Presentation at #BOLO2013 in Phoenix, AZ on Oct. 14, 2013. As marketers, we are constantly trying to figure out how we can best tell our story to our intended audience. We want our audiences to take an action – share, buy, pass along. We have more access to our audiences in multiple ways today, and so our conversion metrics on every story are changing constantly. So, are you providing enough value to your audience to get them to convert? Are you providing enough with your story to make the audience exchange their value in return? This presentation examines the value needed today to get your audience to take that next step.
12. BRAND
AUDIENCE
Currency = Content
Currency = Personal Info
The brand continuously delivers
relevant content & establishes
its worth to the audience
The audience trusts the brand
enough to identify themselves &
grant permission for engagement
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
Jane Smith
jane.smith@xyz.com
555-555-5555
CEO, XYZ Corp.
13. “
Robert Cohen, VP Global Retail
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-03/patagonias-robert-cohen-on-the-retailer-customer-relationship
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
25. * The number of stories with downloadable files such as PDFs, PPTs, DOCs is
significantly fewer than those without, however the data shows the potential for very
high visibility when such assets are included along with other multimedia assets.
Source: PR Newswire Web Analytics, June 2012
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
32. Thought leadership and
entertainment to build brand and
awareness
Research data, funny videos, curated lists, infographics, thought
leadership
Tools that help buyers find you
when they are looking for
solutions
Buying guides, RFP templates, ROI
calculators, whitepapers, analyst reports, webinars
Company-specific information to
help evaluate and reaffirm
selection
Pricing, demos, services information, 3rd party reviews, customer
case studies
Source: Marketo
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
36. State Farm identified the top three States
(Texas, Illinois, & Ohio) as well as the top 10 States where there were Thanksgiving
Day related cooking fires.
TX
IL
OH
The goal was to raise awareness of cooking related Thanksgiving Day fires in
order to reduce claims. State Farm did this by connecting multiple forms of content
into a single format that people would want to view and share.
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
37. State Farm identified the top three States
(Texas, Illinois, & Ohio) as well as the top 10 States where there were Thanksgiving
Day related cooking fires.
TX
IL
OH
The goal was to raise awareness of cooking related Thanksgiving Day fires in
order to reduce claims. State Farm did this by connecting multiple forms of content
into a single format that people would want to view and share.
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
38. State Farm identified the top three States
(Texas, Illinois, & Ohio) as well as the top 10 States where there were Thanksgiving
Day related cooking fires.
TX
IL
OH
The goal was to raise awareness of cooking related Thanksgiving Day fires in
order to reduce claims. State Farm did this by connecting multiple forms of content
into a single format that people would want to view and share.
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
39. State Farm identified the top three States
(Texas, Illinois, & Ohio) as well as the top 10 States where there were Thanksgiving
Day related cooking fires.
TX
IL
OH
The goal was to raise awareness of cooking related Thanksgiving Day fires in
order to reduce claims. State Farm did this by connecting multiple forms of content
into a single format that people would want to view and share.
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
40. State Farm identified the top three States
(Texas, Illinois, & Ohio) as well as the top 10 States where there were Thanksgiving
Day related cooking fires.
TX
IL
OH
The goal was to raise awareness of cooking related Thanksgiving Day fires in
order to reduce claims. State Farm did this by connecting multiple forms of content
into a single format that people would want to view and share.
@mpranikoff
#BOLO2013
Today, we are creating content at a rate that has never been seen before in human history.
I could load everyone up with stats on why Content Marketing is growing, and the rate that it’s growing, but we all know the saying that “Content Is King” OK, we get that….now let’s move on.
We have to look at the consumer and the business today. We need to look at all of the influences that the consumer has today (whether that consumer is a B2C consumer or a B2B consumer). We need to think about how the content that we are creating reaches that consumer AND what content / influence gets that person to take an action and start a conversation with the business.
Today, good content can create influence that is passed along. This content only creates authority with the consumer if that conversation is started in an organic way.
So, what kind of content is the most effective at sparking that conversation? Interestingly, Outsell looked at this in their 2013 Advertising and Marketing study. What they found is that on both the B2C and B2B side, the art of PR (creating a story that others want to regale, re-tell, or share – which is a very broken down definition of PR) is not only one of the most effective components in the marketing mix, but it is also one of the most cost-effective and efficient forms of marketing.
This is the traditional marketing funnel.
However, the marketing funnel no longer looks like we are used to. Today, it is said that anywhere from 60% to 80% of the buying process is completed before a consumer ever contacts the company. Today, with search, our audience don’t follow the typical path. They come into our marketing funnels at several points along the way, and they choose where they go next. So my question is if we created that call to action for them so that the knew what we wanted them to do next?
More advanced/sophisticated content strategies should map to “desired outcome”
Now, this is my idea of a marketing funnel.
Let’s look at the value exchange. For a brand, content is the currency. For the audience, personal information is the currency. The value exchange happens when the content a brand continuously delivers establishes its worth to its audience and in turn the audience trusts the brand enough to identify themselves and provide permission to the brand to establish a relationship with them, to invite them to take an action.
Before you go any further, the first step is making sure that you know the answers to a few key questions. First, it’s crucial to know who you are trying to reach. And the more specific, the better your communications campaign will be. Rather than Millennials, how about 25-30 year olds living in major cities who care about the environment?
Map content to the buying stage {keep it short}
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Marketing today – conversational, drives behavior, focused on storytelling and content that is shareable
Content must be mapped to business objectives – whether you are simply looking to position yourself as a thought leader or you are looking to drive more tangible results, your content strategy must support your business objectives so that you are driving results that will have an impact on your organization.
Content must be appealing – If your content isn’t interesting, engaging, useful or appealing to your audience, they won’t care. They won’t read it; they won’t share it; they won’t act on it. It will just be more noise.