How to develop and execute your content strategy yourself

@RaniMonson@RainMakingMkt

How to Develop & Execute Your Content Strategy


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Your Content Strategy Formula

Your Brand+

Customers’ Concerns / Interests

+Relevant Topics

=Your Content Strategy


Seth Godin’s Definition of a Brand

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.


Your Brand• Brand is the single

largest asset of any organization

• Your job is to protect the brand by communicating clearly & consistently what the brand stands for– And what it doesn’t

represent


Source: SocialMediaToday


Your Branding• A clear set of short, concise

messages that communicate the benefits of the brand

• Establishing an image and communicating it consistently is required for any brand to establish itself and to build awareness

• This becomes the platform for all communication tactics and marketing efforts


Defining Your Brand

• Start with the 5 W’s– Who– What– Where– When – Why

• Don’t forget “how”


Be Memorable

• What is unique about your brand?

• How are you different from the competitor?

• Why are you the best firm for the job?


Stuck?• Ask you customers– Why did they hire you– Consider a survey

• Look at companies / brands you aspire to emulate

• Review keywords being searched for on Google in your field

• Know the competition


LET’S TALK ABOUT CONTENT ALREADY

@RaniMonson@RainMakingMkt @RaniMonson

What is Content, Exactly?

• Content = Information• Information (aka content) can take many

forms and formats– Text– Photos– Infographics– Testimonials– Audio– Video


Don’t Confuse Social Media With Content

• Businesses rush to jump on social media

• Often don’t stop to think– What they want to say– Who they want to say it to– aka a Content Strategy

• Key is to remember social media is a vehicle - only– It drives traffic to your content– But your content isn’t Social

Media


What Content Marketing Isn’t• A hard sell• A push of

your product / service / offering

• Icky


What’s Content Marketing Is:Content marketing is any marketing format that

involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers.


Examples:• White papers• ebooks• Infographics• Case studies• how-to guides• Q&A’s• Photos• Testimonials• Video• Audio

Content Marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers,

and customers into repeat buyers


Why Content Marketing Works• Demonstrates your

expertise• Provide a sense of who you

are and how you work – before they buy

• Create trust and loyalty when you’re giving something away for free– People buy from someone

they trust• Attract targeted prospects

aligned with your content


Expectations of Content Marketing

1) Brand awareness -- 79%2) Customer acquisition -- 74%3) Lead generation -- 71%


Importance of Content Increasing• 91% of now use content

marketing• 54% of plan to increase or

significantly increase content marketing spend over next 12 months

• On average, 33% of the marketing budget will be spent on B2B content marketing

• And the amount being spent is growing!– Hello career change!


The Smaller the Company (Budget)…

• The more important content marketing is

• Most cost-effective with the highest ROI


TELL ME HOW TO CREATE CONTENT ALREADY…


Your Content Strategy Formula

Your Brand+


+Relevant Topics



Think About Your Target Audience(s)

• Current Customers– Much cheaper /

easier to keep them vs. finding new ones

• New Customers• Are these the

“same” or “different”?


How Can You Help Them?• Share info that will

make them sleep better at night

• Help them do their job better

• Impress their boss• Sound super smart /

funny at a cocktail party

• Your content is for these people!!

• They are the essence of your content strategy


Frequency

• To-Do:– Identify how frequently

you can share content– Be realistic


Create a Content Calendar• It doesn’t have to be fancy• Make it something you will use


Content Calendar• Plan ahead to reinforce

your key messages• Block out rolling 13

months of what you know

• Holidays • Seasons• Industry events /

conferences• Your vacation


Drive Content Marketing Strategy from Your Blog


Identify | Create Content


Curate Content for Calendar• It Doesn’t All Have to be Original

– Content you curate is created by someone else– And you give them credit for their work

• Don’t plagiarize, steal, etc. – It’s bad content karma

• Sources:– Industry websites / trade publications /

analysts– Your business partners– Guest bloggers– Competitors


Create Evergreen ContentWhat is it?• It’s always relevant /

green• Plan: Ready ahead of

time• Have a list handy – plug

in as needed

Examples• FAQs• Case studies• Lessons learned• Recycle popular content• Guest writers• How-to guides• Q&A• Historical industry info• Calendar of events


Augment With Timely Content

Typically safe:• Industry news • Emerging trends• Data / facts • Research reports

Be careful with:• Current events• Politics• Religion


Share Content• Post to blog• Repost / repurpose

your own content– Share on LinkedIn /

social• Start a dialogue

– Email newsletter• To Do:– Identify where to

share


Additional Tips• Read your content to yourself

– out loud• Ask someone else to read it • It’s digital!

– You can always fix it later | Hit delete

• Schedule a deadline for yourself– Withhold things you like until

you do it• Yes punish yourself

• If it just isn’t going to happen…– Consider paying someone else

to do it– That way it will get done


Truth Is Always Stranger Than Fiction


Recap: Your Content Strategy Formula

Your Brand+


+Relevant Topics



Rani [email protected]

http://www.slideshare.net/ranimonson

mailto:[email protected]

How to develop and execute your content strategy yourself

Self Improvement

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