At the SearchExchange 2013 in Charlotte, NC, VP of Digital Strategy Kevin Briody presented on the value of and approaches to creating a "content engine" as part of an agency's social media and content marketing strategies.

1. Creating Your Social Content Engine
for SearchExchange 2013
Kevin Briody
VP Digital Strategy
@kevinbriody

2. First off, what is a
content engine?
“Engine”: A machine
with moving parts
that converts
power into motion

3. Power
Your core content
and content
strategy
Motion
Social activity,
engagement,
and results

4. Social Content Engine:
The platforms, processes, and people that
convert your core content (power) into social
activity, engagement, and results (motion).

5. Why is having a social content
engine important?
Template
Source:
Likeable
Media
Because we’ve all been there…

6. What does it solve for?
Enables consistent content planning
• Avoid the desperate content gaps
• Aligns with content and digital strategy
• (in short, keeps you from winging it)
Makes more effective, efficient use of content
• Chew up less time, avoid missed opportunities
and wasted effort
Breaks down silos
• In planning, people, channel management

7. Build It Fuel it Fine Tune It
About building that social content engine…

8. Build It
Beyond building channels,
you need to build your
infrastructure:
• Platforms & Channels
• People & Teams
• Syndication
• Tools & Processes

9. Select platforms &
channels with care
Start modest, focus
on small wins:
Don’t build a whole
locomotive when all you
need is a mower.
Mower(s) that:
Aligns to your audience, your
available content, and your
ability to sustain and fuel it for
the duration

10. People: don’t build silos
Ensure teams are
built to share
content across
channels
Create cross-
channel roles
(editor, strategist,
planner)
Extends to all core
content, not just
social

11. Tools &
processes:
Don’t neglect
the boring
Social publishing tools
are exciting, but
content repositories,
CMS’ and workflow
tools will make or
break your content
engine.

12. Embrace Syndication

13. Fuel It
So you have your engine in
place, now how do you
make it go?
• Core Content
• The Full Mix
• Omni-Channel Thinking
• Adaptive, Fluid, Flexible

14. Focus on Your
Core Content
Great social content starts
with a powerful core –
your “target” content on
digital platforms that forms
the centerpiece of your
content marketing
strategy, and measurably
drives business.
Blogs, Articles, Whitepapers,
Webinars, Product Slicks, Case
Studies, Infographics, etc.

15. Employ the Full Mix
Original Content
Sourced/Licensed
Curated 3rd-Party
User Generated

16. Omni-Channel Content Thinking
Those silos again…
avoid letting your
content planning get
sucked in.
Place topic,
audience, and
objective first…don’t
start with “I need
some tweets!”
Then apply natively
across channels.

17. Keep it Adaptive,
Flexible, Fluid
From agile development
and agile marketing to
agile content.
Plan well, but don’t let
your plans, templates, and
best practices define you.
Optimization is your
friend…

18. Fine Tune It
It’s a special kind of engine:
maintenance does more
than keep it running, it lets
it improve infinitely.
• Clear Objectives
• Content Insights Process
• Optimize Relentlessly

19. Start with Clear
Objectives
Keep it simple: awareness,
engagement, and
outcomes
Define content objectives for both
business-driving “core” content as well
as in-channel supportive content. Vary
goals by content purpose.
• In-channel “health” KPIs
• Evergreen vs. timely
• Etc.

20. Develop a Content Insights Process
Uses
Insights
Pillar
Ques1on
Ini$al
&
Recurring
Content
Planning
Engagement
Strategy
Audience
&
Segmenta1on
Who
is
the
audience,
what
do
we
know
about
them,
and
what
if
anything
has
changed
recently?
Social
Media
Trends
&
Conversa1on
Analysis
What
are
they
talking
about,
where,
and
what
does
that
tell
us
about
the
nature
of
the
conversa1on?
Search
Insights
What
are
they
searching
for,
on
our
site(s)
and
across
the
Web?
Compe11ve,
Industry,
Market
Developments
What
other
environmental
inputs
should
we
factor
into
ongoing
content
planning?
Internal
Priori1es
and
Inputs
What
are
the
pressing
internal,
partner,
or
client
campaign,
marke1ng,
and
communica1ons
priori1es?
Analy1cs:
Op1miza1on
Frameworks
What
do
channel
and
plaMorm
analy1cs
tell
us
about
how
exis1ng
content
is
performing,
by
aOribute?
Recurring
Insights
Mee$ng
Content
Planning
Stakeholder
Repor1ng
Program
Op1miza1on
Internal
Reports

21. -­‐
25
50
75
100
125
150
Offer
5
Offer
4
Offer
3
Offer
2
Offer
1
Index
by
Offer
Optimize
Relentlessly
Evaluate relative performance
against key metrics:
awareness, engagement,
outcomes, both in-channel
and core content.
Break out by useful attributes
(depth, freshness, topic,
segment, asset type, etc.):
provide smart, actionable
insights to your content
planning team.

22. Fine tuning your social content engine is a process
that should never end: relentless content
optimization opens up the possibility of infinite
improvement. Just have a plan.

23. Parting words…
• Consider your content creation process like a well-
oiled engine: moving parts to translate content (power)
into action (motion).
• Focus on your core digital content strategy and the
business outcomes it drives
• Keep it all adaptive, agile, fluid
• Avoid silos – in your team, processes, and channels
• Start modest, find the small wins
• Optimize always and forever

24. Thank You!
Kevin Briody
kevin.briody@paceco.com
@kevinbriody

25. Image Credits
Images not listed were sourced through iStockPhoto or provided by Pace.
All others found via Creative Commons search on Flickr and Compfight.
Flickr source user listed by slide, with apologies for any slight errors:
1. mformatthjis
2. Matt Hintsa
3. –Wink—
4. Mike Tn
7. Matt Hintsa / Robb North / hvargas
8. Matt Hintsa
9. inspiredindesmoines
10. Jason L Parks
12. Curious Expeditions
13. Robb North
15. JillWillRun
16. inconvergent
17. Tony Hall
18. Hvargas
19. filmingilman
22. livenature