Wine & Web

Andy Crestodina@crestodina #wineweb

Content Strategy 101

Content Strategy

“Achieve business goals by maximizing the impact of content.”

Content Strategists…

Source: Contentini

are you writing for?

Who

1. Use Analytics Data• Pages/visit• Time on site

2. Keyword Expander

Who is Visiting Your Site?

Visitor Personas

Triggers

do they want to read?

What

Obvious, right?

1. Keywords2. Q&A Sites3. Listening

Sources of Topics

Topics: Google Suggest

Topics: Google Keyword Tool

Topics: Analytics

Topics: LinkedIn Answers

Topics: Quora.com

Topics: Listening

1. Sales Team2. Customer Service Team3. Client Stories

Source: Ann Handley

Source: Ann Handley

should you sound?

How

Choose your words

“Don’t think OF the market ….think AS the market”

Source: Social Triggers

Source

Latinate Words- More formal- Longer (polysyllabic)- Fancy, proper

Examplesacquire, transmit, construct, resist, deposit, imitate, determined

Choose your words

Anglo-Saxon Words- Less formal - Short (often monosyllabic)- Forceful, direct

Examplesget, send, build, stop, put, mock, set

LatinateWould you do me the honor of introducing me to this female acquaintance of yours?

Anglo-SaxonHey, that girl you were talking to is hot!Take me to her, will you?

Choose your words

Write like an 8th grader! …but don’t dumb it down

Choose your words

does this content come from?

Where

Customer Stories

Create

Imagine

Dream

Direct

“Brilliance” Is Less About How Well You…

Customer Stories Can’t Come From a Controlled Vision

Customer Stories

Facilitate

Capture

Glean

Listen

Customer Stories Become Your Story.

“Brilliance” Is More About How Well You…

Do Customer Stories Engage?

Business decision makers say:Friends & colleagues are the #1 influencer of B2B purchase decisions.

8 out of 10 consumers say that opinions and recommendations from people they don't know indicate brand quality and influence what they buy.

— Bazaarvoice Survey

70% of Content Marketers say: Case Studies are “Effective” or “Very Effective.”

—B2B Content Mktg: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets &Trends

Positioning Your Customer1. Make the customer

the HERO.

– They saved the day.

– They came up with the solution.

– They reaped the rewards.

You may have created the solution, but your customer owns the

experience.

Positioning Your Customer1. Make the customer the HERO.

Mentions of “Whirlpool” (customer) = 24

Mentions of “MediaLab” = 1

Check the ratio of Company to Customer mentions

Positioning Your Customer2. Make the customer RELATABLE.

VS.

Who would you rather meet?

Positioning Your Customer2. Make the customer RELATABLE.

“We saw a 76% lift in sales within the first 26 days.”

“Our team was floored. 75% lift in sales? We hadn’t seen that kind of spike in five years.”

Prepare to Listen

The Surprise StoryThe Assumed Story

Prepare to ListenPREP with WIDE-OPEN "questions.”

– B2B:• Tell me a little about your role at Acme. (B2B)• Describe the biggest challenge you face in your role. • Explain how your team is organized. (B2B)• Describe why you decided to start researching “X.”

– B2C:• Tell me about your family/car/dog/skin • Explain your desire for a better “X.” (B2C)• Describe how/why you decided to start shopping for “X.”

Maximize Your ROI (Return on Interview)

Contribute• Build a database of

content– White paper snippets– Case studies– Stats– Blog ideas– Anecdotes – Quotes– Future content

Distribute• Create a tagging strategy• Collaborate

Get Comfy• Set the stage.

– Introduce yourself– You’re here to hear their story.– Tangents are welcome.– Use questions as a reference… not a form.

Facilitate. Don’t interrogate.

Record It!• Let’s you be a reporter, not a

secretary

• Keeps it relaxed, conversational

• Let’s you bite off more than you can chew(you can chew it later!)

SoundNote

Unfold the Master Story• Transcribe First!• Highlight:

• Sound bites / Quotes• Background• Problem• Challenge• Resolution• Results• Tangents• Other relevant nuggets• Don’t fear emotional tidbits

Now think like a writer!

Maximize Your ROI (Return on Interview)

Contribute• Build a database of

content– White paper snippets– Case studies– Stats– Blog ideas– Anecdotes – Quotes– Future content

Distribute• Create a tagging strategy• Collaborate

Wine & Web

Andy Crestodina@orbiteers #wineweb

Thank you!