TheUltimate Guide

to Branded Content

2014 NewsCred NewsCred.com l (212) 989-4100 l sales@newscred.com

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Content marketingis more than great storytelling.Its a relationship-building tool that empowers

consumers to make educated and informed

decisions about your brand. Its a way for

organizations to add value to their customers

lives in a way that fuels happiness and

trust. Its a powerful tool for generating

engagement, providing entertainment, and

inspiring brand affinity.

You know great content when you see itbut

the process of creating a high quality e-book

or guide is easier said than done. The growing

content marketing ecosystem has amplified

demand for top writers. When youre creating

content and distributing at scale, you need all

the great hands that you can find. And you

need them fast.

This guide will help you master the art of:

Crafting an operational framework that grows with your company

Cultivating a team of star freelancers who are experts in their field

Building a scalable brand newsroom that can handle high-volume content

production with ease

Pinpointing the right content software and tools

Measuring the ROI of your original and licensed content

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Measuring Content Performance

Brand Journalism: Working With Freelancers

Yahoo! Techs Original Take on Solar-Powered Cars

How to Create a Brand Newsroom

Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

Table of Contents

0102030405

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01 Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem.Its an understatement to say that content has become the heart and soul of marketing. The idea revolves around a fundamental trend in consumer behavior as Dells Rishi Dave explained at the Content Marketing Summit 2013, todays buyers are highly self-directed and research-driven. By the time that they reach out to your organizations sales team, theyve likely made a decision about whether or not to do business with your brand.

The end result of content marketing is clear ROI for your business. When executed correctly, content becomes a brand asset generating a steady stream of leads, sales, and revenue. Evergreen content has an infinite shelf-life. Unlike paid channel advertisements or social media posts that lose relevancy within

a few seconds, content lives on the internet forever and has the potential to generate leads for years.

Write one amazing article, and it will appreciate in value by gaining momentum through search engine rankings and incremental exposure through social channels as audiences discover great content, theyll feel inclined to share it for years to come.

The Content Marketing Institute recently conducted a study about how B2B brands think about content marketing. Its no surprise that:

93 percent of marketers use content marketing. Brands are 36 percent more confident about the ROI on content marketing in 2013 than they were in 2012. 58 percent of content marketers plan to increase their budgets to create more content over the next year. 73 percent of marketers were producing more content at the end of 2013 than they were the year prior.

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Yahoo! Techs Original Take on Solar-Powered Cars

Yahoo uses a mix of original content to power its new technology thought leadership portal, Yahoo! Tech. In addition to original content, Yahoo is leveraging the power of sponsored content to fill its content pipeline and engage new audiences.

Yahoo worked with Ford and NewsCreds NewsRoom writer James Raia to publish an original piece covering the intersection of the technology and automotive industries. By leveraging Raias experience as a syndicated automotive writer, Yahoo! Tech published a special on solar-powered cars, which showcases both the Ford and Yahoo brands.

01 Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

Creating Content for Audiences: Quality a Must

Content creation is a major pain point for many brands. Organizations will frequently delegate writing tasks to entry-level employees or team members who arent professional writers. Businesses think that they are making a wise, cost-effective decision.

But heres the thing. You wouldnt hire a lawyer to be your engineer, and you wouldnt hire an engineer to be your CPA. Writing, just like any discipline, is a specialty that requires both talent and genuine interest. Audiences, on a sometimes subliminal level, can easily tell the difference between great writing, mediocre writing, and terrible writing.

Great content can help your brand accomplish the following goals:

1. Tell a unique and compelling story

2. Demonstrate subject matter expertise

3. Entertain and educate audiences at scale

Hiring an intern just isnt going to cut it. In a few years, these star performers may become amazing writers, but when theyre just starting out, theyre not going to have the subject matter expertise that your brands audiences

crave. Paying an overseas content creator $10 a blog post isnt going to cut it either. Forcing your data crunchers to take time out of their days to blog definitely wont cut it, and will only present a distraction from core job responsibilities.

When it comes to content creation, quality is a must. Online audiences are bombarded with information and the competition for consumer eyeballs is fierce. Studies on web use have shown that humans have an attention span of about eight seconds. A pet goldfish? Its attention span is approximately nine seconds. To stand out, inspire audiences, and add value for your brand, your content needs to be awesome. Good enough wont be enough.

By creating lackluster content for the sake of creating a high volume of content brands actually waste money. Create amazing content, however, and your brand will lay the foundation for a high-value lead pipeline.

Where Original Content Fits In

Brands have several options for creating original content. The three of the most common methods are shown on the next page.

High-performing content strategies require a mix of licensed, community curated, and original content. Licensed content provides a powerful way to connect audiences with high quality information at scale and in real-time. Contributed community content provides an opportunity for your brands best advocates to share their unique and authentic perspectives.

Original content will take your marketing to the next level. By creating an asset that doesnt exist anywhere else on the web, youll distinguish your brand as a thought leader. Not to mention, youll develop instant credibility, new audiences, and advocates by working with writers who are established industry experts.

01 Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

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Attention span of a human? 8 seconds.

A goldfish? 9 seconds.

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StrengthsType of Content Drawbacks Where NewsCred Fits In

License content from publishers

Ask your community (customers, influencers, employees) for article submissions

1. High value content from top publishers is readily available, at scale, for virtually any topic

2. Highly cost effective

3. Vetted content that has undergone multiple layers of editorial review

4. Some of the best content that youll find on the Internet -- that already has a track record for audience engagement

1. Extremely low-cost content channel its usually free

2. Employees are typically available and enthusiastic about helping

3. In-house content can help build a passionate brand culture

4. Builds engagement with existing stakeholders

5. Some contributed articles may be extremely compelling and high quality

1. The brand owns the rights to republish licensed content but doesnt own the content outright

2. Brands have to renew licensing on a semi-regular basis, even for evergreen content

3. Brands cannot directly incorporate their own thought leadership and voice into the content that theyre licensing

1. NewsCred offers content from more than 4,000 premium, licensed sources

2. NewsCred provides access to millions of full-text articles, images, and video

3. NewsCred ensures that content is safe and legally compliant for licensing purposes

1. Content quality and pipeline are extremely unreliable

2. Brands have limited control over editorial direction

3. Brands may need to tell their audiences no to publishing a piece of content (which is likely to upset them)

4. ROI is typically limited from articles that arent professionally created

5. Editorial queues can be extremely challenging to plan

6. Employees may be distracted from their core strengths and everyday responsibilities when tasked with creating blog

1. NewsCred has developed a library of resources that explains how to incorporate community engagement into a holistic content strategy

01 Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

* Continued on next page

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StrengthsType of Content Drawbacks Where NewsCred Fits In

01 Original Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

Create original content

1. Requires dedicated resources and strategic planning

2. Workflow can take time to fully develop

3. The process of sourcing writers can be a challenge (theyre typically paid extremely well and high in demand)

1. NewsCred is the resource on content marketing, and weve vetted and found the best freelancers for your original content. The best freelancers work with us because we dont take any fee on content - every dollar you spend on original articles goes directly to your freelance team. As the worlds leading content marketing platform, weve also partnered with some of the best content producers in the world, including Getty Images and Visually.

2. Additionally, our platform makes it easy for you to manage your team of writers and create real relationships with them. They become an extension of your team and brand.

3. Finally, freelancers love us. Thats why we have the best. Were taking care of the difficult stuff like invoicing, tax documentation, and payment processing. You never have to worry about getting your Accounts Payable department to pay your freelancers - we take care of that for you.

4. NewsCreds Content Marketing Cloud provides tools for brands looking to source writers, build workflows, and measure ROI

1. You will tap into the expertise of established, high-demand content creators

2. You will have an inventory of dedicated, branded content from writers with established track records for inspiring audience engagement

3. These are professionals who know how to integrate your brand perspective in all freelanced content

4. Freelancers can help your organization build a content production engine to create high-quality pieces at scale

5. Technology is available to help streamline the content production process

6. Freelancers are often influential, and are happy to share your brands content with their own networks

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02 Working with Freelancers

Working with Freelancers.When we think of freelancers, several stereotypes come to mind:

1. Theyre constantly hungry (and desperate) for any work2. They couldnt cut it in the real world3. Theyre not invested in your brand, and wont take the time to understand your goals4. Their core talents are writing and writing only

Marketing leaders who buy into these stereotypes will face a shocking surprise. Freelancers are in demand and are often paid extremely well -- some earn more than $1,000 per blog post. These professionals

left the workforce because they are subject matter experts. Theyre constantly recruited for full-time roles, but will frequently turn these opportunities down. Theyre extremely hardworking, client-focused professionals who chose self-employment as a path to becoming leaders at what they do.

When it comes to content marketing, your freelance contributors will become invaluable business partners. Theyll help you cultivate your brands strategy and share insights about what theyre seeing -- every day -- on the playing field.

Its in your companys best interest to treat these business partners with ultimate respect.

If you want great content, you need to pay your writers well. You need to woo your writers and build a strong rapport with them, because ultimately, the demand for high quality content is higher than it has ever been. Skilled content creators know that clients (and amazing opportunities) will always be there.

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Why Top Content Creators Are Tough To Wrangle

Marketing managers may think that recruiting freelancers is as easy as reaching out to writers by email or through LinkedIn. You may be surprised that this process is much tougher and more time consuming than you think.

Freelancers are small business owners who are responsible for all business operations ranging from sales to accounting and client services. In other words, theyre unbelievably busy. They book their services several months in advance, and theyre spending their days doing more than just writing. Theyre highly focused on finding steady, high-quality work. By building a reliable stream of revenue with a client, freelancers can minimize the administration necessary to manage their customer relationships.

Brands can attract top freelancers by offering competitive rates, being organized, and communicating upcoming business plans. Focus on building relationships, and get to know your freelancers on an individual level. The more you integrate them with your team, the more empowered they will be to do great work for your brand. Not to mention, youll have consistent access to talented, subject matter experts who will jump to work with you.

Brands also need to be strategic about their recruiting. Freelancers have varying interests, skill sets, and areas of expertise. If youre looking for a technology writer, make sure that youre recruiting for the right background. Request to see their portfolio, and check if theyve freelanced for notable brands. The more you can rely on your writers expertise, the easier your job will be as a marketer, brand editor, or program manager.

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10 Best Practices to Embrace

Your freelancers have the potential to be invaluable business partners for your brand. Successful brand editors are skilled team leaders who take the time to a) get to know their freelancers on an individual level and b) cultivate great ideas from their contributor networks. Follow these ten best practices to build the strongest relationship possible.

1. Share your brand strategy, editorial guidelines, and goals

Content marketing is strategy-driven. Your freelancers will be well-positioned to deliver great content when they can wholly understand the goals behind your marketing campaign. The more they understand your brands needs, the more empowered theyll be to recommend ideas and insights as well.

2. Work with a consistent team of freelancers

Your freelancers are in it for the long haul. They care about your brand and want to help you succeed. These relationships take time to fully cultivate. A consistent team of freelancers will take the time to learn and care about your companys marketing goals.

3. Assess your freelancers strengths and passions

Top freelancers are in tune with their skillsets. Give them the flexibility to create what makes them passionate. This enthusiasm will take a project from good to amazing.

4. Pay freelancers immediately

Every freelancer -- at some point -- has been burned by non-paying clients. Paying freelancers immediately is invaluable for building trust. While your freelancers may not be starving, they are likely wondering whether theyll get paid. Independent contractors dont have the same legal safety nets of a big brand. Paying freelancers upon submission is a powerful sign that your brand values the business relationship.

5. Set expectations

Failed business relationships are, more often than not, the result of one major pain point: failed communication. Brands need to keep the dialogue open with freelancers. Let them know ahead of time how much (and when) theyll be compensated, how well-researched a piece needs to be, as well as the

formatting requirements and number of editing cycles expected of the freelancer. Setting expectations ahead of time will save time by minimizing the revision process. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

6. Make freelancers a part of your marketing team

Be as transparent as possible. Share planning documents, editorial calendars, and content performance. Freelancers work with multiple clients and are valuable consultants for your brand. Theyre on your site and want to help your company reach key performance goals.

7. Let them know how their work performs

Freelancers care about your company and will do everything in their power to help your marketing initiatives succeed. Like you, they are excited to test new ideas and add maximum value with their work.

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8. Provide constructive feedback

Not happy? Talk to your freelancers about it. Theyre human and open to learning. Work together, grow together, and strive to improve as a team. Your freelancers appreciate the feedback and are always striving to become better in their work.

9. Give freelancers beats and areas of focus

Trusted freelancers can be given beats, much like a newsroom, or other areas of creative specialty. Trust your team to pitch stories in their areas of interest and expertise. These beats will make a brand editors job much easier -- spend more time optimizing your marketing program and less time brainstorming ideas to write about.

10. Give credit to your freelancers

Your freelancers are proud of their work. Theyre excited to share bylined pieces with their social media communities and other clients. Freelancers depend on their track records to secure new business and evolve in their careers. Give credit by giving them bylines and providing great testimonials. Remember that a simple thank you can amplify the success of a business relationship.

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03 Logistics

Logistics.A successful content program requires both right-brained and left-brained planning. Success requires structure, which is easier said than done. Many brand editors will manage their freelancer relationships over the phone or by email. That works if youre managing three freelancers. But when youre working with 10 or 20? Back and forth communication becomes a mess. Word documents will quickly become your arch nemesis.

Remember that time is finite. You need to spend your time brainstorming amazing content and empowering writers to produce great work. If you waste time chasing down back-and-forth emails in your inbox, your content program will suffer.

The breakdown of how todays brands are managing content programs is on the next page.

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ProsMethod Cons

Excel Spreadsheets and Word Docs

Google Docs

Editorial Calendars

ContentMarketingSoftware

1. Resources are easy to share with multiple writers and editors2. Collaboration is possible in real-time3. Cloud-based workflows are available from anywhere4. Documents can be fully customized for a brands specific workflow5. Drafts of all revisions are readily available and easy to access6. Free

1. Workflows available offline2. Completely customizable3. Relatively inexpensive4. Software is already available and widely used within most organizations 5. Includes tracking history for edits

1. Limited automation, spreadsheets need to be consistently updated2. Customizations are limited to software features3. Excel and Word were not designed for collaboration with freelancers4. Disconnected from payment systems -- payroll needs to be managed separately5. Track changes can quickly become a nightmare 6. Revisions can get lost7. Integration with analytics resources is nearly impossible without engineering resources

1. Google docs need to be updated manually2. Workflows need to be built from the ground up, and tracking spreadsheets require constant updates3. Payment systems are disconnected4. Google docs as a tracking system is impossible to scale to accommodate multiple projects or just a few writers5. Virtually no automation

1. Plan your entire content marketing program2. Commission the worlds best writers, designers, and creatives from an exclusive network3. Manage content teams of any size4. Ideal solution for high-volume brand newsrooms5. Designed specifically for content marketers with full integration support for payments and analytics6. Manage freelancers and content production from one central platform7. License content from top tier publishers and niche industry publications8. Integrate with all of your companys brand publishing tools including social media accounts

1. Price may be too high for some content marketers

1. Limited integration features for payment systems2. Few are designed with automation, analytics, and performance in mind3. Many editorial calendars are hosted on open source WordPress platforms4. Limited support features5. Do not support workflows with multiple team members

1. Manage content creation, editorial calendars, writer assignments, and drafts in one place2. Solutions are designed for planning

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Creating a Brand NewsroomMeasuring Success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Brand newsrooms are foundational to an organizations publishing efforts. Typically these roles include a mix of strategists, editors, writers, fact-checkers, analysts, strategists, editors, writers, fact-checkers, analysts, and freelancers. These roles require well-defined workflows and feedback loops between production, engineering, and analytical teams.

A mismanaged team leaves significant room for error -- without the right tools and systems in place, chaos will ensue. Its easy to lose track of content, misinterpret data, or overlook crucial metrics for performance measurement.

Thats why software is such an invaluable part of your companys content strategy -- organizations with streamlined workflows are in the best position to developing creative, compelling, and growth-focused marketing strategies.

Success in content marketing doesnt happen overnight. Content programs require testing, iteration, and refinement. In other words -- test, learn, measure, repeat. Content marketing KPIs are a direct reflection of your companys conversion funnel. Metrics should track a leads movement through the funnel by answering the following questions:

How effective is your content in exposing new prospects to your brand? How effective is your content in building interest and engagement with your brand? To what extent does your content inspire customers to do business with you? Overall, how effective is your content strategy in driving revenue?

Original and licensed content can all be measured against these same benchmarks. Organizations can choose to measure success on a campaign, article, or writer-level. Look for trends, identify opportunities, and craft a story around your storytelling.

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ConceptGoal Metrics

Reach, Brand Awareness, and Virality

Loyalty & Engagement

Leads

Opportunity & Mobility

Revenue

Do your customers trust you, and do they see you as a reliable source of information? Are they sharing your content with their networks? Are they valuing your brands content over your competitors content?

Are you effectively boosting awareness about your brand? Is your marketing generating an echo effect that inspires audiences to share your content organically?

1. Growth in overall traffic to website across multiple channels including email, SEO, and social media2. Growth in traffic to blog, videos, e-books and other resources across multiple channels including email, SEO, and social media3. Time spent on individual pieces of content4. Pages consumed per visit5. Backlinks to content

1. Return visits2. Social media shares across channels including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest3. Subscriber count

Are prospects converting into customers? Are you connecting with new audiences, or strengthening relationships with existing customers? Where do you lose your leads?

What is the overall efficacy of your content program?

1. Proportion of consumers who make their way to the next stage of the conversion funnel2. Conversely, % drop-off

1. Deals closed2. Monthly recurring revenue3. Long-term value of all customers4. Long-term value as a proportion of customer acquisition cost

1. Subscriber count2. Aggregate growth of leads3. Visits to contact us page from articles, videos, or webinars

Are your audiences interested in doing business with you? Is your content successfully pulling your audience through the sales funnel?

03 Logistics

Metrics like brand awareness, page impressions, and search rankings need to sync up with bottom-line concepts like costs, revenue, profits, and pipeline. The following framework will help you connect the dots:

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Creating great content is only half the battle. You need

the right software that can evolve and grow with your

organization and you cant waste time by relying on

disparate sources for freelancer recruitment, editorial

management, and analytics.

Your brand newsroom has the potential to be a powerful

revenue source for your business. This type of operation will

need to balance left-brain and right-brain power. With the

right software, analytical framework, content creators, and

marketing goals, your brand will shine.

NewsCred designed the Content Marketing Cloud to be the

brand marketers most comprehensive, go-to tool. With the

Content Marketing Cloud, you can streamline the chaos of

content marketing while getting the worlds best original

content paired with the largest marketplace for licensed

content.

Conclusion.

2014 NewsCred NewsCred.com l (212) 989-4100 l sales@newscred.com