How to Win at Content Marketing
Webinar Key Takeaways
01 Sales, Savings & Sunshine
Key Takeaways
Meet the Speakers
02 Create a Marketing Mission Statement
03 Don’t Build a Content Ship on Rented Land
04 Leverage Influencers That Build an Audience
05 Open Up Your Wallet
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Sales, Savings and Sunshine
Sunshine, huh? Pulizzi said that sunshine stands for happy customers — now you’re speaking my language! Pulizzi emphasized the importance of setting content goals, while not forgetting about the “why?” For example, why are we advertising on Facebook? Who on this channel are we looking to go after? What stage of the funnel are they in? How can we convince them to convert? Or how can we retain our current customers? Asking these critical questions, setting goals, and implementing a content strategy are essential steps in creating effective content in Pulizzi’s mind. Pulizzi ran through a few real-world examples. My favorite was Copyblogger, a company which I hadn’t heard of prior but has apparently built their business on content, with 90% of their revenue coming from their blog subscribers. This is pretty impressive, and poking around their site, I can see why. Their blog is attractive, well-written with personality and straightforward language, and there are attractive call-to-actions to subscribe to the blog in some essential parts of their website. So how do they make money exactly? Copyblogger makes money by selling an online marketing platform, so they are essentially a B2B software company, not unlike us here at WordStream. But how is Copyblogger relevant to Pulizzi’s element? Well, they set out with the goal of capturing blog subscribers, working them down the funnel, and converting them into leads, and clearly their content has been quite successful in doing so.
Key Takeaway
Joe Pulizzi Author and Founder of Content Marketing Institute
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Create a Marketing Mission Statement
Thanks for the mind-blowing insight Joe...of course you need a mission statement. This content marketing tip stuck out as a bit obvious, but Pulizzi did hit on some crucial parts of what this statement needs to include. The most important thing is your audience! Pulizzi told us about a humorous time when a customer told him she has 18 personas…really? 18? That is way too many! Your audience needs to be summed up by one or two short descriptions. Who are you targeting? Mothers? Entrepreneurs? Architects? Beer-bellied fraternity bros? Whoever it is, figure it out and incorporate them right into your mission statement so your audience knows that you are talking to them. Your mission statement should also address what will be delivered to your audience, and what the outcome will be. Most important, your mission statement should serve as a guideline to direct all content. What is important to note is that this statement does not highlight what Inc. or Home Made Simple are selling, but instead focuses on what each company stands for. Your company's mission statement should be on every content creator’s mind when writing, but also shared and embraced throughout the entire company.
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"Your mission statement should serve as a guideline to direct all content."
- Joe Pulizzi, Author and Founder of Content Marketing Institute
Don’t Build a Content Ship on Rented Land
This Pulizzi point is really focused on subscribers as the most important means of evaluating if your strategy is working or not. Pulizzi has found this to be the most important metric to analyze, and is baffled by why people hone in on traffic to the site over these loyal content consumers. In reality, even if your traffic to the site is high, it does not mean those visitors are returning anytime soon. A large chunk of them likely took an accidental turn off the wrong exit (think about how many sites you visit and never return to), but subscribers are the people you can actually communicate directly with and influence. Once you have your subscriber base do some analysis to find what is so different between those who subscribe and those who don’t. For example, subscribers to thinkMoney trade 5X more than their other customers. Getting the right content to the right people is key!
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Subscribers trade
5X
more than their other customers.
Leverage Influencers That Build an Audience
This was my favorite Pulizzi point, and something that WordStream founder Larry Kim has drilled into my head time and time again. Think of your influencers as the people, blogs, and sites where you target consumers are hanging out. What you need to do is jump in and steal that audience from these influencers and competitors. This sounds a bit scary, right? Well, there are several ways to get your content in front of your target audience without looking like a jerk. Before online influencer marketing became a major “thing” (and way before it was legitimized as a structured technique or a lucrative career path), it was known as word-of-mouth marketing. As a kid, I learned about the concept by way of a popular commercial for Faberge Organics, in which a smiling Heather Locklear shared her secret for bouncy hair with two friends, who in turn told two friends, and so on, and so on … Though the underlying mechanisms of the “tell-a-friend” technique remain largely unchanged, social media has fueled its evolution into a strategic discipline infinitely more targeted, impactful, and scalable than anything Faberge’s marketing team could have predicted. Follow these steps to expand your content reach:
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Create an Influencer Hit List Pulizzi provided this tip, and it makes sense. You need to know who you are targeting in order to be successful. For example, if you are selling running gear you would ideally want to be picked up by Active.com or RunnersWorld. Put yourself in the shoes of your target buyer and think about where they likely consume content online. Still struggling to build your list?
Utilize Social Media to Build Relationships with Influencers The great thing about social networks like Twitter and Facebook is that virtually everyone who is anyone is on them (including your audience and influencers).Make online friends with some of your top industry influencers by tweeting out their content, liking their stuff, telling them how great they are, basically just some good, old schmoozing. If you do it enough they will eventually notice, likely follow you, and hopefully notice your awesome content and link out to it or incorporate it into their own content. This will lead to their audience finding you, and becoming a customer (in an ideal world)!
Excerpt from Webinar
Open Up Your Wallet
Alright, not all of us are rolling in dough. But, being in the paid search industry, I have to agree that throwing down some greenbacks is important when it comes to reaching your audience. The world (especially the web) is cluttered with content and marketers can no longer rely on just well-written blog posts or SEO best practices. So where should you spend your money? This of course depends on where your audience is hanging out, but here are a few place to start: Google AdWords I’d be willing to wager that your audience searches on Google like the rest of the world, so getting started with paid search is probably a good idea. The issue is staying relevant and targeting your industry niche. Make sure to do your research and actually learn PPC, or you may as well toss your budget into a dumpster. Check out WordStream’s PPC University to get started. Social Media Each platform is different. For example, Pinterest might not be the best option for an accounting firm, but it would probably knock it out of the park for a cooking or home decor magazine. Check out Social Media Examiner’s resource guide to determine where to start.
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Joe Pulizzi
Author and Founder of Content Marketing Institute
Joe Pulizzi is one of the world's top content marketing authorities. He has founded three companies, including the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), launched dozens of events, including Content Marketing World.
Eric Jensen
Vice President & General Manager, Vertiv
Eric Jensen directs strategy for our global embedded firmware operations and now leads converged systems business. Prior to Vertiv, he served in leadership roles for telecommunications and semiconductor technology companies in the US and Europe.
Bill Kleyman
Contributing Editor, Data Center Knowledge
Bill Kleyman has more than 15 years of experience in enterprise technology. He also enjoys writing, blogging, and educating colleagues about tech. His published and referenced work can be found on Data Center Knowledge, AFCOM, ITPro.
Patrick Quirk
Patrick Quirk directs strategy for our global embedded firmware operations and now leads converged systems business. Prior to Vertiv, he served in leadership roles for telecommunications and semiconductor technology companies in the US and Europe.
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From objectives and strategy to hands-on tips. In this webinar, you're taken through the steps you need to succeed with content marketing. You also learn 5 epic tips that you can apply to your content marketing right away.
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