanyofthese.

Step5.DeterminethePurchaseValueThereisastandardmeasuretosmallerwebpropertiesandevents(wewillgettothatinasecond),butthisfirstpartiscritical:figureoutwhattheownerwants.Justlikeyoudowithyourinfluencers,it’syourjobtofindoutwhattheplatformowner’sgoalsandaspirationsare.Maybeit’sjustmonetary(thoughthisisunlikely).Perhapstheownerislookingforanewopportunity,orheorshedesperatelywantsoutofthebusiness(manyblogsiteownersoreventownersneverimaginethattheirprojectmightgetlargerthanwhattheycanmanageormightgrowinadifferentdirectionthanwhattheyintended).

AsIsaid,thereisapropervaluationprocessforsmallerwebpropertiesandevents.Todothis,youbothneedtosignamutualnondisclosureagreementforprotection—onbothsides.Thenyouwanttorequestthebusiness’sprofitandlossstatementfortheprevioustwoyears,atleast.YoumayalsoneedtoseedocumentationoncurrentsponsorshipagreementsandothercontractsthecompanyholdstoconfirmthatitsP&Lstatementcanbeverified.(Importantnote:Legalspecificscanvarywidely,sopleaseconsultyourlegalrepresentationbeforeyouapproachanyopportunity.)

Forwebsitepurchases,somedealsaredoneona“per-subscriber”basis,someonanetprofitbasis.InoneexampleIpersonallyworkedon,amediadealwasbasedonpaying$1persubscriber.Inanother,itwasfivetimesearnings,paidoutoveratwo-yearperiod.Smallerconferencesgenerallygoforaroundfivetimesnetprofit(forexample,iftheannualprofitoftheconferenceis$100,000,youwouldpay$500,000fortheproperty).

Let’slookatasmallconferenceexample:

Attendees:250

Exhibitors:20

Revenue:$340,000

Expenses:$270,000

Netprofit:$70,000

Generalvalueofthebusiness:$70,000×5=$350,000

Thereisabitmorethatgoesintoit,buttheestimatedgeneralvalueofthiseventwould

bearound$350,000.

Step6.MakeYourOfferBeforeyoumakeaformaloffer,youwanttomakesurethatyourpriceisintherightballparkandthattheowneragreestothebasicsofyourterms.Ifyouhavethatagreement,you’llneedtheeventownertosignaformalletterofintent(LOI).TheLOIbasicallymeansthatbothsidesagreetocontinuetheconversationandtaketherelationshiptothenextleveloftheprocess;it’sthebusinessacquisitionequivalentofgettingengaged—whileit’snotameaningfulorlegallybindingactinandofitself,itservesasanofficialstatementofyourintentions.(Note:PleaseconsultlegalrepresentationoncreatinganLOI.)

Step7.EnterFinalNegotiationsNow,beforeyousignanything,considerthesefinalquestions:

Whate-mailandprintlistsareavailable?Whatpermissionsdoyouhavetosendtothecompany?

Whatassetsareavailable?Videos?Blogposts?SlideShares?Conductingafullauditofthecompany’sassetsmightbenecessary.

Whatarethesocialchannelsinuse?

Whoaretheprimeinfluencersinthisspacethatweshouldconnectwith?Requestcontactdetailsandareasofexpertise(ifneeded).

Whatvendorsdoesthecompanyworkwith?Whomwoulditrecommend?

Overthefollowing30to60days,youwouldbeworkingonaformalassetpurchaseagreementandreviewingallthedocumentationtomakesureallfacts,figures,anddiscussionsareaccurateandverifiable.Fromthere,contractsaresigned,followedbycorksbeingpoppedonyourcelebratorybottlesofchampagne(optional,butanicetouch).

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Youhavearealdecisiontomakeasyoudevelopyourplanforextensions…shouldyoubuildorbuy?

Buyingbecomesexpensivewithoutaplan.Ifyoucandeterminethepropertiesyouwantandbuildrelationshipswiththoseownersovertime,thebetterthechanceforanacquisitionandalowerprice.

ResourcesJamesDillon,“ShouldYouBuyorGrowaPineappleforYourAudience?,”

ContentMarketingInstitute.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/02/buy-or-grow-pineapple-audience/.

AndrewAlleman,“L’OrealBuysMakeup.comfor7Figures,”domainnamewire.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://domainnamewire.com/2010/03/04/loreal-buys-makeup-com-for-7-figures/.

Part7

MonetizationIwilltellyouthesecrettogettingrichonWallStreet.Youtrytobegreedywhenothersarefearful.Andyoutryto

befearfulwhenothersaregreedy.

WARRENBUFFETT

You’vecreatedarelationshipwithaloyalaudience.You’vebuiltthebaseandhavediversifiedintomultiplechannelextensions.Nowisthetimetoreaptherewards.

Chapter21

WaitingforRevenueMa’am,Idon’tdoubtthesteakwasovercooked,butdidyouhavetoeatitallbeforeyoucomplainedaboutit?

DANFROMTHEMOVIEWAITING…

AsBrianClarkdiscussesintheForewordofthisbook,ContentInc.modelscanbettermonetizetheprogramwhentheygettotheirMVA,orminimumviableaudience.Asheexplains:“AnMVAisthepointwhenyouraudiencestartsgrowingitselfthroughsocialsharingandword-of-mouth.Evenbetter,it’salsowhenyoustartgettingthefeedbackthattellsyouwhatproductorserviceyouraudienceactuallywantstobuy.”

SuccessfulContentInc.companiesdon’tjustgettoanMVApointorlevel-of-subscriberspointandthenmakeadecisiontosellaproduct.Allalongtheway,thesesavvyentrepreneursareleveragingcreativethinkingtosustainthebusinessmodelwhileitisbeingdevelopedandisgrowing.

ThischapterrevealshowIdidituponlaunchingourContentInc.model.

INSEARCHOF…MONEYInMarch2007whenIleftanexecutivepositionwithexcellentbenefitstostartanewcompany,Ilaunchedwithoutasustainableincomesource.SowhileIbegantobuildtheContentInc.approachformyself,Istartedconsultingformediacompaniesandassociations.

Oneassociationinparticular,asmallnonprofitfocusedonmechanicalengineers,neededtodevelopstrategiesforgeneratingnewrevenuestreamsfromitspublishingportfolio.Theadvertisingrevenuefromitsmagazineswasslowlydeteriorating.Atthesametime,theassociationhadmajorchallengestryingtoincreasedigitalrevenuefromsalesofonlinebannersandbuttons.Addingtothechallengewasthefearattheassociationthatwithoutincreasedsales,majorlayoffswereintheworks.

Afterafewhoursanalyzingtheassociation’smediainformationandconductingstaffinterviewswithitssalesandmarketingteams,Ifoundfourkeyissues:

Thesalesteamwasaccustomedtoandfocusedonsellingprintadvertising.Sellingonlineproductswascompletelyforeigntothesesalesandmarketingprofessionals.

Theassociation’scoreadvertiserswerejustdippingtheirtoesintobuyingonlineadvertisingtopromotetheirproductsandservices.

Therewasnodigitalsalesstrategyfortheassociation.Simplyput,thesalespeoplewerewingingit.

Trafficonthewebsitewasstillnascent.Itwasamajorchallengetoselldigitalproductsbecausetheassociation’swebsitedidn’thaveenougheyeballsonthecontent(yet).

Itlookedlikealongroadahead.Normallythiswouldbefine,butmycontactsaidwesimplydidn’thavethetimetowaitforthetraffictoincrease.Weneedednewrevenuenowtosurvive.

Fromthisdesperation,wedevelopedthelimited-inventorymodel.

Ifyouunderstandthelifeofaprintadvertisingsalesperson,thereisalwaysinventory.Youcanalwaysaddanotherform(morepages)toamagazinetoaccommodateanad.Themagazinepublisherwillgladlyaddmorepagesifnewrevenueisontheway.Sure,wehavesalestargetsandanticipatedfolios(thepagecountofthemagazine),butwecanalwayssellmoreads.

Thisisexactlyhowthesalespeopleweresellingdigital.Theyweresellingunlimitedspaceavailabilitytoafinitegroupofonlinereaders…andnoonewasbuying.

Wedevelopedanewlimited-inventorymodelthatlookedsomethinglikethis:

Wedidn’tcallitadvertising.Wecalleditsponsorship.

Welimitedthenumberofavailablesponsorspermonth—fromunlimited(intheory)tosixsponsors.

Thesponsorsreceivedalogoatthebottomofeverypageandwerelistedas“AssociationPartners.”

Eachsponsorsplittheinventorysixways,meaningthateachsponsorreceivedadigitaladvertisementthatwaspromotedtoone-sixthofallthesitevisitors.

Wesignificantlyincreasedthecostofthesponsorships,versuswhattheformerdisplayadvertisingcost.

Weofferedcategoryexclusivityfora50percentincreaseininvestment.

Atfirst,themembersofthesalesteamdetestedtheidea.Theybelievedthatlimitingtheproductstheycouldsellwouldhurttheirlivelihoods.Inaddition,theydidn’tlikethe“six-sponsor”conceptbecauseitcouldshutoutsomeadvertisers,andifthathappened,theassociationcouldtakeacredibilityhitfornotbeingopentoallsupporters.

Fortunately(ornot),wedidn’thaveachoice.Wehadlessthanthreemonthstoturnitaround,orpeopleweregoingtolosetheirjobs.

Thenextweek,wesentoutane-mailsimultaneouslytothepromolist(allpossibleadvertisers)abouttheopportunity.Oncethee-mailwassent,thesalespeoplecalledtheirbestcustomersandtalkedthroughtheopportunities,basicallysaying“Whenthey’regone,they’regone…butIwanttogiveyoufirstcrackattheopportunity.”

Insideaweek’stimewehadconfirmationsforthenextsixmonths.Yes,wesoldoutofinventory.Fromarevenueperspective,itwasalreadya500percentincreaseindigitalrevenuefromthepreviousyear.

Fromthatmomenton,alldigitalproductsweresoldonalimited-inventorybasis,includingwebinars,e-bookandwhitepapersponsorships,andspecializeddirectorylistings.

THEBENEFACTORMODELWhyisthisstoryrelevant?Aswe’vediscussed,theContentInc.model,theinformationalannuitythatitis,takestimeandpatiencetowork.Ifyouareinasituationsimilartomine,youprobablyneedasourceofincomeuntilyoubuildyouraudienceandfindyourultimateproduct.

AndthisisthepositionIwasinjustafewmonthsafterthatassociationconsultingengagement.

Mywife,anaccomplishedsocialworker,leftherjobafewyearsbeforeIstartedthebusinesstostayhomewithourtwoboys,thenagesthreeandfive.Weneededanincometosurvive.Sure,wecutourexpensesdowntothelimit,butwestillhadamortgage,acarpayment,andtwokidstofeed.Theconsultingwouldhaveworkedfineonitsown,butsincewewereinvestingsomuchintoourfutureproduct(acontentmarketingmatchingservice),therewasn’tenoughtosupportthefamily.By2009,wewerebleedingcashasanorganization.

Thecorematchingservicewasn’tgrowingatmyanticipatedprojections.Inotherwords,thefinancialmodelwasflawed.ThemoreIscrutinizedthemodel,themorenegativemythoughtsgrew.Aftermultipleconversationswithmywife,Iwasveryclosetoclosingdownthebusinessandgoingbacktofindajob.

AnditwasthenthatIrememberedthelimited-inventorymodel.

MAKINGTHEPIVOTAfterweeksofthinkingaboutwhethertodoubledownorjumpship,Iwentbackandanalyzedtheaudiencewehaddeveloped(seethesectioninChapter7onlisteningposts).

Whatwerethebiggestpainpoints?

Whatwerepeopleaskingtobuy?

Wastheresomelow-hangingfruitinrevenueopportunitiesthatweweremissing?

Onlyaverysmallpercentageofouraudiencememberswereinterestedinfindingcontentvendors.Themajoritywereinneedofeducation,training,andtoolstohelpthemsucceedatcontentmarketing.Itwasnowonderwewereseeingmassiverequestsforconsultingandspeaking…theirneedwasn’tvendorselection;itwaseducationandtraining.Thisinsightwasagamechanger!

Wedecidedtochangetherevenuemodelaroundsponsorshipandevents(moreonthatinthenextchapter).Theproblem:westillneededrevenuenow.

Enterourlimited-inventorymodel—thebenefactorpackage.Iimmediatelybegancallingande-mailingourbestsupporters,offeringthemanopportunitytofundournewdirection.Thisincludedopportunitiesforjust10companies,whereeach“benefactor”received10percentofoursitepromotionandtheopportunitytoincludecontentonoursite(sponsoredcontent).

Withinafewweeksweweresoldout.Thisstrategyenabledustofundourpivotandkeepgoing.Thefollowingyear,wemadetheInc.500asoneofthefastest-growingsmall

companiesinNorthAmerica.

Westillsellthebenefactorpackagetoday,andnosponsorshipslothaseverbeenopenformorethanafewhours.I’velistedthefulldetailsbelowwiththeideathatyoucoulddevelopsomethingsimilarforyourkeysupporters.

CMI’sBenefactorPackage(asoutlinedinthe2015CMIMediaKit)

BecomeabenefactorofCMI:$35,000USDLIMITEDavailability—OnlyofferedtoTENcompaniesannually

AccesstoauthoreducationalblogpostsonCMIonline

SubmittedpostsMUSTadheretoCMI’seditorialguidelines:http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/blog-guidelines/

CMIhastherighttodeclineanyblogpostthatdoesnotmeetitseditorialguidelines/standards

Ifdesired,sponsorcanworkwithaCMIcontent/accountmanager(exclusivebenefactorbenefit)tohelpshapecontenttopics,directionandadherencetoCMI’sguidelines/standards

Sponsorhastheoption(atanadditionalcost)toapproachCMI’scustomcontentteamtoauthorablogpost,withcollaborationfromthesponsor

12monthsofonlinebannerdisplayadvertising(10%ofalladvertiserimpressionsvia250×250creativeunit)

AdinclusioninweeklyCMIenewslettersanddailyblogalerts(minimum40peryear)

BrandingonfooterofeveryCMIwebsitepage

Firstchanceatspecialpartnershipsandopportunities

GENERATINGREVENUEUNTILTHEPRODUCTISIDENTIFIEDIfyouarelikemostContentInc.entrepreneurs,youneedtoidentifyrevenueopportunitiesthroughouttheprocesstokeeppayingthebills.CMIdiditthroughthebenefactormodel.DigitalPhotographySchooldiditthroughaffiliatesales.GameTheorydiditthroughYouTubeadvertising.Mozdiditthroughconsulting.CopybloggerMediadiditthroughroyaltiesfrompartnerproductsales.

Todayallthesecompaniesaremultimillion-dollarenterprisesgrowingatsomeofthefastestratesaround.

Inthenextchapter,we’llgothroughalltheopportunitiesforyoutobuildandsellproductsontopoftheplatform.Untilyougettothatpoint,thinkcreativelyabouthowtokeeppayingthebillslikeothersuccessfulContentInc.entrepreneurs.

SOWHENSHOULDISTARTMONETIZINGTHEPLATFORM?

Ihavetheopportunitytomeetwithentrepreneursonanongoingbasis.Inmanyoftheseconversations,thequestionoftenarisesaboutwhentheyshouldstartmonetizingtheirproductsorservices.Myanswerisalwaysthis:“Today!”

ForContentInc.towork,youdon’thavetogothrougheachofthefivestagesandthenthinkaboutrevenue.Youneedtobethinkingaboutmakingmoneyfromyourplatformfromdayone.ForCMItowork,Isoldthedreamofwhatitwasgoingtobetoourbenefactorsponsors.Itwasthatrevenuethatenabledustobuildouttheplatform.

ArdathAlbee,authorofmultiplebooksincludingDigitalRelevance,believesthatthebestplacetostartacontentapproachiswithyourmostimportantrelationships.ThesameholdstrueforyourContentInc.monetizationmodel.Ifyou’vebeenworkingyourinfluencerchannelsproperly,thosesamepeopleshouldbeyourfirstoptionsforlocatingrevenueopportunities.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Itwilltaketimetofindtherightmonetizationmodelforyourbusiness.Inthemeantime,begintoexperimentwithdifferentwaystomakemoneyfromyourcontentasset.

Youdon’tneedalotofsupporttogetstarted,justtherightsupport.Focusonafewcompaniesthatarepassionateaboutyourcontenttohelpoffsetexpenses.

ResourceArdathAlbee,DigitalRelevance,PalgraveMacmillan,2015.

Chapter22

BuildingtheRevenueModelAsuccessfulmanisonewhocanlayafirmfoundationwiththebricksothershavethrownathim.

DAVIDBRINKLEY

AccordingtoEntrepreneurmagazine,themajorityofpeoplemakemoneyinveryfewways.Individualswhocollectasalaryfromabusinessgenerallyhaveoneormaybetwosourcesofincome(theirpaycheckandpossiblyaninvestmentaccount).Perhapsyouknowmanypeopleinthissituation.Theygotothesamejobeveryday,worktopayofftheirbills,anddon’thavemuchleftoverforsavingsorinvestmentaftereachmonth.

Millionaires,ontheotherhand,havemultiplesourcesofrevenuecomingin,whetherthat’sthroughmultiplebusinesses(andmultipleproductsandserviceswithinthosebusinesses),realestatetransactions,countlessinvestments,ormore.

That’sexactlythetypeofthinkingthatsurroundsentrepreneurswhoengageinaContentInc.strategy.

YouTuberRobScallondescribesitthisway:

I’malwaystryingtothinkupnewwaystodiversifyandhavemorestreamsofrevenue.MybandrecentlyhadasonglicensedforanationalTVad,whichwasreallyexciting.Iwouldlovetodo[more]licensing.Iwouldlovetodomerchandisetoo…thereareawholelotofdifferentrevenuestreamsaroundmyYouTubechannelthatIdotakeadvantageofandIdogetexcitementoutof.

Whetheryouareanentrepreneurinastart-upenvironmentorrunningaContentInc.programinalargeorganization,youshouldalwaysbethinkingofhowmanywaysyoucanmonetizetheassetofcontentyouareconsistentlycreating.

REVENUERIPPLESDougKessler,cofounderofVelocityPartners,introducedaconceptonToddWheatland’sThePivotpodcastthathereferstoas“ripples”withinacontentmarketingprogram.Forthemostpart,marketersmeasurecontentprogramsbyincreasingsales,savingcosts,orcreatingmoreloyalcustomers.Thesearetheobviousobjectives,withtheirassociatedmetrics.ButKesslerbelievesthattheremaybeamoreimportantmetric,theonethathecalled“ripples.”

RipplesaretheunexpectedbenefitsthatcomefromaContentInc.approach…likeaninvitationtospeakatanevent,someonespreadingthewordaboutyourexpertise,orotherunanticipatedbenefitsofbecomingaleadingexpertinyourfield.

WhenitcomestorevenueforyourContentInc.program,it’sallripples.WhenwebeginaContentInc.approach,wearemostlikelyunsurewhattherevenuepossibilitiescouldbe.Forexample,RiverPools&SpashadnoideathatitsContentInc.revenueline

wouldbethroughmanufacturing.MatthewPatrickdidn’tthinkforonedaythatYouTubewouldcallhimupforhisexpertise.

Weneedtogothroughtheprocesstogetthere…butwhenwedo,thebenefitsarepowerful.

CASESTUDY:CHEFMICHAELSYMONMichaelSymonisperhapsthebest-knowncelebritycheffromCleveland,Ohio.Michael’sentrepreneurialjourneystartedinafairlytypicalway(forarestaurantowner)witharestaurantinClevelandandoneinNewYork.Hewasslowlygrowing,addingmorerestaurants,butitwasn’tuntilMichaelappearedonIronChefAmericain2007thateverythingchanged.Fromthere,hecontinuallystarredonFoodNetworkshows,culminatinginaleadspotonTheChew,adaily,syndicatedtalkshowonABC.

Michaelisseenbymillionsadaynowonvariousnetworkshows,butthekeyisthathe’sconvertedthatintoanaudienceofoveramillionsocialmediafansinjustafewshortyears.

Michael’srestaurantbusinessisthriving,includinglaunchinggatheringspotslikeBarSymonandamazingburgerjointslikeBSpot.Asoftoday,Michaelisinvolvedindozensofprofitablerestaurantventures,butit’shisancillaryactivitiesthataremostworthnoting.Michaelhasbuiltaplatformfromwhichhenowderivesadditionalrevenuesincluding:

Books—MichaelSymonLivetoCookandTheChew:What’sforDinner?

LicensingofspecialtyfooditemstoAramark(whichrunsQuickenLoansArena,homeoftheClevelandCavaliers)

PaidspokespersonforVitamixandCalphalonandofficialpartnershipswithcompaniessuchasLay’sPotatoChips

OfficialMichaelSymoncookwarefromWeston

Hisownbrandofsignatureknives

Thelistgoeson.WhatworksforChefSymonandothercelebritiesthatbuildaContentInc.platformisderivingmultiplerevenuestreamsfromthecontent.Ashortsightedbusinessmodelmayonlylookattheaddedattentiontogeneratemorerestaurantsales.MichaelSymonhastakenhisaudienceandgenerateddozensofdifferentwaystomakemoney.

CONTENTINC.REVENUEEXAMPLESHerearesomeContentInc.examplesandhowtheymonetizetheiraudience.

TheContentMarketingInstitute,thecontentmarketingeducationalwebsite,makesmoneyfromitsplatforminthefollowingways:

Attendeespayingtoattendliveevents

Sponsorspayingtoexhibitatliveevents

Readersinvestinginonlinetraining

Sponsorshipofliveonlinewebinars

In-personcorporateworkshops

Ongoingconsultingretainers

Bookpurchases

Podcastsponsorships

E-mailnewslettersponsorships

Sponsorshipofdirecte-mailpromotions

PaidspeakingopportunitiesforCMIstaff

Onlinewebsitesponsorships

MichelePhan,theYouTubemakeupstar,generatesrevenuefrom:

YouTubeadvertisingroyalties

Bookroyalties

Paidappearances

Musiclabelshelaunched,calledShiftMusicGroup

PartnershipwithL’Orealonamakeuplinecalled“em”

“MyGlam”—abeautyproductssubscriptionsiteshecofounded

YouTubetalentnetworkshelaunched

AndySchneider,theChickenWhisperer,monetizeshisplatformthrough:

EventsponsorssuchasKalmbachFeeds

Paidmagazinesubscriptions

Magazineadvertisers

Podcastsponsors

Paidappearances

Bookroyalties

Websitesponsors

DarrenRowseatDigitalPhotographySchoolgrowshisplatformwith:

Affiliateprograms(paidroyaltiesfrompromotionon-site)

Purchasede-booksandtutorials

Paidonlinetrainingprograms

Onlineadvertising

BrandextensionsitessuchasSnappinDeals

BrianClarkatCopybloggerMediamonetizeshisplatformthrough:

SoftwaresubscriptionproductssuchasRainmakerPlatform

HostingservicessuchasSynthesis

PaidsponsorsforCopybloggerMediaevents

Registrationfeesforeventattendees

Overtheyears,Brianhasleverageddozensofadditionalproductsandaffiliateprogramsthathavepavedthewayforhiscurrentfast-growingproductslines.

WAYSTOMONETIZEYOURCONTENTMarcAndreessen,multibillionaireandcofounderofNetscape,isoneofthelargesttechnologyinvestorsontheplanet.AsofMarch2015,hehasmade33investmentsthroughhisventurecapitalcompany,AndreessenHorowitz.IfAndreessenletshismoneydothetalkingforhim,he’smakingabigbetoncontentplatforms.WithinvestmentsincompaniessuchasReddit(theonlinecommunitysite),PandoDaily(newsandinformationsite),andBusinessInsider(newsandinformationsite),Andreessenbelievesthefutureofmediahasneverbeenstronger.

Exceptforonething.Andreessenbelievesthebusinessmodelformediacompaniesneedstobeexpandedbeyondjustadvertising:“Thenewsbusinessshouldberunlikeabusiness.”

ThoseleveragingaContentInc.modelcanmakemoneyinavarietyofwaysfromtheircontent.InAndreessen’swords:“Thisisn’tapickonemodelandstickwithitprospect;news[orContentInc.]businessesshouldmixandmatchasrelevant.”

Let’sreviewthedifferentwaystomonetizeyourContentInc.platform.

AdvertisingandSponsorshipAdvertisingrevenuesarestillthego-tobusinessmodelformostmediacompanies.Simplyput,acompanywantsaccesstoyouraudienceandpaysyoutogiveitthataccess,whichmaycomeintheformofabanneradvertisement,aprintadinyourmagazine,oraboothsponsorshipatyourevent.

BakingqueenAnnReardonmakesthemajorityofherrevenuesfromcollectingYouTubeadvertisingroyaltieswhileshediversifiesherrevenuestreams.SomeYouTubers,likeDanielMiddleton,whorunsTheDiamondMinecart,aMinecraftvideoserieswith4.3millionsubscribers,hasdeployedhisownoutsidemobileappforviewinginthehopeofsomedaycuttingYouTubeoutoftheroyaltyequationandsellingtosponsorsdirectly.

Ifyouaregettingintotheadvertising-sponsorshipgame,thebestmodelistosellpackagesdirectlytoprospectiveadvertisers.Forexample,CMI’sweeklypodcast,ThisOldMarketing,sellstoonesponsorforeachepisode,whichcoversthecostofproducingtheshowandthrowsoffanicebitofprofit.

Whilethereisnothingwrongwithcollectingadvertisingrevenue,it’simportantasaContentInc.businesstonotgetseducedintothisoneformofrevenuecreation.Justlikea

diversifiedstockportfolio,wewouldneverputallourassetsintoonestock.

AnOpportunitywithNativeAdvertisingSharethroughdefinesnativeadvertisingasaformofpaidmediawheretheadexperiencefollowsthenaturalformandfunctionoftheuserexperienceinwhichitisplaced.Insimpleterms,theadvertisementlookslikethecontent.Thiscouldbepaidcontentthatlookslikeanarticleonamediasite,oritmightbeapostonLinkedInthatlooksexactlylikealltheotherupdatesfromthepeopleyoufollow.

Thereisprobablynotermthatisgettinggreaterplayinthemarketingspacerightnowthannativeadvertising.Eventhelargestmediabrandsintheworld,liketheNewYorkTimesandWallStreetJournal,aretryingtofigureouthowtogeneraterevenuesfromsponsoredcontent.

Therecouldbeagreatopportunityforyouto“dipyourtoe”intothesponsoredcontentgame,butit’simperativetounderstandallthemovingparts.

Nativeadvertisingisgrowingasapartofthelargeradvertisingsectorforafewreasons:

1.Mediabrands(includingContentInc.modelslikeyours)andsocialplatforms(likeLinkedInandFacebook)areaggressivelyofferingnativeadvertisingproducts.

2.Brandsnowspendapproximately25to30percentoftheirbudgetoncontentmarketinginitiatives.Brandshavestartedtomakethisapriority,sonativeadvertisingisseenasaviableopportunity.

3.Whendoneright,itcanwork.Forexample,themajorityofBuzzFeed’srevenuesarethroughnativeadvertising,andthisstrategyhasbeensosuccessfulthatthecompanyhasbeenabletogeneraterevenuesatasubstantialpremiumovertraditionalonlineadvertising.

4.Thereisarenewedpassionintheadvertisingcommunityaroundnative.This“newadvertising”(eventhoughit’snotnewatall)hasgivenhopetomediabuyersaroundtheworldthatsomethingcanperformbetterthanabannerad.

ExamplesofNativeAdvertisingIfwetakeaverybroadapproachtonativeadvertising,itmaylooklike:

•Paidsearchunitslikeyou’dfindonGoogleorBing(seeFigure22.1)

•PromotedlistingsyoufindonTwitter(Figure22.2)

•SponsoredcontentupdatesyoufindonLinkedIn(Figure22.3)

•ContentrecommendationenginesyoufindonFastCompany(Figure22.4)

•AnSAP-sponsoredpostontheForbeswebsite(Figure22.5)

•A6-secondvineforHPhonoringValentine’sDay,createdbyFolk-popgroupUstheDuo(Figure22.6).

Figure22.1SponsoredlistingsinsearchengineslikeGooglearetheoriginaldigitalnativeadvertising.

Figure22.2SponsoredtweetexampleonTwitter.

Figure22.3SponsoredcontentexampleonLinkedIn.

Figure22.4ContentrecommendationexamplethatyoufindonsiteslikeFastCompanyandCNN.

Figure22.5SAPpaysfortheopportunitytopublishcontentthatlookslikeeditorialcontentaspartoftheForbesBrandVoiceprogram.

Figure22.6VinestarsUstheDuorunapaidnativeadvertisingprogramonbehalfofHP.

WhatAretheBenefitsofNativeAdvertising?Ifyouapproachacompanythathasdirectaccesstoitsentireaudiencethroughe-mailoranotherconnection,itprobablywillhavenoneedfornativeadvertising(oranyadvertisingforthatmatter).Mostorganizationsarenotinthatposition,whichiswhy

nativeadvertisingcanbevaluable(theyaretryingtostealaudience,asweshowedyouinChapter16).

Otherconsiderations:

•Onthesmallermobilescreen,thestreamitselfistheentireuserexperience.Moreandmore,displayadvertisingisnotavailable.Inthefuture,advertisingoptionsonmobilemayonlybenativeadvertising.Ifapotentialsponsorwantstoreachyouraudienceviamobile,nativeadvertisingisapossiblerevenuestream.

•Traditionalbanneradsgenerallydonotperformwell.AccordingtoAdweek,theaverageclick-throughfortraditionalbannersis0.12percent.Thatmeansyouaremorelikelytogethitbyaboltoflightningthanclickonabannerad.

•Rent-to-ownstrategy.Nativeadvertisingcanbeacorestrategyforsponsorstoborrowyourcredibilityandthentransferthatgoodfaithovertotheirownbrand.Atthesametime,theyaretryingtomakeyouraudiencetheirown.Youneedtobecarefulhereaswell.

TheBestWaytoUseNativeAdvertisingIfyoupursuenativeadvertisingaspartofyourContentInc.strategy,considerthefollowing:

•Itcannotsell.Thecontentneedstobeeducational,informative,helpful,orinteresting.Ifit’sjustaboutyoursponsor’sproductsandservices,itprobablywon’tcutthemustard.Inaddition,mostmediabrandshavequalityteamstoensurethatthecontentisgoodenough.Theycanalsoassistyouinproducingthecontent(forafee).Remember,badcontentonyoursitecandestroythecredibilityofyourbrand.That’sexactlywhytheNewYorkTimeshasadivisionthatonlycreatessponsoredcontentforbrands.TheTimeswillnotallowbrandstocreatethecontentthemselvesforfearthattheywon’tgetitright.

•Clearlabels.Asofthisprinting,theFTCisnotgoingtogetinvolvedwithanyguidelines,inthehopethattheindustrywillpoliceitself.Ibelievethatwillhappen—andisevenhappeningnow.Usingtermslikesponsored,promoted,orevenadvertorialisappropriate.Justmakesureit’scleartovisitorsthatthecontentisapaidplacement.Useyourcommonsense.

WhyNativeAdvertisingMightBeNeitherContentMarketingInstitutechiefstrategistRobertRosebelievesthatnativeadvertising,inthepuristsenseoftheterm,isneithernativenoradvertising.

Roseonwhyit’snotnative:

Withfewexceptions,myaimistocreatecontentthatstandsoutsowellthatyoucan’thelpbutnoticetheironic,inherentpitchinthere.I’mleveragingthefactthatit’sincontextwiththebrandtodrawacertainreactionfromtheaudience.So…theless“native”contentis—andthemoreIcancreativelyleveragebothbrandsincontextwitheachother—themorepowerfulitcanbe.

Roseonwhyit’snotadvertising:

Thepointisthatifwearegoingtosuccessfullyutilizecontextuallyplacedcontenttoachieveamarketingresult,wehavetothinkaboutitdifferentlythanwewouldanadvertisement….We,asmarketers,mustrethinkwhatkindsofgoalswewanttoachievewithcontextuallyplacedcontent.Itis,quitesimply,differentthanourgoalswithadvertising.

Overall,someareconcernedaboutthewaythatthelinesbetweeneditorialandadvertisingareblurredwithnativeadvertising.Inalllikelihood,thoseconcernswillcontinuetolingerasnativeadvertisingcontinuestogrow.

Regardless,asyougrowoutyourcontentplatform,nativeadvertisingisapossibletactictodiversifyyourrevenuesandsupporttheplatform.

SubscriptionsThesecondoldestwaytogeneratemoneyfromcontentisthroughsubscriptions,suchasamagazineornewspapersubscription.Overtheyears,thesehavemorphedintodigitalsubscriptions,likepayingforaccesstotheNewYorkTimesonline.

Becausesomuchcontenttodayisavailableforfreetoconsumers,contentsubscriptionprogramsmaybethehardesttomonetizeofallyouroptions.Thatsaid,JohnLeeDumascreatedaverysuccessfulcommunitysubscriptioncalledFireNationElite,whichincludesregularcoachingconferencecallsandexclusivecontent(Figure22.7).

Figure22.7JohnLeeDumasatEntrepreneurOnFire.comlaunchedapaidsubscriptionprogramforVIPmembers

PremiumContent

ThemajorityofContentInc.modelsserveuppremiumcontent,likee-booksandexclusivereports,forfreetogainmoresubscribersormoreinformationaboutsubscribers(called“progressiveprofiling”).Some,likeDigitalPhotographySchool,develope-booksandspecialtyreportsfordirectsale(Figure22.8).DPS’spremiumcontentsaleshavebecomethecoreofthecompany’smonetizationstrategy.

Figure22.8DigitalPhotographySchoolsellspremiume-booksaspartofitsmonetizationstrategy.

ConferencesandEventsAsmoreandmorepeoplebegintoformrelationshipsonline,ithascreatedanunexpectedneedforthesepeopletoactuallymeetinperson.Theeventandconferencebusinesshasneverbeenmorerobust.BothContentMarketingInstituteandSocialMediaExaminerdrivetheirrevenuemodelsthroughevents.Forexample,ContentMarketingWorldaloneisa$6millionevent,withabout30percentofthatcomingfromsponsorshipsalesandtherestfrompaidattendees(Figure22.9).

Figure22.9CMImonetizesitsContentInc.modelprimarilythrougheventslikeContentMarketingWorld.

Cross-Media(Books,Magazines,Webinars,Podcasts,Etc.)Onceyoudevelopacontentplatform,youcanmonetizethatcontentthroughafullsuiteofcontentproducts(bothpaidandsponsored)suchasbookofferings,videoprograms,printordigitalmagazines,webinarprograms,andpodcasts.

ComedianandpodcastcelebrityMarcMaronhasbuiltoneofthelargestpodcastaudiencesintheworldwithhisflagship,WTFwithMarcMaron.Atthesametime,he’slaunchedabestsellingbook,AttemptingNormal,andaCDseriescalledThisHastoBeFunny,aswellasasuccessfulvideoseriesonNetflixcalledMaron.Maronalsoperformsatcomedyclubsaroundthecountry.(Note:Maronhasanimpressivesubscriptionmodelwheresuperfanscangetearlyaccesstoallthepodcastsaswellascompleteaccesstohiscontentarchives;formoreaboutthis,checkouthttp://cmi.media/CI-WTF.)

CrowdfundingWithserviceslikeKickstarterontherise,it’seasierthanevertoaskyourcommunitytohelpfundyourContentInc.model.SethPricedecidedtolaunchhisownContentInc.platformwithapodcast.Intheabsenceoffunding,hewenttoKickstartertotrytoraise$5,000.Sevendaysand69backerslater,Sethhadhisfundsandwasofftotheraces(Figure22.10).

Figure22.10SethPricefundedhispodcastinsevendaysbyleveragingKickstarter.

MicropaymentsAlthoughIpersonallyhavenotseenthiswork,MarcAndreessenbelievesthatcollectingmicropaymentsthroughBitcoinisaviableoptionforContentInc.models.Coinbase,anonlinewalletsystemforBitcoin,isoneeasywaytosetupyoursitetocollectmicropaymentsusingtheonlinecurrencymodel.

PhilanthropyProPublica(http://www.propublica.org/)isanonprofitorganizationthatusesitsfundingtodevelopinvestigativejournalismthatitdeemsisimportantforthepublictohear.FoundedbyPaulSteiger,formermanagingeditoroftheWallStreetJournal,ProPublicaemploys45journalistsandreceiveditsmajorfundingfromtheSandlerCorporation,whichcommittedfundingformultipleyearsuponProPublica’slaunchinJune2008.ProPublicaalsoacceptsongoingdonationsfromanyonethatbelievesintheorganization’scause.

ProductsAccordingtoAnneJanzer,authorofSubscriptionMarketing,sellingproductsfromacontentsite,whilebeingthemostintensiveinresearchanddevelopment,hasthebiggestrevenueupside.

Asanexample,lookatCopybloggerMedia.Itsellscontentandsearchsoftwareasitscoresalesdriver.Moz,whichlaunchedasanSEOblog,hasgrownintoa$30million–plus

businessoffthebackofitssearchanalyticsproduct(Figure22.11).

Figure22.11Mozhasbuilta$30million-plusbusinessbysellingananalyticsandSEOmeasurementproduct.

WHATIFYOUALREADYSELLSOMETHING?Ifyou’reamaturecompanywithmultipleproductsorservices,youmonetizeyourcontentbyansweringthisquestion:“Whatisthedifferencebetweenthosethatsubscribetomycontentandthosethatdonot?”

Let’slookagainatRiverPools&Spas.BeforelaunchingitsContentInc.approach,thecompanyinstalledfiberglasspools.Bymonitoringtheengagementofitsblogcontent,RiverPoolsfoundthatthoseaudiencemembersthatengageinatleast30pagesofcontentandrequestasalesappointmentwillbuy80percentofthetime.Theindustryaverageforsalesappointmentsis10percent.Sointhisparticularcase,thereisan800percentincreaseinthelikelihoodofasale.

RiverPoolsalsolooksatparticulararticlesandtheirperformance.Inusingamarketingautomationsystem(thecompanyusesHubSpot),RiverPoolshasfoundthatitsblogpostentitled“HowMuchDoesaFiberglassPoolCost?”hasresultedinover$2millioninsales.How’sthatforareturnoninvestment?

AnotherexampleisAmericanExpress.Ithasfoundthatitscontentplatform,OpenForum,deliversasmanynewcreditcardsign-upsasanythingelseitdoesdigitally.How?Oncesomeonejoinsthesite(subscribestothecontent),thecompanymonitorsthatpersonand,attherightmoment,deliverscreditcardoffers.

Ifyouaretryingtofindtheimpactofyourcontent,hereareanumberofquestionstoconsider:

Aresubscribersmorelikelytobuy?

Aresubscribersmorelikelytobuynewproducts?

Dosubscribersstaylongerascustomers?

Dosubscriberstalkmoreaboutusonsocial(wordofmouth)?

Dosubscribersclosefasterthannonsubscribers?

Dosubscribersbuymoreonaveragethannonsubscribers?

AnyoneofthesecanjustifytheinvestmentbehindaContentInc.approach.

ThemostrecentContentMarketingBenchmarksreportfromContentMarketingInstituteandMarketingProfsoffersalookatthetoporganizationalgoalsforbusiness-to-businessmarketersinNorthAmerica(Figure22.12).Ongoing,engagingcontentleadstoanumberofbenefitsthatwillhelpgrowyourbusiness.Yourchallengeistofindthebenefitthatjustifiestheprogram.

Figure22.12Businesseshavemanyobjectivesforemployingcontentmarketingstrategies.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

Therearemanywaystomakemoneyfromyourcontentandsubscribers.

Sometimesthebestrevenueopportunitiesareunexpected.It’simportanttonotgetsotiedupwithyourmainrevenuegenerationsourcethatyoumightmissabetteropportunity.

SomeofthebestContentInc.modelsemploymultiplewaystomakemoneyfromtheiraudiences.

ResourcesPamelaMuldoon,“HowDougKesslerWentfromLimostoCraptoContentMarketing

Success,”ContentMarketingInstitute.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/03/kessler-b2b-content-marketing-podcast/.

GrantCardone,“TheSevenSecretsofSelf-MadeMillionaires,”Entrepreneur.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222718.

RobScallon,interviewbyClareMcDermott,February2015.

JoeCrea,“MichaelSymonSignatureKnivesCanBePartofYourKitchenToolsLaterThisYear,”Cleveland.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/02/michael_symon_signature_knives.html

“MichaelSymon,”Wikipedia,accessedApril28,2015,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Symon.

IvanWalsh,“CaseStudy:HowCopybloggerShiftedfromBlogPublishingtoProductDevelopment,”ivanwalsh.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.ivanwalsh.com/case-study/copyblogger/.

MarcAndreessen,“WhyI’mBullishontheNews,”Politico.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/marc-andreesen-why-im-bullish-on-the-news-105921.html.

CrunchBase,“MarkAndreessen,”Crunchbase.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://www.crunchbase.com/person/marc-andreessen.

MarcAndreessen,“TheFutureoftheNewsBusiness,”a16z.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://a16z.com/2014/02/25/future-of-news-business/.

StuartDredge,“YouTubeStarTheDiamondMinecartLaunchesAppforHisMinecraftVideos,”theguardian.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/28/youtube-minecraft-the-diamond-minecart-app.

IAB,“NativeAdvertisingReport,”iab.net,http://www.iab.net/nativeadvertising.

Hexagram,“StateofNativeAdvertisingReport,”hexagram.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://stateofnativeadvertising.hexagram.com/.

TerriThornton,“NativeAdvertisingShowsGreatPotential,butBlursEditorialLines,”pbs.org,accessedApril28,http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/04/native-advertising-shows-great-potential-but-blurs-editorial-lines092/.

BenjyBoxer,“WhatBuzzfeed’sDataTellsUsAboutthePriceofNativeAdvertisements,”Forbes.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminboxer/2013/09/10/what-buzzfeeds-data-tells-about-the-pricing-of-native-advertisements/.

DavidAmerland,“HowNativeAdvertisingIsGoingtoChangeMarketingin2014,”socialmediatoday.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-native-advertising-going-change-marketing-2014-video.

MitchJoel,“WeNeedaBetterDefinitionof‘NativeAdvertising,’”hbr.org,accessedApril28,2015,https://hbr.org/2013/02/we-need-a-better-definition-of/.

Adweek,“The4MajorDigitalAdFormatsFaceOff,”adweek.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/4-major-digital-ad-formats-face-161667.

MichaelWinkleman,“BrandedContentTrendsin2014,”commpro.biz,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.commpro.biz/marketing/branding/branded-content-trends-2014/.

SethPrice,“TheCraftofMarketingPodcast,”Kickstarter.com,accessedApril28,2015,https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sethprice/the-craft-of-marketing-podcast.

Part8

Next-LevelContentInc.Knowledgehastobeimproved,challenged,andincreasedconstantly,oritvanishes.

PETERDRUCKER

Youfoundthesweetspot,identifiedthecontenttilt,builtthebase,attractedanaudience,andidentifiedyourmonetizationstrategy.Whatcanyoudotokeepthemomentumgoing?

Chapter23

PuttingItAllTogetherNeverlookbackunlessyouareplanningtogothatway.

HENRYDAVIDTHOREAU

Theyearwas2001.JoyCho,arecentSyracusegraduatewithabacheloroffineartsincommunicationsdesign,movedtoNewYorktofindajobandstarthercareerindesign.JoywasabletolandanopportunityataboutiqueadvertisingagencyinNewYork,whereshewasagraphicdesignerandworkedwithanumberofclients.

SETTINGTHEGOALAfterworkingacoupleofdesignjobsinNewYork,JoymovedtoPhiladelphiatobeclosertoherthenboyfriend(nowhusband).Whilelookingforhernextjob,shestartedfreelancingandbeganherblog,OhJoy!Althoughahobbyatthetime,herblogattractedreadersandthusresultedinafreelanceclientwhocametoherthroughtheaestheticshedevelopedandsharedonherblog.Soonherplanstogetanewfull-timejobturnedintothedecisiontostartherowndesignstudioasafull-timefreelancer.AlthoughJoylovedherdesignwork(forthemostpart),itwashardforhertoseethatshecouldmakeadecentlivingfromit.Therewastheconstant“hustle”ofhavingtofindandmaintainclientstopaythebills.Onhavingthisdiscussionwithherbrother-in-law(alsoafreelancegraphicdesign)abouttheabilitytosupportherself,hesaid,“Whosaysyoucan’t?Youcanabsolutelymakeagoodlivingdoingwhatyoulove;youjusthavetobelieveit.”

Itwasthenthatshebegantowritedownher(lofty)financialgoals(whichshecontinuestodotothisday).Thesimpleactofwritingthemdownhelpedtoprovideherwiththemotivationtokeepdoinggreatworkandgaveherthegoaltomakeadecentlivingatdoingwhatsheloved.

THESWEETSPOTJoyhadskillsingraphicdesign.Shewastrainedincommunicationsdesignandhadakeensenseforwhatworkedandwhatdidn’tarounddesignandfashion(theknowledgearea).Atthesametime,Joywaspassionateaboutdesignvariety.Shedreadedworkingonthesameoldbanneradsorclientbriefs.EverydayJoywantedtoworkonsomethingdifferent(thepassion),andthisvarietyledhertoanewopportunity.Hersweetspotwasameldingofdesignandfashionandvariety(Figure23.1).

Figure23.1JoyCho’slifepassionofvarietyandherknowledgeareaarounddesignandfashionmadeuphersweetspot.

THECONTENTTILTJoyhadthegiftofextremeauthenticity.Shelovedsharingherthoughtsandideasandknewshecouldfindjusttherightbalanceofhowmuchsharingwouldfeelrighttoher.InaninterviewwithGlamourmagazine,sherevealedthatshesecretlyadmirespeoplewho“walktothebeatoftheirowndrumanddon’tcarewhatpeoplethink.”Shewasn’talwaysthatway,butovertime,shesawhowimportantitistodowhatyouloveandnotworrysomuchaboutwhatothersthink.

WhatJoyfoundwasthatthissharingmethodwasextremelyattractivetoacertainaudiencethatwaspassionateaboutdesignandfashion.AsMichaelGrothausofFastCompanywrites,“Inspiteofthepublicappetiteforexpertise,there’savalueinbeingapproachable.”ThepeoplewhomadeupJoy’saudiencedidn’twanttohearfrom“theexpert”;theywantedtohearfromsomeonewhodidn’tsoundlikesheknewitallandwasinterestedinhowwecanall,together,findthetruth.Itwasthisauthenticitycombinedwithhersweetspotthatcreatedhercontenttilt(seeFigure23.2).

Figure23.2Joy’scontenttiltwasherextremeauthenticity.Mixedwithhersweetspot,thatbecameapowerfulcombination.

BUILDINGTHEBASEIntransitioningbetweenjobs,Joydecidedtolaunchablog(September7,2005),OhJoy!Inherinitialpost,sheannouncedthethingsyoumightreadaboutonherblog:

1.Beingafreelancedesigner&allthingsrelatedtoshopping,homestuff,andvisuallycoolthings.

2.Beingnewlyengaged,inlove,&intheprocessofplanningawedding.

3.Beingtheownerofthreecats.Mindyou,Ididnotgetthreecatsonmyown…theyaretheresultofthemergingofassetsbetweenMeandmyNewFiancé…one+two=three.

4.BeingfriendswithBethwithoutwhomthisblogwouldnotbepossible.Shealsodeservescreditforthenameofmyblog.

5.Beingafanoffoodandeating…allthetime.You’llwonderhowasmallAsiangirlcouldthinkaboutfoodsomuch.Butreally,it’spossible.

6.Lastly,beingahugenerd.ThisissomethingIhavecometoacceptinmyrecentyearsofadulthood.Iamadork/nerdandthereisnothinganyonecandoaboutit.Onceyoupassyourmid-twenties,thelevelofdorkinesswithinyouispretty

muchset.

Inthatfirstmonth,Joyposted35timesandstayedtruetohermission.Herpostsweredeeplypersonal,focusingonavarietyoffashionanddesigntips(andincludedcats),andintegratedfirst-ratephotographyanddesignskills.

FromOctoberon,Joycontinuedwithherpublishingvelocity,postingsometimesuptothreetimesaday.Shewasreceivingsomanyclientinquiriesthroughherwebsitethatsheneverwentbacktoworkforanothercompany.Withinayear,Joywasconfidentthatshecouldlaunchherowndesignstudiooffthebackoftheblogasherprimaryplatform.

AsJoy’splatformgrew,sheadoptedacollaborativepublishingmodelwhereshehiredadditionalbloggerstoaddtothedepthandbreadthofthesite’scontent.Shekeptthatmodelforafewyearsandthen,afterhavingherfirstbaby,decidedtogobacktopostingonherownfromthedesiretoblogabitmorepersonallyagain.

HARVESTINGAUDIENCEJoywasactivelybuildingaloyalaudienceasmoreandmorepeoplesigneduptoJoy’sdailye-mailnewsletter.AsshecontinuedtomeettheneedsofheraudienceJoysetanofficialeditorialcalendarandworkflowtopublishthreetimesdaily.Associalmediabegantogrowinimportance,shebroadenedherdigitalfootprinttobuildadditionalaudiencesonInstagram,Pinterest,andTwitter.In2008,TimemagazinenamedOhJoy!oneofthetop100designblogsontheplanet.Figure23.3presentsasnapshotofherblog.

Figure23.3Earlyon,Joyrecognizedtheneedtobuildanaudiencethroughe-mail.

DIVERSIFICATIONThethreelegsofthepersonalbrandingstoolarenowinfullforceforJoy,whohaspublishedthreebooks(BlogInc.,CreativeInc.,andhernewesttitle,OhJoy!60WaystoCreate&GiveJoy)andhaskeynotedatavarietyofdesignandmarketingevents,evensharingthestagewithMarthaStewart.Joyhasarobustfollowing,toputitmildly:

Instagram.Over200,000followers.

Twitter.Over70,000followers.

YouTube.Evenlower-performingvideosonJoy’sYouTubepageseethousandsofviews,andshe’snowamassed20,000subscribersontheplatform.

Pinterest.Oneofthemostpinneddesignersontheplatform,Joyhasover13millionfollowers.

MONETIZATIONJoy’sstudiobusinessisthriving;she’sconsultedondesignprojectsforsomeofthelargestbrandsintheworld.

Inaddition,JoyhasdesignedandcoproducedproductsforsuchbrandsasTargetandMicrosoft,andshehasdevelopedstationerylines,wallpaper,bedding,diaperbags,andevencomputeraccessories.ShealsorecentlydebutedalineofBand-AidsfromJohnson&Johnson,whicharealmostcertaintoselloutinasimilarfashiontoherTargetline.

Joyalsoacceptsadvertisingonhersitethroughsponsoredcontent(ornativeadvertising).Joyonlyworkswithbrandsshebelievesinandworkswitheachofthebrandstomakesurethecontentworksforheraudience’sneeds.

Joy’srevenuesarediverse,fromdirectclientengagementrevenuestoproductsalestosponsorshiptolicensingdeals.EventhoughJoy’splatformhasbeenaroundsince2005,itlooksasthoughthesky’sthelimit,andthebestisyettocomeforJoyCho.

THECOMPLETEPACKAGELikealltheContentInc.examplesdescribedinthisbook,Joy’sContentInc.successcanbebrokendownintosixdistinctsteps.ThesamewastrueforMatthewPatrick,DarrenRowse,AnnReardon,andyourstruly.Joyfoundhersweetspot,becameatrulydifferentiatedvoicethroughherextremeauthenticity,builtthebasethroughtheblog,beganacquiringaloyalaudience,diversifiedthroughbooksandsocialmedia,andnowmonetizesherplatformwithdozensofproductlines,licensingdeals,andconsultingopportunities.

AndasforJoy’sfinancialgoals…Joycontinuestowritedownloftyand,inherwords,“insane”annualfinancialgoalsatthestartofeachyear.Eachandeveryyear,shehassurpassedwhatshe’swrittendown.

MORECONTENTINC.CASESTOINSPIRE

LucasCruikshankCruikshankcreatedthefirstYouTubechanneltoreach1millionsubscribersthroughhis“Fred”character(afictionalsix-year-oldwithangermanagementissues).HeparlayedthatsuccessintoaseriesofNickelodeonhits.He’scurrentlyonhissecondContentInc.model,nowgoingbyjustthename“Lucas,”whichhasquicklygarneredwelloveramillionsubscribers(seehttps://www.youtube.com/user/lucas).

DavidSeahAfterdevelopingaloyalfollowingforhisbloggingplatformarounddesign,DavidbegantomonetizehisContentInc.strategythroughproductivitytools.Whilethemajorityofhisbusinessisstillconsulting,toolssuchastheEmergentTaskPlannerandtheConcreteGoalTrackerhavegonefromjustafewsalesaweektothousandsamonthviaAmazon.com.Davidbelievesthatprettysoonhe’llbeabletoretireonthisveryunexpectedbusiness(seehttp://davidseah.com/).

RazorSocialIanClearyhassingle-handedlybuiltthego-toresourceforsocialmediatoolsatRazorSocial.com.Whilethereweremanysitesthattalkedaboutsocialmediatoolsfromtimetotime,Ianrecognizedtheneedtomakesenseofallthesocialtoolsthatwereavailable.Hisdirectoryhasbecomeatreasuretroveofresourcesformarketers,andthesitenowgarnershundredsofthousandsofvisitorspermonth(seehttp://razorsocial.com/).

GaryVaynerchuckGary’sWineLibraryTVwasoneoftheearlyContentInc.modelstogainnationalappeal.Withhisdailyvideoscoveringwineforthe“everyday”person,Garyturnedhissmallfamilyliquorstoreintoamultimillion-dollarfranchise.Soonafter,GarylaunchedVaynerMedia,oneofthetopsocialmediaconsultancies,whichnowemploysover400peopleandworkswithsomeofthelargestbrandsontheplanet(seehttp://vaynermedia.com/).

GregNgGreglaunchedafrozen-foodreviewsite,Freezerburns,backin2008.Sincethen,withover1,000frozen-foodreviewsand700-plusvideoslater,Gregeasilyreaches75,000viewsperepisode.“Freezerburnswastheresultofcarefulplanningandidentifyingofaprofitable,untappedniche,”saysNg(seehttp://www.freezerburns.com/).

LEGOEveryoneknowsthestoryofLEGO’sstorytellingempire,cappedoffbytheunexpectedsuccessofTheLEGOMovie.ButveryfewrealizethatLEGOstartedBrickKicksmagazine(nowLEGOClubmagazine;seehttp://www.lego.com/en-us/club/)in1987.(Ireceivedthefirstissue.)

RedBullMediaHouse

AseparateentityfromRedBull,RedBullMediaHouseproducesRedBulletinmagazine(inprintanddigital),distributingittoover6millionsubscribers.Inaddition,RedBulllicensesvideoandphotographytotraditionalmediacompanies,whichturnedRedBullMediaHouseintoastand-aloneprofitcenter.AccordingtosourcesatRedBull,thecontentassetsownedunderRedBullMediaHousewillactuallyproducemorerevenuethanRedBullearnsfromsellingbeverages(seehttp://www.redbullmediahouse.com/).

RockandRollCocktail.comJasonMillermightbebestknownforhiscontentmarketingroleatsocialmediapowerhouseLinkedIn,butit’shisphotographymodelthatisworkingforContentInc.lovers.Jasonhasphotographedsomeofthegreatestactsofalltime,includingPattiSmithandtheSmashingPumpkins.Aftereveryshow,JasonshareskeyphotosouttohisFacebookaudienceandhasbuiltacultfollowing.Jason’scontenttiltofmarketinginfusedwithrock’n’rollhassetJasonapartfromthepack(seehttp://rocknrollcocktail.com/blog/).

TheGoodLifeProjectLaunchedbyserialentrepreneurJonathanFields,theGoodLifeProjecthasbecomeamovementarounddoinggoodandnotjustdoingthings.Jonathanproducesaweeklywebshowandhighlightspeopleworkingonamazingprojectsaroundtheworld.Thethree-legged-stoolmodelisaliveandwellwithJonathan,who’sdevelopedabestsellingbookandpowerfulspeakingplatform,inadditiontothedigitalplatform(seehttp://www.goodlifeproject.com/about/).

FoldFactoryTrishWitkowski,CEOofFoldFactory,hasbecomeacelebrityinthedirectmailingindustrythroughherregularvideoshow,The60-SecondSuperCoolFoldoftheWeek,whereshedetailsamazingexamplesofprintdirectmail.AccordingtoAndrewDavis,“Her250-plusvideoshaveyieldedover800,000viewsandmorethan3,100subscribers.Inaddition,Trishhasbecomeaspokespersonforanumberofbrands,tourstheworldasaspeaker,andconductsworkshops.”Trish’sContentInc.initiativehasbeendirectlyresponsibleforover$500,000innewrevenue(seeherwebsiteathttps://www.youtube.com/user/foldfactory).

MarriottInlate2014,MarriottannouncedthedevelopmentofMarriottContentStudio,whichaimstobecometheleadingmediainformationcompanyinthetravelindustry.LikeLEGOandRedBullbeforeit,whohavebuiltsubstantialcontentplatformsintheirrespectivefields,Marriottbelievesthatbecomingaleadingvoiceintravelisnotrelegatedtojustsellinghotelrooms.

STACKMediaAshighschoolteammates,NickPalazzoandChadZimmermanrealizedthattheyhad

majorchallengesfindingworkoutinformationspecifictohighschoolplayers.Buildingonthatrealization,theylaunchedSTACKMediaandcoveredregularworkoutsfromproslikePeytonManningandLeBronJamesthathighschoolathletescouldemulate.NickandChadhaveturnedSTACKintoatop10sportsvideodistributionsite,garnering15millionmonthlyuniquevisitorsandpartnershipswithover13,000schools(seehttp://www.stack.com/).

PewDiePieSweden’sFelixArvidUlfKjellberg,akaPewDiePie,isthemostsubscribedYouTubepersonalityontheplanet.Sinceinception,PewDiePie’svideosonindiegameshavegarneredmorethan8billionviews(seehttps://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie).

EvanTubeHDWhatifItoldyouoneofthemostsuccessfulentrepreneursonYouTubeisjustnineyearsold?EvanfromEvanTubeHD.comconsistentlyreviewstoysonhisYouTubechannel,amassingoveronemillionsubscribersandastaggeringonebillionviewsinjustafewyears.AccordingtoESPN,Evangenerated$1.3millioninrevenuelastyear.Wow(seehttps://www.youtube.com/user/evantubehd).

GlossierEmilyWeiss,founderandCEOofGlossier,beganthecompanyasasimpleblog.200,000followersonInstagramand60,000Facebookfanslater,Glossierhasbecomeoneoftheleadingonlineretailersforskincareproducts.Thebusinessisthriving,withEmilyrecentlyraising$8.4millionfromThriveCapitalandotherinvestors(seehttps://www.glossier.com/).

ONEWORD:PATIENCEIfyou’vemadeitthisfar,I’mgoingtoaskyoutogoonestepfurther:

Bepatient.

ThereareonlyninemonthsbetweenwhenIbelievedIwasacompletefailureandwhenIstartedsomethingthatlookedtohavethepromiseofsuccess.AsIthinkback,itwouldhavebeensoeasytogiveupandgofinda“real”job.

Ican’tevenimaginethat.Ilovemycareer,thetimeIhavewithmyfamily,theflexibilityofmyschedule,andhowIwakeupeverymorninginspiredtoworkonaproject.IfIhadn’tbeenpatient,noneofthiswouldbepossiblerightnow.

IlaunchedthebusinessinApril2007.Itwasn’tuntiltheendof2010thatIfeltwewereontosomething.ThenextthreeyearswemadetheInc.500listofthefastest-growingprivatecompaniesintheUnitedStates.Todaywehavea$10millionbusiness,andI’mstillabletopickmykidsupfromschool.Itwasn’teasy,buthavingpatiencemadeallthispossible.Ittakestimetobuildaloyalaudience.IttakestimetofindtherightrevenuemodelforyourContentInc.business.

Butthereisnodoubtinmymindthatthisistheabsolutebestwaytolaunchabusiness.Yes,it’sdifferent…somemaysayit’sstrange…butit’sabetterstrategythanjusthopingthatanewproductideawilltakehold.BelikeDavid,whofoughttheurgetofightjustlikeeveryoneelsehadagainstGoliath(andlost).Takeadifferentrouteandputtheoddsinyourfavor.

GETTINGSTUCKAsyouprogressthroughthismodel,therewillbemomentswhereyoufeelthemodelisn’tworkingquitetoyourexpectations.Thatmakessense.ContentInc.,asawayoflaunchingabusiness,isanewmuscleformostpeople.We’vebeenusedtocommunicatingthroughmassmediaforsomanyyears,andnowwearetryingtofigureouthowtodelivervaluetoourcustomersoutsideofourproductsandservices.

Ifyouarestrugglingwithyourprogram,comebackandreviewthischapter.Youmaybestrugglingbecauseofoneofthesereasons:

Selfishcontentmarketing.Createcontentthatsolvescustomers’painpoints.Stoptalkingaboutyourproductsandservicessomuch.Ifyoudo,makeitaboutyourcustomers.

Youstop.Thebiggestreasonwhycontentmarketingfailsisbecauseiteitherstopsorisn’tconsistent.Remember,thecontentyoudeliverislikeapromisetoyourcustomers.Thebiggestreasonwhytheexamplesinthisbooksucceededwasbecausethepeopleneverstoppedproducingamazingandcompellingcontent.

Activityinsteadofaudience.Havingpeopleshareandengagewithyourcontenthereandtheredoesn’tmeanmuchunlessyouarebuildinganaudience.Oneofthebiggestmistakescompaniesmakeisnotplanning,inadvance,toacquireanaudiencethroughcontentcreationanddistribution.

Nopointofview.Inordertopositionyourselfasanexpertinyourindustry,youneedapointofview.Takeastance.Walkingthefenceisboringand,moreimportantly,usuallydoesn’twork.

Noprocess.Iseeiteveryday.Scenario:Marketingcampaign…adstobeplaced…thensomeoneasksabouttheblogorwhitepaper…peoplescurryabout…someonerunsouttogetthecontent.Planupfronttocreate,repurpose,anddistributecontent.

Where’sthecalltoaction?Eachpieceofcontentshouldhaveacalltoactionorbehavioryou’dliketosee.Whatwouldhappenifyouasked“why”toeachpieceofcontentyoucreate?Bydoingthis,you’llbecompelledtoeitherknowthecalltoactionorkillthecontent(forlackofpurpose).

Channelsilo.Areyoupayingattentiontoonechannelattheexpenseofalltheothers?Wewanttohaveonemainplatform,likeablog,butyou’llmissthetruepowerofcontentmarketingbynotleveragingallavailablechannelsasyouexpandyourmodel.Thinklikeamediacompany.Thegreatestmediacompaniesofalltimefocusonallthreelegsofthestool—digitalcontent,printcontent,andin-personcontent.

Forgettingemployees.Employeeexpertiseisthemostunderutilizedcontentmarketing

asset.Youremployeesgiveyourbrandlife.Leveragetheminthecreationanddistributionprocess.Startwiththe5percentthatgetit.Showsuccessstoriesandmoveontotherestofyouremployeebase.

Tip:Don’tforceyouremployeesintoaprocesstheywon’tdo.Gathertherawcontentfromemployeeshoweveryoucan.

Oneword:editing.Editingmaybethemostunderratedpieceofthecontentmarketingprocess.Sometimesweasentrepreneursdon’tunderstandthatthefirstdraftofapieceofcontentiscalledagoodstart.Entertheeditor.Getoneorhireone.

What’sholdingyoubackfromyourContentInc.model?

MOVINGFORWARDYes,therewillbechallenges.Therewillbetimesthatyou’renotsureyouareontherightpath.Thatisnaturalforanyentrepreneurorsmallbusinessowner.Buthere’sthetruth:Untilnow,itwascostprohibitiveforentrepreneurstobuildaloyalaudience.Untilnow,thecommunicationchannelswerenotavailable.Untilnow,theaudiencewasn’twillingtoconnect.

Untilnow.

ByreadingandfollowingtheContentInc.methodinthisbook,youhaveanopportunitytomakeadifferenceinyourlife,withyourfamily,withyourcareerpath,andintheworld.Myhopeisthatyouseizethatopportunitytodayandneverlookback.

CONTENTINC.INSIGHTS

TheContentInc.modelissuccessfulbecauseofsixdistinctandimportantsteps.Whatstepsareyoumissinginyourmodel?

What’sholdingyouback?Whateveritis,pinpointtheproblemandmoveforward.ContentInc.isanamazingopportunityforanyentrepreneurstrivingtomakeadifferenceintheworld.

ResourcesEmilyRyles,“JoyChoofOhJoy!,”theeverygirl.com,accessedApril28,2015,

http://theeverygirl.com/joy-cho-of-oh-joy.

JaneBuckingham,“5CareerQuestionswithOhJoy!,”Glamour.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2014/03/job-advice-from-oh-joy-blogger-joy-cho.

StephanieatDesignSponge,“BizLadiesProfiles:JoyChoofOhJoy!,”designsponge.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.designsponge.com/2013/02/biz-ladies-profile-joy-cho-of-oh-joy.html.

JoyCho,OhJoy!Blog,accessedApril28,2015,http://ohjoy.blogs.com/.

MichaelGrothaus,“TheSecretsofWritingSmart,Long-FormArticlesThatGoAbsolutelyViral,”FastCompany.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.fastcompany.com/3042312/most-creative-people/the-secrets-of-writing-smart-longform-articles-that-go-absolutely-viral.

TimeStaff,“30MostInfluentialPeopleontheInternet,”Time.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/.

“LucasCruikshank,”Wikipedia,accessedApril28,2015,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas_Cruikshank.

DavidSeah,interviewbyClareMcDermott,February2015.

DavidGriner,“After1,000Meals,Here’sWhatMadetheFrozenFoodReviewKingCallItQuits,”adweek.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/after-1000-meals-heres-what-made-frozen-food-review-king-call-it-quits-159850.

MarriottNewsCenter,“MarriottInternational’sContentStudioRapidlyExpandsPresence,”Marriott.com,accessedApril28,2015,http://news.marriott.com/2014/12/marriott-internationals-content-studio-rapidly-expands-presence-with-additional-content-development-.html.

“PewDiePie,”Wikipedia,accessedApril28,2015,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PewDiePie.

KimMai-Cutler,“GlossierCEOonBuildingaSkincare,CosmeticsEmpireOnlineatDisruptNY,”Techcrunch.com,accessedonJune11,2015,http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/16/glossier-2/.

TraceyHarringtonMcCoy,“TheMostPopularKidYou’veNeverHeardOf,”Newsweek.com,accessedonJune11,2015,http://www.newsweek.com/2013/11/01/most-popular-kid-youve-never-heard-243854.html.

Chapter24

JointheMovementTherevolutionisnotanapplethatfallswhenitisripe.Youhavetomakeitfall.

CHEGUEVARA

WhenIstartedwritingthisbook,IquicklyrealizedhowmuchneedtherereallyisaroundthesubjectofContentInc.Inaddition,asaContentInc.believermyself,howcouldI“just”writeabookandnotincludeanumberofadditionalresources.Simplyput,Ineededtoeatmyowndogfood.

Sohere’smylistofimportantandusefulresourcestohelpsupportyourContentInc.initiative:

TheContentInc.website.ContentInc.hasanofficialwebsiteaspartoftheContentMarketingInstituteecosystem.Youcanaccessallthesitecontentathttp://www.content-inc.com.Besuretosignuptoreceivethee-newsletterupdates,whereyou’llseeourfreewebinarsandupcomingevents,aswellassomeepiccontent.

TheContentInc.podcast.EveryMondayandTuesdayIreleaseshortpodcastepisodes,whicharealwayslessthan15minuteslong.Itrytokeepthemveryactionable…anddependingonhowfastyourun,threeepisodesequalsabouta5-kilometerrun.TosignupviaiTunesorStitcher,gotohttp://cmi.media/CI-podcast.

TheContentInc.Summit.AspartofContentMarketingWorld,everySeptemberinCleveland,Ohio,weholdaone-dayeventdedicatedtotheContentInc.model.Theeventtakesplacetowardthefronthalfofthemonth(andalwaysdependsonwhenLaborDayfallsintheUnitedStates).Formoreinformationonthatevent,gotohttp://cmi.media/CI-summit.

NEXT-GENERATIONCONTENTINC.AsyouprogressinyourContentInc.journey,you’llgettothepointwhereyou’llneedevenmoreresourcesandinsightstokeepgrowing.Herearesomeresourcesthatwillhelp:

EpicContentMarketing.Mythirdbookwillhelpyoubuildinasegmentationandengagementcycleasyoudevelopyourproductandserviceofferings.

Experiences:The7thEraofMarketingbyRobertRoseandCarlaJohnson.Asyourbusinessgrows,creatingevenmoreamazingexperiencesthroughcontentisimperative.RobertandCarlawillshowyouhow.

DigitalRelevancebyArdathAlbee.Ardathisaleadingexpertonnurturingleadsandintegratingcontentintoyourbusiness.Beforeyoupurchaseanytechnologyplatformsforyourmarketingautomation,readthisbook(http://cmi.media/CI-ardath).

SmartcutsbyShaneSnow.ShanecoversanumberofContentInc.examplesinhis

bookthatlooksat,notshortcutstodevelopingaudiences,butsmarterstrategies(hence,Smartcuts).

EverybodyWritesbyAnnHandley.ContentInc.(thebook)isnotdesignedtohelpyoulearnhowtoeffectivelywrite,butAnn’sbookis.Ifyouneedwritinghelp,getthisbook.

ArtoftheStart2.0byGuyKawasaki.WhenIlaunchedmybusiness,ArtoftheStartwasthefirstbookIread,anditmadeanimmediateimpact.Guyhasupdatedthebook,andit’ssimplyfantastic(http://cmi.media/CI-ArtStart).

UnSellingandUnMarketingbyScottStratten.Scottusestheworstsocialmediacasestudiesintheworldtoteachbusinesseshowtocreateanauthenticpresenceonthewebwithoutusinghardsellingormarketingtactics(http://cmi.media/CI-stratten).

Inadditiontothehundredsofresourcesfoundinthisbook,therearesomeadditionalsitesyou’llwanttocheckouttohelpyouinyourefforts:

SorryforMarketingblog.JayAcunzo’sfantasticblog,heavyoncontentcreationandanalysis(http://cmi.media/CI-sorry).

OrbitMediablog.WhenIhaveawebsitequestion,IusuallygotoAndyCrestodina’sblogforhelp(http://cmi.media/CI-orbit).

Convince&Convert.Yes,ithasgreathelpfulcontent,butifyouwanttoseehowagreatContentInc.modelworks,justseewhatJayBaerdoes(http://cmi.media/CI-convince).

TopRankOnlineMarketingblog.LeeOddenhasdevelopedhisownContentInc.platformatTopRank,whereheandhisteamdiscussthemostpressingmarketingchallengesontheplanet(http://cmi.media/CI-toprank).

FINALTHOUGHTSEventhoughit’snotaseasyasitusedtobe(becausetherearemorepeoplecontactingme—agoodproblem),Istilltrytorespondtoasmanytweetsande-mailsasIcan.YoucanfindmeonTwitter@JoePulizziandone-mailatjoe@zsquaredmedia.com.AlthoughI’vecutmyspeakingbackabit,Istilldoanumberofkeynotesthroughouttheyear.Ifyouareinterestedinfindingoutmoreabouthavingmespeakatyourevent,youcangetallthedetailsatJoePulizzi.com.

Thankyoufortakingthetimetoreadthisbook.Itrulyhopeitwasavaluableexperienceforyou.

Nowgooutandmakelifehappen.Beepic!

Acknowledgments

TotheCMIstaff,themostamazingpeopleontheplanet.Youareaspecialandtalentedgroupofpeople.Shenanigans!

AveryspecialthankstoClareMcDermott,whoconductedmostoftheinterviewsforthebook,toMicheleLinn,whoassistedinthedevelopmentofthecontent,andtoJosephKalinowskiforthecreativedirection(toyou,IwillalwaysbeChuke).

ToJimMcDermott,mymentorandinitialeditorofthisbook.I’mherebecauseofyou.

Tomyparents,TerryandTony,foralwaysbeingthereforme,nomatterwhatIwasdoing.

TomyCooliofriendsinWestPark.Thebestfriendsanyonecouldeveraskfor.

Tomyboys,AdamandJoshua.Neversettle.Don’tbenormal.Followyourpassion.I’msoproudofbothofyou.

ToPam.Mybestfriend.Withyou,everydayisbetterthanthelast.Iloveyou.

Phil4:13

AppendixA

CMI’sContributor/BloggingGuidelines

ThanksforyourinterestincontributingtotheContentMarketingInstitute.Belowyouwillfinddetailsonthetypesofpostswelookforandspecificsaboutoureditorialprocess.

Oureditorialmissionistoadvancethepracticeofcontentmarketing.Whilethecoreofourbloghasbeenhow-toposts,wehavebroadenedoureditorialfocusandwillnowconsiderusefulpoststhattrulyaimtomovethisindustryforward.

OURAUDIENCEWhileweeducateanyonewhousescontentmarketing,ouridealreaderismarketersatlarge-andmidsizeB2BandB2Corganizations.

SUBMISSIONCRITERIAWehavealimitednumberofpublishingslotsavailabletoguestcontributors,andwewillonlyacceptpoststhatsatisfythefollowingcriteria:

Postsneedtoadvancethepracticeofcontentmarketing.Wewillonlyacceptpoststhatprovidenewinsightsforcontentmarketers(i.e.,wearenotlookingforpostswithrehashedideas).

Postsneedtobeuseful.Whilepostsdonotneedtobeastep-by-stephow-to,theyneedtoincludeaspecifictakeawayorkeythought.

Postsneedtobelogicalandinterestingtoread.

Postsneedtobespecifictocontentmarketers.

Thesearethespecifictypesofpostwelookfor.

How-toPostsWelookfordetailedpoststhatveryclearlyoutlinehowtodosomething;templates,checklists,andstep-by-stepapproachesworkwell.Examplesinclude:

“HowtoPutTogetheranEditorialCalendarforContentMarketing”(http://cmi.media/CI-editcal)

“7NEWThingstoDoAfterYou’veWrittenaNewBlogPost”(http://cmi.media/CI-blogpost)

“AnEasyPlanningWorksheetThatWillJump-StartYourContentMarketingProductivity”(http://cmi.media/CI-worksheet)

“ThoughtLeadership”PostsContentmarketingisanindustrythathasbeenevolvingquickly,andwewanttobeevaluatingtrendsandfiguringoutwhatiscomingnext.Arethereconversationsyouthinkweneedtohavetomovetheindustryforward?Istheresomethinggoingonthatyouwanttocalloutthatisnottrueornotworking?Whatarethecurrenttrends?Examplesinclude:

“ContentMarketing:TheFallacyThatMoreContentIsBetter”(http://cmi.media/CI-morecontent)

“OracleAcquiresEloqua:WillContentMarketingBeImpacted?”(http://cmi.media/CI-eloqua)

“6WaystheContentMarketingBacklashIsGettingItWrong”(http://cmi.media/CI-backlash)

ContentMarketingCareerPostsWhilecontentmarketinghasbeenevolvingasadiscipline,sotoohavethecareersofmanyofourreaders.Wearelookingforpoststhatsharepersonalexperiencesorconcreteideasonwhatmarketersneedtobeconsideringastheyplantheircareers.Examplesinclude:

“ContentMarketingBestPractices:5TipsfortheModernCMO”(http://cmi.media/CI-modernCMO)

“ContentMarketingforCareerDevelopment”(http://cmi.media/CI-careerdev)

ContentMarketingToolsandTechnologiesPostsWewillconsiderpoststhatprofilespecificcontentmarketingtoolsandtechnologieswhen:

Thetoolisfree(e.g.,Twitter,LinkedIn,Facebook).

Theauthorisnotsomeonedirectlyassociatedwithorcompensatedbythetechnologyvendor.

Thepostdoesnotdiscusscompetitivebenefits.

CMIoccasionallycoverspaidtoolsinourTechnologyLandscapeseriesorinpoststhatincludearoundupoftools.

Toincreasethelikelihoodthatyourpostwillbeaccepted,considerthesesuggestions:

Wheneverpossible,includereal-lifeexamplesand/orcasestudiestodemonstratetheconceptsdescribed.

Example:“4WaystoUsePRinYourContentMarketingEfforts[CaseStudy]”(http://cmi.media/CI-PR)

Useofvideos,photos,charts,screenshots,andothervisualcontentisstronglyencouraged.Feelfreetoembednewtypesofcontentplatformsaswell.

Example:“EpicContentMarketers:20MoreWomenWhoRock”

(http://cmi.media/CI-womenrock)

Articlesshouldincludedetailedinstructionorspecificrecommendationsthatwillhelpmarketersincorporateyouradviceintotheircontentmarketingprocesses.

Example:“TheEssentialGuidetoMetaDescriptionsThatWillGetYouFoundOnline”(http://cmi.media/CI-meta)

Inaddition,wedonotacceptsubmissionsthatfallintothefollowingcategories:

Postswithunclearfocalpointsorthosethatarenotclearlyorganizedorformattedtograbreaderattention.Weencouragewriterstousesubheadings,bulletedlists,andboldfontstohighlightkeyconceptsandactionitems.

Articlescreatedasblatantlink-bait,withlittleoriginalinsightorpracticaldiscussionprovidedwithinthepostcopy.

Op-ed–stylepoststhatdiscusswhyanissueisimportantwithoutdiscussinghow,specifically,itcanbeleveragedbycontentmarketers.

Poststhathavealreadybeenpublishedelsewhere.

Whitepapersandotherpromotionalcontentthatismeanttotoutthebenefitsofonespecificproductorserviceoverothers.

Poststhatfocusoncontentmarketingbasics(suchaswritingtoaspecificaudience,findingtimeorideasforcontent,etc.)orthosethatgiveonlyageneraloverviewofcomplextopics(suchascontentcreation,SEO,ormakingyourcontent“social”).

Duetothevolumeofsubmissions,wedonotrespondtoguestpostinquiriesthatincludearequestforalinkexchange.Thesepostsarenotaccepted.

WHYWRITEFORCMI?Asyoulikelyknow,sharingyourexpertisewithanengagedaudienceofcontentmarketingprofessionalsisagreatwaytoimproveyourindustryprofile.

ManyofourbloggershavetoldustheycandirectlytracenewbusinesstotheirpostsonCMI(andsometimespoststheyhavewrittenmorethanayearago!).

Additionally,wehavepeoplecontactuslookingforworkoraskingtogetinvolvedinContentMarketingWorld.Thebestwaytoworkwithusistobecomeanactivebloggerwhocontributessolid,detailedposts.Thisisthepoolofpeoplewelooktowhenwehaveopportunities.

OUREDITORIALPROCESSEachpostwereceiveisfirstreviewedforacceptancecriteria.Itmaytakeafewdaysbeforeourteamcanrespondtonewsubmissions.Wereceivemanysubmissions,soweappreciateyourpatiencethroughoutourreviewandproductionprocess.

IfyoursubmissionfitsourcriteriaandislikelytobeagoodfitfortheCMIaudience,wewillcontactyouwithinsevenbusinessdaysofreceipttoconfirmourintenttoreviewyourpostforpublication.

Pleasenote:Becauseofthevolumeofsubmissions,ifyourpostisnotafit,weareunabletoprovidedetailedfeedback.

Forpostsbeingconsidered,averageturnaroundtimeforreviewis10businessdays,thoughthetimelinemaybeshorterorlonger,dependingonthecurrentvolumeofsubmissionsunderreview.

Onceaposthasbeenacceptedforpublication,itisgenerallyscheduledtorunwithinatwo-weektimespan.Whilewecannotalwayshonorspecificpublicationdaterequests,oureditorialteamwilldoitsbesttoaccommodatetheneedsofourcontributors.

PROMOTIONANDSOCIALMEDIADISTRIBUTIONCMIwillpromoteallpostsviaTwitter,LinkedIn,Facebook,andotherrelevantsocialplatforms.Allauthorsareencouragedtopromotetheirpoststhroughtheirownnetworks,aswell.

REPUBLISHINGANDREPURPOSINGYOURCMIPOSTSWhilewecanonlyconsideroriginal,unpublishedmaterialsforpublication,wearehappytoallowourpublishedauthorstorepurposetheirpostselsewhere,withthefollowingstipulations:

Thereshouldbeatwo-weekwindowbetweenthetimeyourarticlegoesliveonCMIandthetimeitispublishedonanothersite.

AllsubsequentpublicationofyourarticlemustcitetheContentMarketingInstituteastheoriginalsourceandprovidealinktothearticleonCMI.

AllCMIpoststhataretobeusedincontentcurationeffortsmustadheretostandardsoffairuseofonlinecontentforcontentcuration(http://cmi.media/CI-fairuse).

WHATTOSENDWITHYOURARTICLESUBMISSIONYourbio.Bioshouldbeapproximately60wordsandshouldincludeyourTwitterhandle,aswellasanyotherrelevantlinksyouwishtodisplay(e.g.,yourblog,Facebookpage,websiteURL,etc.).

Yourheadshot.WeuseasitecalledGravatar(http://cmi.media/CI-gravatar)tomanageourauthors’headshots.Newcontributorsshouldcreateanaccountthereanduploadaheadshot.Oncethisisdone,we’llneedthee-mailaddressthatwasusedtoregistertheaccount,sowecanassociateyourheadshotwiththeauthorprofilewewilluseinyourposts.

Athematicallyrelatedcoverimage.Wealsoaskauthorstoincludeahigh-resolutionimagethatwecanrunasa“cover”imageforeachpost.Thiscanbeaphoto,achart,ascreenshot,orapieceofthemeartthatrepresentsthearticletopicinacompellingvisualway.Imagescanbetakenfromtheweborastockphotoservice,aslongastheyareroyalty-free(orinthepublicdomainoravailableaspartofCreativeCommons),oryouholdthecopyright.Iftheimagerequirescreatorcredit,pleaseprovidethenecessarysourcinginformation,sothatwecanbesuretoattributeitproperly.

Ifyouwouldliketosubmitapostorarticleidea,orhaveanyquestions,pleasecontactusatblog@contentinstitute.com.Newcontributorsmayalsowishtosubmitlinkstoadditionalwritingsamplesthatmayaidinourdecision-makingprocess.

AppendixB

AnInsideLookintoCMI’sPublishingProcess

ByMicheleLinn,ContentMarketingInstitute’sVicePresidentofContent

In2010,IwasluckyenoughtojoinJoeonhisjourneywhenhelaunchedContentMarketingInstitute.Lookingbackatthat(crazy)time,wegotalotdonewithasuper-smallteam,butmuchoftheprocesswasadhocandtrialanderror.

Fast-forwardto2015whenwehavelaunchedanotherblog(andwillsoonbeaddinganother).Thesedays,theprocessisnolongeranice-to-have,butit’sanecessity.It’snotamatterofnothavingenoughpeopleontheteam(aswedo),butbecausetherearemorepeople,it’sevenmorecriticaltohaveprocessesdocumentedsothingsaregettingdoneconsistentlyandwedon’tdrownine-mailsinwhichwe’refiguringoutwhoneedstodowhat.

Theinformationbelow,repletewithchecklists,isCMI’sgeneralprocessforourblogposts.NodoubtthisprocesswillevolvebetweenthetimeIamwritingthisandthetimeContentInc.ispublished,butthisoffersageneralframeworksoyoucanlearnfromourmistakes(although,truly,thereissometimesnobetterway).

SETTINGUPTHETEAMBeforewedigintoourblogprocesses,it’susefultowalkthroughthekindsofpeopleyouneedonyoureditorialteam.ForCMI,thisincludes:

LisaDougherty,whomanagestheeditorialcalendarandallcommunicationswithourblogcontributors

AnnGynn,whoeditsallthepostsforlogic,flow,andstructure

YatriRoleston,whouploadsandproofreadsallourpostsintoWordPress

Ann,Yatri,andLisaHiggshelpacrossalltheblogs,whileLisaDoughertyisfocusedonCMI.

Tip:Whenyouhaveahigh-volumeblogthatacceptscontributors,lookforablogmanagerwhohasgoodcommunication,diplomacy,andbusinessetiquette—andmostimportantly,someoneyoucantrustimplicitlytogetthejobdone.Thispersonneedstheskillstobeabletofosterpositiverelationshipswithoutsideandinternalmembersaswellasstrongprojectmanagementskills,athirstforknowledge,andaprocess-orientedmindset.

Inpreviousevolutionsoftheblog,wehadoneperson,firstIwastheoneandthenJodiHarris,whomanagedthecalendar,contributorrelationships,andalltheediting.However,asweincreasedthenumberofposts—andwantedtoofferthebestpossibleexperienceto

ourcontributorsastheyarecoreofourcommunity—webrokethisintotworoles:onewhomanagesthecalendarandcontributorsandonewhohandlestheediting.

Forahigh-frequencybloglikeCMI,Ifarfavorthestructurewehavenow:

It’sveryhelpfultobounceideasoffeachother,includingwhatweshouldrun,whattitlesworkbest,etc.

It’samuchmoresustainablemodelthatallowsforpeopletotaketimeoffasneeded—andit’ssomethingthatwecanmoreeasilymanageifstaffingweretochange.

Tip:It’swortheverypennytohaveastrongcopyeditorrevieweverythingbeforeitispublished.Evenifyouhaveothereditorsontheteam,ithelpstohaveafreshperspectiveontheliveversionofthepieceandsomeonewhosesolefocusistoproofread.

Thatsaid,ifyouarestartingoutanddon’thavearigorouspostingschedule,youmaybeabletogetawaywithhavingtwopeopleontheteam:amanagingeditorwhoreviewsandschedulesallposts(andwritesasneeded)andacopyeditorwhocheckseverythingbeforepublication.

ThisissimilartothemodelweuseforIntelligentContent(oneofourbrandextensions).MarciaRieferJohnstonisthemanagingeditoroftheIntelligentContentblog.Sheisawriter,editor,andmemberofthecommunitywhoengagesinconversationsandasksgreatquestionsthatserveasfodderfortheblog.WepublishtwopostsperweekontheIntelligentContentblog,whichisamuchlowerfrequencythanfortheCMIblog,soMarcia’sroleisacombinationofLisaDougherty’sandAnnGynn’s.LisaHiggsproofreadsallposts,andIreviewallthecontentatahighleveltomakesureitisinlinewithCMI’soveralleditorialstrategy(asIalsodoforCMI).

Tip:Whilemanagingeditorshavecriticalskills,ifyouneedaneditorwhocanalsowrite(asisthecasefortheblogswehavelaunched),it’sveryusefultohiresomeonewithskills—andrelationships—inyourindustry.Notonlycanthispersonsniffoutgoodstories,butshecanalsofindthebestwritersinthespace(andcallinfavorsifneeded).

GENERALBLOGPROCESSTheCMIblogreceivesfarmoresubmissionsthanwecanaccept.Inmanyways,thisisagreatproblemtohave,butinotherways,it’salotofcommunicationtomanageforcontentwedon’tendupusing.Assuch,ourprocessforworkingwithallcontributorshasevolvedaswehavetriedtoreallyfocusourtimeonpublishingthebestpossiblecontentwhilealsorespectingallthepeoplewhoaregenerouswiththeirtimeandcontributions.

Herearethegeneralstepswefollow:

WereviewallpoststoseeiftheyareafitwiththemissionoftheCMIblog.LisaDoughertyisourpointofcontactforallwhosubmitposts,andsherespondstoallinquiries.

Tip:Ifyouhaveablogtowhichcontributorscansubmitcontent,it’susefultohaveblogguidelinesthatyoucaneasilyshare.Additionally,makeitclear,asCMIdoes,ifyouonlyacceptpoststhatarecomplete;wedon’tconsiderpitchesbecausethefulltextanauthorcreatesisoftenwhatdifferentiatesagoversusano-gopost.

Ifwequicklyknowthepostisnotafit,theauthorisnotified.

Iftheposthaspotential,itisenteredintooureditorialtracker/calendar(moreonthisbelow).WehavealsocreatedacentralrepositoryforallsubmissionsusingDropboxsoallpostscanbeeasilyaccessedbyalleditorialteammembers.I,asCMI’svicepresidentofcontent,amthefirstlineofdefenseandreviewallfeasiblesubmissionstoensureaglobalandpracticalfit.Fromthere,oneofthreethingshappens:

TheauthorofapostthatisnotafitisnotifiedbyLisa.

An“on-the-fence”postisreviewedbyAnn.Lisafollowsupwiththeauthortolethimorherknowmoretimemaybeneeded.

Adefinite-fitpostiseditedbyAnn.WeoftenexpediteeditingonsubmissionsthatarewellwrittenandfollowCMIblogguidelines,aswellthosefromregularcontributors.

Tip:Createtemplateresponsesforcommonsubmissionscenariosthatcanbecustomizedande-mailedbytheeditorialteam.Thesecansaveatremendousamountoftime(andtheyareespeciallyusefulwhenyourprimaryoutreachcontactisoutoftheoffice).

Afterablogpostsubmissionisconsideredviable,Lisawillthenscheduleitontheeditorialcalendar.Onthelineofitsrundate,sheincludesauthorname,headline,imagetype(customorCMIstockimage),generalstatus,anduploadstatus.

Managingourbloggershasbecomeanincreasingpriorityforus,andsomethingwewanttoinvestthetimeinto.CMIreliesheavilyoninfluencers,astheywriteforourblog,speakatourevents,participateinourTwitterchats,speakatourwebinars—andmore.It’salsocommonthattheyspreadthewordaboutCMI.Becauseofthis,ourbloggersarethekeyinfluencersforCMI—andtheindustryasawhole—sowewantthemtohavethebestpossibleexperience.

BLOGPUBLICATIONCHECKLISTSWhilechecklistshavetheirlimitations,theyareexceptionallyusefulinthepublicationprocess.Hereareafewofthechecklistsforeveryblogpostwepublish.

Tip:Itcanbehelpfultosetuptemplatesforpoststhathaverecurringelements.Forinstance,ourpodcastshownoteshavestandardsectionsandlinks.Theauthorusesthistemplatetocreatetheshownoteseachweek,whichsavestimeforboththeauthorandtheeditorialteam(andtheoutputismoreconsistent).

TheEditorialTeam’sChecklistThesequestionsarecheckedoffbeforetheblogposthasbeenfinalized:

EditorialChecklistArethereanyerrorsorinconsistencies?Doesthepostfollowalogicalconclusion?

Doesthepostincludeactionablenextsteps?Willareaderknowwhattodoafterreadingthis?

Doesthepostincludethingsthatmakeiteasytoskim?

–Areheadersdescriptive?

–Arekeypointsinbold?

–Arethereplaceswherebulletedlistsmakesense?

–Canweaddscreenshotstohelpillustrateorwalkthroughkeypoints?

Istheheadlineeffective?

Hasthepostbeenfact-checked?

Doesthepostincluderelevantinternal(CMI)linkstogivereadersmoreinfo(andhelpwithSEO)?

Aretheretoomanyexternallinks?Dothelinksprovideanexample,addrelevantdetail,orprovidesourceinfoforstats—notusedpurelyforlink-backorotherpromotionalpurposes?

Istherea“coverimage”thatservesasthemainimageforthepost—ordoesoneneedtobecreated?

Doesthepostincludearelevantcalltoaction?(WehavearunninglistofCTAsthattheeditorialteamcanuseforreference.It’samixofevents,offers,andmostpopularandusefulcontent.)

Isthereapreviouspostwhereweshouldaddalinktothenewpost?

Isthereanexcerptforthatpostthatis255charactersmaxthatcanbeusedfore-mailandsocialsharing?

Isthereametadescriptionthatis156charactersatmost?Thiswillbedisplayedinthesearchengineresults.

Tip:Keepalistoftop-performingpoststowhichyouwanttocontinuallylinkinotherthingsyoupublish.Wekeepthislistinoureditorialtracker.

Add“ClicktoTweet”ifappropriate.Thisisaneasywaytoprepopulatetweetsthatcoverkeypointsinapost.

Tip:Createabasicstyleguideforyourteam(evenifitisateamofone).Decideonwhichprofessionalstyleguideyouwanttogenerallyrely(CMIusesAPstyle)andthendevelopacustomaddendum(document)thatstipulatesyourbrand’svariationsorspecialcasesthatdeviatefromtheprimaryguide.CMI’sstyleguideisinGoogleDocs,towhichtheeditorialteam—andwholecompany—hasaccess.

Oncepostsgothroughtheeditingprocess,theysometimesneedtobereturnedtotheauthorforclarificationonsomequestionsoradditionalinformation.Inthesecases,thepostmaybereviewedmultipletimes.

PublicationChecklistsOncetheblogposthasbeenfinalized,Yatriloadsitintoourcontentmanagementsystem,WordPress.Hereareourpublicationchecklists:

GeneralSetuptheauthorprofileifheorsheisafirst-timeCMIauthor.

Setthepublicationdateandtime.

Selecttheappropriatecategories,whicharethemaintopicsofyourblog.(Forinstance,CMIcategoriesincludethingssuchascontentmarketingstrategy,visualdesign,andmeasurement.)

Selecttheauthor

Addthecover/mainimage.(Note:WealsouseYoast’sSEOplug-insowecanuploadimagesattherightsizeforsocial.)

AddallimagesandlabelaccordinglyforSEOoptimization.

Tip:AlltheassetsareuploadedtoDropboxfortheeditorialteamtoaccess.Eachauthorhashisorherownfolder,andallassetsarelabeledconsistentlywithauthorname_title_namereviewed_dateofversion.

ChecklistforTextElementsSubheadsshouldbeH2.

CMIlinksshouldopeninsametab.

Outsidelinksshouldopenintoanewtab.

CTAsshouldbeitalics,notbold.

UnderCTA,add“Coverimagevia…”andalinktothesource,ifavailable.

Add“more”tagtobeginningofpost(usually4lines/2paragraphsdowninthearticle.ThiskeepstheentirepostfromappearingontheCMIhomepage—onlyasnippetofthepostwillshowunlessvisitorsclick“ReadMore”).

Maintain1lineofspacebetweenanH2subheadandthecopybelowit.Alsoadd1lineofspacebetweenthecopyandabulletedlist.(IfyoudothisinWord,itshouldtransferautomaticallywhenflowedintoWordPress.)

SEOConsiderationsIncludethepermalink:4–5wordswithdashes;wordssomeonemayuseinalong-tailsearchquery.

Includetheexcerpt:235charactersmaxforsocial.

Writethemetadescription:156charactersmaxfortheSERP.

Uploadimages:limitto3–5wordswithdashes.Wordsinimagescanbesimilartotheheadlinebutnotidentical;changeuptheorderandaugmentwithanewwordthatreflectstheimage.

PreviewChecklist

Checkalllinks.

Makesureeverythingisdisplayingproperlyandallimagesarerenderingclearly.

Makesureformattingisconsistentandcorrect(e.g.,subheadsareH2;bulletpointsarealignedproperly;imagesaren’trunningintotextanywhere,etc.).

Readandverifylinksinauthor’sbio.

Makesureauthor’sbiopictureisshowingup.

Makesurethereis“Coverimageillustrationby…”credit.

OncepostsareloadedintoWordPress,YatriconnectswithCMI’se-mailteamsoitcanloadthedailye-mail.

ALOOKATOUREDITORIALTRACKER/CALENDARWehavebeenusingGooglespreadsheetsasthebasisforoureditorialcalendar/trackerforyears(althoughwearelookingintoanumberofnewtoolspresently).Likeeverythingelse,thisspreadsheethasevolved,andwekeepourcriticalcalendarsandlistinthisoneplace.Thisisthe“bible”foroureditorialteam.Thesearethetabsincluded:

Scheduleofupcomingposts.Thisisalsowherewetracknotessuchaspermalinksweneedtouse.

Postsinprocess.Thistabisarunninglistofeverypostweareworkingon,segregatedbywhichteammemberisworkingonthepost.(Forinstance,IhavethesectionforpostsIneedtoreview.IknowtolookhereinsteadofhavingtohaveLisae-mailmeeachtimeapostarrives.)

Prioritykeywords.Thesearethekeywordswewanttorankforaswellasdetailsoneach.

Editorialagenda.Theteamupdatesthistabwithanythingwewanttodiscussduringourweeklycheck-incalls.

Toppostsandpages.Thesearethepoststhatperformthebestthatwewanttopromotemoreheavilyviasocialorwithinoureditorial.

SEObestpractices.Thesearereminderstotheteamonthingssuchasimages,metadescriptions,andanythingrelatedtoSEO.

Brickcontent.Thistabtracksanybigcontentwehavecomingout.

Archivedblogposts.Alistofalltheblogpoststhathaverunforreference(wesimplymovethepublishedpostsfromthe“Scheduleofupcomingposts”tabhere).

Importantlinks.Thesearethingswerefertoregularlythatarehandytohaveinonespot.

Callstoaction.Thisisarunninglistofcallstoactionwecanuseinourblogposts.

Keytopics.Thesearetheprimarycategoriesweuseforourblogposts.

COMMUNICATIONSWITHAUTHORS

Oncepostsarescheduled,Lisareachesouttoauthorswithapreviewoftheirposts.Thisincludes:

Finaldraftofthepost

Publicationdate

Easyideasonhowtosharethepostviasocialchannels

Thisstepisuseful,notonlybecauseithelpsincreasethesharingofthepost,butbecauseitalsoensurestherearenosurpriseswiththefinalpost.

Tip:Lisadoesnotseekfinalapprovalfromtheauthors;however,bysendingtheauthorsthefinaldraftandincludingthepublicationdate,theauthorsknowtheyshouldreviewthepostandaddressanyconcernsbeforethatdate.

Authorsarealsonotifiedwhentheyreceivethefirstcommenttotheirlivepost.Lisaisnotifiedofallcomments,andourassistant,KimBorden,moderatesallcommentssowecanquicklyremoveanyspam.

Tip:Whileoursocialteamhasitsownsystemforcontentpromotion,theeditorialteamsociallysharesallpostsaswell.Authorshavenoticedthis—andhavebeenveryappreciative.

COMINGFULLCIRCLEOfcourse,wemeasurewhatwearedoingsowecanprovidemorecontentthatworks—andlessofwhatdoesnot.

WhileIoftendigintoGoogleAnalytics,welookatthepostsmoresystematicallyonamonthlybasis.Thedatawetrackinclude:

Publicationdate

Title

Author

Tweets

LinkedInshares

Facebooklikes

Othersocialshares

Totalsocialshares

E-mailconversionsfromthatpage

Pageviews

Manytop-performingpostshavehighsocialsharesaswellase-mailconversions,butthisisnotalwaysthecase.

Oncewehavealistoftopposts,wesharethosewiththeCMIteammembersviaourprivateLinkedIngroupandencouragethemtosharetheseintheirsocialnetworks(withprewrittentweetsfromourcommunitymanager,MoWagner),andLisaindividually

reachesouttoauthorswhohavetop-performingposts—andthosewewanttoworkwithagain.

WhileIthinkaboutprocessmorethanIeverimaginedIwould,it’scoretocreatingconsistent,high-qualitycontent.It’salsotheguardrailsandstructureweneedsowehavetimetothinkcreatively.

Index

Pleasenotethatindexlinkspointtopagebeginningsfromtheprintedition.Locationsareapproximateine-readers,andyoumayneedtopagedownoneormoretimesafterclickingalinktogettotheindexedmaterial.

Pagenumbersinitalicsrefertofigures.

The10XRule(Cardone),5

The7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople(Covey),4

AccidentalGenius(Levy),99

acquiringcontentassets,227–228

approachingthebestopportunity,232

determiningthepurchasevalue,232–233

determiningyourgoal,230

enteringfinalnegotiations,234

identifyingtheaudience,230–231

makingashortlistofplatforms,231

makingtheoffer(letterofintent),233

processofacquiringacontentplatform,230–234

activityvs.audience,279–280

Acunzo,Jay,58–60,78,285

Adorama,228

AdvantageMedia,206

advertising,250

nativeadvertising,250–256

AgencyPost,228

Airbnb,214

Albee,Ardath,242,284

Alvarado,Carissa,191

Alvarado,Michael,191

Amazon.com

CreateSpace,206

pressreleasemethod,73–74

AmericanExpress,262

analytics,78,100

Andreessen,Marc,249,259

Anniston,Jennifer,81

Anthony,David,117

ArtoftheStart2.0(Kawasaki),284

articles,86,88

aspirations,vs.needs,68–71

atomization,132

Audacity,222

audience,43

definingwhoyouraudienceis,44

minimumviableaudience(MVA),237

stealinganinfluencer’saudience,171–182

Seealsoharvestingaudience

Audience(Rohrs),148,205–206

audiencepersonas,52

Aweber,94

BackyardPoultrywiththeChickenWhisperer,219

Baer,Jay,38,56,75,81–82,100,285

JayToday,132–133

Baker,Sean,18

Barrett,Newt,102,205,208

TheBeginner’sGuidetoVine,191

beinghuman,87

“bestofbreed”goal,60–61,87

Bezos,Jeff,73

BigStock,165

Bitcoin,259–260

blogs,88,136,204,209

miningforbookcontent,205

blog-to-bookstrategy,205

bookproposals,207–208

BookBub,122

books,204

asplatformextensions,221

tipsforexecutingabook,204–208

brandscaping,166–167

Brandscaping(Davis),57,74,221

Brenner,Michael,164

Brogan,Chris,21

buildingthebase,19

Bullas,Jeff,81

businessnames,69

BuzzFeed,90–91,148,149,164–165

calendaringtools,106–107

calltoaction,280

Cardone,Grant,5

casestudies

AnnReardon,57–58

chefMichaelSymon,247

ContentMarketingInstitute,181–182

DigitalPhotographySchool,67–68

DwellMedia,115–116

JayToday,132–133

ChannelMaster,113

channelsilo,280

Chernov,Joe,102

TheChew,247

ChickenWhisperer.SeeSchneider,Andy(TheChickenWhisperer)

ChickenWhispererMagazine,219

TheChickenWhisperer’sGuidetoKeepingChickens(Schneider),219

ChiefContentCurator,115–116

ChiefContentOfficer,112

ChiefContentOfficermagazine,215,223–224

ChiefListeningOfficer,112

ChiefTechnologist,113

ChiliKlaus.SeePilgaard,Claus(ChiliKlaus)

Cho,Joy,269–275

ClaimYourFame,222

Clark,Brian,89,111,216,237

revenueexamples,249

Cleary,Ian,275

ClevelandClinic,146

CMIExecutiveForum,216

Coinbase,259–260

collaborativepublishingmodel,125–126

HuffingtonPost,126

process,126–128

reasonsforusing,126

remindersystemforcontributors,128–129

Collins,Jim,60,61

color,209–210

Comm,Joel,187

Conductor,155

conferences,258

consistency,86,177

contentacceptance,15–18

contentaudit,98,204–205

contentcalendar

calendaringtools,106–107

downloadabletemplate,108

elementstotrack,107–108

keepingthecalendarfilledandfocused,108–109

overview,105–106

settingup,106–108

workingahead,110

contentchannels,88–90

contentcuration,115–116,122

ContentCurationDirector,114

contentdiscovery/recommendationtools,167

contentideation

50questions,98–99

analyzinganalytics,100

employeediscussions,100–101

freewriting,99

GoogleAlerts,100

readingirrelevantbooks,102

socialnetworks,101–102

trackingcontentideas,101

Twitterhashtags,100

ContentInc.model,19–20

podcasts,283

risk,9–11,23–24

website,283

ContentInc.Summit,284

contentmarketing,79–81

principlesof,86–87

twoactionsforsuccess,5–7

ContentMarketing360,222

ContentMarketingAwards,230

ContentMarketingInstitute,5,21,69,242

howrolestranslateintorealproduction,117–118

missionandaudienceforms,48–51

revenueexamples,248

socialmediaplan,196–199

ContentMarketingPlaybook,88,181–182

ContentMarketingWorld,216,222–223

contentmissionstatements.Seemissionstatements

contentrepurposing.Seerepurposingcontent

contentsyndication,163–164

contenttilt,19

AnnReardon,57–58

askingpotentialreaders,76–78

changingterminology,79–81

defined,56–57

doingthework,81–82

findingyourcontentmarketinghedgehog,61–62

identifyingyourcontenttilt,73–82

leveragingGoogleTrends,74–76

missionstatements,65–71

pressreleasemethod,73–82

settingthe“bestofbreed”goal,60–61

andstart-ups,58–60

tellingadifferentstory,55–56

testing,78

contenttypes,136–137

mostpopular,87–88

contentvelocity,225

content-basedwebsites,88

control,89

Convince&Convert,285

Copyblogger,reachvs.control,89

CopybloggerMedia,242,261

Covey,Stephen,4

CreativeDirector,113–114

Crestodina,Andy,285

cross-mediamonetization,258–259

crowdfunding,259

Cruikshank,Lucas,275

custompublishing,79–81

customerpainpoints,39–40

wantsvs.needs,68–71

customersurveys.Seesurveys

Cutts,Matt,155

CVS,missionstatement,66

Davis,Andrew,57,74,142,166,176,209,221,232

decision,23

Delaplane,Mitch,169

DesignWorldmagazine,219

DesignWorldOnline,219

desire,21

TheDiamondMinecart,250

digitalevents,216

DigitalPhotographySchool,67–68,69,86,242

DigitalRelevance(Albee),284

DirectorofAudience,113

diversification,20

Doan,Al,144–146

Doan,Jenny,144–146

Doan,Ron,144–146

Doan,Sarah,144–146

Dougherty,Lisa,117

downloads

audiencepersonas,52

beginner’sguidetoFacebook,186

contentaudit,98

ContentMarketingPlaybook,88,181–182

contentmarketplaceoptions,121

editorialcalendartemplate,108

guidetocontentpromotion,169

reportoncontentdiscoverytools,169

Ducker,Chris,11

DuctTapeMarketing,142

Dumas,JohnLee,86,148,257

duplicatecontentpenalty,163

DwellMedia,115–116

e-books,136–137

editing,280

editorialcalendar.Seecontentcalendar

editorialmissionstatements.Seemissionstatements

editors,207

elevatorpitch,210

emcosmeticline,32

e-mailofferings,148–151

e-mailplatforms,94

e-mailsubscribers,147

Emich,Mike,219,229

Emma,94

employeediscussions,100–101

e-newsletters,88

EnterpriseSEOTools:TheMarketer’sGuide,160

Entrepreneurmagazine,245

EntrepreneurOnFire(EOF),86,148,150

reachvs.control,89–90

entrepreneurship,andrisk,9–11

EpicContentMarketing(Pulizzi),131–132,284

ESPN,211

EvanTubeHD,278

events,222–223,258

Evernote,102

trackinggoalswith,7

EverybodyWrites(Handley),97,284

Experiences:The7thEraofMarketing(RoseandJohnson),20,221,284

expertise,120

extensions.Seeplatformextensions

Facebook,90,141,185–186

ContentMarketingInstitute,196–197

controllingreachbyhidingposts,146

fans,148

hashtags,100

marketing,13–14

faith,21–22

Fallon,Jimmy,142–144

FastCompany,148,149

feedback,76–78

Fields,Jonathan,277

fillinganeed,86

findability,155

addingimagestotextcontent,164–165

answeringquestionsatQuora,163

brandscaping,166–167

contentsyndication,163–164

creatinguniqueresearch,163

“hitlist”ofkeywords,156–157

keywordselectiontips,158–161

lists,162

makingmostcontentungated,165–166

newsreleaseservices,169

paidcontentdistributionoptions,167

Reddit,162–163

searchengineoptimization,155–161

socialmediaadvertising,168

Stumbleupon,162

usingHelpaReporterOut(HARO),164

Seealsokeywordsearches

FireNationElite,257

Fishburne,Lawrence,55

Fishkin,Rand,216

Fleischer,Julie,92

FoldFactory,277

Forbes,212

founder,112

freeguides,136–137

freelancerandagencyrelations,114

freelancers

budgeting,122

developingtherightbusinessrelationship,121

expertisevs.personality,120

hiringtherightkindofwriter,120–121

outsourcingcontentto,118–121

testing,122–123

Seealsostaffing

freewriting,99

Freezerburns,276

Frey,Chuck,118

GameTheoryvideos,30–31,69,86,242

operationalizingcontent,119–120

reachvs.control,89–90

GarageBand,222

GetContentGetCustomers(PulizziandBarrett),208

gettingstuck,279–280

ghostwriters,207

Glass,Ira,81

Glossier,278

goals,4–5

“bestofbreed”goal,60–61

categories,5

tracking,7

worksheet,8

goingagainstthegrain,24

goingsmalltogobig,24

Goldberg,Natalie,99

TheGoodLifeProject,277

GoodtoGreat(Collins),61

Google,18,162

GoogleAdwords,KeywordPlanner,159

GoogleAlerts,100,174,181

GoogleAnalytics,100

GoogleHangout,178

GoogleKeywordSuggestTool,159

GoogleTrends,74–76,79,100

Google+,190

GoToWebinar,216

TheGrandBudapestHotel,52

Grothaus,Michael,271

guestposts,161–162

Hamilton,Missouri,144

Handley,Ann,97,138,284

HARO,164

Harris,Jodi,118

harvestingaudience,19

hashtags,100

Facebook,186

Twitter,186–187

hedgehogs,61–62

HelpaReporterOut,164

Hill,Napoleon,4,21–23

“hitlist”ofkeywords,156–157

hook,57,209–210

HowtoCookThat,57–58

Hoyt,Peter,69

HoytPublishing,69

HubSpot,79–81,102,228

Huffington,Ariana,126

HuffingtonPost,91,126,164–165

Hyatt,Michael,85,102

images,164–165

imagination,22

inboundmarketing,79–81

Inc.,212

missionstatement,66–67

IndiumCorporation,36,37

influencerlisteningtools,174

influencermarketing,171–172

assessingandoptimizingtheprogram,179

buildinghitlistofinfluencers,174–175

ContentMarketingInstitutecasestudy,181–182

creatingcontentworthsharing,174

determininghowmanyinfluencerstoadd,176

identifyingtherightinfluencers,173

makingthefirstconnection,177–178

managingtheprogram,173–174

measuringtheprogram,179–180

nurturinginfluencerrelationships,178

outreach,176

scalabilityofthecontent,179

settinggoals,172

SocialMedia4-1-1,176–177

waystoidentifyingpotentialinfluencers,175–176

influencerrelations,114,161–162,206

nurturinginfluencerrelationships,178

infographics,137

informationchannels,increaseinnumberof,14–18

in-personevents,215–216

Instagram,90,189

subscribers,147

In-StoreMarketingInstitute,69

IntegratedMarketingCommunications(Schultz),20

IntelligentContentConference,216,230

IronChefAmerica,247

Issacson,Walter,37

iTunes,86,89,222

subscribers,147

Jantsch,John,142

Janzer,Anne,260

JayToday,132–133

Jobs,Steve,37

JohnDeere,92,93

Johnson,Carla,20,284

JPGmagazine,228

Junta42,21

Kalinowski,Joseph,34,117

KalmbachFeeds,34

Kawasaki,Guy,284

Kessler,Doug,39–40,44,246

keyperformanceindicators(KPIs),179–180

KeywordDiscovery,159

keywordsearches,74–76,77

“hitlist”ofkeywords,156–157

keywordresearchsources,159

keywordselectiontips,158–161

Seealsofindability

Kickstarter,259

KISSmetrics,163,193

Kiyosaki,Robert,9

KlausWunderhits,32

Klontz,Britt,185–186

Klout,174,175

knowledge,defined,34

knowledgeareas,34–36

worksheet,35

Kozak,Laura,117

KraftFoods,92

Lacey,Karen,190

lackoffunds,23–24

legalentities,11

LEGO,276

letterofintent(LOI),233

Levy,Mark,99

LiberatedSyndicate,222

LightningSource,206,208

limitedliabilitycorporations.SeeLLCs

Linabarger,Scott,146

LinkedIn,90,187–188

connections,148

ContentMarketingInstitute,196,197

hashtags,100

Linn,Michele,109,117,153

listening,98–99

listeningposts,77–78

lists,162

LittleBird,174

LiveCurrentMedia,228

LLCs,11

Loomer,Jon,13–14,186,225

L’Oreal,228

Luke,Lauren,18–19

MacArthur,Amanda,74

magazines,223–224

MailChimp,94

Makeup.com,228

Maksymiw,Amanda,175–176

Mallon,Shanna,107

ManagingEditor,112

TheMarketer’sGuidetoMedium,193

TheMarketer’sGuidetoSlideShare(Wheatland),188,221

marketingautomationtechnology,150

Maron,Marc,258–259

Marriott,277

Mashable.com,190,191

mastheads,123

TheMatrix,55

Matthews,Gail,5

MaximizingLinkedInforSalesandSocialMedia(Schaffer),187

McAllister,Ian,73

McCafferty,Scott,219,229

McDermott,Clare,118

McDermott,Jim,77

McPhillips,Cathy,117,196

Medium,90,192–193

subscribers,147

MeermanScott,David,165

metrics

Facebook,141

focusingonsubscribers,142–144

makingallemployeesandcontractorsawareofthekeymetric,153

measuringaninfluencermarketingprogram,179–180

subscriberimportancehierarchy,146–148

Middleton,Daniel,250

Mildenhall,Jonathan,184

Miles,Jason,190

Miller,Jason,276–277

Mindjet,102

minimumviableaudience(MVA),237

missionstatements,46,65

CVS,66

DigitalPhotographySchool,67–68

Inc.,66–67

thePulizziMission,70

SouthwestAirlines,66

threepartsof,66

MissouriStarQuiltCo.,144–146

mobile-readysites,162

Momentummagazine,214

monetization,20

advertisingandsponsorship,250–256

benefactormodel,239–240

chefMichaelSymoncasestudy,247

conferencesandevents,258

ContentInc.example,237–239

cross-media,258–259

crowdfunding,259

generatingrevenueuntiltheproductisidentified,242

ifyoualreadysellsomething,261–263

limited-inventorymodel,240–241

micropayments,259–260

multiplerevenuesources,245–246

philanthropy,260

premiumcontent,257–258

products,260–261

revenueexamples,248–249

revenueripples,246

subscriptions,257

waitingforrevenue,237–243

waystomonetizeyourcontent,249–261

whentostartmonetizing,242

Moz,160,186,242,261

Mozcon,216

Muldoon,Pamela,118

Murdock,David,229

Murray,Mike,158–161

MurtonBeets,Lisa,118

MVA.Seeminimumviableaudience(MVA)

namingyourbusiness,69

nativeadvertising,250–251

benefitsof,255

bestwaytouse,255–256

examples,251–254

whyit’sneither,256

needs

fillinganeed,86

vs.wants,68–71

NewYorkTimes,91

Newport,Cal,37

NewsCred,164

NextViewVentures,58

Ng,Greg,276

nRelate,167

Nutella,186

O’ConnorAbrams,Michela,115–116

Odden,Lee,285

OhJoy!,269,272

ON24,216

one-on-oneconversations,77

OPC,guestappearancesin,161–162

OpenviewVenturePartners,91

OrbitMediablog,285

Ostroff,Jess,11

otherpeople’scontent.SeeOPC

Outbrain,167

outsourcingcontent,118–121

paidcontentdistributionoptions,167

Palazzo,Nick,277

Paltrow,Gwyneth,94,94

passion

replacingwithcustomerpainpoints,39–40

unleashing,37

workingwithout,38

patience,23,278–279

Patrick,Matthew(MatPat),29–31,37,78,86,246

operationalizingcontentforGameTheory,119–120

payperclick,167

PentonMedia,4

Periscope,187

persistence,23

personality,120

PewDiePie,278

Phan,Michelle,32–33,37,111

revenueexamples,248

philanthropy,260

Pilgaard,Claus(ChiliKlaus),31–32,37

tellingadifferentstory,56

Pineapplemagazine,214

Pinterest,90,184,189–190

subscribers,147

PinterestPower(MilesandLacey),190

Pippity,151

ThePivot,246

Plank,Kevin,60

Platform(Hyatt),85

platformextensions,219

addingchannelswithinthesameplatform,220

events,222–223

extendingwithcurrentbrandintonewplatforms,220

magazines,223–224

mostcommonextensions,221

podcasts,222

platforms,85–86

books,221

choosingachannel,86,88–90

choosinghowtotellstories,86

convertingsubscribers,90

e-mailplatforms,94

TheFurrowmagazine,92,93

Goop,94,94

KraftFood&Family,92

OpenviewLabs,91

principlesofcontentmarketing,86–87

reachvs.control,89–91

websitepublishingplatforms,93–94

podcasts,86,88

gettingstarted,222

asplatformextensions,222

pointofview,87,280

Point-of-PurchaseInstitute,69

pop-overs/pop-ups,151–152

ThePowerofVisualStorytelling(Walter),189

PPC.Seepayperclick

PRNewswire,164,169

PRWeb,169

pressreleasemethod,73–74

Price,Seth,259,260

print,212–215

printsubscribers,147

ProPublica,260

Problogger,67

process,280

productofferings,20–21

Pulizzi,Joe,38,117,208

Pulizzimissionstatement,70

Quora,163

RazorSocial,275

reach,89,146

Reardon,Ann,57–58,250

RedBullMediaHouse,276

Reddit,163

Reeves,Keanu,55

reimaginingcontent,138

Seealsorepurposingcontent

repurposingcontent,131–132

benefitsof,134–135

blog-to-bookstrategy,131–132

JayToday,132–133

keycontenttypes,136–137

process,135–136

resources,283–285

revenueripples,246

reviewinggoals,5–7

RieferJohnston,Marcia,118

risk,9–11,23–24

RiverPools&Spas,44–46,98–99,246,261–262

RockandRollCocktail.com,276–277

Rohrs,Jeff,148,205–206

Rose,Robert,20,118,121,131,221,222,256,284

Rowse,Darren,67–68,86

revenueexamples,249

Scorporations,11

salesspeak,avoiding,87

Salesforce.com,205–206

Schaffer,Neal,187

Schneider,Andy(TheChickenWhisperer),33–34,37,69,111,219

missionstatement,46

revenueexamples,248

Schultz,Don,20

Schwab,Charles,37

Scrivener,102

Seah,David,275

searchengineoptimization,155–156

selfishcontentmarketing,279

SEMrush,159

SEOChat,GoogleKeywordSuggestTool,159

SerpStat,159

SheerSEO,159

Sheridan,Marcus,38,44–46,98–99

Short,Rick,36,37

Shutterstock,165

skill,defined,34

slideshows,137

SlideShare,188

ContentMarketingInstitute,197–198

Pro,152

Smartcuts(Snow),284

Smith,Mari,146,210

SMOSH,90

Snapchat,193

Snow,Shane,284

socialchannels,90

socialmedia,18

advertising,168

listeningto,78

SocialMedia4-1-1,176–177,181

socialmediacontentplan

ContentMarketingInstitute’sexampleplan,196–199

keyelementsof,193–195

SocialMediaExaminer,88,125

socialmediaintegration,183

channelstoconsider,185–193

customizing,185

focus,184

testing,184

SocialMention,159

socialnetworks,101–102

SorryforMarketingblog,285

SoundCloud,86

SouthwestAirlines,missionstatement,66

speaking,204

waystogetspeakinggigs,208–211

specializedknowledge,22

Speechpad,132

sponsoredcontent.Seenativeadvertising

sponsorship,250

STACKMedia,277–278

staffing,111

fleecingthemasthead,123

flexibilitywithcontractors,123–124

forgettingemployees,280

howrolestranslateintorealproduction,117–118

operationalizingcontentforGameTheory,119–120

roles,111–114

Seealsofreelancers

start-ups,andcontent,58–60

Statcounter,163

Steiger,Paul,260

Stelzner,Michael,14,125,216

Stitcher,86,222

stoppingproducingcontent,279

Stratten,Scott,284–285

stream-of-consciousnesswriting,99

stringers.Seefreelancers

Stumbleupon,163

Subler,Amanda,118

subscribers

attractingwithane-mailoffering,148–151

focusingon,142–144

hierarchy,146–148

makingallemployeesandcontractorsawareofthekeymetric,153

tipsforgainingsubscribers,151–152

SubscriptionMarketing(Janzer),260

subscriptions,257

SurfStitchGroup,228

SurveyMonkey,77

surveys,76–78

sweetspot,19

addingaudienceto,43–52

alternativeview,39–40

defined,31

Symon,Michael,247

syndicatingcontent,163–164

Taboola,167

talentavailability,15

Tangerine,18

TapInfluence,174

technologybarriers,15

terminology,changing,79–81

Thiel,Peter,55–56,69

ThinkandGrowRich(Hill),4,21–23

ThinkMoneymagazine,213

ThisAmericanLife,81

ThisOldMarketing,222,250

threeandthreemodel

blogs,204

books,204–208

digitalevents,216

in-personevents,215–216

print,212–215

speaking,204

thethreebusinessstrategies,211–216

thethreepersonalstrategies,203–211

Timemagazine,91

TheTonightShow,142–144

TopRankOnlineMarketingblog,285

Traackr,174

troubleshooting,279–280

TheTrueSecretofWriting(Goldberg),99

Tumblr,90,192

subscribers,147

Tweetdeck,100

Twitter,181,186–187

ContentMarketingInstitute,196

followers,148

hashtags,100

TwitterPower3.0(Comm),187

UnderArmour,60

UnSellingandUnMarketing(Stratten),284–285

Upworthy,166–167

UstheDuo,191

Vannucci,Angela,118

Vaynerchuck,Gary,275–276

velocity,225

ViceMedia,90–91

videos,86,88,137,209

Vine,191

virtualassistants,11

Wagner,Monina,117,196

Walter,Ekaterina,189

wants,vs.needs,68–71

webanalytics,78,100

WebCEO,160

webinars,216

websitepublishingplatforms,93–94

Weiss,Emily,278

Weiss,Michael,185

Wheatland,Todd,184,188,221,246

Williams,Evan,192

Witkowski,Trish,277

WordPress,86,89,93–94

WordTracker,159

worksheets

missionandaudience,48

MySixGoalAreas,8

WheretoStart?,35

writingdowngoals,4–7

WTWHMedia,219,220,229

Yext,148

YikYak,193

YouTube,86,89–90,190

cookingvideos,57–58

GameTheoryvideos,30–31

MissouriStarQuiltCo.,145

subscribers,147

YouTubeMarketingPower(Miles),190

ZerotoOne(Thiel),55–56

Zimmerman,Chad,277

AbouttheAuthor

JoePulizziisanentrepreneur,speaker,author,podcaster,father,andloverofallthingsorange.He’sthefounderofmultiplestart-ups,includingtheContentMarketingInstitute(CMI),theleadingcontentmarketingeducationalresourceforenterprisebrands,recognizedasthefastest-growingbusinessmediacompanybyInc.magazinein2014.CMIisresponsibleforproducingContentMarketingWorld,thelargestcontentmarketingeventintheworld(heldeverySeptemberinCleveland,Ohio),aswellastheleadingcontentmarketingmagazine,ChiefContentOfficer.Hebeganusingthetermcontentmarketingbackin2001.CMIalsooffersadvisoryservicesforinnovativeorganizationssuchasHP,AT&T,Petco,LinkedIn,SAP,theGatesFoundation,andmanyothers.

Joeisthewinnerofthe2014JohnCaldwellLifetimeAchievementAwardfromtheContentCouncil.Joe’sthirdbook,EpicContentMarketing:HowtoTellaDifferentStory,BreakThroughtheClutter,andWinMoreCustomersbyMarketingLess,wasnamedoneoftheFiveMust-ReadBusinessBooksoftheYearbyFortuneMagazine.Joehasalsocoauthoredtwootherbooks,GetContentGetCustomersandManagingContentMarketing.Joehasspokenatmorethan400locationsin15countriesadvancingthepracticeofcontentmarketing.He’sdeliveredkeynotespeechesforeventsandorganizationsincludingSXSW,NAMM,FortuneMagazine’sLeadershipSummit,Disney,CiscoSystems,OracleEloqua,DuPont,SAP,HP,andDell.

Joenotonlywritesoneofthemostinfluentialcontentmarketingblogsintheworld;hewritesacolumnforEntrepreneur.comandLinkedIn.YoucanalsohearJoeonhispodcasts,ThisOldMarketingandContentInc,thecompanionpodcasttothisbook.Ifyouevermeethiminperson,he’llbewearingorange.JoelivesinCleveland,Ohiowithhiswifeandtwoboys.YoucanfindJoeonTwitter@JoePulizzi.