Content Marketing vs.

Content Strategy

Patrick Vincler

@pvincler

Content Marketing: the dissemination of developed content assets

@pvincler

@pvincler

Ahh…But that’s not a content

strategy

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Content Strategy: planning for the creation of effective content that meets your stated goals.

Know your audience

Define your goals and

asset types

Plan your dissemination

Develop assets

Track engagement

Learning and Feedback

Content Strategy

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ResearchStep #1 do your…

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Research

Formal Less-formal

Market research firms

In-house research staff

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Research Deliverables

Formal Informal

Customer Segmentation

Brand Style Guide

Persona Development Market Trends

Keyword Segmentation

Customer Feedback

Information that will help center your content efforts squarely on your target audience

Formal Less-formal

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Five steps to defining a buyer persona:1. Define their current situation2. Define their demographics3. Identify their attributes4. Understand their preferences5. Draft the buyer persona value statement

Personas

“A persona is a composite sketch of a type of customer your company serves.”

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Personas

- Not actual REI data. For demonstration purposes only

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30% of Sample45% of Back Pack Spending44% of Past Year REI Customers50% of Potential Economic Value for REI

I am:• Younger (26-40 yrs on average)• 69% Male• Above average income ($72k)• Blend of Urban and Suburban

I Believe:• Experiencing and preserving the outdoors is important• Camping and Backpacking are two different worlds • REI branded products present a good value• Outdoor activities involving 5 or less people is ideal

I Seek:• The latest most light weight gear• A liberal return policy• The option of renting expensive items before purchaseI Buy:• Highest total spending on backpacks• Average on outdoor clothing spending• Above average cold weather spending• Likely to upgrade gear that isn’t lost or broken• 10% of purchases are online vs. in-store (REI)Media:• Web and smartphone savvy• More than likely on Facebook and Twitter• Visits hiking, gear, and gadget blogs• Less likely to share product reviews online

Avid Mountaineer

- Not actual REI data. For demonstration purposes only

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20% of Sample23% of Back Pack Spending45% of Outdoor Clothing Spend30% of Potential Economic Value for REI

I am:• Younger (18-27 yrs on average)• 70% Female• Average income ($52k)• Suburban

I Believe:• Nature helps balance out the traps of modern living• In having lots of adventures in the outdoors and abroad • Being in the outdoors is a great venue for socializing• REI gear and clothing is expensive but worth it

I Seek:• Outdoor merchandise that doubles for travel gear• Products that will last over many years of use• Unique apparel and accessoriesI Buy:• Highest total on outdoor clothing• With more emotional intent• Above average spend on footwear• Average on backpack spending• 20% of purchases are online vs. in-store (REI)Media:• Web and smartphone savvy• Very active on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter • Heavy digestion on travel blogs• More likely to share product reviews online

Hiker-Traveler

- Not actual REI data. For demonstration purposes only

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Avid Mountaineer

Hiker-TravelerContent Plan:• Stake in total content pie: 30%• Topic Clusters: great destinations, travel planning, activewear

social and sharing, and quality

Content Examples:• Blog Post: “Why to See Machu Picchu Now and Not Later”• Pinterest Board: REI exclusives• Shoe Product Descriptions: “rugged construction”

Content Plan:• Stake in total content pie: 50%• Topic Clusters: product technology, thrive in cold, conservation

pack planning , camp culture, try before buy• Primary touch points: REI blog, FB, Twitter, Guest Posting, Email,

Content Examples:• Blog Post: “5 latest multi-day packs under 3 Lbs”• Guest Blog Post: “Conservation Meets Vacation above 8000 ft”• Tweet:”Gortex is so 1995, meet Polartec”• Product Description (REI brand item): “best value”

- Not actual REI data. For demonstration purposes only

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Brand Style Guide

• Editorial style and voice• Social Media guidelines• Typography palate• Color palate• Image guidelines• Logo use

“The editorial voice is honest, visionary, smart, and caring — editorial analogues to our brand personality attributes: genuine, innovative, exceptional, and involved. The editorial voice seeks to foster an emotional connection between customers and the Adobe brand. Therefore, it must contain life and compel a reaction”

A document containing the rules and guidelines for maintaining a brand identity

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Brand Style Guide

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Ok so now we have….

- A clear idea about who we’re writing for- What kind of content motivates them- Specific guidelines on best to communicate with

them

…..Now what?

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Step #2 Answer this question:

“What do you want your content to do?”

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• Convey your brand?• Generate a lead?• Sell a product?• Tell a story?• Get shared?• Generate search traffic?• All of the above?• Something else?

Do you want it to..

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- Product descriptions- Landing pages- On-site articles- Off-site articles- Email campaigns- Catalog covers- Blog posts- FB posts- Forum posts

Which asset types do you use?Which don’t you and why?

- GG+ posts- Tweets- Pinterest boards- YouTube videos- White papers- E-books- Infographics

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Step #3 Put it all together and go for it

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Step #4 Track and analyze

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Step #4 Track and analyze

Things you’ll want to be looking at• Page-level visits• Traffic sources• Bounce rate• Most effective asset types• Most effective topical themes• Post engagement• Post shares/likes• Ad effectiveness

Know your audience

Define your goals and

asset types

Plan your disseminatio

n

Develop assets

Track engagement

Learning and Feedback

Content Strategy

The end

Result

Content Marketing

Bonus Round People?

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If social media is about right now

Search is about now and later

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Search & ContentWindow Theory

Social Promotion Search Optimized 5 years later

One Week, 800 visits One year, 120k visits

Short-term Window Long-term Window

650k visits

Legacy Window

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Search & ContentWindow Theory

< Week, 3.4 Mil visits

Short-term WindowLaunched July 31st 2010

Long-term WindowSix Months Later

Legacy WindowToday

68 Mil visits 115 Mil visits

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Search & ContentSo what goes into making content search friendly?• The URL • The Page Title• H1 Tag (Make your header this)• Keywords (but not at the expense of quality)• Kick-ass content• All content is unique

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Search & ContentGoogle Authorship

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Search & ContentGoogle Authorship• Tied to your GG account• Creates a relevancy and trust graph• GG calls this “agent rank”• May become a ranking factor in time

Patrick Vincler@pvinclerpj.vincler@gmail.comwww.linkedin.com/in/patrickvincler

Thank you!