A broad content marketing presentation covering: -Why content creation is a crucial piece to your marketing strategy -Questions to ask yourself to get started on your content strategy roadmap -Topics in your industry you should be creating content around -How to beat the "blank screen" -How to have your team best see ROI from your content after it's published -Resources to learn more Content is the fuel for your other marketing assets! Learn how to strategically create and leverage content to achieve your marketing goals.

1. How To Create & Use Content
To Power Your Marketing
Special Thanks to St. Louis Content Marketers, Lab1500 and techli.com!

2. Content Marketing: Who is it good for?
• Company Leaders
• Brand Marketers
• Industry Experts
• If used correctly...almost anyone in any industry!

3. Example: Belo Cipriani
• Inspiring story
• Brand message to spread
• Built following with content
• Got sponsorships & sold books!

5. Why create content?
• Credibility
• Brand awareness
• Generate, nurture & convert leads
• Educate, retain & upsell current customers
• Attract talent, partners & investors
• Expand network
• SEO benefits
• Reputation management
• Build marketing assets

6. Top Priority for 2014
Content marketing costs 62% less
than traditional marketing and
generates about 3 times as many
leads.
Source: http://kapost.com/content-marketing-facts

7. Inbound Marketing 101
“Getting found online.”
Forms of inbound marketing:
•Social Media
•SEO
•Content

8. Creating content for inbound
• Guest posting (“thought leadership”)
• Company blogging
• Gated content (whitepapers, ebooks, etc.)

9. Content & the Bottom Line
GOAL: Create a trackable funnel to $$$

10. Where do you start?

11. Ask yourself these questions
• What are your goals for creating content?
• How will you measure “success”?
• Who is your ideal target audience? Is there more than one?
• How would you like your company to be perceived?
• What problems do you solve for customers?
• What are the barriers you need to overcome in order to earn a customer?
• What do you need to educate your customers about?
• What is your competitive advantage?

12. Create a roadmap
● Use goals to plan platform & distribution
● Use target audience to determine publication
● Find your company’s voice to determine team writing guidelines
● Start brainstorming topics!

13. What do you write about?
Always have a clear purpose with each article topic:
• How will this specific article topic help me achieve my goals?
• Where does this specific article topic fit into my overall strategy?
How do you brainstorm great topic ideas?
• FAQ from customers
• Answer to questions you asked yourself earlier
• Read industry blogs & newsletters
• Start with target publication
• Content idea notebook
• Trending topics on Topsy, GetLittleBird.com
• Google/StumbleUpon

14. Resources
From Influence & Co.:
• ContributorWeekly.com
• blog.influenceandco.com
• Content Life (Ebook)
• CopyMint.com
Tools & blogs we love:
• HubSpot
• Buffer
• Pocket
• Content Marketing Institute
• Outbrain
• Zapier
• Moz
• Evernote
• CopyBlogger

15. Beating the “blank screen”
Break down your draft into questions to answer
• Answer the “why”
• Answer the “how” (i.e. give action steps)
• Add research & personal examples
• Don’t be promotional, actually provide value

16. It’s written….now what?
Guest posting:
• Review the publication’s guidelines.
• Know the publication’s tone and preferences.
• Make sure you’re not just advertising.
• Edit your article at least two times.
• Run a plagiarism check.
• Follow up with the editor.
Company blog & long-form content:
• Tailor it to your target audience (i.e. ideal readership).
• Optimize your site design to capture leads.

17. What do you do once you’re
published online?

18. Now the fun begins
Content is the fuel for your other marketing assets
Step one: Create a public portfolio
Step two: Get buy-in from all departments
Step three: Notify all when published

19. Using content across your team
• Execs
• Marketing
• Sales & Biz Dev
• HR
• Client Services
• Web Dev

20. How leaders can use content
Goals: Credibility, brand awareness, building relationships
• Email to those who’d find info valuable
• Signature
• Update online profiles
• Personal site

21. How marketers can use content
Goals: Brand awareness, building marketing assets,
lead generation, credibility, SEO, expand network
• Social Media
• Repurpose with other offerings
•Blog
•Newsletter
• Applications
• Other

22. How sales can use content
Goals: Lead generation & conversion,
credibility
• Reference on sales calls
• Lead capture
• Drip campaigns & personal email

23. How HR can use content
Goals: Attract talent, company credibility, brand
awareness
• Use content as filter in hiring process
• Measure engagement of email campaign
• Update site with publication logos
• Update social profiles
• Contribute to online forums

24. How client services can use content
Goals: Educate & upsell current customers,
credibility
• Regularly email customers
• Automate some messages with campaign

25. How your web team can use content
Goals: Credibility, lead gen, SEO benefits
• Continually update site
• “As Seen In” or “Contributor To”
• Host gated content
• Optimize site for SEO with content

26. A real-world example…how we use content!

28. Questions?
Contact:
Matt Kamp - matt@influenceandco.com
Melanie Janisse - melanie@influenceandco.com