how to integrate content marketing into your ...€¦ · assign content marketing responsibilities...

How to Integrate Content Marketing Into Your

Communications Strategy

Steve Halsey Principal

Managing Director, Business Consulting Practice [email protected]

@stephenhalsey www.gibbs-soell.com

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© Gibbs & Soell Inc. 2013

•  “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

–  Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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It’s all about strategy

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•  Defining the fundamentals of a business strategy starts with answering three key questions:

1.  Who is the target customer?

2.  What is the value proposition to that customer?

3.  What are the essential capabilities needed to deliver that value proposition?

Source: Ken Favaro, with Kasturi Rangan and Evan Hirsh, strategy+ business, Summer 2012

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Where to start

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•  A strategy is essentially a road map for achieving one or more organizational goals, so make it actionable and measurable

•  Focus the strategy on the longer term, not the routine

•  No one gives you market share for free, so anticipate and plan for likely customer and competitor behaviors

•  Be prepared to deal with unforeseen events, because they will happen – for the good and bad

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Key considerations when developing strategy

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So what are the implications of the business strategy on the content

marketing strategy?

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B2C executives want to drive business value

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B2B professionals want engagement

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•  Linear – those things that tie nicely into the sales funnel –  Visits, page views, time on site, time on page, link

love, goal completion, etc.

•  Nonlinear – those things that are not so easy to quantify –  Employee engagement, customer loyalty, brand

preference, etc.

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A look at metrics

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It all depends what your senior leadership values and can make decisions on

What is more important, linear or non-linear metrics?

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Beware the folly of “make-me-look-smart” and “overreach” metrics.

Remember that the most meaningful metrics are the ones that foster

better decision making.

If you don’t know your business’ goals, how can you create meaningful content

management metrics that measure toward them?

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Thinking about ROI

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But, there are many different definitions and calculations of ROI


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What is your situation?

How to structure, manage and assign content marketing

responsibilities

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•  Lean, mean and stressed

•  Don’t fall prey to the “ping pong syndrome”

•  Identify key players and assign content deadlines to them. Hold them accountable and teach them how to flag and curate for you.

•  Focus on the highest value, highest impact activities –  Do a few focused things right and create “demand”

for your services –  Leverage that demand for added resources

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The Lone Wolf: Managing Yourself

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•  Ideal structure includes:

–  Team lead who is: •  Responsible for managing the overall content strategy

and adjusting the strategy based on company, marketplace and competitive factors.

•  Able to keep an “eye on the prize.” It’s too easy in the day-to-day to lose focus on the purpose/direction

•  Effectively advocate for the content marketing team

–  A kickin’ copywriter skilled at ferreting out stories and delivering content that is creative, measurable, on target, and in the proper tone of voice

–  A master of channel and distribution management and measurement

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The Three Musketeers: Managing a mid-sized team

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•  A well-equipped “commando team” for content management –  Should comprise the skillset, expertise, resources, and

support to make a big impact on the business

•  Similar structure and roles to the three musketeers scenario, with the added options of: –  Topical/functional expert(s) –  Specialist in promotions and third-party engagement –  Dedicated channel specialist, if appropriate

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Five for Fighting


•  Need to decide whether to deploy an account-team-centered approach or “insource” to other experts in your firm –  Depends on:

•  Size and capabilities of your account team •  Available expertise within the firm •  Structural, cultural and political factors

•  It is important to avoid “profit center” wars

•  Do not treat content management as an afterthought to traditional public relations, marketing or advertising

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Agency account manager

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•  Need to clearly establish your expertise, value proposition and game plan –  Are you the “visionary” or a “doer”?

–  Do you want consulting assignments, overflow work, or to be a seconded consultant?

–  What are the characteristics of your target client(s) and what do you need to do to protect your turf?

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Content mercenary

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A good planning

guide

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Resource planning using the “1/3 Rule”

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Direct costs Indirect costs Profit/Return


•  In-house hires bring: –  Extra arms and legs –  Ability to gain the exact expertise and skillset you

need –  Credibility of being company employees

•  Agencies bring: –  Subject matter experts who can guide you onto new

platforms and bring you fresh thinking –  Broader perspective and experience –  Scalable horsepower –  A line item rather than headcount

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Who should you call for reinforcements?

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•  Strategy first… and always

•  Build and align your metrics to the business’ metrics

•  Optimize your team based on its size

•  Remember the 1/3 rule

•  Hire when, where and how it makes the most sense for your situation

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Key takeaways

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GIBBS & SOELL, INC. 60 E. 42nd Street, 44th Floor New York, NY 10165 www.gibbs-soell.com Steve Halsey Principal Managing Director, Business Consulting Practice [email protected] @stephenhalsey


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