b2b marketing success with content marketing
TRANSCRIPT
How To AchieveSuccess In B2B
With Content Marketing Michael BrennerNewsCred – Head of Strategy@BrennerMichaelSlides: slideshare.net/michaelbrenner
Agenda• The key factors for content marketing success
• The core components of a content marketing strategy
• How to utilize content across the buyer journey
• Companies doing it right
@BrennerMichael
Just 3 Things . . .The world has changed.
Most content stinks.
@BrennerMichael
Attract people through stories they love.
Content marketing trends
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
9#ThinkContent
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Me, 20 pounds years ago
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Today we are all connected
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
Content today must compete with pictures of
babies and kittens.
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
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I have no patience for useless things.@BrennerMichael
We tuneout the noise.
@BrennerMichael
WHAT IS GOING ON?@BrennerMichael
“We need to stop interrupting whatpeople are interested in and give
people what they are interested in.
”@BrennerMichael
The Promise of Content Marketing:
To earn your audience . . .
. . . versus buying it!
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
Content Marketing is all the marketing that’s left!
Seth Godin, 2008”“
@BrennerMichael
Content MarketingSuccess
Building a SuccessfulContent Strategy
Companies Doing It RightUtilizing Content Acrossthe Buyer Journey
@BrennerMichael
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@BrennerMichael
“The buyer journey is nothing more than a series of questions that must
be answered.
- IDC -”@BrennerMichael
Awareness Consideration Preference
Online CommunitiesSearch EngineseBooksEmail NewslettersEditorial ArticlesWhite PapersPodcastsCase StudiesOnline VideosWebcastsVirtual Trade ShowsProduct LiteratureTrial SoftwareOnline Vendor Demos
Begindecision process
MakedecisionIdentify
business problem Establish
requirements/ build RFP
Align IT with business
objectivesExplore
technology options
Research solutions
Determine solution strategy Assess ROI
Research products/ vendors
Build short list
Ann Handley: “Take your brand out of the story. . . . . .Make your customers the hero.”
Our Natural Instinct
ContentMarketing
BrandPurpose
WhatCustomers
Want
Charity
@BrennerMichael
Joe Pulizzi: “Don’t build your house on rented land.”
- Publish on your own content hub -
@BrennerMichael
How brands can become consumed with their story, not their customers.
Unique Point of View Trap
@BrennerMichael
Key Factors To Content Marketing Success:
1. Documented content strategy and mission statement2. Have someone accountable for content3. Consistently publish quality content4. Map content to consumer journey5. Balance Paid, Owned, and Earned Media 6. Focus on Content Subscribers7. Track Content Marketing ROI
@BrennerMichael
Give Yourself a Grade . . Best Practice R Y GHave a documented content strategy? Have someone managing contentContent hub maps to the consumer journeyPublishing quality, volume and variety
Social activation of contentPaid distributionFocus on Content SubscriptionsMeasurement template / ROI defined
Overall:
D
@BrennerMichael
Content MarketingSuccess
Building a SuccessfulContent Strategy
Companies Doing It RightUtilizing Content Acrossthe Buyer Journey
@BrennerMichael
SAP Case Study
@BrennerMichael
Understand the Buyer Journey
IDC: “The buyer journey is nothing more than a series of questions that must be answered.”
Cluster Brand? Total Monthly Searches (est.)
Analytics Brand 458 3000xAnalytics Non-Brand 1,520,761Cloud Brand 398 1000xCloud Non-Brand 578,460Data Brand 28,884 17xData Non-Brand 470,967Mobility Brand 12,488 28xMobility Non-Brand 345,598BI Brand 532,486 -2xBI Non-Brand 277,156CRM/Sales Brand 156,028 40xCRM/Sales Non-Brand 6,313,329ERP Brand 777,092 -2xERP Non-Brand 324,595HCM Brand 55,536 7xHCM Non-Brand 379,954Accounting. Finance Brand 30,497 24xAccounting. Finance Non-Brand 720,493TOTAL Brand 1,688,883 13xTOTAL Non-Brand 13,616,715
@BrennerMichael
Were Any of These “Early-stage” Prospects Finding Us?
@BrennerMichael
Late-Stage Con-tent66%
Early-Stage Content
6%
Middle-Stage Content
28%
Content Audit By Buyer Stage
@BrennerMichael
Business Innovation (launched March 27, 2012)A “Content Hub” to earn traffic instead of buying it
To help businesses leaders grow through technology and innovation.
To reach and convert leads we would have never seen!http://blogs.sap.com/innovation
Organic and Social: Up and to the Right
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
Traffic from Organic, Social & Referrals
Uni
que
Visi
tors
@BrennerMichael
• Thinking and acting like a publisher• Delivering content your audience wants• Managing content as an asset (with an ROI)
What is a Content Marketing Strategy?
@BrennerMichael
Why is it Important to Have a DocumentedContent Marketing Strategy?
Source: CMI
Content Marketing Mission StatementAmEx Open Forum Mission: “Help Small Businesses
Do More Business.” Outcome:The largest source of
inbound leads.@BrennerMichael
What Is Your Content Marketing Mission Statement?
Become a (premier?) destination for [target audience]
interested in [topics] to help them [customer value].
@BrennerMichael
Steps To Crafting a Content Strategy
DiscoveryDestination +Branding
Roles + Resp.
Editorial Strategy Distribution Measure +
Optimize
• Current State• Audience• Objective• Mission• Budget
• Branding• Destination• Structure
• Partners• Agency• You
• Topics• Types• Sources• SEO
• Organic• Paid• Owned • Earned• Email
• KPIs• Template• Cadence• Optimize
@BrennerMichael
Show me the money!@BrennerMichael
3 Components of Content Marketing ROI
1. Cost 2. Utilization 3. Performance
@BrennerMichael
Building the Content Marketing Business Case
1. Reach early stage
buyers
2. Engage new buyers with your
brand
3. Conversions you would have never
reached
Building The Business Case1. Reach early stage buyers
• Fair “Share of Conversation” • % Unbranded Search traffic on your website• Banner effectiveness at driving brand visits• Cost of advertising / search landing pages with low organic and social traffic• Cost of organic and social website traffic vs. paid
2. Engage new buyers with your brand• Time spent, Bounce rate on content vs. advertising landing pages• Cost / Repeat visits, Time engaged with your brand• Subscribers, value per subscriber
3. Conversions you would have never reached• Cost per lead, Pipeline touched, Cost per registration (content or events), Cost per
sale• Content % source of leads• ROI vs. Avg. Marketing ROI@BrennerMichae
l
Building The Business Case1. Reach early stage buyers
• % Unbranded Search traffic on your website• Banner effectiveness at driving brand visits• Cost of advertising / search landing pages
2. Engage new buyers with your brand• Subscribers, value per subscriber
3. Conversions you would have never reached• Cost per lead, Cost per registration (content or events),
Revenue
@BrennerMichael
Destination and Branding 1. On Domain vs. Off? 2. Heavily Branded vs. Lightly Branded?
@BrennerMichael
Even Great Content Needs a PushThe average Hollywood movie spends 50-60% of production budget on
distribution.
@BrennerMichael
Define Key Measures and TargetsDownload this template now!
@BrennerMichael
Casper’s Van Winkles• Effortlessly combines
national housing news with articles on inspirational interior design, celebrity homes and company updates.
• Up to 6 new posts per day
• Distribution and large audiences across Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Google+
@BrennerMichael
Casper’s Van Winkles
@BrennerMichael
Content MarketingSuccess
Building a SuccessfulContent Strategy
Companies Doing It RightUtilizing Content Acrossthe Buyer Journey
@BrennerMichael
60-70% of Marketing ContentGoes Completely Unused.
*Sirius Decisions
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
Behind every piece of bad content is an executive who asked for it.
@BrennerMichael
TWEET THIS!
Conduct A Content Audit
• Content Type• Audience / Target• Buyer Stage• Primary Destination• Performance
@BrennerMichael
Reach, Engage and Convert the Right People.
Early-stage Searches
What? And Why?
Middle-stage
How? And How Much?
Brand Searches
Who?
Search / Social Volume
What is Content Marketing?Why is content marketing
important?(10-3000 X)
How Do I Create Great Content (2-10 X)
Who’s the best Content
Marketing Tech Co.?
@BrennerMichael
What Are We Going to Write About?
@BrennerMichael
Publishers Publish Everyday on Each Topic• Traffic AND Conversion goes up with volume• Diminishing return? (see below)
A few times a year
1-2X permonth
< monthly 1-2X perweek
1 per day More than 1 per day
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
Xyz Early Xyz
Late Xyz Xyz
Persona Questions/Concerns
Xyz
Middle Xyz Xyz
Keywords
Xyz Early Xyz
Late Xyz Xyz
Persona Questions/Concerns
Xyz
Middle Xyz Xyz
Keywords
Stage
Stage
Research Keywords, Then Filter By Personas
@BrennerMichael
Utilize the Right Mix of Content
Custom ContentShare on-brand stories and recipes which are created specifically for your brand.
Community ContentLeverage content from customers, employees,
influencers that grows and engages your community.
Licensed ContentBoost credibility, publishing cadence, and direct traffic with a high-volume of fully-licensed, compliant
content.
@BrennerMichael
Content Mix (Monthly Average)
LicensedCustom
Custom
Content
20%
User /
Employee
50%
Licensed
Content
30%
@BrennerMichael
How To Rank For SEO? The 3 Vs (Content Mix)
Volume
Number of posts on the topic
Value
The best answer on the internet
Variety
Text, images, video, slides
@BrennerMichael
Turn Your Best Text Content Into Visuals
@BrennerMichael
Content MarketingSuccess
Building a SuccessfulContent Strategy
Companies Doing It RightUtilizing Content Acrossthe Buyer Journey
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
Brands need to take the phrase ‘acting like a publisher’ literally.
”“
Dietrich MateschitzFounder + CEO, Red
Bull
BufferApp Blog
Lesson for Brands: Think bigger than yourself and what you sell. Help people with their biggest problems and you will earn their attention.
@BrennerMichael
CapGemini Content-Loop.com• Licensed content on Linked
Sponsored updates
• Drives to branded Content Loop
• Offers to deeper content
• Recommendations to connect with experts
Results:~1M visitors / year+ 3K new LinkedIn followers per week+ High Quality Leads+ Sales / ROI
Maersk
• Amazing photos that appeal to their audience
• Thousands of likes per post
• Massive Brand Engagement, Loyalty
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
GE:Science Vines
Focused on Brand Mission:
Delivering Innovation to the world
Wistia Videos• Engaging How To Videos
• Strong Call To Action
• Content = New Subscribers
@BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael
3 Tips For Content That Converts:
1. Stop promoting. Create for real people.2. Answer your customer questions.3. Focus on subscriptions and CTA.
Your audience wants stories.Created just for them.
Will you give it to them?
[email protected]@BrennerMichael