content marketing strategy guide

125 Pages·2016·22.14 MB·English

CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY GUIDE
Create a structured plan to reach and convert
more using the power of online content
Author: Stephen Bateman
Edited: Dr Dave Chaffey
Content Marketing Strategy
Seven Stesp to Suec ss Guide
Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................5
yWh is content marek ting important? .................................................................................... 5
DefninJ cRnWenW PDUNeWinJ ................................................................................................... 5
How content marek ting suports marek ting goals ................................................................ 5
Create a content uh b to give sustained , integration communications ................................... 7
About tih s guide .................................................................................................................. 1 1
ONE. Content Marketing Capability Audit and Setting Goals .......... 14
Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 1
Teh content exlp osion ........................................................................................................ 4 1
yWh its’ important to audit your content marek ting caap bility. ........................................... 5 1
Ho w to set goals of r your content marek ting strategy. Wah t do you aw nt your content mar -
ek ting to deliver ? ................................................................................................................ 8 1
Getting buy-in of r content marek ting .................................................................................. 32
Making teh business case and getting buy-in of r content marek ting ................................. 52
TWO. Defne Audiences and Personas .............................................29
Discover your c“ontent marek ting sew et spot. ” ................................................................... 29
Ho w to create personas of r content marek ting ................................................................... 30
THREE. Defne your content marketing strategy ..............................40
Defne WKe Ne\ SDUWs RI \RuU cRnWenW sWUDWeJ\ ...................................................................... 40
iL n k your strategy to goals .................................................................................................. 1 4
Defne WKe YDOue \Ru ZiOO RIIeU \RuU Dudience WKURuJK \RuU cRnWenW .................................... 43
Specifying teh value your content ofef rs .............................................................................4
Content types and of rmats ..................................................................................................4
Content Matrix .....................................................................................................................46
A closer loo k at difef rent content of rmats ............................................................................ 7 4
Ho w to audit and inventory your marek ting content ............................................................ 5
Get efef ctive editorial governance in lp ace ......................................................................... 6 4
Content Marketing Strategy: Seven Steps to Success. Udp ated Mar hc 02 th 6102
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
Tecnh iuq es ......................................................................................................................... 65
Do you ah ve teh rigth team in lp ace ?.................................................................................. 76
FOUR. Editorial Management ..............................................................73
Develop your editorial calendar ........................................................................................... 37
Create your content uh b ...................................................................................................... 87
Guidance on using a blogging lp atof rm as your content uh b ............................................8 4
Running an efef ctive blog or content uh b ...........................................................................86
FIVE. Create compelling content for your content hub ....................89
Revie w otp ions of r creating and sourcing content .............................................................. 89
Great content ...................................................................................................................... 92
Content curation .................................................................................................................. 79
Hinge content around a ‘big ah iry audacious content idea ’ BH( ACI ) ............................... 1 0 1
52 Ideas of r atomising your content .................................................................................. 20 1
SIX. Content Distribution ..................................................................105
Distribution ah pens late , but is lp anned early ................................................................ 05 1
Recommended best practices .......................................................................................... 05 1
TKe UROe RI inÀuenceU in \RuU cRnWenW PDUNeWinJ RuWUeDcK ...............................................09 1
Paid distribution ............................................................................................................... 2 1 1
Recommended best practices .......................................................................................... 3 1 1
SEVEN. Evaluate and Measure ROI .................................................. 115
Wah t is ROI ? .................................................................................................................... 5 1 1
Ho w to measure ROI of r content marek ting ? .................................................................... 6 1 1
Using Google Analytics Actionable analytics of r content marek ting ................................. 9 1 1
Setting KPIs of r content marek ting ................................................................................... 02 1
Using Google Analytics : Actionable analytics of r content marek ting ................................ 1 2 1
Some eax mlp es o f oh w to revie w content marek ting efef ctiveness in Google Analytics .. 2 1
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
Introduction
In tih s guide , ew elpx ain oh w to use oc ntent marek ting more strategiac lly to suop rt teh
grotw h o f a business. Trh oug h of lloiw ng a strategi c oc ntent marek ting rp oec ss strutc ured
around our seven ip llars o f oc ntent marek ting , your atc ivities iw ll be more lc osely aligned iw t h
your obej tc ives to soh w demonstrable return on marek ting investment R( OMI.)
,n WKis inWURducWiRn Ze e[SORUe WKe EenefWs RI cRnWenW PDUNeWinJ Dnd e[SODin WKe µ&RnWenW
Marek ting bluerp int ’ ihw hc iw ll eh l p you elpx ain to oc lleagues oh w to rc eate a op ew ruf l oc ntent
marek ting maihc ne.
Why is content marketing so important?
eW love teh of uc s on oc ntent marek ting today sinec ew see oc ntent marek ting as teh uf el
of r all your oc re digital marek ting atc ivities liek sear ,hc soic al media , email and landing ap ge
marek ting. Get it rigth and it iw ll build an audienec and by engaging teh m , enoc urage teh m
to buy and sah re oc ntent iw t h oteh rs ihw le rc eating ri hc insigth to eh l p rc eate more relevant
reoc mmendations.
A cRnWenW PDUNeWinJ sWUDWeJ\ KDs WKe EenefW WKDW iW dResn¶W seeN WR iPSURYe Rne cKDnneO in
isolation as an SEO , Soic al media or email marek ting or oc map ny ew bsite s‘ trategy ,’ instead
it gives a multiahc- nnel lief yc lc e engagement strategy , uniyf ing A L your digital marek ting
oc mmuniac tions to suop rt uc stomer auqc isition , retention and grotw h goals. A oc eh rent
oc ntent marek ting lp an iw ll reduec teh need of r seap rate lp ans of r individual digital marek ting
atc ivities.
A oc ntent marek ting strategy ac n also eh l p oc unter uc stomer engagement ihw hc is one o f teh
biggest ahc llenges o f marek ting today given teh range o f ahc nnels and timeop- or audienec .
Customer engagement is teh ek y to igniting your uc stomer engagement and generating
demand using targeted , relevant , disoc verable and otp imised oc ntent tah t gives you and your
business teh ih geh r level o f visibility and autoh rity needed in sear hc results and everyehw re
your audienec s are researihc ng and disuc ssing teh ir rp oblems , issues , needs and struggles.
O f oc urse , as you iw ll see trh ougoh ut tih s guide , it is teh uq ality o f your oc ntent tah t is rc itiac l
to driving suec ssuf l oc nversion to lead and sale on your ew bsite and soic al rp esenec s.
Defning content marketing
-Re 3uOi]]i IRundeU RI WKe &RnWenW 0DUNeWinJ ,nsWiWuWe defnes cRnWenW PDUNeWinJ Ds
H“ ow a brand creates, delivers and governs original or curated content to attract and retain
customers, positioning the brand as a credible expert and, ultimately, motivating a change in
behaviour”
eW agree ! An eef tc ive oc ntent marek ting strategy suop rts buyers at every stage o f teh ir
buying yc lc e , leaving no gasp of r rp osep tc s to af ll trh oug.h As su ,hc oc ntent marek ting is teh
marek ting strategy tah t eh lsp target audienec s move trh oug h teh lief yc lc e to up rahc se.
Wah t is it ? Content marek ting
Content marek ting involves rc eating and distributing dief rent tyep s o f oc ntent tah t uf el all
your oc re digital marek ting atc ivities to engage and ep rsuade your audienec to meet your
goals arc oss teh uc stomer lief yc lc e.
How content marketing supports marketing goals
On teh netx ap ge , our Digital Marketing Radar soh sw yhw oc ntent marek ting is so imop rtant
today. Teh Radar soh sw all teh dief rent tyep s o f site tah t are oc ntentd- riven. Inrc easingly , its’
oc ntent tah ts’ teh uc rrenyc to give you visibility. Content marek ting oc vers all o f teh se.
Content Marketing Strategy: Seven Steps to Success. Udp ated Mar hc 02 th 6102
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
For us , teh se are teh reasons yhw oc ntent marek ting is ec ntral to suec ss online:
; Share-worthy content creates awareness for your brand. If your oc ntent engages
readers teh y iw ll sah re it via teh ir soic al aoc unts , email or ow rdo- m-f out h as a
recommendation. Everyone is an infuencer today!
; Content drives results from SEO. Google ah s made tih s imop rtant sinec 891 ehw n it
launehc d. Content beac me , and still is , ik ng sinec ew bsites are oc ntent and being of und
relies on oc ntent.
; Content drives purchases. eW base our deic sions on online oc ntent ehw n soh ip ng
online or researching for offine purchases.
; Syndicated content drives purchases. Content marek ting strategy is mu hc broader
tah n your site sinec it inlc udes oc ntent on soic al netow rsk , online up bliseh rs , oc map rison
sites, blogs and many other types of infuencer site.
; User generated content drives purchases. uB yer beah viour ah s ahc nged , ew no w aw nt
to reef renec iw der oip nion rf om oteh rs liek us about rp odutc s and serviec s , ehw teh r rating
sites , blogs or soic al netow rsk – buyers dig out oc ntent to eh l p teh ir deic sion maik ng.
; Content on a range of platforms drives purchases. Teh imop rtanec o f teh internet
oc ntinues to inrc ease as tenhc ology e( sep ic ally smart ohp nes and tablets ) evolve and ew
evolve iw t h teh m.
Content marek ting suop rts and integrates all teh oc re digital media ahc nnels
Anoteh r aw y to elpx ain teh op ew r o f oc ntent marek ting is simlp y trh oug h teh digital ahc nnels
it ac n suop rt. eW ah ve toolik ts in teh members area of r ea hc o f teh se:
; .1 Natural Search . Content on your onw site is oc re to suop rting Sear hc Engine
Otp imisation S( EO ,) one o f teh ek y sourec s o f ne w visitors to a site. Teh relevanec o f
ek yow rds and uq ality o f oc ntent is ahw t attratc s visitors and ep rah sp more imop rtantly
linsk rf om oteh r sites ihw hc eh l p you site outran k oc mep titors.
; .2 Paid search (AdWords). Its’ also imop rtant to give relevant oc ntent on ap id sear hc
landing ap ges to gain a better uq ality soc re in Google and to gain oc nversions. oB t h are
imop rtant to get ROI rf om AdoW rds.
; .3 Online PR . Teh stories you sah re via oteh r sites are ultimately oc ntent and
inrc easingly lin k ba kc to oc ntent on a site , of r eax mlp e in a soic al media nesw room .
; .4 Social media marketing.Teh status udp ates you sah re trh oug h soic al netow rsk and
oteh r sites are mirc ooc- ntent too and tyip ac lly iw ll lin k ba kc to oc ntent on your site or
blog. So they should be part of a unifed content marketing strategy to engage different
audienec s.
; .5 Display advertising. Dislp ay ad of rmats liek banners and syk src aep rs need to engage
and lin k to deeep r oc ntent on site liek teh oteh r ahc nnels in tih s list. Teh re are also great
oop rtunities to engage trh oug h retargeting or AdoW rds remarek ting .
; .6 Email marketing . Email marek ting is ep rah sp teh Grandaddy , teh most establiseh d
o f all teh se digital oc mmuniac tions tenhc iuq es. Enesw letters ah ve alaw ys reuq ired
uq ality oc ntent to engage and tih s is even more true today iw t h inbo x oc mep tition and
oc mep tition rf om teh soic al status udp ates. Teh oc ntent and oef rs and emails need to be
integrated iw t h all teh se oteh r ahc nnels.
; .7 Mobile marketing. Mobile marek ting gives ne w otp ions of r delivering oc mmuniac tions
via ea hc o f teh ahc nnels above. Sinec smartohp ne or tablet lp atof rms are otf en used
in dief rent oc ntetx s tih s imlp ies ne w tyep s and of rmats o f oc ntent may be needed to
engage mobile users.
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
Strategy Reoc mmendation 1 Soh w teh op ew r o f oc ntent marek ting by relating it to oteh r
digital media ahc nnels.
Demonstrate to oc lleagues oh w oc ntent marek ting suop rts and integrates many oc re
digital marek ting atc ivities enabling it to be managed as a ohw le.
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
Create a content hub to give sustained, integration communications
ahW t is it ? Content marek ting uh b
A ek y ap rt o f our bluerp int of r oc ntent or inbound marek ting tih s is sah reable destination
of r oc ntent , soic al , email and sear hc marek ting tah t ac n be integrated trh oug h teh rc eation
o f a oc ntent uh b ihw hc is a destination on your ew bsite ihw hc is a blog or online uc stomer
magaiz ne iw t h a lp anned editorial ac lendar and resouric ng.
eW believe tah t up blisih ng regularly updated uq ality blog-style content on a uh b liek a
magaiz ne or resources area will:
.1 Fuel your SEO since Google will kno w your site is active and it af vours more active
sites.
.2 Fuel your social media trh oug h rp oviding sah reable content iwh c h encourages clisck
bac k to your site giving teh oportunity of r leads and sales.
.3 Engage your difef rent audiences trh oug h time leading to future up rcah ses. For
teh smaller comap nies woh simlp y dont’ ah ve teh resources or belie f to develo p
ORnJeUIRUP cRnWenW Rn D EORJ iW PD\ Ee suIfcienW WR KDYe UeJuODUO\ cuUDWed Rn D
Faceboo k ap ge.
Strategy Reoc mmendation 2 Create a sustained strategi c arp oa hc to oc ntent marek ting
Content marek ting ow rsk best weh n you ah ve a sustained rateh r tah n ip ecemeal
arp oac h to creating and distributing content. Tah ts’ not to say you cant’ suceed wit h
a single content asset , some smaller businesses do , but to compete wit h oteh r larger
businesses , ew believe you do need to developed a sustained arp oac h to creating
content
Teh visual soh sw oh w you ac n use dief rent tyep s o f brand oc ntent rc eation sah red via
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
your Content Hub to engage your audienec and enoc urage sah ring. To rea hc more ep olp e
Ee\Rnd RUJDnic sKDUinJ RU µsRciDO PediD DPSOifcDWiRn¶ inYROYes usinJ inÀuenceU RuWUeDcK Rn
0DUNeWinJ OuWSRsWs Dnd ,nÀuenceU WeEsiWes WR encRuUDJe SeRSOe RU SuEOicDWiRns ZKR KDYe
a of lloiw ng to sah re your oc ntent. Teh oc mbined eef tc soh uld be to boost your op sition in teh
sear hc results ap ges S( ERPs.) Resear hc oc ndutc ed arc oss Hubsop ts’ uc stomers soh w tah t
toh se ohw up blis h teh most oc ntent tend to be most suec ssuf l. Finally you ac n use Marek t
Monitoring , Soic al listening and soic al ap rtiic ap tion to boost your realt- ime marek ting and
beoc me more resop nsive to teh interests and needs o f your audienec .
Teh bluerp int is aimed at emahp sising teh ek y asep tc s o f oc ntent marek ting:
.1 Teh uq ality and range o f content must be outstanding and sustained to compete.
. <Ru need D defned EUDnded KuE WR sKDUe cRnWenW
. <Ru need WR inYesW in seedinJ cRnWenW Dnd usinJ inÀuenceUs WR incUeDse DZDUeness
and sah ring o f content
.4 I f you get teh woh le rp ocess rigth it will suport your overall brand marek ting goals
.5 oY u need teh peolp e , tools and rp ocess to monitor and otp imise content and sah ring
efef ctiveness.
ahW t i f I dont’ ah ve teh resourec s or time to rc eate a oc ntent uh b?
A Content Hub ow nt’ be essential of r all businesses. Very small businesses woh dont’ ah ve
WKe UesRuUces WR IueO iW PD\ fnd WKDW WKeiU )DceERRN RU /inNed,n SDJe DcWs EeWWeU Ds D KuE
but larger businesses will aw nt teh ir own ew bsite to be a destination of r engagement and
up rcah se. Remember you dont’ ah ve to create ne , w original content every day , once a ew e k
or once a mont h may be all tah ts’ needed and its’ best to ah ve tih s content on your site tah n
on a social netow r k alone .
eW iw ll tal k a lot about oh w to rc eate and manage oc ntent uh bs , lp us give eax mlp es o f teh m
in tih s guide. For no , w eh re are some ew llnk- onw , suec ssuf l uh b eax mlp es rf om dief rent
setc ors:
þ Car insurance – Conuf sed.oc m blog , no w op sitioned as a magaiz ne.
þ Consumer brand – O’ L reals’ Maek u.p oc m
þ Financial services – HSCB Eapx t Elpx orer
þ Retail – Mr Porters’ oJ urnal blog
þ Travel – uK oni Travel insip ration
þ SME B2B – Ameriac n Erpx ess Oep n Forum – adviec oc ntent inoc rop rating a oc mmunity
þ Enterprise B2B – Adobe CMO.oc m
1
oY u ac n see more eax mlp es o f uh bs to insip re you eh re . Teh se eax mlp es of uc s on an
audienec and ew oc mmend teh m sinec teh brands beih nd teh m ah ve invested to sustain
teh m trh oug h time.
Ho w oc ntent marek ting suop rts uc stomer management
A more strategi c aw y o f soh iw ng oc lleagues teh op ew r o f oc ntent marek ting is to relate it to
suSSRUWinJ PDUNeWinJ REMecWiYes DcURss DOO WKe sWDJes RI WKe cusWRPeU OiIec\cOe Ds defned
by teh Smart Insigth s RACE lp anning rf ameow r k ihw hc ew ah ve develoep d to eh l p rc eate
integrated digital lp ans.
þ Stage 1 Reach involves building aaw reness o f a brand , its rp odutc s and serviec s on
RWKeU siWes Dnd in RIÀine PediD Dnd EuiOdinJ WUDIfc E\ dUiYinJ YisiWs WR ZeE SUesences.
þ Stage 2 Act stands of r interatc , your aim is to aihc eve teh initial engagement o f your
1 Marek ting Insider Grou p : 9 eax mlp es o f Content Hubs
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
visitors ehw n teh y enter your site. PK Is inlc ude bounec rates , time sep nt on site and ap ge
viesw . Hig h ap ge viesw , long dew ll times and lo w bounec rates are all signs tah t your
audienec is engaged.
; Stage 3 Convert – Aihc eve oc nversion to marek ting goals su hc as ne w af ns , leads or
sales on web presences and offine.
; Stage 4 Engage. uB ild uc stomer relationsih sp trh oug h time to aihc eve retention goals.
Google is less satisaf tc ory in tih s area sinec it doesnt’ ah ve suitable metrisc and you may
ah ve to derive teh se trh oug h your sales systems.
Teh role o f oc ntent marek ting in suop rting teh marek ting goals o f ea hc ap rt o f RACE are
summarised in tih s inof graihp .c oY u ac n see teh role tah t oc ntent rp ovides in ea.hc
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI
About this guide
Teh Smart Insigth s Content Marek ting toolik t
Tih s guide is a ek y oc mop nent o f teh Smart Insigth s oc ntent marek ting toolik t in teh
2
members area . eW reoc mend you oc nsult teh oteh r resourec s in teh toolik t to suop rt your
imrp ovement in oc ntent marek ting. eW reoc mmend:
; Soc re your ac ap bility using our interatc ive benmhc arik ng tool ihw hc gives you a soc re of r
7 areas o f oc ntent marek ting and teh n reoc mmends ehw re to of uc s
; Comlp ete teh el- earning ihw hc of llosw a similar strutc ure to tih s guide iw t h ea hc setc ion
marek d o f as you oc mlp ete it
; Donw load teh editorial lp anning srp eadseh ets to rc eate a oc ntent lp an
; Donw load teh evaluating oc ntent marek ting guide ihw hc ah s more details
eW also reoc mmend teh se lc oselyr- elated tooik ts to get imrp ove oc ntent marek ting:
; Camap ign lp anning – strutc ure integrated , oc ntentl- ed ac map igns
; Email marek ting – use teh oc ntatc strategy of r oc ntent to be delivered by email
; Search engine optimisation – learn the principles to gain evergreen traffc
; Soic al media marek ting – best rp atc iec s of r soic al sah ring
2 Smart Insigth s Content Marek ting Toolik t I( n teh members ’ area , so signi- n needed.)
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ONE. TWO. Defne Audiences THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. Evaluate and
Audit and Goals and Personas Strategy Editorial Management Content Hub Content Distribution Measure ROI