Marketers might easily dub this “The Year of Content Marketing.”
According to B2B Content Marketing: 2010 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends, nine out of 10 B2B marketers use content marketing to grow their business. Their most popular platforms?
- Social media – 79%
- Article posting – 78%
- Events – 62%
- eNewsletters – 61%
- Case Studies – 55%
- Blog – 51%
The numbers show a remarkable buy-in to content marketing
Yet these marketers also report some insecurity with certain aspects of content marketing. Here’s the stats on content marketing platforms and the percentage of marketers who feel less effective using them:
- Social media – 69%
- Blogs – 60%
- Articles – 54%
- White papers – 50%
At a time when prospects are becoming skittish about hard-sell tactics, we can agree content marketing is a great way to get our foot in the door. Yet many businesses don’t feel confident in their ability to create content.
Challenged by the need for regular, relevant content
Content marketing is where marketing and publishing converge.
But let’s be honest. In spite of their similarities, they’re very different industries. So when marketers dip their toes into content production, even seasoned pros may feel like they’re in over their heads.
To succeed, you’ve got to learn how to:
- Integrate content with your existing marketing plan.
- Turn stories into content.
- Create and maintain an editorial calendar.
- Track results using the proper KPIs (key performance indicators)
Integrate content with your marketing plan
Content marketing, like any marketing effort, must be tied to your marketing plan. Before laying a hand on your keyboard, think through your objectives.
What types of content do you want to product? Why? What do you want to achieve with it? Who will create it? Do you have sufficient budget to product the content? Is it what your clients need and want?
Turn stories into content
Content marketing is, at its simplest, telling your business’ stories in a relevant, engaging way. It’s a soft sell, aimed primarily at educating prospects, building credibility and creating value for current and potential clients.
One story can be turned into 1000 pieces of content through re-purposing, re-framing and re-imagining.
A tip: Rather than starting with your communication plan and trying to invent stories, start with a single story or idea, then build your communication plan around it.
Take your existing collateral and turn it into content. Write articles, tweets, white papers and videos. Present webinars, teleseminars and live events.
But don’t try to conquer Rome in a day. Start with one platform and become comfortable with it. Integrate it seamlessly into your existing marketing. Then, and only then, ease into another platform.
Create an editorial calendar
First decide how often you plan to publish your content. It needs to be regular so your readers will begin looking for it.
Next decide the subject matter you’d like to cover, the angle and tone you’ll adopt. Brainstorm with subject matter experts, writers, sales team and anyone else who has direct contact with your clients.
What questions are your prospects and clients asking? What do they want to know? Need to know? How can you make their life easier? How can you become their go-to resource?
Then write it down. Consider creating an Excel file with columns for the post date, author, title and/or subject, article objective, relevant keywords.
Remember to be flexible. If your sales message needs to change for any reason, go with the flow. If breaking news erupts in your industry, publish a special edition or off-calendar blog post. If possible, lead your industry. Hopefully, your clients will notice and turn to you when they have a need.
Key performance indicators
When thinking of KPIs, think metrics.
So, for instance, in your editorial calendar, add columns for number of views, comments, tweets and/or retweets, and likes.
Essentially, KPIs are concerned with efficiency and your reader’s behavior. They measure, among other things, readership, article influence, trends and cost.
As a marketer, you primarily need to worry about:
- Outcome. Tie your results to an objective.
- Objective. Have a defined, time-sensitive target value.
- Differential. Gauge performance by tracking the gap between your objectives and the actual outcome.
If your differential is off, consider revising your content. Talk to prospects and clients to find out what they want. And keep adjusting until you find the mark.
Content is like a new pet. It takes a while to figure it out: what it needs, how much it eats and how to keep it healthy. But once you’ve made it part of the family, it’s hard to imagine life without it.
Need help creating or maintaining your business’ content? Contact me. Your personalized consultation is free.
Have a great content marketing success story you’d like to share? Post your comments below.
