Content marketing is currently dominating most facets of the Internet. Some even consider the sudden influx of amateur content enthusiasts to be detrimental to the very thing by which it’s supported.
At this point content is unavoidably – and uncontrollably – accelerating into the future. Looking at the above survey conducted by Moz, you’ll see that content landed in the top five activities for all three marketing entities in 2014. But for the attention content receives there is an alarmingly small amount of discussion about how it’s actually conducted. In an industry distraught with flimsy information, we need to solidify creative ideas with a sound foundational strategy.
Now, I know how we do content. But I was curious about how other professional marketers were handling themselves. The ins and outs, day-to-day struggles of what it means to make meaningful, enduring assets for yourself or clients. I wanted to learn about content’s process within an organization and how it’s solving (or causing) rifts within the marketing world.
We Asked Area Experts
In order to accomplish my desire for knowledge, I’ve rounded up a few of the top digital experts in the northerly land of 10,000 agencies (Twin Cities, USA), to gain a firmer grasp on how they’re handling the enigmatic, yet constantly evolving process that is content marketing.
I asked a mix of industry professionals to participate, from all walks of the digital marketing bloodline; development, design, writing, strategy. I needed them to divulge their secrets about how to build a foundation upon which the future of Internet marketing is built. Their answers led to some exciting insights from a collective of those steering the conversation in today’s world of content.
If you’re not one that likes reading in-depth blog articles, well then Boy Howdy do I have a solution for you!! This blog post has been condensed and made into a SlideShare for superbly easy viewing. Come back again when you have more time for the full read.
Check out the SlideShare
Or continue reading below
Ryan Carlson
Tech Evangelist at The Nerdery
nerdery.com
@ryancarlson
Connect with Ryan
Who is the primary content ideator at The Nerdery, and what are his/her duties?
The Nerdery has Integrated Marketing Managers, responsible for research, content strategy, editorial, and campaign planning (blogs, infographics, white papers, etc) – there are multiple IMM’s and they each have specific market segments assigned to them. They dig into each of these industry verticals to learn what is important, what the news is, and how technology fits into what is happening (or how it could be relevant).
Seems like you guys have a solid team in place. So how do you guys dream up content ideas? The Nerdery is known for their image, do you have a process in place that emphasizes internal branding?
The best ideas come from our subject matter experts who live and breath their chosen technology, design practice, software test plans, or project management methodologies. We also lean on the research that the integrated marketing managers can dig up about specific industry trends and conversations in which we feel we have something unique to say. Our editorial calendar draws on our content strategy plan that is evaluated every quarter and we also leave room to let inspiration strike. We have a full intake-process that follows a model that goes through each of the primary project phases. Idea intake, research, analysis, and then approval for production and publishing.
Don’t make content in a vacuum – rely on the feedback and collaboration of your subject matter experts to make content that matters. Just like you’d fact check a statistic, make sure your experts agree that your content is representative of the way your organization does things.
In what ways is web development advancing content marketing and defeating the
‘vacuum’? Is it hurting content marketing in any way and if so, how?
The holy grail for marketing has long been to generate hard data that says “for every dollar spent on marketing or for every click we can generate, it turns into $X dollars of closed business”. It’s a lot like how salesmen use cold-calling and calculate success by using the simple math of “dialing for dollars (ex. I get 1 yes for every 20 phone calls, and 1 out of every 6th “yes” averages $X dollars). Web development is simply providing more vehicles for content marketing and information. Content marketing was always cumbersome, costly, and had a very low return (mostly direct mail for the past 20 years). What the web has done is make content marketing hugely successful by removing the salesperson as the sole-source of product information, best practices, and collateral. Content marketing when used in conjunction with marketing automation software delivers consumers the information for which they are seeking answers. This does assume that the content marketing efforts are… well… marketing good content to start with.
So automating content is important–if done correctly. Can you tell me more about content management systems? Are there common or recurring development issues The Nerdery runs into?
Content management systems (CMS) all seem to share the same root weakness – they are administered by humans. When we come across a website that isn’t living up to the owners expectations the technology issues are typically the result of poor technology selection, governance planning, poor development, or inconsistent maintenance schedules.
What’s the importance of branding within content and digital marketing? How can a brand message be successful in the Internet environment?
The first rule of good content marketing is to be educational, be helpful, provide actionable information, and above all – avoid making a sales pitch. If your content is helpful, people will want to work with the experts creating it. The work you put into branding can be in the look and feel, in the landing pages, the emails, and the communications. Your brand should maintain a consistent voice, tone, and above all reflect the real opinions of your production team.
Do you foresee any major breakthroughs in content marketing over the next few years? For example, the rise of microcontent, video marketing capabilities, retargeting?
You know what I see as the next major breakthrough? Call me a heretic but it’s going to be the resurgence of direct mail. As everybody is playing catch-up with YouTube, webinars, white papers, and marketing automation, leaders in content marketing will be going back to the vaults and dusting off some of the classics, putting a modern spin on it.
Tyler Larson
SEO/SEM Manager at Imagewerks
Imagewerks
Connect with Tyler
How often do clients give priority to content marketing?
A client might not consider content marketing a top priority, but I guarantee after the results are in it will be. If you ask, “Do you want to provide value to your customers, reinforce your brand, and build lasting relationships?” There should only be one answer. In 2015, smart and effective content marketing strategy is how we make it happen.
I like your point about reinforcing the brand. How do you integrate a company’s brand into your content strategy?
It always starts with the problem. The problem your target is facing, and how they’re looking to fix it. If you understand what your brand has to offer and the specific solution it provides, your content strategy just needs to define how to deliver that value at the right time.
The right content is undoubtedly important. So what types of content carry a lot of weight within an Imagewerks content strategy?
Ugly content fails. It doesn’t matter how much you have to offer, the real value is in how your content is consumed. Attractive imagery, informative graphics, clean formatting, and coherent UI will all determine the success of your content well beyond a little bit of good copy. Find out what appeals to your audience and design content that grabs their attention.
Designing around demographics and audience is key. When creating content, how do you assign a process to deem whether it’s worthy of being consumed by your audience?
The sales funnel gives focus to your whole strategy. The structure of your sales funnel determines what content is appropriate for your target at any given point in the relationship.
When creating content, you need to designate a sales funnel for each phase of the purchase path, and publish based on the utilized phase. The needs of your established customers are going to look very different than those of new prospects as the goals of those interactions progress over time.
Erik Norsted
Vice President and Director of Digital Strategy at Olive & Company
Olive & Co.
Connect with Erik
Olive & Co. is known for their outstanding content. What made you predict the usefulness of content and enact such a now widely-utilized strategy?
We’ve utilized content marketing in various forms since our agency was founded, but we became much more serious about it when we saw search engine optimization maturing out of the keyword-stuffing, link-farming days. Our primary focus has always been on elevating brand experience. As a company, we stayed away from SEO for a long time because many of the most effective SEO tactics conflicted with that focus. As SEO evolved to reward content quality and user experience over old-school tactics, our thinking about content marketing evolved as well. Today, we view content marketing as an incredibly powerful tactic to tell our clients’ stories, and to connect those stories to new audiences through search. We’ve seen the results for ourselves through our own content marketing efforts over the past few years.
It’s impressive that you guys had that foresight. What about future plans – will your content marketing budget grow or shrink in 2016? 2020? What about staff?
Our content marketing budget will continue to grow through 2016. I also anticipate an increase in content marketing staff during that time. We have a solid vision for what we want to accomplish for ourselves, and we’ll continue to build toward that vision over the next two years. Beyond 2016, our content marketing growth will be primarily focused on adding staff to support expanded client services. The specifics of content marketing will undoubtedly continue to change over that time, but content marketing itself isn’t going away anytime soon.
I agree. In terms of specifics, how far do you go in developing a brand’s style?
People already deal with a constant flood of content – some wanted, some not – in their lives. If you want your brand’s content to cut through the noise and connect with the right people, at the right time, on the right platform, you should take the time to understand your audience and determine the best way to communicate with them, whether that’s through brand voice, subject matter, or other considerations. Developing these guidelines doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process, but they should be established from the start in order to avoid wasted time and money.
Speaking of wasting time and money, what are common failures in your content marketing strategy?
Assumptions and expectations. I admit, early in the development of our initial content marketing strategy, I made some assumptions about what types of content our target audience would be interested in, and I pushed forward without doing enough work to verify those assumptions. It’s not always possible to do in-depth audience research, but even a small amount of insight – gathered through interviews, surveys, or even casual conversations – can provide valuable clarity.
I also struggled with my own expectations early on. Unless you have unlimited resources, you’re probably not going to build a massive audience or shoot to the top of page one search results overnight. Content marketing requires patience, and it requires an understanding of all the different ways it benefits your brand. Just because your blog doesn’t get hundreds of comments with every new post doesn’t mean it’s not providing legitimate value by building awareness, improving organic search performance, answering questions, and providing critical validation to your prospects and customers.
Jess Lowenberg
Senior Interactive Designer at Best Buy
Best Buy
Connect with Jess
In your experience as a UX designer at Best Buy, does interactive content perform significantly better than non-interactive content? How so?
When done well, interactive content definitely performs better than non-interactive content, as long as the end user is thought of and it is tailored to the target audience. Interactive content engages the audience in activity, so they’re not just passively consuming content. It’s a good way to teach and introduce new content. And if the user enjoys the experience and finds it helpful, they are more likely to come back or even share it with others.
Are there any areas within digital strategy where interactive is considered ineffective?
I can’t think of any specific areas, but it all depends on the user, the target audience, what you are trying to communicate and what action you want the user to take. You never want to make it harder for the user to take action on what is you’re wanting them to do.
You’ve also worked in-house for a few private entities. What’s your opinion on their grasp of digital strategy? How did it affect their well-being either positive or negative?
Those who have a firm grasp on digital strategy perform better than those who don’t. I worked for a company that had zero presence online and they are no longer in business. And I’ve worked for other companies that set themselves apart from competitors because of their superior digital strategy.
In terms of design, how can a private entity set itself apart without the help of an agency as the middleman between consumer and product?
If they have the budget, they can hire an in-house creative director to build a creative team that lives and breathes their brand, and constantly has the company’s goals in mind with every decision. In my experience, an agency can never understand a brand as well as an internal employee that is around the brand every day. An agency is great for bringing new ideas to the table, but you need that internal creative director to keep things consistent.
I agree that the value of brand ambassadors is priceless. How is interactive content helping those ambassadors advance the modern brand experience? How important is flawless UX in driving online content?
I wouldn’t use the word ‘flawless’ UX, because you can never create an online experience that is perfect for every user. This is especially true as the number of users increase. But UX is almost just as important as the quality of the product you are selling. You could have the best product in the world, but if it’s difficult for a user to navigate your site or obtain necessary information about the product, then you’re going to sell fewer quantities.
Claire DeBerg
Writer + Content Strategist
Claire’s Website
@clairedeberg
Email Claire
As the owner of your own content business, what are your biggest challenges in producing outstanding content for clients?
I’ve been running a successful freelance business for nearly a decade. I’ve been the direct writer for agencies, I’ve worked as project manager for national CPG brands, I’ve worked with a suite of other writers, I’ve led teams and I lead teams of writers. The single largest challenge I have faced time and again in regards to producing content for clients is convincing them of its worth.
Far too many clients believe in the Field of Dreams motto when they enter into design and logo conversations: If you build it, they will come. No matter how slick and creative a logo is, if there is no content that bolsters that beauty high up into the din, which is future potential customers, you may as well peel money out of your wallet and drop it down the garbage disposal because people do not come for new logos.
I work hard to show clients the synergy that spins up from distinct branding coupled with powerful content. Once clients can see the energy that can be garnered for their products, ideas or services from the simple marriage of smart branding and rich content, they’re sold.
Then that delicious content has to be produced, which can seem daunting…because it is. There is a lot of online noise and by a lot I mean an overwhelmingly, sickening amount of noise on the Internet. How does a brand create an engaging voice among the cacophony? Dollar bills, yes, but I’d venture to say one of the more inspiring ways brands cut through the chatter is with authenticity. It sounds simple, but conveying to a team of writers that they now have to produce authentic content for a client that both stays true to the brand persona and is new, true and interesting…? It is a monumental task and one, which I don’t take lightly.
Good points. Authenticity seems to be a recurring theme from these interviews. How do you get writers to convey that within content?
The way I bring out the best in writers? Clarity and openness. Early in a writing relationship I make certain to anticipate questions a writer might ask and then I am crystal clear with my direction. Later, once I’ve pared a writer with a client and I see the sprouts of a well-watered seed I make space for a writer to do what they do best…without being a helicopter boss.
In your experience, what are the best ways a new business can develop its brand within content?
When a new business comes on the scene the branding work has got to be completed, in the bag, up-to-bat. Too often I see companies spin up fast and practically fall over their own excited feet trying to figure out who they are and who they serve all while getting their business ducks in a row, figuring out how to order inventory or how they are going to behave on social media.
A thoughtful business with real strategy is going to have quietly defined their brand so when they are “open for business” there is no denying who they are, what they stand for, what they’re selling and where they’re going. Essentially they’ve managed their brand presence so no one else can do it for them in one of those “weak new business” moments.
Knowing that, what are short term requirements in building a brand? I would say one of the wiser short-term requirements for a lasting brand would be to remain consistent. Consistency both in terms of how a brand’s persona is broadcast and how active a brand promises to be (so that your Google+ page sounds like your Twitter feed…feels like your brick and mortar lobby…looks like your product…repeats messages on your website). I sometimes ask the hard questions of new businesses like, Is your brand really ready to take on the Facebook platform? Is there bandwidth for posting and engaging and managing ads? Are you prepared to manage expectations by sending out that monthly email newsletter you promised? I’m all about creating a plan and executing it, which distilled means: making promises and keeping them.
What about long term?
A long-term trait needed for a new brand? Tenacity. Branding and marketing is a game, let’s not fool ourselves. But it can be a fun game and it is one most of the population willing plays as participants, some engage as refs, a few as coaches and a handful as owners. This is the game that requires tenacity. Your commitment will be questioned, your stamina tested, your beliefs mocked. Choosing to enter into a new business with tenacity as a core strength can only benefit the establishment and the longevity of a brand.
Marketing-themed charades sounds tough, but hell, I’d give it a shot. So you’re saying clients often seem ill-prepared. Can you expand more on why businesses can’t seem to find their brand message on their own?
I think what you’re asking is why clients reach out for help instead of continuing projects with in-house teams. What I often experience from clients is that their in-house marketing team is either at capacity, focused on initiatives without room to absorb more tasks, or they specialize in a singular vein leaving other areas void of energy.
I like to assess new clients with my 3S Test: Social, Search and Substance. I do this because this is why clients come to me; their social media plan is non-existent, unmanageable or off brand. Their search engine optimization efforts are nil, hurting or not even on the radar. And the substance of their online presence is cluttered, limping or over-the-top.
Not that the 3S Test is the salve on every pain point. But (and this is a big but), discussing the pieces that are failing can direct attention both on what is working and why as well as strategies that make sense given the myriad factors facing a business (budget, capacity, desire, will, goals, etc.).
I love the simplicity yet utility of the 3S Test. Once that’s conducted however, how do you clearly present that information within a formidable content strategy?
This might be my favorite part of my job. I love the creativity and thoughtfulness it requires to create a powerful, beautiful, smart content strategy for clients. I love to roll out a huge yearlong calendar that pulls together the many awesome fires a brand has burning into a single visual. When I say roll out, I mean literally roll out a giant custom-printed calendar that could double as wallpaper. Those big calendars on the table do two things: one, they bring the ethereal guise of the Internet down to the tangible, and two, they give this empowering vision, a single snapshot, of all the ways a business is moving, what they’re saying, when it is happening and how it all works together. Did I mention I can nerd out on Excel sheets?
Don’t worry, every great content strategist loves to nerd out on Excel once in a while. The process you’ve come up with sounds outstanding. So how do you take advantage of this framework + roadmap?
One of things everyone loves to hear is how a framework created for a goal breeds efficiencies across the board. Yes…you might be hiring a director of content creation, which initially feels like a financial liability, but…all the money saved due thanks to their efficiencies reveals them as the asset they are. The SEO’d blog post, which auto-tweets to Twitter, includes images posted on Instagram, directs Google+ followers to your location, posts to Facebook and is featured in your monthly e-news? That is a single piece of powerful content broadcast widely taking full advantage of necessary tools to stay in front of loyal and new customers. Watching how the waves of a digital media plan, print ads and social ads overlap with content in a given year or even just a month, cements in a client’s mind assuring them of how a roadmap is just plain good sense and moving forward without one might seem carefree but can be costly on many levels.
Key Takeaways
Let’s discuss some of the main points each person made.
Create content focused on informing, not selling.
Ryan Carlson: “The first rule of good content marketing is to be educational, be helpful, provide actionable information, and above all – avoid making a sales pitch.”
While your end goal may be to sell XX quantity of products, your content shouldn’t give that away. If you put too much sales language within a blog post, readers will tune you out. Normal people have become largely wary of salesmen thanks to the abundance of Internet competition. If they think you’re a little pushy, guess what? They’ll head to the next guy. The fact is, consumers don’t like feeling pressured when their hard-earned money is at stake. They don’t appreciate it in real life (especially when they can’t say “no”), and they don’t appreciate it online.
Understand your brand’s solution to your audience’s problem and communicate that in order to gain trust. Sell your product on an idea, not a spec; find meaning within the employees who represent the brand day in and day out. With consistency, a multi-channel approach and the right message, eventually you and the consumer will align. Thanks to a trusting relationship, you’re now better able to nurture a prospect. That plan includes…
Understanding your online sales funnel and how to create tailored content.
Tyler Larson: “The sales funnel gives focus to your whole strategy. The structure of your funnel determines what content is appropriate for your target at any given point in the relationship. When creating content, you need to designate a sales funnel for each phase of the purchase path, and publish based on the utilized phase. The needs of your established customers are going to look very different than those of new prospects.”
The online conversion funnel is often an overlooked aspect of the content process. There are specific ways to write towards individuals depending upon the phase they’re in. Depending upon which phase your prospect is in, there’s certain ways to tailor your writing. If you’re building a landing page, presenting a niche product to a consumer recently exposed to your brand isn’t useful. Vice versa; you don’t want to present the consumer who’s ready to buy your product with a broad, ‘best of [insert product category here]’ article – they have dollar signs in their eyes, dammit!
To understand more about tailoring writing to your funnel phases, and how to make your traffic flow in the right direction, read our Online Conversion Funnel Guide.
Good things come to those who are patient.
Erik Norsted: “Unless you have unlimited resources, you’re probably not going to build a massive audience or shoot to the top of page one search results overnight. Content marketing requires patience, and it requires an understanding of all the different ways it benefits your brand.”
This is a point that rogue brands often never grasp. Maybe it’s because of the volatile nature of business itself, or simply lack of understanding, but to be successful online requires patience. It’s a big investment up front building a site, content, sales, etc., and because of the nature of the Internet, it’s easy to get discouraged when results aren’t going your way. But more so than any other marketing tactics, success in digital is a monitor-adjust, monitor-adjust game. Going viral is a rare occurrence, and offers no tangible long term brand value.
But I will say that if you don’t make the investment in a digital strategy upfront, you’re going to pay for it down the road. Off the top of my head I can think of three reasons why: (1) thousands of brands pop up online every day – literally thousands – creating noise over your message, taking your keywords.. taking your business’ name, along with URLs and any unique content. You should get on the horse; (2) Running a website is a full-time job. More so is running a business. Even more so when you factor in personal life, kids, cycle class, Top Chef, Sunday strolls, yada, yada, yada. (Also, developers are paid quite high for a reason); (3) You can – and a with 95% certainty will – ruin your chances to succeed online with negative results. Then you’ll have to spend double the money in fewer than two years when results are nil and you still need help.. It happens more often than you’d think. You should realize the value of a skilled digital management team and the type of investment you want to make for the future of your business.
Create a first-class website, maintain upkeep, monitor and adjust, speak to your audience and you’ll get to the top of the search results.
Think about the user. At all times.
Jess Lowenberg: “UX is almost just as important as the quality of the product you are selling. You could have the best product in the world, but if it’s difficult for a user to navigate your site or obtain necessary information about the product, then you’re going to sell fewer quantities.”
When preparing content, you can have the most insightful information in the world, but if no one can navigate your site, find the content within search, or access your site via mobile, they won’t pay attention to what you have to say. Think about it. If you’re positioning yourself as the “expert brand,” and a consumer gets to your Geocities website from 1931, flashing Ford Model T graphics and all, do you really think they’ll see value? I’m willing to bet that they’ll think of you not as an expert, but an amateur.
Consider a call-to-action. It’s such a simple concept, yet incredibly powerful. A landing page without a captivating CTA is in my mind like a cake without frosting – a pizza without cheese. It’s unfulfilling. Because it doesn’t fuel my inner desire to follow forward to the next step of scarfing it down (who am I kidding, that wouldn’t stop me), or in this case into the next phase of the funnel. Brilliant UX is simple, it’s satisfying. And that’s that.
Put UX at the forefront of your strategy to ensure consumers have the easiest path to purchase as possible.
Be prepared up front with a plan. Focus on substance, not superficialities.
Claire DeBerg: “Far too many clients believe in the Field of Dreams motto when they enter into design and logo conversations: If you build it, they will come. No matter how slick and creative a logo is, if there is no content that bolsters that beauty high up into the din, which is future potential customers, you may as well peel money out of your wallet and drop it down the garbage disposal because people do not come for new logos.”
This is a fantastic comparison. New brands are doing this everyday; selling before they know their value. More often than not, the utility of a marketing strategy is extremely underestimated. The logo, design and content production are all good fun, yes. But, comparable to Shoeless Joe Jackson, it swoops in when needed to save the day, play a few pickup games, and make you feel good. You throw him a burner, he hits it deep, you watch the ball fly past the light of the moon. Looking back, it feels real — but did it even happen? The strategy however, is the encapsulating field itself. Holding within its bounds a capricious soul that may move on.. but will probably come back from the cornfield for the next round of slugger.
Anyway, what I mean here is that without a surrounding strategy to hold content accountable, you won’t have a field to play on. Create the roadmap for what your brand needs to tell the world, bask in your success, learn from your failures and above all, give meaning to your message.. or is it the other way around..? ;)
Above all, effective content is enlightening, educational and empowering. It doesn’t create barriers to the consumer, it removes them. Connecting with your audience requires a lot of research, trial and error, and feedback, all of which should fuel future content efforts. Having strength in numbers is a huge factor when ideating and creating, while assigning designated roles within your organization to maximize productivity. While the online content landscape continues to evolve, we’ll be closely watching, evolving right alongside with it – as we hope you are as well.
Snap is a Minneapolis content marketing agency that develops data-driven strategies to grow businesses through online marketing. If you want to chat more about our approach to content or anything else digital, contact us by emailing go@snapagency.com