It’s All About the Audience:Using Buyer Personas to Drive Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing

Presented by Molly Castelazo, Chief Content Strategist

Castelazo Content (formerly Castelazo Marketing)

About Castelazo Content Castelazo Content (formerly Castelazo

Marketing Ltd.) is an Arizona content development firm. By producing high-quality, relevant, engaging whitepapers, articles, blog posts, marketing collateral, website copy, and more, we help our clients engage their audiences and communicate their messages online and off. Our clients range from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, non-profit foundations to governmental agencies. Across the globe, these clients are in a wide range of industries, with a concentration in technology.

Agenda Using Buyer Personas in content development

To determine the media To determine the message

Using Buyer Personas in content marketing To determine the outlet To determine the place to “join the conversation”

This will be much more enjoyable and productive if it’s interactive, so please don’t be shy, and feel free to interrupt with a question anytime

The only rule you need to know: it’s all about your audience

“My play was a complete success. The audience was a

failure.” English author Ashleigh Brilliant

Using Buyer Personas in content development

To determine the media To determine the message

Using Buyer Personas to determine the media Written content

Blog post on your site? Guest blog post on industry website? Bylined article in trade publication? Bylined article in mainstream publication? Whitepaper published by you? Whitepaper published by or with a partner?

Video Interview of you as subject matter expert? Interview of client? Webinar? Voice-over PowerPoint?

Infographic

Using Buyer Personas to determine the message Rule #1: Engage What does it mean to engage?

It means evoking emotion, developing a connection

LOL cats are engaging…

Using Buyer Personas to determine the message Rule #2: Be relevant LOL cats are engaging…but they’re not

relevant In B2B being engaging and relevant can be

tricky, but it is possible Oil & Gas technology service provider well

integrity example – emotion is fear, message is relevant, and service provider is the (implicit) solution

Using Buyer Personas to determine the message Rule #3: Provide value

Quickly and succinctly provide value to your Buyer – actionable insight that will help him make his life better

Establish you as the thought leader in your industry Implicitly articulate your value proposition

Before writing, ask “Who is my target audience?” and then “What does my target audience care about? How can I provide them value?”

What to write? What does your target audience care about? What kind of

information would provide value to them (make their lives easier)?

From that list, in what areas are you a thought leader? Remember, be engaging and be relevant. Offering insight into a

timely issue can be a very effective strategy.

5 ways to add value1. Tell them something that they don’t already know that

they’ll feel proud to be smart about Why Does China Own So Much U.S. Debt? whitepaper

2. Illuminate an industry trend, providing insight they can act on to get ahead

Bylined article about Dodd-Frank

3. Tell them how to avoid making a big mistake Well integrity data analytics whitepaper

4. Tell them how to leverage an opportunity that very few know about

How the rise of consumerware will affect app developers whitepaper

5. Provide a tool they can use to make a decision Managed data center cost of colocation calculator

The intersection between Buyer Personas & Content: the Messaging Matrix

*The Messaging Matrix is a proprietary framework developed by Castelazo Content. If

you would like to learn more about the Messaging Matrix and see it in action, please

email molly@castelazomarketing.com*

Buyers are people, and people like stories Whitepapers, blogs, articles,

and other types of content are stories

Journalists don't use the term “article”; instead they refer to their work as “stories”.

FiREapps example

Using Buyer Personas in content marketing

To determine the outletTo determine the place to “join the conversation”

Using Buyer Personas to determine the outlet Who is your audience? Go to where they are

Both online and in print, bylined articles help you reach your target audience where you know they are at – and then drive them toward your website and additional content there.

Using Buyer Personas to determine the place to “join the conversation”

How to develop and execute an online outreach strategy

Where is your Buyer? What are the ways you can

engage where they are? Guest blogging Commenting Joining discussion forums Social media

Online outreach is about developing this:

Questions?Stay in Touch

Molly Castelazo, Chief Content Strategist, Castelazo Content

t: 480-987-7958 e: molly@castelazomarketing.com