Digital Communications:
Introduction to Content
Marketing

Agenda for this session:
• Definition of ‘Content Marketing’
• Some examples
• How ‘Content Marketing’ works
• Principles of creating ‘Content’
• Activity

Content Marketing:
What do you know about ‘content marketing’?

Content Marketing: a definition
“The technique of creating and distributing valuable
and relevant content to attract, acquire and engage a
clearly defined target audience – with the objective of
driving profitable customer action.”
Joe Pulizzi the Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing is not new…
• Michelin tyres started to publish
the famous Michelin guides for
motorists in 1900
• 35,000 copies of the first edition
were given away

Contemporary Content Marketing includes:
• Newsletters and news feeds
(RSS)
• Videos
• White Papers and Reports
• E-books
• Infographics
• Case studies
• How-to guides
• Question and answer articles
• Photographs
• Blogs
• Games & Apps

A contemporary example: Blendtec
• A struggling manufacturer in a
competitive marketplace
• In 2006 emailed a video ‘What
should we blend?’, to its
customers, featuring the CEO
Tom Dickson.
• 2013: 180 videos, 700,000
YouTube subscribers: 700%
increase in sales. http://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec

Turning strangers into customers and promoters of your business
Content Strategy:
Source: HubSpot

Principles of Creating Content:
1. Develop the customer ‘Persona’
2. Create the Engagement Cycle
3. Develop the Brand Story
4. Develop the content marketing channel plan

1: Develop the Customer Persona
• Know the person you are selling to – more than their demographic
• Behaviours, individual needs, buying cycle
• Customer Motivations, Goals and Frustrations
• Why should this person care about your company?
• What Unique Value Proposition do you offer this person?

13
For start-up digital
services provider
FakeCrow:
http://fakecrow.com/#ab
out-page

2: Create the Engagement Cycle
• Map the Customer’s Buying Process and Customer Journey:
Awareness  Information Search  Price  Purchase Decision  Alternatives 
Short List  Purchase  Post-Purchase Experience  Re-Purchase  Advocate

3: What is the Brand Story?
• How does the customer perceive / experience your brand?
• What does your brand promise the customer?
• Why is your brand new, different, challenging?
• What is your brand’s history?
• What does your brand help the customer to achieve?

4: Develop the
Content Marketing
Channel Plan
• Where will the customer view
your content?
• What device will the consumer
be using?
• Why would people want this
content through this channel?
• What do we hope the
consumer will do with the
content?
• What are the objectives of
each channel as they relate to
the engagement cycle?
Source: Smart Insights

And finally…
Six examples of successful
content marketing campaigns in
2014
http://www.outbrain.com/blog/2014/07/6-epic-content-marketing-
examples-from-2014.html

Summary: Content Marketing should:
• Go beyond conventional segmentation to communicate directly and
in a relevant way with individuals.
• Be planned and designed to achieve specific customer-focused
objectives.
• Be integrated with the entire communications / promotional mix.
• Be relevant, useful, findable, sharable, creative and fun.

Recommended Reading:
Chaffey, D. (2015) Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice.
6th ed.
Fill, C. (2013) Marketing Communications: Brands, Experiences and
Participation. 6th ed. (Chapters 21 and 22)
Pullizzi, J. (2013) Epic Content Marketing (Chapters 10 and 11)
Recommended websites:
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com
www.hubspot.com
www.smartinsights.com
www.quicksprout.com/the-beginners-guide-to-online-marketing-chapter-1/

Activity 1: Create your Customer Persona
Using the Persona Template, create a Customer Persona for a
prospective undergraduate student considering doing a first degree in
Business and Management.

22
For start-up digital
services provider
FakeCrow:
http://fakecrow.com/#ab
out-page

Activity 2: Create your Content
Once you have created your Customer Persona, brainstorm your table
to make two lists of possible Content which would help:
1. Attract the prospect to the Birmingham City Business School
(generate website visitors)
2. Covert prospects to prioritising BCBS on their list of options
(generate leads and subscribers).
Check the BCBS website: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/business-school