Developing a content marketing strategy. How to be more efficient and effective with your association communications

By Roslyn Atkinson Head of Client Services & Strategy Mahlab Media

AuSAE Conference & Exhibition 2015

How communications and marketing has changed.

It started with print…

…then came the internet…

…search engines helped to organise the information…

…social media showed us that the internet is as much about sharing information as it is about reading information…

…and smartphones mean we can access information and connect with each other at any time from anywhere.

Availability of information

Accessibility of information

Expectations are higher because we have less time.

We’re busy consuming content across multiple channels.

We are empowered.

If content isn’t relevant or interesting enough, we simply do this…

Associations no longer have a captive audience that can only be reached by advertising in your print magazine/journal.

Few associations can rely on advertising to cover the cost of their communications, content and publishing any more (if in fact it ever did).

Communications are no longer just about sharing knowledge and information.

They’re about building trust with your audience, so that when the time comes, they’re more likely to buy from you than someone else.

Awareness

Lead generation

Lead nurture

Sales team

Buy

er’s

jour

nery

Build trust &Social proof

Conversion/return on investment

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So what’s at the bottom of the sales funnel for associations?

1. Member engagement.

2. Membership renewals.

3. New members.

4. Brand profile and perception of value.

5. Sales of products and services (events, courses, insurance etc)

6. Advertising revenue.

Six ways content creates value for associations.

If you want your member communications to deliver a return on investment, they must motivate action.

Four ways content motivates action.

1. The power of INFORMATION to help your audience.

2. The power of STORIES to emotionally influence decisions.

3. The power of SHARED CONTENT to create community.

4. The power of EXPERIENCES to build trust.

1. Information.• News

• Technical articles

• Infographics

It’s all about being useful, relevant and timely.

www.insuranceandrisk.com.au

NIBA TV

www.mortgageandfinancehelp.com.au

2. Stories.

• Profiles

• Opinion pieces

• Case studies

It’s all about being emotive and creating empathy.

Demonstrate shared values and build trust.

HRM TV

3. Shared content.• Shared content on social media.

• User-generated content.

• Comments.

• Forums and discussion groups.

Help people help each other and generate social proof to influence buying decisions.

Pinterest page for ASCD.

An example of shareable content on the ASCD Pinterest page.

The member-only LinkedIn group for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

4. Experiences.

• Print magazines - if these aren’t a great experience in terms of content, design and paper stock, they’re a waste of time.

• Videos - make sure they’re worth the time people invest in watching them.

• Webinars, events - ensure they are great experiences, not just vehicles for learning.

Member magazine for Probus South Pacific.

Perception of value.You (probably) wouldn’t go to a meeting with a member or prospective member wearing trackie daks.

Your brand profile should be just as well-dressed as you would be, to match your organisation’s personality.

Why is brand profile important?

emotional decisions

Remember that no matter how smart we are, we all make

rational justifications.

and seek

Ten things you need to implement a content marketing strategy.

A documented strategy with clear goals.

1

Level 1 goals: support strategic goals

12 months +

Level 2 goals: support marketing goals

6-12 months

Is your audience taking the right actions to achieve

on your objectives?

Level 3 goals: support tactics

1-6 months

What is working best?

For example:

Level 1 goal: Increase Convention registrations.

Level 2 goal: Drive traffic to Convention landing page.

Level 3 goal: Determine which stories are the most effective in driving traffic to the Convention landing page.

2

A content-first approach.

EMAIL LINKEDIN WEBSITE MAGAZINE VIDEO

CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT

The Typical approach

A content-first approach

EMAIL LINKEDIN WEBSITE MAGAZINE VIDEO

Content

Don’t reinvent the wheel.Repurpose content.

What weighs more - a tonne of bricks or a tonne of feathers?

Some content is more valuable than others, like an ebook or a video compared to a tweet.

3A clear understanding of your audience needs.

Only two questions really matter:

• What are their challenges?

• What do they care about?

Are your ready surveys telling you this information?

Do you need better member research?

4Targeted content for audience segments.

Dynamic content - single enewsletter template that shows personalised content based on individual preferences.

Marketing automation - tailoring content to specific audience segments based on past behaviour.

Demographics - e.g. young, business owner, women.

Areas of interest - e.g. mining, finance, retail.

Value - e.g. highest paying/most engaged members.

Behaviours - e.g. everyone who has clicked on a specific article or downloaded a piece of content.

Ways of segmenting.

5Mission statements for every channel.

Tip: Don’t try to do everything with every channel.

Powered - ejournal for Fitness Australia.

6Style guides and approvals processes.

7An editorial calendar.

Tip: Include your key marketing events in your editorial calendar so you can plan content around them.

8Good database and technology platforms.

9Processes for analysing, testing and optimising content.

Distribution and amplification strategies.

10

Basically that means:

How are you going to reach your audience?

Owned channels.

Website: search-engine optimised so content can be found through searches.

Emails: what’s the best frequency for your audience and budget?

Social media: where does your audience hang out?

Print magazines.

Earned channels.

PR: articles shared with other publications and media.

Social sharing: shareable content passed on by your audience.

Influencers: third parties and influential people who are happy to share your content.

Paid channels.

Paid promotions: LinkedIn and Facebook.

Content discovery: Outbrain, Taboola.

Banner ads and print ads.

So … does it work?

Here’s a case study.

Print magazine x2 p.a

Consumer content x3 per week

Enewsletterfortnightly

New members: Increased by 1,000 over 12 months.

Consumer profile: Traffic to ‘Find a broker’ page up by 98%.

Annual convention: Registrations up by 75% compared to last convention held in same location.

Annual awards: Record no. of nominations.

Results.

Follow Roslyn on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/roslynatkinson

Thank you.

For more great tips on content marketing for associations, visit www.mahlabmedia.com.au and subscribe to the enewsletter Curiosity.