content marketing strategy proposal – elefint designs

Hult International Business School

Action Project Final Report Hult International Business School

Inna Pashnyak Vivica Pietz Leonardo Piuimi Isha Punjabi

Brett Ruffenach Athi Sheanakul Nicole Wolf

Action Project: Elefint Designs �1


Executive Summary 3

Overview 5

Studio Positioning & Value Proposition 7

Proposed Strategy 9

Benefits from Solution 15

Implementation 17

Key Performance Indicators 19

Closing Recommendation 22

Appendix 23

Bibliography 25



Executive Summary

“Ultimately, thought leadership is one of the outcomes of a solid content strategy. And content is bigger than marketing” (Forbes, 2013).

Elefint designs is a strategic design agency for good causes, using the power of visualizations

to drive action and create a better world. In order to tackle the inconsistency in its business

operations, widen the target group (higher awareness with B-Corporations and social

enterprises) and create a more credible and sustainable media identity, Elefint reached out to

Phat Mouse Consulting. The challenge consisted of overcoming and responding to the

outlined issues and goals by developing a content marketing strategy, which would position

Elefint as thought leader in its industry. Outcomes from the client meetings and results from

the secondary research about the agency and good cause sector led Phat Mouse to the

creation of three initial approaches - establish a thought leadership role through a) academic

journals b) emotional storytelling or c) the focus on info - and motion graphics. Further

considerations about the market, competitors and of Elefint´s strengths in addition to deeper

client discussions led to a merge of all three routes resulting into one 360 degree approach:

strategic storytelling. By putting Elefint´s clients in the center and using past and future

projects as main source of content, not only the relationship with stakeholders but also the

outreach and content sustainability will be improved. With the help of theoretical concepts,

such as the Content Marketing Maturity model and Content Strategy Quad a two-sided

strategy was developed, consisting of an emotional and rational communication. The idea

does not only appeal to a diverse target group but but also develops an unique multi-channel

approach. The result is a sustainable content ecosystem, which can be easily created and

maintained with Elefint´s current resources. To provide a flawless and immediate

implementation Phat Mouse in the last step created a five year action plan. Short-term goals

focus on generating as much valuable content as possible for a diverse target group.

Medium-term aspirations consist of increasing the customer base. Lastly, in the long - term

relationships should be maintained and familiarity increased, resulting into a growing

customer base.



In regard to the opening quote, Phat Mouse’s idea will not only deliver beneficial and credible

but also sustainable (solid) content to Elefint designs. As a result the aimed thought

leadership positioning will naturally be created - outperforming any previous marketing

activities.



Overview

Elefint Designs is a studio based in San Francisco that aims to provide strategic design

solutions for companies and organizations working to create a positive impact on society.

Started in 2009, Elefint has expanded its range of services to include brand identity,

infographics, print, web/UX, strategy, and motion graphics. 2014 was a particularly successful

year for Elefint; with the introduction of two products – the Digital Annual Report (DAR) and

Framework Website – the agency increased their revenue by 10% and staff by ~50%. As this

studio grows, it has begun to face some challenges:

• Inconsistent Business Activity – The number of projects Elefint manages at any given

time in the year can fluctuate significantly, resulting in wasted time and resources.

This also limits the studio’s ability to strategically plan ahead.

• Limited client portfolio – While Elefint supports any type of company or organization

that has a positive cause, the vast majority of its current clients are non-profits, which

may hurt the brand and limit the studio’s ability to garner new business outside of the

non-profit space.

• Necessity for Familiarity in Sales Process – Elefint Designs tends to garner new

business solely through direct referral or networking. Limited resources (due to

inconsistent business activity) prevent the studios ability to win RFPs or larger

contracts with advanced spec work.

• Low resources for producing content - Elefint is a small studio and is no doubt limited

in its capacity to produce content on a regular basis. Elefint’s founder, Matt, is

currently the only one producing content. This capacity restriction helped shape our

content strategy to one that is sustainable.

Objective Elefint recently went through a rebranding in the last year, and with this have improved their

website content considerably. With client work, blog posts, and white papers being

produced, the studio has some compelling work that are well designed on their site.

Considering this, Elefint Designs approached Phat Mouse Consultancy to consider what

would be the best way to integrate a long-term content marketing strategy into their

business development activities.



Content marketing has grown in popularity as a digital marketing strategy over the last five

years. Based around a strategy that garners interest within a target market based on the

provision of free content relevant to their interests, companies of all shapes and sizes have

begun to use a strategy like this to increase their brand presence. One of the most prominent

thought leaders of content marketing is Joe Pullizzi, CEO of Content Marketing Institute.

Pillizzi describes a strong content marketing strategy based on two factors – one that

emphasizes info-based messaging, communicating that “I [the company] have these things

to say, Listen to me!”, or one that resource-based management that appeals to an audience,

saying “We [the company] understand you have these issues, let us help you solve

them!” (Anne Bailie, 2015).

A content marketing strategy can come in many shapes and sizes. A strategy employed by

companies as big as Salesforce and as small as a company like Elefint Designs, content

marketing can be applied to any type of organization. One marketing firm, Intentional

Designs, created their own framework to gauge a companies “content maturity” – that is,

how strategic their approach is to content marketing.


(Anne Bailie, 2011)


The Content Strategy Maturity Model focuses on gauging the efficacy of a companies

content strategy based on two variables: organizational confidence – the level of maturity

and expertise the entity holds in a specific space – and produces maturity – the level of

ability the organization has to produce and disseminate quality content. We found this to be

a highly effective way to gauge the two most important factors of a content strategy – what

you have to say and how capable you are at saying it.

Based on our research into Elefint’s current content marketing efforts, we placed the studio

at level 2: tactical. It’s clear that Elefint Designs has placed themselves in a unique position in

the design studio space by focusing on non-profit and social benefit corporations, and they

have the expertise to back it up. Additionally Elefint Designs is producing content – white

papers, blog posts, and examples of previous work with clients. This, however, does not have

a consistent and strategic approach. Blog posts can have anywhere between one day and

one month of a gap between them, and web traffic moving from their home page to the

blog is minimal – in last year alone, less than 5% of visitors to their website have visited the

blog.

Considering these factors – we sought to answer three questions:

1. How does Elefint become a thought leader in the field of strategic visual design?

2. What kind of content can Elefint create for their target market?

3. How can this content be created in a consistent and timely manner?

Studio Positioning & Value Proposition

Elefint positions itself as a cutting-edge design and strategy firm that caters to clients with a

mission to create a positive impact. Elefint is built on the foundation that nonprofits shouldn’t

be exempt from good design and that anyone should have access to top-quality work. One

of Elefint’s greatest strengths, as emphasized from past clients, is the firm’s ability to work

and listen to their client’s needs. Elefint’s rapport with clients goes above and beyond the

usual agency-client relationship. Moreover, Elefint’s unique selling proposition (USP) is their

unique approach to design which puts the firm at the nexus of both business strategy and

elegant, innovative design. Based off of this knowledge, Team Phat Mouse worked with

Elefint’s core strengths and USP to develop three possible content marketing schemes on

which to base our core content recommendation.



As described in the midterm review, these three routes-of-action focus primarily on allowing

Elefint to increase their trust and credibility within the good-cause space. Moreover, these

three strengths were chosen from our group’s hypotheses, backed by secondary research,

which confirmed that the following three propositions were vital to any content marketing

strategy.

Strength #1 Firstly, we determined that Elefint occupies a uniquely positioned role in the social sector.

This position must be reinforced and strengthened through the publication and

dissemination of academic articles through channels such as the Stanford Social Innovation

Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Beth Kanter’s Blog. In terms of thought leadership,

academic journals are a primary avenue for Elefint to establish itself. Elefint is extremely good

at design and strategy work and because of these strengths, academic writing should be at

the forefront of their content marketing strategy. Moreover, based on the Target client list

that was given to us at the beginning of our second meeting, these clients are most likely to

visit academic journals for information on good causes. We included academic content

publication as situation and strength number one as a way for Elefint to continue establishing

themselves in this academic space.

Strength #2 Storytelling is one of the most common themes our team came across in our research on

effective content marketing strategies. Furthermore, storytelling reinforces Elefint’s USP of

listening and keeping up good client relationships. It gives Elefint the ability to balance

strategy with design and thus creates compelling work worth talking about. Phat Mouse

picked a personal storytelling approach as a way for Elefint to continue good relationships

with their existing clients, and increase positive word of mouth awareness about the Elefint

brand. Storytelling is a strategy that benefits both the client side and Elefint’s side, as it gives

the clients exposure and awareness while giving a voice and personality to Elefint that is

lacking in the academic space.

Strength #3 Social media is a key facet of any content marketing strategy. Although difficult to measure in

terms of actual return on investment, social media helps build brand awareness and allows

interaction with brands on a personal level that is largely lacking in more traditional forms of

promotion. This particular strategy focuses currently on Elefint’s greatest strength: data



visualization. Plain and simple, Elefint is great at making visually appealing work based on

complex information. This is what the firm is best at, and so this is what should be constantly

resurfacing across all social media channels. This type of content is sharable, easy to

comprehend, and has a wide audience reach.

After presenting these three options in our midterm presentation and receiving feedback

from Matt & Nicole, we decided on pursuing strength number two to the fullest extent. In

order to give the best and most comprehensive solution possible we decided on focusing

strongly on one recommendation while letting the other two solutions take complimentary

back-seats to the core storytelling strategy. This decision arose specifically after Matt’s

comments that Elefint currently has a good handle on the academic content distribution, and

that storytelling presents a fresh and interesting new content form that hadn’t been

considered before. With storytelling as our hypothesis, team Phat Mouse set out on an

intensive secondary research journey to determine if this hypothesis had any quantitative

grounding.

Proposed Strategy

People are attracted to stories. Humans are social creatures who naturally relate to our peers.

Throughout the last 20,000 years, humans have communicated through stories. Studies have

been conducted revealing that storytelling evokes a strong neurological response – the

brain releases a variety of different hormones, which not only grab the audience's attention

but also make the listener emotionally connect to it. As a result, storytelling is used nowadays

as strategic method to change attitudes and behaviors. Research has shown that the most

compelling stories simply focus on the communication of one idea and take no longer than

30 seconds (Monarth, 2014) The power of storytelling can be summarized in the following

quote:

“A story can go where quantitative analysis is denied admission: our hearts. Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to wrap your vision in a story that fires the imagination and stirs the soul.” (Monarth, 2014)



As a result of the secondary research Phat Mouse created a strategic and emotional headline

leading the way for Elefint´s stories: “The project itself gives us the story”. By using Elefint´s

work as the foundation of their content strategy, not only does the relationship with existing

clients improve, but it also creates a unique emotional “behind the scenes” persona. As

outlined in the company background, Elefint generates the majority of new clients through

word of mouth. Elefint’s vision consists of remaining a rather small design agency, which

enjoys a close and personal contact with its clients. As a result, familiarity and “follow-up”

play an essential role. By creating a story around Elefint’s work and the client, not only is the

agency’s USP emphasized, but it also can contribute to Elefint’s long-term strategy of

becoming a thought leader.

To further develop the storytelling” proposal the “Content Strategy Quad” to back up

assumptions with a proven theoretical model. The heart of this model consists of the core

strategy. As outlined in earlier, a successful strategy should consist of one simple idea.

Utilizing Elefint´s previous projects and creating a 360-degree perspective on, the entire

work process and collaboration with the client communicates various subjects in an easy and

understandable way. One of the biggest benefits consists of the fact that the agency already

has all the resources needed. The challenge is reframing existing data and putting it under

the main focus of the strategy on how to make social causes beautiful through visual design.

Due to the fact that Elefint enjoys a diverse client base, different content can be created

outlining the multifaceted sides of their work and, more importantly, visual design. Stories

can be told in different ways and formats, which gives

Elefint the freedom to communicate on different

channels and deliver content in various forms.

To develop a credible and compelling story the

Content Strategy Quad considers four different

dimensions; substance, structure, workflow and

governance. Regarding the action project´s scope

and the general task only the dimensions “substance

and structure” are taken into consideration. The first

component “substance” discusses the question of

what kind of content (subjects, types, sources etc.) and message are needed.


Core%Strategy%

Substance%

Structure%

Workflow%

Governance%Conten

t%Com

pone

nt% People%Com

ponent%

(Rach, 2011)


Phat Mouse aims to provide a framework to generate content for Elefint’s target group that is

easily adaptable and differentiates Elefint from its competitors. Developing content about the

previous projects responds to both elements. Firstly, industry-relevant content can be

communicated in a creative way (storytelling). Secondly, by positioning the agency as a

“client’s best friend”, which uses their work to inform about different topics of visual design,

Elefint creates a unique voice in the industry. Due to Elefint´s size and limited internal

resources, the reframing of existing content brings a lot of benefits.

The second dimension “structure” responds to the question how content has to be

prioritized, organized, formatted and delivered. Phat Mouse’s proposal consists of the

separation content in two ways – emotionally and rationally. This two-sided communication

creates a unique ecosystem, in which all relevant stakeholders and media channels are

included. Overall, storytelling will focus heavily on the creation of blog and video content in

order to capture the personal and emotional side of Elefint, its clients, and the power of

visual design. In addition to this, infographics and animations could be created for social

media in order to highlight the variety of Elefint’s skills. Posts on Elefint’s personal blog plus

academic papers and case studies on leading industry websites will achieve a 360-degree

approach that remains within the abilities of Elefint’s resources.

Substance #1: EmotionThis approach aims to enhance familiarity among clients in the sense of brand and

interpersonal experience. Elefint will create not only the content designed to communicate

the true personality and vision of the company itself, but also to appeal to both existing and

potential clients in each stage of customer life cycle. The content will be structured based on

current and past projects, which will be implemented across various channels. The content

theme will be categorized based on these three major concepts as follows:

About Elefint A space for Elefint Designs to communicate the idea of who they are, what they do, why it’s

important, and for whom. Since the company is driven by a unique group of people with a

unique organization culture, communicating that value will help to clarify the role of Elefint

Designs and the people behind those visions.

Structure

• Homepage video: A short introduction video or motion graphic demonstrating the brand

story. This will provide an overview of what is Elefint Design for the newcomers.



• Blog Post: Feeds of short articles about “answering the why” and personal thoughts about

strategic design in social industry.

• Events: An open house seminar with Elefint and the collaboration of speakers and

designers from different sectors, which will encourage a higher level of engagement across

audiences.

About Clients



The story of client’s experiences and updates of the client’s project and impact. This will

allow clients to amplify their thoughts and feedback to enhance Elefint’s credibility and

reference in the client’s decision-making process.

Structure

• Website: A set of testimonial video of the clients talking about the project and their

experiences working with Elefint Design, which will serve the company as references for

the potential clients.

The story about collaboration Unlike the case studies, The story about collaboration will be a story behind the scenes

between the clients and Elefint Design on a certain project. Aiming to focus on the

collaboration in the micro level of the workflow, Elefint can emphasize things such as

internal brainstorm sessions, first sketch up, proposal development, pitching preparation etc.

Moreover, this approach will create a shared content that will easily be shared among clients

and leads to the increase of familiarity and word of mouth marketing as well.

Structure

• Documentary Videos: A project ‘s behind the scenes to demonstrate the story

between Client and the company on a mission of creating impact through design.

• Blog Post: Weekly feed about important details of workflow behind the project. This

can be in the form of a short article emphasizing the key process or opinions about the

project.



• Client’s Blog: Since it is considered to be a shared content between client and Elefint,

The Clients can also be encouraged to promote the project and transparency behind

the design of the project on their channels.

Substance #2: RationalThe rational side of the content approach will consist of academic articles and case studies

that allow Elefint to demonstrate their expertise in the industry based on their learning

experiences. Elefint will generate academic content that appeals to more specific target

audience, such as industry experts, company influencers, managers and people with higher-

level education. The rational content can be divided into different levels of content such as:

Substance

• Insights: The science of data visualization and tips & tricks to tell your stories better in

social world. This can also include the stories from the emotional part, but go more in

depth.

• Opinions: Amplify the voice of Elefint toward any movement in the industry as one of

the key influencers in the nonprofit world.

• Research: Share analytical data or report on the use of data visualization and

storytelling along to any consumer researches that Elefint might came across in a form

of journals, infographic or motion graphic.

Structure:

• Case Studies – Previous work case studies in an analytical format to provide thoughts

and knowledge about data visualization in a non-profit world.

• White Papers - An article to enable potential customers to learn more about the

agency’s products and services.

• PR – Using external channels to gain more exposure to the company like helping out

at third-party conferences or hosting a workshop.

For alternative avenues where the rational/academic content can be distributed, please see

Appendix Figure 1.



Benefits from Solution

Through the implementation and further development of the strategy about the creation and

publication of content through a closer relationship with clients, many benefits have to be

outlined.

i. Reach a broader audience. As stated before, this content strategy will have Elefint create content on two different sides:

the emotional side and the academic side.This means that Elefint will be able to reach and

engage a broader audience with the same content, but published in different channels

according to the client and to the stage of the work. Since the content will be adapted to the

individual client stories, the language and content will be optimal for being shared by those

companies themselves.

ii. Increase familiarity It is important to highlight the fact that the current business for Elefint comes mainly through

word-of-mouth marketing; meaning that current and past clients refer Elefint Designs to

new potential clients. Thus, the relationship with these clients must be maintained as time

wears on. Through our content marketing strategy, we aim to increase familiarity between

the customers and Elefint, and consequently, between Elefint and new customers, referred

by existing clients. We are confident that this strategy will produced the desired effects

because the content will be more shareable than before thanks to its versatility in regards to

client’s tone and story.

iii. Reach potential clients and beyond. Implementing the content marketing plan based on storytelling won’t just increase brand

awareness and familiarity towards clients, but also towards additional stakeholders. Imagine

the impact that Elefint might have on design-for-good-causes field if their work is

documented week by week and then summed up in a high quality video on blogs, social

media and other platforms used both by Elefint and the related client. This strategy allows

Elefint to grab the attention of those involved in the non-profit and good causes

marketplace, such as influencers, bloggers and specialized magazines. This can be a great

opportunity for Elefint Designs to be discovered by a broader market step by step, and widen

their customer base.



iv. Stand out through versatile and unique tone. At the moment, Elefint already has work with previous clients listened in the section called

case studies. However, the tone is largely academic and doesn’t fully highlight the benefits

gained by clients and how Elefint worked with them.

In order to acquire new business, Elefint has to demonstrate their value and ability to

combine their strengths in a unique way. The best way to do so is to clearly illustrate through

various kind of content (such as short videos, images, or short blog posts) how Elefint is

actually working with the client and how much Elefint cares not only about the project, but

also about the client and the impact that the work can have on its business. We see this as a

brilliant opportunity to show clearly Elefint’s competitive advantage and professionalism in

managing client relationships.

v. Establish as thought leader in the industry. During the development of this project and various meetings with Elefint Design team, we

understood quite clearly the desire of Matt to become a thought leader in the design-

thinking for good causes. Another advantage Elefint can gain from the implementation of this

strategy is the fact that Matthew or whomever else involved in content creation will have

ideas to create content easily because that content will be generated directly from

collaboration with clients. This content will be versatile and multi-tone in order to match

client’s background.

The possibility to use both an academic and a more personal and emotional tone is key to

adapt the tone chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing

articles and speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this

enhanced the brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients as

well. While implementing the content strategy proposed from us, Elefint will still continue to

stand out as thought leader through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid

channels, content regarding the work that is currently going on with the client and

demonstrate Elefint ability to be an unique player in the design-thinking for good causes.

The possibility to use both an academic and a more emotional tone is key to adapt the tone

chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing articles and

speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this enhanced the

brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients. By



implementing the content strategy proposed from Phat Mouse, Elefint will continue to stand

out through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid channels, content regarding

the work that is currently going on with the client and demonstrate Elefint’s ability to be an

unique player in the design-thinking for good causes.

How we see Elefint content after the implementation Undoubtedly, the strategy outlined above can be extremely useful for Elefint in respect all

those benefits and advantages that it might reach. However, this strategy has been thought

to help this design-thinking agency to indicate a path to follow in order to succeed from a

content marketing perspective.

While right now we positioned Elefint content strategy on “level 2: tactical” in the graph

(figure 3), the goal is to reach at least “level 4: managed”, where the agency will have a proper

content calendar scheduled with the type of content to use, which tone to be used , where

to publish is and how often.Content will be considered as a proper asset, meaning that it

should be accurately managed during the whole process with the client.

Implementation

Our recommendations on content strategy model can be implemented by Elefint Designs in

3 stages

Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months):

• Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b-

corporations):

• New posts (emotional component) on web site and blog;

• New content (rational component) in specialized publications (Stanford Innovation Review,

Chronicle of Philanthropy (see list of publications above);

• Gallery of video, motiongraphics, infographics; podcasts – interviews with influencers);

• E-mail subscriptions for current and potential clients;

• Sharing and distribution of content via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn,

etc.)



• Plan webinars and workshops for clients (incl. DesignIt boot camps, etc.)

Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years):

• Engaging and interaction with target audience online and offline, expanding the clients’

base:

• Regularly update content on digital platforms and publications, attract more followers by

compelling and interesting posts and interactive contests (e.g. prize – 20% discount for

motion graphic or video production).

• identify influencers, bloggers in the specific target audience fields, follow them via social

media and increase the number of users;

• Engage bloggers in republishing and sharing content at their blogs;

• Update posts and facilitate conversations in Linkedin groups;

• Update news for E-mail subscriptions;

• Participate in more Conferences to increase brand awareness and familiarity, expand

clientele base;

• Organize and facilitate webinars and workshops at Elefint Designs studio and DesignIt boot

camps.

Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years):

• Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients):



• Receiving and working on new orders of the clients;

• Expand the network of new clients;

• Organize Happy hours, workshops, webinars for current, perspective and new clients;

Key Performance Indicators

Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months): • Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b-

corporations):

• Increased number of content posts on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,

LinkedIn, etc.)

• Increased number of articles in Stanford Innovation Review and other publications;

• Google Analytics – better results of the following metrics: bounce rate percentage,

average session duration, user flow and conversion rates (increased number of E-mail

subscriptions), increased number of page views, new vs. returning visitors;

• Number of new clients gradually increases;

Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years): • Partnership with current and new clients. Expanding the clients’ base):



• Increased number of followers on social media platforms; in-depth discussions on digital

platforms and LinkedIn groups;

• Social media followers continuously mention or share Elefint Designs’ posts on their pages

or tweets;

• Increased number of new clients willing to subscribe for E-mail newsletter publications;

• Increased number of clients willing to attend Elefint Designs workshops, DesignIt boot

camps or participate in webinars;

• Increased number of Elefint Design’s posts/articles republished or shared on their blogs;

Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years): • Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients):

• Increased number of orders from new and current clients;

• The network of new clients has been expanded;

• New and old clients are interested in cooperation with Elefint Designs’ studio, attend their

events and maintain partnership relationships;

• More people are familiar with Elefint Designs;

Digital Platforms Recommended for Measuring These KPIs:

• Google Analytics: you can measure the following metrics: number of page views, new vs.

returning visitors, bounce rate, average session duration, user flow and conversion rates

(e.g. increased number of E-mail subscriptions; (Cutroni, 2010)

• Facebook Insights: with the help of Facebook Insights you will be able to find out how

many page likes you’ve got, potential post reach and the level of engagement (number of

likes, shares, comments and post clicks.)

• Twitalyzer - measures your influence and success in social media by the number of

followers you have, the number of items that other people in your network “retweet”, your

relative velocity is measured by the number of updates published over the 7-day period.

Twitalyzer can also provide you with an insight on the most active friends and followers

within your network and will show you when your followers are most active within a 7-day

period. (Adweek, 2015)



• Buzzsumo: finds you the most shared content for any topic or domain. If you are looking

for the most shareable and compelling articles in the specific field (e.g. nonprofit sphere,

business corporations, social goods, data visualization), Buzzsumo will analyze and filter

the most eye-catching articles. This platform also allows to export related articles in excel

format. You are able to slice and dice them and this gives you an insight as to what content

you are creating and if it’s resonating with your audience based on the total shares,

comments on social platforms and channels. You can also analyze your competitors’

content and identify what is working best for them. With the help of Buzzsumo it is easy to

compile a list of influencers in the specific sphere. (Buzzsumo Tutorial, 2015)

Survey Although no doubt an important part of the project, the survey was ultimately difficult for

team Phat Mouse to conduct and analyze. Since our questions were 25% of the survey, we

took 25% of the clients to call. However, after 3 calls per client, unfortunately none of us ever

got a hold of anyone to ask the questions we deemed necessary. The results from the other

group are summarized below in Appendix Figure 2. The first question asks, “Where do you go

for information on the non-profit sector?”, and the second asks “Is there a specific type of

content you’d like to see more of?”. A few team meetings later, we decided we also needed

to ask whether collaborating with Elefint to create content, and allowing Elefint to document

the journey with the client would be something the client would consider. Unfortunately, it

was too late to ask the other team to ask these questions for us, and since none of our

clients picked up, we never got the answers to these questions. These questions would have



given us an idea whether clients would be open to the storytelling idea, however as outlined

in our risk analysis, there are ways to get around directly sharing their disclosed information.

Closing Recommendation

After considering the analysis of different information, strategies and researches, it is to be

concluding that storytelling marketing will be the ultimate tool to clarify the role of Elefint

towards not only the clients but also the entire design industry. However, the proposed

strategy was designed based on available resources and a current possibility, that integrates

to maximize Elefint’s potential of becoming a true leader of strategic design content and

client relationship. Therefore, timely execution and consistency are considered to be the

crucial factor in success. By given the content structure and timeline, this will allow the

company to be able to implement and monitor step-by-step that will lead the company to

the ultimate goal as a thought leadership in the future.



Appendix

Figure 1 – Academic Platforms

Figure 2 – Survey Results


Websites' Blogs'

B,Corps'

Non'Profits'

CSR'

Social'Entrepreneurship'

Good''Causes'

Corp!& B(Corp&Blog&

Society&for&nonprofits&Nonprofit&Magazine&

NonProfit&Performance&Nonprofit&Hub&GuideStar&

Techsoup&globe&Nonprofit&Bmes&

CSRwire.com&Social&Edge&

Social&venture&network&Alliance&magazine&CRO&magazine&

Networkforgood&Causecapitalism&

CSRwire&

Strand4Magazine&Good&Magazine&

The&center&for&social&impact&Armchair&Advocates&

SeeChange&PioneersPost&

Socialroi&


Figure 3 – Content Strategy Maturity Model



Bibliography

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content-marketing

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Cutroni, J. (2010). Google Analytics. Beijing, China: O'Reilly. - p. 56.

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http://intentionaldesign.ca/2011/11/14/time-for-a-maturity-model-for-content-strategy/

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