content activation: turning words into action
TRANSCRIPT
Content Activation:
Turning Words into Action
March 10, 2015Suzanne Carawan, Chief Marketing Officer, HighRoad Solution
Scott Oser, President, Scott Oser Associates
Megan Becker, Marketing Manager, Electronic Retailing Association
Agenda
• Introduction of Speakers
• Discussion #1: Define Content Marketing
• Our Working Definition of Content Marketing
• Where is the Market Now?
• Discussion #2: What Is Your Organization Doing?
• Essential Elements of Content Marketing
• Discussion #3 – Re-Purposing Conversation
• ERA: How We Got Started with Content Marketing
• Discussion #4 – Two Strategies
What is Content Marketing?
Discussion #1:
How do YOU define
Content Marketing?
How We Define Content Marketing:
• “Content marketing is a strategic marketing
approach focused on creating and distributing
valuable, relevant, and consistent content to
attract and retain a clearly-defined audience
— and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer
action.”
• Content Marketing Institute
2014 State of Digital Marketing Report
Conclusion: Associations are Behind
Are You Doing Content Marketing?
Discussion #2:
What is your association
doing in regards to
content marketing?
Essential Elements of Content Marketing
Content Strategy vs. Content Marketing“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach…
…focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content…”
Content Strategy vs. Content Marketing
Content Strategy: The “Brains” Bigger picture, goal oriented, drives the content marketing plan.
Content Marketing: The “Beauty” Tactical output and delivery of your content strategy.
Content StrategyDefine GoalsIdentify Audience(s)Develop Buyer Personas
Content Mission StatementTopic Areas
Channels and DeliveryContent Marketing Plan
Content Calendar
Content MarketingArticles News Releases
Blog Posts Online Community
Brochures PhotosCase Studies PodcastseBooks Print AdsEducation Sessions Social MediaEmail Testimonials
eNewsletters Videos
Infographics Webinars
Interviews White papers
Are You Re-Purposing Content?
Discussion #3:
Are you currently
re-purposing any of
your content?
ERA’s Approach to Content Marketing
• Goals: – Grow our list– Identify more lead opportunities for membership and
sales– Grow membership– Increase event attendance
• Target Audience: Direct Response Marketers– Though our membership is comprised of both marketers
and suppliers, our target audience for content is marketers.
• Buyer Persona: Marketing Mike– Who at each company typically makes buying decisions
as it relates to membership and sales– Budget Friendly Options
Content Strategy
X Define Goals
X Identify Audience(s)
XDevelop Buyer Personas
Content Mission Statement
Topic Areas
Channels and Delivery
Content Marketing Plan
Content Calendar
Buyer Persona: Marketing Mike
Buyer Persona: Marketing Mike
Content Mission Statement
• “Welcome to the Electronic Retailing Association (retailing.org), the place where direct response marketers can find useful information, insights, and resources for growing their business.”
The content mission statement addresses:
• The core target audience: direct response marketers
• What will be delivered to the audience: useful information, insights, and resources
• The outcome for the audience: growing their business
Content Strategy
X Define Goals
X Identify Audience(s)
XDevelop Buyer Personas
XContent Mission Statement
Topic Areas
Channels and Delivery
Content Marketing Plan
Content Calendar
Topic Areas• 10 overarching topic areas identified by
Content Committee.
• These topic areas address the problems
that our target audience is facing.
Topic Areas
Advocacy Brand Marketing Consumer Behavior Digital Marketing Traditional DRTV E-Commerce International Markets Retail Self-Regulation Support Services
Consumer Behavior
(Sub-Categories)
Buying Habits Consumer Demographics Consumer Trends
Content Strategy
X Define Goals
X Identify Audience(s)
XDevelop Buyer Personas
XContent Mission Statement
X Topic Areas
Channels and Delivery
Content Marketing Plan
Content Calendar
Channels and Delivery
Blog.Retailing.org
Content Strategy
X Define Goals
X Identify Audience(s)
XDevelop Buyer Personas
XContent Mission Statement
X Topic Areas
XChannels and Delivery
Content Marketing Plan
Content Calendar
Content Calendar and Plan In Action
Content Strategy
X Define Goals
X Identify Audience(s)
XDevelop Buyer Personas
XContent Mission Statement
X Topic Areas
XChannels and Delivery
XContent Marketing Plan
X Content Calendar
Success of Our BlogThe blog is the beating heart of ERA’s Content Marketing Strategy.
ERA Blog Views by month since June 2014
Member Feedback and Engagement
Written Directly to our CEO About Our Blog:
• Blog content has been excellent. I feel I have read more information on the blog type formats you are sending out in the past 6 months than in all my years combined. They are short yet informative.
• Content is exactly what has been talked about for years. I feel the transition has happened where ERA is becoming a true multiplatform association and not just TV.
Get Started: DRTV eBook – June 2014
1. Start small and see what happens.
2. Don’t lose faith if it doesn’t work, try something else.
3. Test, Test, Test….and Test, again.
519 Views351 Submissions67 New Contacts
The Not-So-Successful Attempts
What do all of these have in common?
Expert Predictions for 2015 – Jan 2015
So how did we take one
piece of content and turn
it into 11+++ pieces of
content?
Content Re-Purposing at It’s FinestTopic: Web Optimization for Direct Response
Speaker: Oded Noy
Pre-Show Speaker Interview
1. Video Interview2. Blog Post
3. In-Person Education Session
4. Post-SessionSpeaker Interview
5. Post-Session Video Recording
Blogging: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…
11 (coming soon!)
Web Optimization for Direct Response eBook
+ relevant content+ engagement+ lead generation+ list growth
The +++
• Give the audience what they want, what they respond to
• Produce valuable content
• Find ways to build “content momentum” through re-purposing
Moving Forward
Discussion #4: Two Strategies
Discussion #4:
What are the two things you’re going to do when
you get back to your office?
Resources for You
• Content Marketing Playbook:
– Content Marketing Plan Methodology
– Assets Database Template
– Contributor Directory
– Content Quality Assessment Tool
– Content Editorial Calendar
• HighRoadU www.highroadu.com
Resources:
State of Digital Marketing in
Associations Report
• Download the Report:
• http://pages.highroadsolution.com/2014digitalmarketing
• Participate in 2015 Survey:
• http://pages.highroadsolution.com/take2015report
Continue the Conversation
Register: http://pages.highroadsolution.com/lunchbunch
Contact Us
Suzanne Carawan
Chief Marketing Officer
HighRoad Solution
703.297.8480
@suzannecarawan
Scott Oser
President
Scott Oser Associates
301-279-0468
@scottoser
Megan Becker
Marketing Manager
Electronic Retailing Association
703-908-1021
@meganbecker_era