Presented by Amanda Batista, Content Marketing Manager at Eloqua, during Content Marketing Bootcamp Boston. #contentcamp

1. AMANDA BATISTA
ELOQUA | ORACLE

2. Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.2

3. Think Like a Publisher:
5 Storytelling Rules for Marketers
Amanda Batista
Content Marketing Manager
Eloqua
@AmandaF_Batista

4. Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.4
Why We’re Here
§ 80% of business decision-makers prefer
to receive information about a company in
a series of content versus traditional
marketing tactics.
§ Nearly 82% of B2B buyers have less time
to devote to reading and research
Source: Demand Gen Report Content Preferences Survey
May 2013
Content is increasingly driving marketing communications

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Trustworthy Content Trumps Sales Speak
Buyers put a premium on value-based relationships

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Let’s Talk People Instead of ‘Prospects’

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“So we're different colours and we're different creeds
And different people have different needs.”
-Martin Gore, Depeche Mode
“People are People” (1984)
THIRD PARTY
COMPANY LOGO

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The Name of the Game:
§ Set some new ground rules for communicating
§ Conceptualize storytelling in marketing
§ Take a look at some cool content
§ Go from ‘Corporate’ to ‘Compelling’
§ Offer inspirational content tips

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Rule #1 Don’t Be Vain
Content isn’t about your company, or you
§ Nixing sales speak makes your
content more “robust”
§ Be a “leading provider” of
education and delight
§ Be the “#1 source” for industry
insight
Carly Simon said it best

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Tell a Story About Your End User
Use your company’s publishing platforms
• Tell the story of
how your end users
succeed
• Maximize your
case study and
testimonial content
oracle.com/oraclemagazine

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Rule #2: Keep it Contextual
§ Who?
§ What?
§ Where?
§ Why?
§ How?
Borrow principles of journalism

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Speaking of Real World Heroes…
§ Follow a fun format
§ Highlight the end user perspective
§ Celebrate customer success (influence
sharing)
Your customers save the day!

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Rule #3: Find Your Format(s)
What’s your company’s signature?
• Keep content
consumers returning
with an extended story
• Consider structural
uniformity for design
and layout
• Establish ‘characters’
that reflect your
consumer audience

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Topical Storytelling: The ‘Grande Guides’
§ Explain your format and its
logic upon introduction
§ Keep contextual content
inventoried
§ Anticipate trends and topics
via social media

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Rule #4 Take Cues From Consumption
Remember: A sale is the result of a relationship

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Empower Your Content Consumer
§ Utilize different formats/delivery
methods
§ Stay relevant to your buyer
persona data
§ Give your consumer the option to
change tracks
Honor the consumer’s right to choose

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Rule #5 Make Corporate Compelling
§ Spread your own word
§ Connect personally via community
à

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Enhance Your Corporate Communications
§ Optimize your content bandwidth
§ Transfer message of sales sheets or
other later stage content to more
engaging formats
§ Cater to different audience segments

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The Marketer Scorecard Interactive Experience
Eloqua.com/scorecard

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§ Take advantage of
present puns
§ Keep your calls to action
concise and informative
§ Use images to
supplement social posts
Tips for social posts
‘Product Speak’ Sensibly

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Turn to Pop Culture for Inspiration
§ Classic movie titles
§ Popular TV shows
§ Trending videos
§ Power puns

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5 Storytelling Rules for the Marketer
§ 1. Don’t be vain
§ 2. Keep it contextual
§ 3. Find your format(s)
§ 4. Take cues from consumption
§ 5. Make corporate compelling
Don’t leave home without ‘em!

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Amanda Batista
amanda.batista@oracle.com
@amandaf_batista

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27. CONTENT MARKETING
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