content marketing & the earned media revolution (pram 2014)

Content Marketing: The Earned Media Revolution 2014 PRAM Conference

Kevin Briody @kevinbriody

Generating earned media used to be

the special domain of PR and the tools

of that trade

media was the primary non-paid path

to the audience

Today, brands are telling their own

stories

direct to the audience without filter, interpretation

bypassing the media

relying on mechanisms such as organic search and social

media spread to drive that wonderful earned media

AUDIENCE

METRIC

TACTIC

Media & Influencers Influencers & Customers

Placement & Tone Organic Search & Social Spread

Relationship – Pitch Brand-Created Stories

Worth Sharing

Result? It’s getting crowded out there

social media was just the

start of the change

content marketing turns generating earned media

into an omni-channel marketing function

everyone is piling on:

agency partners internal teams

every kind of expert

“Content marketing is the technique of

creating and distributing relevant and valuable

content to clearly defined and understood

audiences - with the objective of driving

profitable customer action.”

-PACE

content marketing

≠ simply

storytelling

“Content marketing is the technique of

creating and distributing relevant and valuable

content to clearly defined and understood

audiences - with the objective of driving

profitable customer action.”

-PACE

Content marketing is not new

aka branded publishing,

custom content

PACE has been doing it for 40 years…

So why is it all the rage now?

1.  Distribution got vastly cheaper 2.  We figured out how to prove it works 3.  Rise of social media catalyzed demand

for engaging content

2013  Content  Marketing  Institute  /  MarketingProfs

86%USE CONTENT MARKETING

14%DO NOT USE CONTENT MARKETING

84%USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO DISTRIBUTE CONTENT

16%DO NOT USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO DISTRIBUTE CONTENT

The evidence of the wave is in…

What does the rise of content marketing mean for PR?

Remember the crowd I mentioned?

It’s like an earned media rager out there!

But the questions this raises for PR, and the industry as a whole, are immense…

Who owns content marketing within brand walls?

PR, Marketing, Brand, Social, Support… A cross-audience “content” function? Varies by desired goal: brand affinity, satisfaction, reach/impressions, sentiment, e-commerce, retail referrals, etc.

How do we measure success against those goals?

Blending web analytics, social

analytics, PR metrics, & omni-channel

attribution modeling

…don’t forget endless performance optimization

Who do brands partner with? AORs (Creative, Digital, PR) Specialists (Content, Social

Media, SEO) Technology Shops

Everyone is building a content practice or toolset, but each with a distinct flavor and focus.

What skills, work experience, and functional specialists are the best fit?

Editors, journalists, PR, marketers, content strategists…?

Social media as a guide to content marketing’s future? ü  Massive hype and

expectations ü  Rise of specialists ü  Everyone jumps in the

pool ü  Ownership battles ensue

and PR stakes a claim ü  Transformation from

discrete strategy to ingredient tactic

ü  Still unsettled…

Where does PR ultimately fit into the emerging content marketing mix?

Traditional PR skills and expertise are essential in a content marketing world Mastery of storytelling, working with editors and journalists Expertise with timely content & how to influence the news cycle Knowledge of identifying and engaging influencers Generating earned media

“Content marketing is the technique of

creating and distributing relevant and valuable

content to clearly defined and understood

audiences - with the objective of driving

profitable customer action.”

-PACE

what’s unspoken is the how

PR = Earned Media

Specialists Content

Marketing Social Media

Influencer & Media

Engagement

Thanks!

Kevin Briody SVP, Content Marketing

kevin.briody@paceco.com @kevinbriody

Image Credits Images not listed were sourced through iStockPhoto or provided by my employer. All others found via Creative Commons search on Flickr and Compfight. Flickr source user listed by slide, with apologies for any slight errors: 2. WilsonRivera 3. muffin9101985 5 & 14. marfis75 7. armadillo444 13. LizGrace 15. Penuja 16. Panouino 17. Filmingilman 18. Livenature 19. spblatt 23. Damianhopper 25. Mformatthjis (background image)