moving the needle with content marketing
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PRESENTED BY!
#C2C14!
Moving the Needle with Content!
Ardath Albee, Marketing Interactions !
#C2C14!
We Bought Into the Dream!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
§ 93% of us Use Content Marketing!§ 73% have Someone in Charge!§ B2B Marketers, on average, use:!
§ 13 tactics!§ 6 social media platforms!
§ 73% ARE CREATING MORE CONTENT!§ Bigger Budget Allocation!
Here’s how far IN we are…!
@ardath421
2014 B2B Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends Study – CMI, Marketing Profs!
#C2C14!
But…Nothing is Happening!
@ardath421
Only 9%!
#C2C14!
Marketing Content is Stuck!
@ardath421
We keep digging ourselves a deeper hole
#C2C14!
§ What if we can’t reach our customers?!§ 66% convinced there’s no success
without a digital strategy!
Why It Matters!
@ardath421
Adobe Digital Distress Report
#C2C14!
Let’s Fix It!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Change Must Happen!
§ Buyer’s Want…!!Relevance & Value!!New Ideas & Expertise!!Insight to Solving Problems!!Less vendor bias!!No pitches!
§ Marketers Still…!
Talk About Products!!Say the Same Old Stuff!!Elaborate About Features!!Promote themselves endlessly!!Pass Contacts off as Leads!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
How Are YOU Different?!
@ardath421
Company Strength!
Cus
tom
er N
eeds
!
Distinct Value!The inflection point where what you sell intersects with what your customers care about.!
#C2C14!
Corporate Speak is Not It!
About page: (What they do)!…world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management!!But what their homepage says is: (What you get)!How can Xerox simplify your business in ways you might not expect?!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Corporate message: (What they do)!Teradata is the world’s leading provider of data warehousing, big data analytics and marketing solutions. !
Distinct Value Represented: (What Customers Get)!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Personas Are Active Tools!A composite sketch of a target market based on commonalities relevant to what they care about that you can act upon.!!Personas must focus on insights that can:!• Inform messaging!• Architect stories!• Prolong engagement!• Build credibility!• Accelerate momentum!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
First Person Scenarios
ObjecAves OrientaAon Obstacles
Problem PresentaAon
QuesAons Engagement Scenarios
Elements of Active Personas!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Product Manager - Pete!
ObjecAves
• Sell-‐through • AdopAon • RetenAon • ConAnuous Improvement
OrientaAon
• Heavy Influencer
• Not a risk taker • Social Lurker • 10 yrs in career
Obstacles
• Must convince others
• Boss can say no • Must steal budget
Problems
• Churn for X • Customers aren’t fully adopAng X
• Issues with X
As the product manager of a mature category, I struggle with how to keep buyers using X with so much compeAAon. Product lifecycles have become shorter and it’s making forecasts challenging. Harry, over in department A has a cool new product and gets more budget than me. But I believe in this product and know our customers used to. What I need is to figure out how to increase renewals and what will make the value a must-‐have for our customers.
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Using Questions Effectively!
@ardath421
Product Manager has a BIG question:!How do I increase renewals for X?!!Small Q&A:!How can I get customers to keep using X?!What product improvements will help?!How can I improve cross-sell with shorter lifecycles?!!
#C2C14!
Create the Dialogue!
@ardath421
How can I get customers to keep using
X?
How adapAve guidance can help increase
customer retenAon by X% and amplify customer
saAsfacAon
That sounds promising, but I need to know how
to improve the product…
Gain insights from customer feedback to improve product design and increase customer
lifeAme
CompeAtors are launching products so fast that it’s hard to meet sell-‐through
forecasts
How customer service contributes to customer retenAon – even with
shorter product lifecycles
#C2C14!
Let’s Get Clear About Story!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Stories Create Momentum!
@ardath421
Hero (Buyer) Has Problem (Big QuesAon)
Seeks SoluAon (Decides to Take AcAon)
Lacks ExperAse (Small
QuesAons)
Encounters Obstacles (What if…?)
Learns from Mentor (You)
Gains Consensus (Climax)
Achieves ResoluAon
#C2C14!
Moving the Needle!
@ardath421
How do your buyers get to the Cheese?!
#C2C14!
Metrics Must Show Movement!
• Time spent on content • Viewing “see also” content • Frequency • Self-‐propelled vs. click driven
Engagement
• Replies to messaging • Posts comments or quesAons • Shares your content with peers • Invites conversaAons
Response
• Shows concentraAon on a specific problem or objecAve • Makes progress from stage to stage • Pace of progress increases • Agrees to, or iniAates, sales conversaAon
Intent
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Ex 1: Unexpected Outcomes!
• Helped to grow database!• Provided suggestions for content!• Thank you replies serve as conversation starters!• Initiated sales meetings!
• Forward from boss!• Based on ideas in content!
!
Nurture Program based on monthly touches across 4 personas with an extremely long sales cycle for a purchase in the 10s of millions.!
@ardath421
#C2C14!
Ex 2: Re-Start a Mid-Funnel Stall!
@ardath421
Consistency and continuity makes a difference.!!If buyers stall, pick up where you left off when they were active.!!Connect the dots to create MOVEMENT!!
#C2C14!
§ Figure out Your Company’s Distinct Value!§ Review your personas as “active” tools!§ Isolate the BIG questions for each persona!
§ Are you answering the small questions that lead to the BIG one?!§ Convert One-off Campaigns into Stories for the Longer Term!§ Identify Metrics that Show Movement!
What You Do Next!
#C2C14!
Thank you!!
@ardath421
Ardath Albee, CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist!!Consultant, Storyteller, Author, [email protected]!!@ardath421 on Twitter!!www.marketinginteractions.com !!