E Book Quick Guide to Marketing With Subject Matter Experts V6

8/17/2019 E Book Quick Guide to Marketing With Subject Matter Experts V6

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TAPPING INTO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS

FOR CONTENT MARKETING SUCCESS

888.603.7337 [email protected] @relevance relevance.com/agency

relevance.com

TAPPING INTO

SUBJECT MATTER

EXPERTSFOR CONTENT MARKETING SUCCESS


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In the identication and

outreach parts of the

process, you will use media

outlets, social media, and

other tools to identify experts

who have knowledge in the

pertinent topic area.

This research will also

garner the best way to make

contact with that person —

either through a company

email address (the preferred

method) or via social media

(most likely LinkedIn, but

possibly also Twitter).

Based on your initial topic-

and expert-related research

eorts, you will devise a

relevant and pertinent list of

questions to ask during the

interviews.

Although some questions

will apply to every expert,

you should tailor questions

for each one to ensure

you’re getting the most

benet from that individual’s

knowledge base.

Throughout the process,

you will employ written

communication to reach

out to and follow up

with potential and actual

participants.

Following professional

email etiquette in these

communications is always a

best practice. Sample emails

appear after

the checklist.

Involving subject matter experts (SMEs) and industry inuencers is a key aspect of creating

content that’s part of an integrated content promotion strategy. Incorporating insights

from SMEs ensures the content addresses audience pain points in a comprehensive and

accurate way. It also produces content that is altruistic and unbiased, which makes the

content more attractive not only to the intended audience, but also to potential partners andmedia outlets (who will hopefully write about and share the content).

To involve SMEs in content creation, you rst identify the experts and inuencers that have

knowledge that most closely aligns with the content and goals of the marketing campaign.

Then you interview those experts to garner relevant information and quotes to help you

complete the content.

Ideating relevant and thoughtful questions, conducting a respectful interview, and following

proper email etiquette are all part of gaining helpful insights from industry experts in order to

craft compelling content that answers the right questions.

EXPERT IDENTIFICATION

& OUTREACH

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

& EXECUTION

EMAIL FOLLOW-UPS

PURPOSE


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The following is a list of activities necessary to nd and interview experts for content creation

and approximately how much time you can plan to spend on each. For each content piece,

you’ll likely interview 2-4 SMEs, so plan to allot 10-14 hours to carry out these tasks.

FOCUS AREA TIMEFRAME SCOPE

Expert Identication 1 day 2 hours

Outreach 1-3 weeks* 2-4 hours

Interview Preparation

& Execution1-3 weeks**

4-6 hours+, depending on

number of interviewees

Post-Interview

Follow-Up Emails

2 days (day of interview &

day content is live)1-2 hours

*Outreach will last several days or a few weeks and is dependent on how quickly experts

respond to your emails. You will likely use up the hours 15 or 30 minutes at a time.

**Interview prep & execution will also last several days or a few weeks and is dependent

on the schedules of interested experts. Plan to allocate 30 minutes for each interview and

another 45-60 minutes to transcribe each recording.

KEY ACTIVITIES AND SCOPE


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THE CHECKLISTS

The following lists outline separate tasks necessary to complete each part of the Expert ID

and Interview process. The points for each part of the process are given in checklists, rather

than in ordered and numbered steps. Although the points are presented in essentially the

order in which they are likely to be carried out, strictly following the order isn’t necessary.

EXPERT IDENTIFICATION CHECKLIST

Dene the purpose of the person to be involved: an SME or an

inuencer?

■ A subject matter expert is a person who has deep knowledge

on a particular topic. An SME may not have a signicant

social presence; however, the individual may be known within an

industry because of the company he or she is aliated with or

via industry conferences.

■ An inuencer might also be an SME but is a person with a

signicant social following.

Always look for candidates outside the company you’re creating

content for, but you may use internal experts – within your own or

your client’s company as well. External participants help ensure you’re

creating unbiased content.

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Determine how many total experts you need to interview for the

content. Ideally, you’ll have at least two external experts. Three to ve

experts is usually enough. Subsequently, you’ll need to plan to contact

eight or ten, or maybe a few more. For larger projects, or projects that

encompass showcasing “The Number One Security Issue According to

20 of the Industry’s Top CTOs,” for example, you’ll obviously need to

cast a wider net and reach out to 50 or so.

Search for experts using these tools.

■ HARO: Help A Reporter Out, a free publicity tool that connects

journalists with experts. For instance, you can post something like,

“Looking for CIO to talk about implementing DevOps.”

■ Anewstip (paid), a website where you can search for journalists by

what they tweet about.

■ BuzzSumo (paid), a search tool that lets you browse the most

shared content for a topic. For example, you can search “expert

interview topic” to nd which experts are quoted a lot in the media.

■ Email Checker and Email Verier are tools that enable you to

verify an email address. You may nd a person on

LinkedIn who works for a particular company, and you may

have an idea of how that company constructs its email addresses,

such as [email protected]. These tools will conrm

whether you have a legitimate address.

■ Connect is a tool you can use to nd contacts based on a

company and job title. Search rst by company and then browse

through the list of titles. This can be useful when you want to talk

with someone with a particular title, such as CIO, and who works

for a certain type of company, such as a large enterprise.

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Determine who has a social presence or inuence around the topic by

checking LinkedIn forums and Twitter (search for related hashtags).

Check out the speaker lists at industry-specic conferences.

Consider dierent tactics for dierent industries. For example,

checking out blog forums and YouTube channels might garner experts

who are popular with consumers (for a B2C company), whereas

LinkedIn and industry-specic media outlets might be more eective

for nding CIOs who write about implementing DevOps and other ways

to improve productivity and time-to-market speed.

Depending on the project, you may look for companies or individuals.

For example, searching for a company that uses DevOps methodology

(not all do) is the right rst step for nding an individual – likely an IT

executive – who can then speak about issues related to DevOps.

Finalize your lists of SMEs by prioritizing the experts you’ve identied.

The easiest way to do this is to categorize them into three tiers, with

Tier 1 containing your most desirable candidates.

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Begin by sending emails to Tier 1 candidates. Introduce yourself and

the content; follow up as necessary. After 5 business days, send a

follow-up email.

After another 5 business days, if you’ve followed up with still noresponse, it’s time to put that expert into the “Didn’t Respond” pile and

move on to someone in the next tier.

When an expert responds with interest, send more information about

the project and immediately begin scheduling the interview. Schedule

interviews to be approximately 30 minutes; follow-up interviews or

emails can happen after the interview, if necessary.

Be sure to properly set their expectations. Will there be payment

involved? You much also divulge upfront that the piece of content will

be used in content marketing eorts.

Determine goals for the interview process. Are you looking to get

direction for the content, quotes and details, or validation on your idea?

Knowing the goal will help you ideate a pertinent set of questions.

OUTREACH CHECKLIST

INTERVIEW PREPARATION CHECKLIST

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Have your list of questions open in front of you to easily move through

the interview. You may want to jot down notes, but don’t focus on

that – you can listen to the recordings afterwards to get more detailed

notes.

Listen attentively as the interviewee answers questions and ask

thoughtful and related questions that pertain to the answers. It’s okay ifthis process means you don’t get to all the questions on your list; it’s

better to ensure the interview is a conversation that ows naturally.

Give your interviewee time to fully answer a question. Not everyone

speaks at the same speed, so be patient. Having ten seconds of “dead

air” is preferable to rushing to the next question and potentially cutting

o an answer.

An open-ended wrap-up question provides the interviewee with an

opportunity to add thoughts on any issues not previously covered.

When you conclude the interview, thank the person again for his or

her time and conrm whether it’s okay to follow-up as necessary when

you’re reviewing notes and writing the content.

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POST-INTERVIEW FOLLOW-UP EMAIL CHECKLIST

Shortly after the interview (within 24 hours), send a follow-up email

thanking the expert and requesting a headshot, as well as how his

or her name and title should appear. It’s customary to include in the

content an acknowledgements page where you thank the SMEs and

highlight their credentials.

After the content is complete and live, follow up with each expert and

include the following items:

■ Another thank-you for his or her participation

■ A link to the content

■ A request to share the content with their networks, along with

the social share messaging (which will be created along with other

promotional assets) to make the sharing process easy

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These sample emails can be used as a guide and tailored as necessary to meet your

project’s needs.

SAMPLE EMAILS

Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]

Subject Line: Expert Input on new ebook exploring new roles in big data management

Hello Bruce,

I’m working on a new ebook, tentatively titled “Identifying the Emerging Skillsets

Necessary to Manage Data and Database Technology,” which will strive to define

new roles in data management such as Chief Data Officer and Chief Analytics

Officer, as well as the accidental DBA and the accidental Data Architect.

We’d be honored to interview you and feature your experiences with helping tech-

nology teams find IT staff in this new ebook.

The ebook, a project sponsored by Company Name, will explore ways that CEOs,

CTOs, and IT directors can gain insights into these new roles, as well as discoverways to acquire and integrate the necessary skills into a business’s workflow.

Our next step would be to set up a 30-minute phone call (or we could send you a

quick Q&A sheet, if you prefer) sometime in the next week or so, and then we’ll

feature your answers and insights in the ebook. Or we could connect with someone

else at Expert’s Company, if you think they’d be a better fit for this ebook.

Is this something you’d be interested in?

From; Sender

Subject Line Should:

1. Describe what you’re

after (expert input)

2. Identify the project

(ebook)

3. name the topic

Be sure to use their

rst name.

INITIAL EMAIL


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project’s needs.

SAMPLE EMAILS

Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]


Hello Bruce,








CTOs, and IT directors can gain insights into these new roles, as well as discover

ways to acquire and integrate the necessary skills into a business’s workflow.

Our next step would be to set up a 30-minute phone call (or we could send you a

quick Q&A sheet, if you prefer) sometime in the next week or so, and then we’ll




From; Sender The rst paragraphdescribes the project.

The second includes a

personal bit – you know

the expert’s experience andplainly state what you want

from the expert.

INITIAL EMAIL


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project’s needs.

SAMPLE EMAILS

Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]


Hello Bruce,








CTOs, and IT directors can gain insights into these new roles, as well as discover

ways to acquire and integrate the necessary skills into a business’s workflow.

Our next step would be to set up a 30-minute phone call (or we could send you aquick Q&A sheet, if you prefer) sometime in the next week or so, and then we’ll




From; Sender

Another paragraph that

claries that the project is

sponsored by a company.

Some experts might

prefer to provide

answers and insights

in written form.

Next steps followed by an

out for the expert while asking

for someone else at their

organization who might be a

better t for the project.

INITIAL EMAIL


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Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]

Subject Line re: Share DevOps Insights in New Book?

FIRST FOLLOW-UP:

Bruce,

Just touching base to see if you’d like to be involved in this new ebook sponsored

by Company, or if there’s someone else we should connect with at Company.

Let me know if you’d like me to send the questions your way. Thanks!

SECOND FOLLOW-UP:

Bruce,

We are wrapping up the contributor phase of development for this new ebook on

DevOps culture sponsored by Company.

If you’d like to share your advice on moving toward a DevOps culture, let me know

and we could set up a quick 30-minute call sometime in the next week to get your

insights for this new project.

From; Sender

From; Sender

FOLLOW-UP EMAILS, AFTER NO RESPONSE TO ORIGINAL MESSAGE


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Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]

Subject Line re: Share DevOps Insights in New Book?

Hello Jane,

I’m just checking in to see if you might be available for a quick call Tuesday

(between 9am and 1pm) or Wednesday (between 1pm and 4pm) of this week? (All

times MST .)

I appreciate your time.

From; Sender

FOLLOW-UP EMAIL, AFTER EXPERT AGREES TO AN INTERVIEW BUT DOESN’T

RESPOND WITH AVAILABLE TIMES

Give a couple available

times and verify time

zone.


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Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]

Subject Line re: Proactive Security ebook conversation - follow-up

Jane,

Thank you again for speaking with us today. Your insights will be helpful to our

efforts, and we appreciate your time.

We are acknowledging all our contributors in the ebook. When you have a moment,

will you send me a headshot (300dpi; 720 pixels wide) and indicate how you’d like

your name and title to appear? Thank you.

I’ll be in touch in case we need clarification on the points we covered today, but I’ll

also keep you posted on the ebook’s progress, so you know when it’s available.

From; Sender

POST-INTERVIEW WRAP-UP

General thank you.

Ask for a photo and

name/title. Giving

the photo specs can

help ensure you get a

high-quality photo.

Let them know

you’ll be in touch for

clarication and/or

when the content is live.


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Compose

Inbox

Junk

Reply Reply all

Drafts

Sent

15

99

7

20

Avaliable

[email protected]

Subject Line: Company’s Awesome New Ebook Launches!

Hi Jane,

I wanted to thank you again for allowing us to feature your insights in the new

Company ebook, live link goes here.

The new guide to data security and risk management launched this week, and we

hope you’ll consider sharing this new ebook with your community!

If you’re willing, please consider sharing the ebook with a quick tweet on Twitter or

post on LinkedIn.

From; Sender

CONTENT IS LIVE NOTICE

Here, specify the

content’s topic.

Another quick thank

you plus the link to

the content.

Let them know it is

indeed live and ask

them to share it.

Provide written

social share buttons

to make sharing easy.


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E Book Quick Guide to Marketing With Subject Matter Experts V6

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