How to tell if your content sucks

Emily Shelley, managing director

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The 5 signs your content sucks and what to do about it

Here are some of our clients…

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1. You’ve forgotten what it’s for

Content marketing

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Before you start…

WHY are we doing it?

WHO are we doing it for?

WHAT is the key message?

Letting Go of

the Words

Ginny Redish

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What’s your mission?

An example…

“Welcome to Inc.com, the

place where entrepreneurs and

business owners can find

useful information, advice,

insights, resources and

inspiration for running and

growing their businesses.”

Another definition of strategy…

‘A reason to say NO

to things.’

Professor Michael Porter

2. It’s all about you

Velocity

Doug Kessler

It’s not about you…

Content marketing starts with what your prospects need to find out about, not what you need to tell them.

“My first vacation epiphany

occurred while taking my two

dogs for a walk on the beach at

6 one evening in early August.

“I’ve always considered walking

the dogs obligatory but not

especially enjoyable…”

Alchemy Worx

Dela Quist

Think about value, not relevance

‘It’s not about relevance, it’s about value. What value are you offering people in your emails as a thank you to them for staying on you list?’

Who are you creating content for?

Half of all b2b researchers are Millennials

Google/Millward Brown Digital, B2B Path to Purchase Study, 2014

Employee influence on purchase decisions

Google/Millward Brown Digital, B2B Path to Purchase Study, 2014

Create content personas in an hour

• List your target groups

• Compare their content needs

• Take out overlaps

• Make characters for each

• Who are they? What are their problems?

• How can you make their day better?

3. Your ideas are the same as everyone else’s

How inspired are your ideas meetings?

Managing Director, Sticky Content

Emily Shelley

“You can’t be a thought leader if you don’t have any thoughts”

2. Use your content personas

3. Think format1. Stick to the mission

How not to suck at ideas…

Tried and trusted digital formats

FAQStep-by-step

Q&A

Document summary

Timeline / chronology

Product page

Case study

Wh

at is

… ?

Ho

w to

… ?

User g

uid

e

Facts at a glance

New

s s

tory

Menu

TestimonialBuyer’s guide

Ch

ecklis

t

Destin

atio

n g

uid

e

Biography

Factfile

Top 10 tips

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4. You can’t recognise it

“It's the size of a paperback book but possesses the computing power of a laptop. The 345g lightweight and compact tablet can be operated with a single hand -ideal when you're on the go.”

“It can do just about everything and be just about anything. And because it’s so easy to use, it’s easy to love.”

“Play music through a Bluetooth speaker. Change channels on your HDTV while you tweet. Share photos on the big screen with one-touch mirroring”

Spot the brand

Spot the brand

What is tone of voice?

Tone of voice is the way your organisation would speak if it were a person.

Who speaks like this?

‘In event of fire,

avoid use of lift’

Would anybody NOT say what you’re saying…

‘Simply put, our

100% web-based

software solutions

are designed by

industry specialists

for industry

specialists’

Crack your tone of voice – fast

1. Nail your values

2. Rank against channels

3. Rank against personas

4. Make before & afters

5. Capture it and share!

5. You don’t ever learn

“My first vacation epiphany

occurred while taking my two

dogs for a walk on the beach at 6

one evening in early August.

“I’ve always considered walking

the dogs obligatory but not

especially enjoyable…”

Review your briefs

©PA.

Download the results

Think of your brief as your content’s passport

©PA.

+ 24%

The golden rule

“Everything you publish is a

chance to learn something –

whether about your

audience, about your brand,

or about you. Make the

most of that opportunity”

5 signs your content sucks:

1. You’ve forgotten what it’s for

2. It’s all about you

3. Your ideas are the same as everyone else’s

4. You can’t recognise it

5. You don’t ever learn

What to do about it:

1. Agree a mission statement

2. Make some content personas

3. Think of formats and use them for ideas

4. Create tone of voice guidelines

5. Use briefs and review, test, and learn

Get your free templates for the lot!

Thank you!

www.stickycontent.com

emailus@stickycontent.com

@StickyEmily