Building Content BrandsMaking the switch to ‘always on’multichannel publishing

‘Content marketing’ may be one of the biggest buzzwords of recent years, but the concept of using brand-generated content as a marketing tool is far from new – the free travel guides created by the tyre company Michelin, for instance, have been around since 1900.

Where content used to be seen as an optional extra, it now takes centre-stage in the marketing mix, fuelled by the rise of mobile, the availability of free

or low-cost distribution channels and the ‘always on’ consumer’s seemingly insatiable hunger for information and entertainment. (And of course the post-Penguin world of search that has seen many SEO firms rush to reposition themselves as content experts).

Now, as brands realise the power of content to attract and hold the attention of their customers, and ultimately to build large-scale, connected communities, the quantity and quality of brand-generated content is rapidly escalating.

Brand content is everywhere, competing with every other content source – from traditional publishers to bloggers to aggregators – for a slice of the consumer’s attention. And only those brands willing to commit to becoming true ‘Content Brands’ – by thinking and acting like publishers – are likely to win this battle for hearts and minds. And, ultimately, wallets. Welcome to the future of marketing.

[Sources: eConsultancy 2013; wCMI 2013; Forrester P&G beinggirl.com study 2010]

Content – the future of marketing

400% more effective than an

advertising campaign with the same budget

68%of marketers are planning to increase spend in this area in next 12 months

90% of brands in 2013 say

content is now becoming a key component of the

marketing mix

There are two major factors behind the shift from traditional advertising to content marketing – the rise of the ‘always on’ consumer, and the democratisation of publishing.

‘ALWAYS ON’ THE CONNECTED CONSUMER

According to Google, 80 per cent of millennials are made up of ‘Generation C’, a powerful new force in consumer culture who care deeply about creation, curation, connection, and community.

These consumers are always on, always connected, via multiple devices. They also have more control than ever over which media they consume (and how, and where), and they’re proving increasingly resistant to ‘interruption’ of traditional advertising. They do, however, trust and seek out quality content from brands when it comes to their purchasing decisions.

‘Clara’ – a typical Generation C consumer

What’s changed?

14.7 billion – weekly volume of

word of mouth impressions

In control

93%of purchase cycles begin with Search

40% use 4 or more sources

to make brand purchase decision (94% at least one)

20% of Smartphone users

have changed their mind about a product in-store

based on information from phone

88%of Gen C have

social profiles – 65% update daily

3339 texts per month

15 hours online every week

(up to 4 hours a day) outside

of work

91% of Gen C

sleep with a smartphone Always shopping

(and influencing/being influenced)

85%of Gen C rely on

peer approvals for buying decisions – 63% typically shop with friends family

or significant other

Typical American mentions 60 brands

per day

70% feel responsibility to share feedback

with brands (after good and bad experience)

80% want brand experience

beyond the core product eg: co-creation,

online content, social interaction

Connected to brands

‘Always on’ - the connected

consumer

[Sources: eConsultancy 2013; CMI 2013; Forrester; Neilson; Edelman; Google - Engaging Gen C; Marketo 2012]

Your brand, like it or not, is a media company – you have an audience that has given you permission to connect and share stories, and the old barriers to publishing have disappeared.

Brands now have access to myriad distribution channels, multimedia content production, and the talent to make it happen – including top editors, writers and producers – not to mention the kind of audience insights that their competitors in the traditional media can only dream of. It’s an opportunity not to be missed – and the best Content Brands are already making the most of it.

There are lots of factors that contribute to the success or failure of an individual piece of content, but we’ve developed some core publishing principles – built around the needs of your target audience – that guide content creation and planning.

Great brand content should be:

1. RELEVANT – it must be relevant to the user and your brand

2. VALUABLE – it must offer value by INFORMING, EDUCATING or ENTERTAINING your audience

3. MARKETABLE – in order to reach the widest possible audience, ensure your content can be found (search-friendly) and amplified (unique, shareable, actionable)

Core principles

Content Brands are underpinned by a sustainable, ‘always on’ content marketing strategy and a commitment at every level of the business to resourcing the development of content on an ongoing, long-term basis.

The ‘6As’ – aims, audience, analysis, approach, action, assessment – is a tried and tested process we’ve developed as a simple, step-by-step guide to Content Brand success.

Secrets of a successful content brand: the ‘6As’

Which audience(s) are key to the success of the content mission?

Once you’ve defined the target demographic, it’s essential to create a clear, tangible persona – down to individual attributes and preferences such as media habits, hobbies, interests, career, location, age, use of technology, shopping behaviours.

The big question is, what content (information, education or entertainment) do they want or need that your brand can provide?

In order to identify all the factors that will have a bearing on the success of your content and its ability to deliver your aims, review the current situation – including full content channel audit and what competitor brands (and the media) are offering.

This could include social listening, your own consumer data and feedback from relevant stakeholders.

It’s not about content for content’s sake. Content marketing is only as valuable as the goals it helps brands accomplish.

Think of a challenge – in any area of business – in order to establish your content ‘mission’. This is the ultimate goal, from which your targets/measures can be developed.

The next phase is to devise a content marketing strategy based on:

1. The content (themes in the ‘sweetspot’)

2. The channels (how to get the content to your audience)

3. Editorial programme/schedule (how you’re going to sustain content over time)

4. Resource – team (and technology) you need to deliver the content

5. The measures (how you know if the content is working)

Think (and act) like a publisherWe see here many of the roles within a traditional publishing set-up – some Content Brands are building highly-evolved, expert teams such as this. But many smaller brands have started down a similar path with just one or two content producers multi-tasking across a range of planning/creation duties, with support from social/PR teams and other contributors inside and outside of the business.

Once you’ve devised the strategy and mapped out your required resources, you need to implement the publishing processes, develop journalistic (storytelling) instincts and ‘always on’ discipline to ensure you consistently meet your audience’s expectations.

Here are the key points to consider:

Essential tools (tone of voice/ style guide to ensure consistency across channels)Forward planning (editorial schedules aligned to marketing/PR strategy)

Newsgathering (sourcing stories inside and outside of the business)

Weekly editorial meetings with cross-business team (propose, review, discuss stories)

Publishing process (assigning research, writing, editing, proofing, go-live – with deadlines – to named individuals)

Channel management (tracking impact and interactions, marketing/amplifying stories)

As we’ve said, content should have a purpose – a goal. And therefore you need to be constantly measuring its success, whether using sales or engagement measures.

Create goals that make a difference. These goals should be specific and actionable, and they should impact the bottom line. Identify actions for all segments and goals. Types of goals could include:

• branding/awareness (tracked by research into customer attitudes and affinity towards the brand, or likelihood to recommend)

• engagement (shares, follows, subscriptions)

• marketing (lead generation)

• sales (time to sale, wins)

• retention (renewals, repeat purchases)

• understanding (improved knowledge about products and services for staff, partners and customers)

• website traffic (unique visitors, page views, traffic referred from search engines)

Ready to build your content brand?

We hope this guide will set you on the path to building a great Content Brand – if you’d like any help or advice along the way, we’d love to hear from you.

For an informal chat, email Paul Williams, client director: paulwilliams@speakmedia.co.uk

Contact detailsSpeak Media12 Links YardSpelman StreetLondon E1 5LX

Telephone020 7375 1253

Emailpaulwilliams@speakmedia.co.ukgeorgetheohari@speakmedia.co.uktandoan@speakmedia.co.uk

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