Content Marketing Mapping: Aligning to the Buying Process
1. Content Marketing Evolution
Aligning to the Buying Process
Mike Merrill
Director of Marketing, ReachLocal
Chairman, Social Media Club of Dallas
@MikeDMerrill
#DDSUM12
2. B2B Rushes to Publish Content Everywhere
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
3. How Do I Use Each Platform?
Intro
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3
5. A Few Key Data Points
33 % Marketing budgets allocated to
content marketing
5 Social media distribution channels
44 % “
Outsource B2B content creation
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6. Content Marketing Usage by Tactic
Too much focus on
every platform and
tactic
Determine how each
tactic facilitates the
buying process
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8. Time to Align Content to Buying Journey
DISCOVER
Surfing, Searching
and Socializing
CONSIDER
Researching and
Evaluating
BOOK/BUY
Getting Estimates
and Purchasing
REPEAT
Sharing Experiences
And Buying Again
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
9. Buyer Needs at Each Stage
• Recognize problem or
DISCOVER
Surfing, Searching
issue
and Socializing • Want to change status
Explore possible solutions
• quo
CONSIDER
Researching and
• Define short list of providers
Evaluating
• Commit to change
BOOK/BUY
Getting Estimates
and Purchasing
• Gain confidence in right
product/service selection
REPEAT • Understand ROI of each to
Sharing Experiences
And Buying Again build business case
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
10. Discovery Phase: Recommended Content
• Blog articles
o Curated Lists
o Tips & Tricks
• Infographics
DISCOVER • Ebooks & guides
Surfing, Searching • Assessments & quizzes
and Socializing
• Meme marketing
• Videos
Key leading indicators: • Webinars
• Traffic, page views, time onsite
• Downloads REPEAT
Sharing Experiences
• InboundAnd Buying Again
links, page rank
• Fans, followers
• Mentions, comments, shares
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
11. Consider Phase: Recommended Content
• Ebooks & guides
• Quizzes & widgets
• Newsletters
CONSIDER • Demo videos
Researching and
Evaluating • Webinars
• Industry analyst reports
• Testimonials
• Case studies
Key leading indicators:
• Click-throughs, open rates
• Downloads REPEAT
Sharing Experiences
• Inquiries,And Buying Again
form submits
• Database growth
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
12. Book/Buy Phase: Recommended Content
• Live or in-person events
• ROI Calculators
• Pricing guides
BOOK/BUY
Getting Estimates
• Total cost of ownership
and Purchasing
tools
Key leading indicators:
• Qualified Leads
REPEAT
• Booked Appointments
Sharing Experiences
• Opportunities
And Buying Again
• Pipeline size
• Closed Deals
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
13. Recommended Content by Buying Stage
Buying Buyer Needs Recommended KPIs
Stage Content
Discover • Recognize problem or issue • Blog Articles • Traffic, page views, time
• Want to change status quo • Infographics onsite
• Ebooks & Guides • Downloads
• Assessments & Quizzes • Inbound links, page rank
BOOK/BUY • Meme Marketing • Fans, followers
Getting Estimates • Videos • Mentions, comments, shares
and Purchasing • Webinars
Consider • Explore possible solutions • Ebooks & Guides • Click-throughs, open rates
• Define short list of providers • Quizzes & Widgets • Downloads
• Commit to change • Newsletters • Inquiries, form submits
• Demo Videos • Database growth
• Webinars
• Industry analyst reports
• Testimonials
• Case studies
Book/Buy • Gain confidence in right • Live or in-person events • Qualified Leads
REPEAT
product/service selection • ROI Calculators • Booked Appointments
Sharing Experiences of each to
• Understand ROI • Pricing guides • Opportunities
And build business case
Buying Again • Total cost of ownership tools • Pipeline size
• Closed Deals
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
14. Build Buyer Personas to Define Content Needs
1. Title: Dentist
2. Role: Owner
3. Age: 38
4. Sex: Female
5. Education: Doctorate
6. Experience: 10 Years
7. Ad experience: YP, Valpak, Local pubs, Direct Mail
8. Goals: Lower cost to acquire more patients, spend less
time worrying about marketing
9. Challenges: Determining the ideal marketing strategy,
understanding the latest in online marketing
10.Needs: Transparent ROI, fewer vendors to manage
(single source), face to face sales rep to educate/inform
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
17. Recommended Reading
1. B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America
http://bakn.me/Ug6CWH
2. 4 Questions Answered about Buyer Personas
http://bakn.me/Wzg0Ew
3. 7 Ways to Research Your Buyer for Content Marketing
http://bakn.me/11rQ4PA
4. The Content Grid v2
http://bakn.me/VjYo4k
5. The Content Match Game: Tips for Better Content Alignment Throughout the Buying Cycle
http://bakn.me/YfSFhP
6. Optimize Content Marketing by Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey
http://bakn.me/Ug6s1k
7. Step-by-Step Templates for Mapping your B2B Content
http://bakn.me/11c220A
8. The Content To Consumer: Aligning & Automating the Delivery of Content according to
the Buyer Stage
http://bakn.me/TwTsDS
9. Content Mapping for a Buyer-Centric Content Strategy
http://bakn.me/TvSozG
10. Optimize B2B Content Across the Sales Cycle
http://bakn.me/11CpKSQ
#DDSUM12 @MikeDMerrill
Could entrepreneurs stop creating new platforms please. We were just starting to master Facebook and learn how to drive engagement
The proliferation of platforms have lead to memes like this. To help explain how one would use each platform whether it be a consumer or a business
Every year the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs collaborate on a report that talks about Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends in Content Marketing. Let’s just look at a few of these telling stats
- B2B Marketers are spending 33% of their marketing budgets on content marketing up 7% from last year. 54% plan on increasing content marketing spending next yearB2B marketers are using 5 social distribution channels, with the most popular being LinkedInAll Content tactics are being used more frequently with research reports, videos, and mobile content sing the largest increases44% outsource B2B content creation
Let’s look at Content Marketing Usage by Tactic, a graph out of the CMI/Marketing Profs report:- All Content tactics are being used more frequently with research reports, videos, and mobile content sing the largest increases
With the help of Penguin and Panda, authentic content became paramount. Not only are we trying to support all this tactics and platform but we also need to drive engagement to drive Edge Rank and SEOMany are struggling to measure social media effectiveness
But it’s not about publishing more content it about publishing the right content at the right time for the right person. It’s time to apply a growth hackers mentality to the value of the content you create.Let’s consider a simple buying funnel for a buyer online
So let’s look at the recommended formats
Definition: an in depth profile representation of the buyer audience that influences/makes the purchasing decision for the product and services that you are trying to market. Hubspot Definition: Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.This is just one persona. For complex solutions you could have numerous personas that impact the sales: initiator, influencer, end-user, buyer, decision-maker, gatekeeperEach Persona will have different questions at each stage of the buying cycle. So you can see there is plenty of work to be done
Definition: an in depth profile representation of the buyer audience that influences/makes the purchasing decision for the product and services that you are trying to market. Hubspot Definition: Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.This is just one persona. For complex solutions you could have numerous personas that impact the sales: initiator, influencer, end-user, buyer, decision-maker, gatekeeperEach Persona will have different questions at each stage of the buying cycle. So you can see there is plenty of work to be done
Definition: an in depth profile representation of the buyer audience that influences/makes the purchasing decision for the product and services that you are trying to market. Hubspot Definition: Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.This is just one persona. For complex solutions you could have numerous personas that impact the sales: initiator, influencer, end-user, buyer, decision-maker, gatekeeperEach Persona will have different questions at each stage of the buying cycle. So you can see there is plenty of work to be done