PowerPoint Presentation

Content Marketing on WordPressMegan Harriswww.mharriseditor.com1Who Am I?

Long-time WordPress UserHats Ive Worn:

Copywriter

SEO/Social Media CoordinatorI began using WordPress in 2011 or earlier writing for wedding DJ blogs and creating web copy. Since then, Ive worked as a copywriter, and in search engine optimization (SEO) and social media management. Ive also dabbled in corporate communications and currently manage content as part of a marketing firm team.2Whats Content Marketing?Attract and retain customers through content that is...

Relevant ValuableInformativeProfessionalSo, what is content marketing? In general, content marketing is the practice of attracting and retaining customers through content that is relevant, valuable, informative, and professional. Audiences are drawn to content that is valuable and relevant to their needs, so its our job to make it informative based on the service/product were providing, while also maintaining a professional tone.s3What Content Marketing is NOTIts not...A Facebook page A shot-in-the-dark, viral campaignHard sell promotionYour content marketing strategy might include social media updates, but its best to concentrate your efforts on spaces you own, not space you rent.

While your content marketing strategy is likely to include content that is engaging and eye-catching, you shouldnt create a campaign that doesnt tie into your broader efforts. Its also better to think of your content marketing as a long-term process, not something you can set and forget.

Finally, your content shouldnt be sell, sell, sell. While the ultimate goal is to track leads and conversions, your goal with your content should be to build your story.4Whats Content Marketing...for the Web?InfographicsCase StudiesInteractive Content

Your broader content marketing might include radio placement, direct mail, or other sources, but for our purposes, were going to focus on the web.

Infographics allow you to create a story through a timeline and encourage sharing. Many of these are built for social media, but hosting it on your website and then sharing it broader through various means is a more meaningful way to use infographics.

Case studies are longer reads, typically, but allow you to build your story and discuss what youve provided to clients. Case studies are especially effective in business to business marketing, but can be applied in a wide range of projects. Hosting your case study text on your website as a page is a great way to drive traffic to your site and give relevant information, with statistics and testimonials from clients, to your audience.

Finally, interactive content pertains to anything that an audience can do something with. This could include quizzes, videos, podcasts, recordings, and other types of media. 5Determining Your Content StrategyWhoWhat When WhereWhyHowIts important to think like a journalist when setting up your content marketing strategy. I like to think of it as an inverted pyramid common to many types of writing, but especially relevant to journalism where you dont want to bury the lead. Starting out with this pyramid, while making it relevant to your content plan, is a great starting place for your marketing ambitions.6Who...do you want to reach?Hammer down your audience

Whats your ideal customer like?

Its important, regardless if B2B or B2C marketing is part of your plan, to remember youre trying to reach people. Build a narrative around that person and determine how you can meet their needs through your services or products. What are their pain points? What do they struggle with, and how can you help?7What...do you want to tell them?Plan your message

Plan your platforms

Plan your releaseOnce you have your audience figured out, determine your message, platforms, and release. Your main platform should be your website so you can better track traffic and conversions, but you can always reuse content for other spaces. 8When...should this message be finalized?Be kind to your creatives plan ahead!(If you can)I cannot stress enough the importance of thinking about giving your creative thinkers. Give them enough time to work on your message in order for them to do their best work. Of course, things come up and content marketing isnt always the top priority, but if you are aware of what you want to convey to your audience and have the time to talk to them about it, please do so. Your writers, developers, and graphics folks will be appreciative!9Where...are users going to best respond?Create a content strategy

The Who comes into play hereNow that you have your message planned, you need to think of where your users are at. As discussed previously, in web content marketing, driving traffic to your site is the end-game, but the demographic you want to reach is important, too. Younger people are more likely to be in spaces like Snapchat, so if youre marketing to an older demographic, you might not use that platform. Go to your audience in order to have a well-rounded strategy that meets your goals.10Why...is this message important?Honestly, I cant answer this question. Its up to you to determine why you need to share this message. However, if you havent answered the other ones, its time to start over. For example, if you dont have your who down, writing content for your audience is irrelevant.11How...does this campaign fit into my content plans?Relevant ValuableInformativeProfessionalIts time to revisit those first ideas we came across when discussing content marketing. If youre not sure how your campaign fits into your overall plans, its time to rethink it.12So...where does WordPress come in?Drive your leads to your website, hosted on...WordPress

Give your creatives a space to work, using...WordPress

Track your successes using plugins in, you guessed it....WordPress!13Getting Started

Do you know who can access what?

If not, manage your users first!Once you start to use WordPress, its important to know who should have access to what. Depending on your team size, if you hire outside content providers, etc., you might want to give people different permission levels.14Permission Levels for Your TeamSuggested top-level access users:

Project Managers Developers Graphics Team

Super AdminAdministratorEditorYour top-level people should have access to a larger variety of areas of WordPress, including having the ability to change your theme, access your CSS files, and more. The Super Admin has access to the site administration network, while an administrator user level has access to just one site. An editor has stricter permissions which give them access to publish and post their own work and the work of other people. Only you know what is best for your team, so if someone you have editing content is also a little more tech-savvy, an administrator user access level may be right for them.15Permission Levels (Continue)Junior Members Interns Entry LevelAuthorContributorSubscriberUsers with these access levels may be part of your creative staff but have limited access to the most important parts of your site, such as the site theme customizations and various technical programmer level access areas they would not be using. An author can freely publish and manage their own posts, and so this level might be perfect for someone on your team you trust to manage their own content with limited revisions. A contributors posts, on the other hand, are submitted for review prior to publishing. Subscriber level access is generally reserved for users who can comment on posts and pages if you have this enabled but they generally do not have access to any content marketing tools. 16Posts vs. PagesPages Long-Term Content Strategy

Posts Smaller Building Blocks for Your StrategyIts important to think of pages and posts as separate types of content for your site. Each contributes in its own way to content marketing, but the shelf life of each is different. For example, pages are better reserved for long-term content you would like users to be able to access frequently such as your product pages, a page about your companys mission, or a career page with job postings while posts are typically going to be your blogs, short updates, and anything that would be better suited to have a time stamp linked to it. 17MediaVideos/Audio (.mp4, .mov, .wmv, etc.)

Images (.jpg, .png, .gif, etc.)

Documents (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, etc.)

Your media area in the Dashboard is the place youre going to want to store your interactive content and useful documents you would like users to access but maybe not as web pages. In my experience, forms are a good use of the media section if youre using PDF of Word files (like .doc or .docx).

When you use the Media area, make sure to use a good filename system. Usually, for images, its good to use a dash (-) between words, and if its a file you have to update frequently, include a revision date at the end. You will need to determine this for your own purposes, but these are good foundational tips that keep your Media space organized in WordPress so both current and future users understand what they need to access.18What Are Some Essential Plugins for Content Marketing?WordPress SEO by Team Yoast

WordPress Editorial Calendar

Google Analytics Dashboard for WP

Fast Secure Contact FormThese four plugins are a few that I find most useful for my content marketing. Well discuss each at length. 19Yoast SEO

The Yoast SEO tool is really helpful to build out your SEO with the latest guidelines relating to search engine optimization. The tool gives you your character count, and can help you determine your focus keyword for your content with helpful suggestions. I cannot recommend it enough; Ive used it for myself and in my work with others, so definitely download this before you build out your content marketing plan!20WordPress Editorial Calendar

The WordPress Editorial Calendar is a great tool which allows you to keep your posts organized and generate a steady flow of content. If you find you have weeks that are too content-heavy, followed by weeks that are empty, you can drag and drop posts around for easier distribution at a later date. This also helps you move posts around when things change with your business, such as changing the date when a product is launching due to delays. 21Google Analytics Dashboard for WP

Installing Google Analytics is important, but accessing your traffic reports is essential, too. The Dashboard plugin for WordPress gives you a simple snapshot of how your site is performing without having to login to Google Analytics. Even if you have limited knowledge of reporting and analytics, seeing how your content marketing is performing helps you to adjust later, see how your traffic is being referred, and more.22Fast Secure Contact Form

Finally, the Fast Secure Contact Form makes it easy to collect information, setup a custom form, and have the information send to a database or email address of your choice. Its a great way to have a form on your website without relying on a third party, and it uses short codes like many other plugins so you dont have to post a lot of code within your pages. If someone like me, who has limited knowledge of programming languages, can use a plugin like this, anyone can!23How else can I leverage WordPress for content marketing?Get to Know the WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get)

Great for any user level!The WYSIWYG (pronounced wizzy-wig) gives you the space to create your content in both posts and pages and change the formatting in whatever manner you please. While the text tab is easier for those with a background in HTML and CSS, the WYSWIYGs Visual tab allows you to input your content and format it with bold text, italics, bullet points, and many other formats. You can add in your media from this area, add links, and change your paragraph styles for better content organization. Even if you are managing a team that will access WordPress for your content, knowing a little about the WYSIWYG can help you build a plan and know how your creative team works on projects together. 25Quick DraftJot down ideas quickly from the Dashboard!

Finally, if you are the kind of person that wants to keep your team informed on ideas, or have ideas you want to write in the future, a good way to do this is in the Dashboard using Quick Draft. Simply write your idea in this area and save it for future use. 26Q&AFavorite content marketing tools:GatherContent definitely great for content teams and working with freelance writers!

How do you keep up to date on SEO?Moz.comSearch Engine JournalSearch Engine Land

What other plugins do you like?Slideshow is used on my website to showcase books Ive edited its great for sharing quick information in an interactive way.27Questions?Megan Harris

www.mharriseditor.comTwitter: @MHarrisEditorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/mharriseditor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mharriseditor

Thank you!