An Introduction to Content Marketing

Steven Lewis

1. Introduction

The$map$of$this$course

There’s'nothing'new'about'content'marke4ng.'It’s'just'more'a8rac4ve'now'because'there'are'more'ways'to'get'your'content'out'to'more'people.'And'customers'are'bored'of'being'adver4sed'to.

Content marketing isn’t new

The$original$Michelin$Guide

American$Express’$Travel$&$Leisure$magazine

1971 1908

Na4ve'adver4sing'is'content'marke4ng'when'it’s'sandwiched'between'true'journalism'somewhere'like'a'newspaper'in'a'way'in'which'it’s'not'easy'to'dis4nguish'from'the'journalism.'Not'everyone'approves'but'not'na4ve'adver4sing'is'only'one'type'of'content'marke4ng.

h8ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_F5GxCwizc'

John Oliver on native advertising

2. One-off content marketing

Dissolve’s'Generic'Brand'Video'is'an'excellent'example'of'a'onePoff'piece'of'content'marke4ng.'ARer'you’ve'introduced'your'brand'to'1.5'million'people,'what'more'do'you'need'to'do?

h8ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YBtspm8j8M

When once might be enough

The content marketing transaction

What'you'want'

people'to'know

What'they'want'to'know

80%20%

Even'when'you’re'talking'about'yourself'in'content'marke4ng,'it'should's4ll'overlap'with'what'your'readers'want'to'know'so'it’s'as'interes4ng'as'possible.'This'isn’t'straight'marke4ng.

3. Websites

Live4&h8p://www.live4.com.au'Open&Forum&h8ps://www.americanexpress.com/us/smallPbusiness/openforum/explore/'Ruby&Connec4on&h8p://rubyconnec4on.com.au

Examples of content marketing websites

Sites$like$Live4$are$more$than$campaigns:$they$take$a$commitment

4. The importance of strategy

Social'media'are'fun'—'even'“sexy”,'if'you'must'—'but'there'has'to'be'an'impact'on'the'bo8om'line,'whether'it’s'in'sales'or'in'general'brand'awareness.

It’s easy to forget the why when what you’re doing is fun

5. You don’t own Facebook

“Owned” media are sometimes just borrowed

There’s$liCle$recourse$when$your$account$is$shut$down$by$a$goliath$social$media$company

Facebook pages are sometimes described as “owned” media because it’s “your” Facebook page. But you don’t own what you don’t ultimately control, especially where the provider is making you no promises.

6. Facebook

Why is your audience in Facebook?

SomeFmes$the$80:20$rule$doesn’t$seem$to$apply

Just because your audience has a Facebook account (because over a billion people do) doesn’t mean they’re on Facebook looking for information about you. Before you invest time in Facebook, think about that.

7. Ebooks

Ebooks convert

Books$sFll$equal$credibility$hCp://amzn.to/14OU11v$

Ebooks are great ways to build credibility and as an incentive to readers to sign up for a mailing list, for instance. They’re also a great way to repurpose content you’ve already put on your website.

8. Podcasting

Podcasting

Equipment$doesn’t$have$to$be$expensive,$and$some$you$might$already$have.

Check out the Taleist Content Marketing Podcast at:!!

http://bit.ly/TaleistPodcasts!!

More about Rode’s SmartLav+ here:!!

http://www.smartlav.com

9. Webinars

Webinars are easy

Webinars$are$easy$to$run$and$effecFve$ways$of$gauging$interest$in$a$product$or$service

Webinars are growing in popularity, partly because they’re cheap to run and also because they save time for presenters and attendees, none of whom has to leave their desks to participate.!!

We use WebinarJam:!http://bit.ly/webjam15*

*$If$you$end$up$buying,$we$do$get$a$commission$but$we$only$recommend$what$we$think$is$great

10. Infographics

Highly shareable

Taleist’s$infographic$on$corporate$videoVmaking

Infographics are another inexpensive and popular way to attract an audience. Tweets with images, for instance, are at least 25% more likely to be shared. The public loves information in an easily digestible form.!!

The Australia Street infographic discussed in the talk is here:!!

http://bit.ly/AustraliaStreet !!

11. Instagram

People gather for a picture

Sweaty$BeCy/Roxy$Jacenko$on$Instagram$hCp://instagram.com/sweatybeCypr$

Images get shared. Instagram is short on words but a picture more than makes up for that to millions of users.!!

Brands and individuals are building enthusiastic followers in Instagram.!

12. LinkedIn

Building a personal brand

LinkedIn$now$allows$you$to$blog,$even$if$you’re$not$Bill$Gates:$hCp://www.linkedin.com/today/posts/williamhgates$

LinkedIn is a place to build a corporate brand and a personal brand.!!

Even if you’re not working on a corporate brand for an employer or client, you should be building your own.!

13. Blogging

The hub of hub-and-spoke

Blogs$are$a$fundamental$part$of$many$content$markeFng$strategies:$hCp://taleist.com.au/arFcles/$

Unlike other “owned” media that might just be borrowed, a blog you definitely own (provided you host it yourself). Whether you call them blog posts, “articles” or something else, blogs build intellectual property and Google juice.!

14. YouTube

Video is eating other contentA billion people a day start their search for information in YouTube. Although the costs of producing video have come down, it’s still expensive relative to other content but it’s highly effective. The Volkswagen video on the left has been watched almost 200,000 times:!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ynove5gij8!

15. Pinterest

PinterestPinterest shouldn’t be dismissed lightly, unless your audience is almost exclusively men. Pinterest drives more ecommerce than any other social network per head.!

hCp://www.pinterest.com/lornajaneacFve/

16. TV

If you have the moneyBrands like Chipotle and Subway are promoting themselves with TV shows. The ratio might have to be lower than the 20 of 80:20 but the reach can be extreme.!!

In Australia Intrepid Travel, Old El Paso and Travel Insurance Direct clubbed together to send a couple of Masterchef contestants to film a YouTube series in Mexico:!!https://www.youtube.com/user/andyallencooks !

hCp://farmedanddangerous.com

17. Recap

Opportunities aboundThere have never been more channels and people have never consumed more content than they are now. With clever thinking and a clear strategy, every brand has an opportunity to reach customers in more interesting and more fruitful ways.!

18. The 80:20 rule

A time and a place

Content$markeFng$isn’t$about$selling,$it’s$about$building$a$relaFonship$with$your$customers$by$being$of$service

There’s a time and a place for talking about yourself and you probably have marketing channels for that already. Content marketing is about talking about what your customers are already interested in and building an affinity with them as an audience. It’s not a direct sales tool, nor is it for PR.!

What'you'want'people'to'know

What'they'want'to'know

80%20%

19. The right message in the right place

Be where they want you to be

Where$is$your$audience$and$what$are$they$doing$when$you$want$to$reach$them?

If your audience is looking for career advice, LinkedIn is probably a better place to be than Facebook. If they’re short on time but spend a lot of it in their cars, a podcast might be the answer.!

20. Strategy

SOSTAC

You$can’t$get$where$you$want$to$go$if$you$don’t$first$work$out$where$you$are$and$where$you$want$to$be

Situation!Objectives!Strategy!Tactics!Action!Control!!

More on SOSTAC from its creator, PR Smith:!!

http://prsmith.org/sostac/ !

21. Time tracking

Know where the time goes

At$Taleist$we$use$Harvest$to$track$Fme.$hCps://www.getharvest.com

Content marketing takes time. When you’re trying to work out what it costs you, it helps to know how much time you’re putting in. It’s probably more than you think.

22. Assigning value

What’s a lead worth to you?

A$new$client$is$worth$much$more$to$Catriona$Pollard$than$what$it$cost$her$to$give$away$her$book$on$launch:$hCp://bit.ly/u2expert$

When you’re measuring the return on your investment in content marketing, you have to know what you’re valuing. The value of a like on Facebook will be different to you from the value to someone else. If you’re selling million-dollar houses, one more enthusiastic bidder at an auction could cover the entire cost of your content marketing.

23. The buyer’s journey

The questions a buyer asks

Every$Google$search$is$a$quesFon.$Content$markeFng$helps$you$to$be$the$answer.

Ultimately, you’re trying to be the answer to your customers’ questions. Part of your content marketing approach should be asking yourself what questions your customers are asking so you can make sure your information is there when they’re looking.

24. Buyer personas

The simple questions

The$more$you$know$about$your$customers’$interests,$the$more$they’ll$be$interested$in$your$content

Asking questions about your customers helps you to build a picture of different kinds of customers. It’s easier to write something that will be interesting to your audience when you’re clear on who they are and what interests, motivates and moves them.

25. The technology

The right equipment for the job

The$more$ways$you$know$how$to$tell$a$story$—$wriFng,$audio,$video$—$the$more$producFve$you$can$be

Storytelling today often calls for the same story to be told in words — books, articles, blog posts, Tweets, status messages… — and audio and video. You would have needed half a dozen people and a van for all that equipment before. Today it fits in a standard camera bag.

The Zoom H6 recorder can be held in your hand for recording an interview or takes up to four external mics. It runs for hours on AA batteries.!http://bit.ly/Zoom_H6

Audio

The Rode Reporter is great for interviews, audio-only or on camera!http://bit.ly/Rode_Reporter

The Sound Grabber II is a reliable tool sitting on a desk!http://bit.ly/SoundGrabberII

DSLR cameras like the EOS 7D aren’t just for pictures. They shoot HD video and can be paired with the Zoom H6 and mics

Video/photography

Don’t let the retro styling fool you. The Fujifilm X100s takes amazing pictures and is almost pocket-sized

We can help you grow your business with content marketing.

Visit us at:Taleist.com.au