more truths about using content marketing for customer engagement

More Truths About Using

Content Marketing For

Customer Engagement

Ryan Skinner, Senior Analyst

April 24, 2014

@rskin11

© 2014 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 2

Agenda

› Introduction: Challenges To B2B Marketing

› Content Marketing Answers The Challenge

› Introducing A Framework For Content Positioning

› Applying The Framework To Create Awareness

› Applying The Framework To Promote Consideration

› Parting Recommendations


Agenda








Buyers’ relationship with information changed: They now seek out certain kinds of content


Our communications carry a big burden

Buyer’s information gathering

Sales contact


Marketing’s been disrupted

› Content and communications carry a greater share of

the B2B marketing and sales burden than ever before.

› Storylines are decreasingly controlled by the business

and increasingly created between business and the

customer.

› Messages have to work their magic in a maddeningly

growing universe of user-driven contexts.

› Branded messages are no longer permanent; they are

very, very ephemeral.


How does content marketing address these disruptions?

› Reciprocation: By creating value, we earn the right to

influence schedules and reach across channels.

› Grooming prospects: By forming prospects in our

image, we get more customer-shaped objects to the

door.

› Message liquidity: Valuable branded content can be

repackaged and redelivered at zero/low cost.

› Proxy salespeople: Earned media turns anyone into a

star salesman for our business, at no cost.


Create the foundations for the relationship

Brand

Goal

Customer


Different content for different objectives

Brand

Goal

Engagement content

Nurture content

Customer


Agenda








Value in content as common denominator

Relevant: Up-to-date, outcome-oriented, and a clear

point of view

Useful/applicable: Something people can use

immediately

Generous: Give away insights and resources

Empathetic: Centered on the experience of the

customers and their reality


Obsessing over customer desires

Interviews

Listening

Data

Research


The struggle to earn attention

Brand

Goal

Engagement content

Nurture content

Objectives

• Awareness

• Inspiration

• Commitment

Customer


The struggle to earn attention

Brand

Goal

Engagement content

Nurture content

Objectives

• Awareness/noise (“I can’t hear you or see you.”)

• Inspiration/credibility (“I don’t believe you.”)

• Commitment/timing (“OK, but not now.”)

Customer


We have to earn our way up the value chain

CMO

VP VP

VP

Dir.

Dir.

Dir.

Dir.

Dir. Dir. Dir.

CMO

VP

VP

Dir.


Empower customers to tell your story

Brainshark set up an

advocacy program

with Influitive to

encourage its best

customers to share its

content.

Result: 2x activity in

social channels and

4x customers acting

as references.


Reach out to influencers and cooperate

• What are the most interesting topics to you?

• What do you think about X?

• Recruitment for blog posts, webinars, and more


Deliver truthful (if uncomfortable) observations

This presentation is at

200,000 views and

climbing on

Slideshare.

Confrontation and

revelation earn

credibility.


Look for low competition areas or high-value resources/angles

Topic A Topic B Topic C Topic D Topic E Topic F Topic G Topic H

Expert

A

Expert

B

Expert

C

Expert

D

Expert

E

Expert

F

Expert

G

Expert

H

EXTERNAL CONTENT AUDIT

INTERNAL CONTENT AUDIT


Originality in terms of format and voice will give critical impact


Deliver value directly in the channel where you meet audience

Link + intro Landing page Form fill Value

Value


Build awareness in the space based on context and psychographics

More a call-to-action

based on how

marketers feel than a

clear approach to a

persona.


Invest in distribution for proven engagement successes


Find the right balance between frequency and depth

SPEED x RELEVANCE


Take risks. Measure outcomes. Adjust as necessary.

Failures Failures >


Agenda








Turn a known audience quantity into leads and sales

Brand

Goal

Engagement content

Nurture content

Objectives

1. Consideration

2. Referral

3. Registration

Customer


Turn a known audience quantity into leads and sales

Brand

Goal

Engagement content

Nurture content

Objectives

1. Consideration/competition (“These other guys . . .”)

2. Referral/doubt (“But am I exposing myself?”)

3. Registration/hesitancy (“There’s no hurry.”)

Customer


Create tools that push customers forward on their journey


Build thought leadership to frame discussions

Provide a rigorously

researched, executive-

friendly argument for

change.


Build thought leadership to frame discussions

Gather raw data and

analyze it to help

prospects make data-

driven decisions.


Use personalization and retargeting technologies to push interactions intelligently

B2B

content

retargeting

B2B content

personalization


Capturing leads is the wrong metaphor for leading an opt-in relationship

Give us your email

address, then we can talk. [email protected]

Liked that? We’ll let you

know when the next

comes.

[email protected]


Agenda








Parting recommendations

1. Start any content marketing strategy with customer

research.

2. Lean in to the customers’ scepticism (i.e., their BS

detectors).

3. Help other people tell your story.

4. Maintain pace and relevance to remain on top of the

agenda.


Remember: the foundation of the proxy relationship

TRUST


Forrester Content Marketing Resources

› View part 1 of this webinar series

› Watch the video webinar of this content

› Look through Forrester’s B2B content marketing

solutions

http://solutions.forrester.com/Director.aspx?sid=360&sky=PGDPS5MG&pgi=3378&pgk=N7VWY72O&eli=0D3570441720D8EF4DB384A91482A3458AAFF993C88791AB&rid=721572&rky=7HVZ2MYU&tky=130439569295049705

http://solutions.forrester.com/Director.aspx?sid=360&sky=PGDPS5MG&pgi=3378&pgk=N7VWY72O&eli=1D04771E6F2920562540A7BDCEB84111A23C016353932C22&rid=721572&rky=7HVZ2MYU&tky=130439569295049705

http://www.forrester.com/Vendor-Consulting/-/E-MPL61?cmpid=mkt:soc:ss:ContentMarketing2

http://www.forrester.com/Vendor-Consulting/-/E-MPL61?cmpid=mkt:soc:ss:ContentMarketing2

Thank you

Ryan Skinner

+44 207.323.7717

@rskin11

[email protected]

more truths about using content marketing for customer engagement

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