Content Marketing 101:
The Basics of Content Marketing
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Social Media Rockstars 2015 | #smrockstarevent
Christina Milanowski | @christinamila

Agenda
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 What Is the Content Marketing Discipline?
 Why Is Content Marketing So Effective?
 How Can I Get Started with Content Marketing?

What Is Content
Marketing?

9/16/2015
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Source: Lead Genius

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“A MARKETING TECHNIQUE OF
CREATING AND DISTRIBUTING
VALUABLE, RELEVANT AND
CONSISTENT CONTENT TO
ATTRACT AND ACQUIRE A
CLEARLY DEFINED AUDIENCE –
WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF
DRIVING PROFITABLE
CUSTOMER ACTION.”
-Content Marketing Institute

Why Is Content Marketing
So Effective?

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Buyers go through 57% of the purchasing
process before talking to sales.
Brands relying on inbound marketing
save over $14 dollars
for every new customer acquired.
70% of B2B marketers are creating more
content than they did one year ago.
Sources: HubSpot, Executive Board, Content Marketing Institute

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“NEVER BUILD
YOUR CONTENT
ON RENTED LAND.”
-Joe Pulizzi
Source: www.brinx.it/BCH

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So, Are You a Fit for Content Marketing?
 Is your company interested in being positioned as a thought leader
in your industry?
 As a marketer, are you ready to more closely align with sales and
think like a sales person?
 Do your customers go through a considered buying process of
gathering and processing information?
 Are you ready to drive inbound leads and nurture back-and-forth
relationships with your key audiences?

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Challenges of Content Marketing
1. Content marketing efforts are not free
2. Time and commitment are required to
do content marketing well
3. Integration and buy-in from key
departments (sales, IT, executives,
marketing) are imperative
4. Content marketing is a new paradigm
that requires the energy to try
something new
5. Content marketing offers a constant
stream of data and analytics, requiring
the courage to shift efforts mid-
execution
6. Content has to be customer-focused

How To Get Started

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#1. Gain Buy-In of Key Stakeholders
1. Tap into the competitive spirit of the company
2. Share data and statistics about the power of content marketing
3. Focus on quick, inexpensive wins
4. Explain the benefit of content marketing to not just marketing,
but sales

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#2. Document Your Content Strategy
60% OF B2B MARKETERS WITH A
DOCUMENTED CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY SAY THEY ARE EFFECTIVE
VERSUS
32% OF THOSE WITH A VERBAL
STRATEGY.
-Content Marketing Institute

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#2. Document Your Content Strategy
• Set goals
• Determine brand voice
• Understand your buyer and select target audiences
• Map out content that will solve your buyers’ needs and drive
them down the funnel
• Develop your promotion plan

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Set Goals
-Kristina Halvorson
“NECESSARILY, THE
CONTENT STRATEGIST
MUST WORK TO DEFINE
NOT ONLY WHICH
CONTENT WILL BE
PUBLISHED, BUT WHY
WE’RE PUBLISHING IT IN
THE FIRST PLACE.”

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Map Out Content
• Blog
• Case Studies
• E-books
• E-newsletters
• Events
• Infographics
• Microsites
• Presentations
• Research Reports
• Videos
• Webinars
• White Papers
Top Content Types

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Quality Content Best Practices
• Tell a story with your content (Think: what’s the point?)
• Spark an emotional reaction (e.g. surprise, laughter, mouth drop)
• Incite action with your content
• Content that’s about the reader, and not your company
• Create content that is novel, bold and original
• Use high-quality visuals
• Make it shareable
Read our blog post for more: http://brinx.it/9FI

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Develop Your Promotion Plan

#3. Get Started
1. Start Small
2. Prioritize
3. Be Inclusive
4. Understand Who You’re Talking to First
5. Test Regularly
6. Small Changes Can Mean Big Success
7. Think about the Next Step
8. Rely on Good Data
Tips from Deluxe’s Interactive Marketing Specialist
Read our blog post for more: http://brinx.it/wYi
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#4. Measure Success
• Consumption (e.g. views, time on site, social media mentions)
• Sharing (e.g. forwards, social media engagement, inbound links)
• Leads (e.g. contact form downloads, blog subscribers or comments,
conversion rates)
• Sales (e.g. new business)
Main Areas of Content Marketing ROI Metrics

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#5. Learn By Doing

Thank you!
Questions?
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Christina Milanowski
christina@maccabee.com
@ChristinaMila
A Strategic Public Relations
& Online Marketing Agency
Maccabee.com

Resources

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Website: ContentMarketingInstitute.org

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E-Book: Content Marketing Strategy
http://brinx.it/BCO

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Website: TheContentCouncil.org

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Blog: MaccaPR.com
www.subscribe.maccabee.com

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Blog Post: Sales-Marketing Alignment
http://brinx.it/BCh

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Blog.HubSpot.com

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Video: Inbound Marketing
http://brinx.it/BCq

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