ibm generates leads with b2b content marketing

Generating Leads through B2B Content

Marketing

#B2BContent

Today’s Speakers

2

Leslie ReiserProgram Director, Midmarket Digital Marketing WW, IBM@[email protected]

Kevin GreenSVP of Strategy & Analytics, Digital Influence Group@[email protected]

Scott LudwigAssistant Director of Marketing, Digital Influence Group@[email protected]

Christine McManusDirector of Strategic Services, Skyword@[email protected]

#B2BContent

Agenda

3

• Why content marketing? IBM’s approach for a changing digital environment

– Reach audiences where they already are

– Develop valuable content with staged distribution

• Influencer program designed to deliver value in the marketplace

– Planning and implementation

– Driving a qualified audience down the funnel

• Scaled content creation

– Capturing opportunity in search and social

– Maintaining a brand newsroom and high quality

• IBM program overview and results

#B2BContent

4

Why an Influencer Program

• Activate leading industry bloggers to amplify the reach of your organization in the social space

• Leverage unbiased voices to create content geared towards your target audience

• Expose established, qualified audiences to programs, events, services and solutions

• Cultivate relationships that your employees and thought leaders can benefit from

• Create an on demand focus group that you can run ideas or programs by for real-time feedback

#B2BContent @BostonRS

Connective Tissue Across Marketing Efforts

5

Leverage trusted voices of influencers to create a connective tissue between your organization’s marketing and

communication activities.

PAID

OWNED

EARNED

GOAL

Trusted

Voices

Trusted

Voices

Trusted

Voices


6

You Can’t Have an Influencer Program Without

PERSONALIZATION

GENEROSITY

RECIPROCITY

AUTHENTICITY


7

Influencer Programs aren’t Achieved Overnight

• Develop initial list of influencers using

listening tools and filtering methodology

Identification• Recruit to participate

• Provide program details and

requirements

• Discuss Incentives

Outreach

• Draft agreements

• Create custom campaign tracking

• Provide disclaimer

Onboarding

• Review content created by blogger

• Choreograph distribution across owned

channels

Collecting Content

• Collect assets to share

• Coordinate schedules for interviews,

trials, etc

• Recruit to participate at events

Distributing Content

• Collect metrics from bloggers

• Pull controlled data

• Integrate into reports

Measurement

On

board

ing

Su

sta

inm

en

t

Ongoing


8

Understanding Tiers of Influence

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3


9

Creating a Distributed Content Ecosystem

Engage

Invite

Influencers

(Credible Experts)IBM Events

(Inclusion)

News Writers

(Immediate Interest)

Forward Thinkers

(Brand Ambassadors)

Content Creation, Integration and Distribution

Acti

vate


It’s Less About What You Offer and More About What Your Audience Wants

High

Low

News Writers

Bloggers

SMEs

Business Partners

Employees

Technology News

What’s happening now

Technology Trends

Opinions and theories from

thought leaders

Practical Use

Technology implementation

& considerationWhy IBM

Specific services

& solutions

Volume of Content

10#B2BContent @BostonRS

11

Driving a Qualified Audience Down the Funnel

#1 result

Bloggers, News Writers &

Forward Thinkers

Google

Search

Social

SearchWhat is our audience

searching for?

Explore, Engage & Share


Search and Social: Gateways to Consumers

12

115BILLION

GLOBAL SEARCHES

every month on Google Search

36BILLION

SOCIAL SHARES

every month in the US

#B2BContent @ChrissyMac8

13

Quality Content is the Cost of Discovery

Search Lift Social Lift Brand LiftKeyword Relevance

Backlinks

Higher Rankings

Awareness

Affinity

Conversion

Endorsement

Amplification

Engagement


14

& The Fuel That Powers All Marketing


15

Brands Need to Become like Newsrooms


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Particularly in B2B..

64% of B2B marketers say they are

challenged with producing enough

content.

Content Marking Institute: 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks


Writer’s Payments

Financial Management

Search Optimization

Brand Alignment Review

Project Management

Legal Department

Writer Management

Copy Editing CompanyWriter’s Content

CMS

Master Spreadsheet

CMS

But the Process is Difficult and Inconsistent

17#B2BContent @ChrissyMac8

Skyword – All You Need for Quality Content

18

Technology

Framework

Content

Strategy

Content

Creators

Editorial

The Four Pillars of Successful Content


And, We’re Good At It

19

Last year, Skyword content drove

134+ million unique visits from search

and social to client sites


Establishing a Google News Program

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Creating a news site worthy of Google

News

• It's all about quality and authority

• Understand blog content versus news

content

• Set journalistic standards and find the

right writers

• Set the editorial voice and vision for your

content

• Leverage a content calendar & editorial

board

• Frequency and breadth of assignments

• Apply Google News standards & SEO

recommendations

• Submit to Google


Executing Content Strategy | Content Calendar


Scale News Coverage | Trending Topics


IBM Midmarket Digital Marketing

The Media in Collapse

Average age of US daily newspaper reader: 57

Reduction in US newsroom staffs since 2001: 45%

Growth in NBC prime time audience, 2008: 14.3%

Average age of network evening news viewer: 63

2001 2009 Change

Woman’s Day 1.61M 410,000 -74%

Redbook 556,300 154,600 -72%

Country Living 380,200 134,900 -64%

Natl Enquirer 1.65M 591,300 -64%

Reader’s Digest 750,000 270,000 -64%

ESPN Magazine 54,350 25,200 -63%

US Magazine Circulation

23#B2BContent @LCReiser


It All Begins With Search

2.7 billion per day

200 million per day

times information is shared through social

channels each month

billion searches for information each month

billion36

18



Social SellingTraditional Selling

New Media Impact on B2B

Go whe

re th

e

peop

le a

reListen

Invite

eng

agem

ent

Respond and

Iterate

Suspects

Qualified Prospects

Hot Prospects

New

Clients



We listen to our prospects and clients

IBM Midmarket Approach



• Estimated monthly traffic: 73,000

• Google Indexed pages: 6,490

• Alexis ranking: Top .12%

• Inbound links: 850,771

• Del.icio.us bookmarks: 1,776

• New York Times citations: 115

• Computerworld citations: 146

• InformationWeek citations: 89

• Newsletter subscribers: 150,000

Attributes of a Good Influencer

Schneier on Security

A blog covering security and

security technology

• Articles published: 615

• Total views: 74,851

• Most views on a single article: 3,331

• Klout score: 29

• Significant engagement on:

• Twitter

• LinkedIn

• Personal blog

• Notable publications:

• App Dev Academy

• TecTrends Monitor

• GRT Corporation

• Imperial PublishingRobinson on Security

Independent writer and blogger for

cloud computing and business

analytics


https://twitter.com/RocketpunkRick

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=27418684&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=dfHn&locale=en_US&srchid=ac78ba26-0235-487c-94ad-9e4c5af0023c-1&srchindex=1&srchtotal=1192&goback=.fps_PBCK_*1_Rick_Robinson_*2_*2_*1_*2_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_CC,N,G,I,PC,ED,L,FG,TE,FA,SE,P,CS,F,DR_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link

http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/

http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/


Writers integrate the IBM Midmarket agenda into their articles and posts

1. Rick Robinson’s articles on Cloud and Security drove broad

reach around an IBM strategic focus area

• Post received 600+views and 400+ social engagements

2. Ken Hess recorded a podcast interview with IBMer Chris

Dotson around his upcoming cloud webcast

• Post received 500+ views

Newsworthy Influencers Extend IBM Brand to Qualified Audiences



• ‘Pay for performance’ compensation

• Provide education

• Offer links or small promotions

• Exclusive access to internal experts

• Special events

• MODEST discounts, giveaways, trials

How to Engage Influencers



AWARENESS

High profile to drive

mass audience

RELEVANCE ADVOCACY PREFERENCE CONVERSION

Expertise and

familiarity creates trust

Relay your Brand agenda

more personally

Engagement and

distribution spurs

action

Compelling content and

targeted calls to action

Press

Industry Bloggers

Independent Writers

IT Analysts

Skilled sellers

Lead development reps

Internal SMEs

Business Partners


Align Influencers to Program Objectives


IBM Midmarket Digital MarketingIBM Midmarket Digital Marketing

• Re-imagine existing content assets

• Leverage internal Influencers

• Fuel new creative

• Maximize owned channels

• 8 week / 8 days / 8 hours / 8 minutes

Well choreographed and activated content becomes the missing connective tissue between decision

makers and the brand

CONTENT

IBM has a

solution for me

Client

Develop Valuable Content With Staged Distribution

ACTIVATE

CREATECURATE

Brand

Voice

Value Message



Use new media to publish

IBM Midmarket Approach

Forward Thinkers Business Partners News Writers Press / Analysts Bloggers

Midsize Insider

Content

Calendar

Influencers

Publish and Distribute



Establish a News Site and Publishing Platform

midsizeinsider.com


http://www.midsizeinsider.com/


Repeat Visits

Shares

Bookmarks

Retweets

CommentsDownloads

Forwards

Published articles Reviews

Phone calls

Lead forms

Ratings

Engagement

Activation

Align Online Metrics to Program Goals



TWITTER FEEDS &

CHATS

FACEBOOK

DISTRIBUTABLE

ASSETS

MOBILE

BLOGGING AND NEWSWRITER

PLATFORM

3.9 BImpressions

10.4%

Engagement

Here’s How We Did…Our Results

LINKEDIN DISCUSSION THREADS

3436 articles


Question & Answer

36#B2BContent

Connect with our Panelists

37

Leslie ReiserProgram Director, Midmarket Digital Marketing WW, IBM@[email protected]

Kevin GreenSVP of Strategy & Analytics, Digital Influence Group@[email protected]

Scott LudwigAssistant Director of Marketing, Digital Influence Group@[email protected]

Christine McManusDirector of Strategic Services, Skyword@[email protected]

#B2BContent

38

Follow @Skyword on Twitter to learn more about the latest in content

marketing

Access our agency partners page for additional presentations and materials

http://www.skyword.com/agency/

Or contact us directly:

[email protected]

617.720.4000

www.skyword.com




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