Mixing Art and Science for Content Marketing Success

#digitalpresencechat #cmworld

“Mixing Art and Science for Content Marketing Success”

Jeff Freund

VP and GM, Web Content Management Limelight Networks

#digitalpresencechat #cmworld [email protected]

jefffreund @jeff_freund


Why are we here?


Fun Parties?


Play Words With Friends from the Back of the Room?

C 4

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[ 59 points! ]


Hear Captain Kirk talk about “Enterprise” Marketing?


The Real Reason…

Content Marketing is an Emerging, Critical Business Function


Content Marketing Focus Today •  Hiring / growing a team •  Building scalable and repeatable

processes •  Improving results •  Maximizing return on investments being

made


There are Challenges •  Lack of organizational understanding •  Lots of dependencies •  Demanding time schedules •  High levels of collaboration and

coordination required •  Multi-disciplinary


To Be Successful, You Need •  Exceptional creative content •  To hit deadlines •  To be data driven •  To interoperate across your organization •  To have this winning combination of Art

and Science…


Part I: The Art


Provide Content that:

Presents company brand

Informs audience about products and

offerings

Establishes trust / credibility

Drives revenue, satisfaction and leads


1. Make it Engaging •  Story Telling •  Relevant to Audience •  Expresses a Point of View •  Shares Insights •  Original Thinking •  Multimedia / Video

#digitalpresencechat #cmworld Google: Cookie Monster IBM

1967


Corning: A Day Made of Glass


2. To Inform, Be Informed! •  Always be listening •  Always be reading •  Always be thinking •  Always be collecting tidbits •  Make the connections


3. Always Align with Core Messaging

Differentiated and Compelling


4. “Provide” Content •  The Art of Content Marketing isn’t just

about just creating it yourself… – User Generated – Found – Curated – Repurposed

[ Remember: “Always be reading” ]


•  UGC Contest •  Tapped into existing

audience •  Drove thematic

engagement

•  Highest viewership of a premiere ever for A&E


Part II: The Science


Influence Business Results

Right Content

Right People

Right Time


Who are the “Right People?” •  Engage with sales to understand the buyers

and buying process •  Inspect the funnel and sales pipeline •  Write (and read!) case studies •  Talk to buyers (wins and losses)


Know Your Personas Marketing Executive • Small to Medium

Companies • Enterprise

Demand Gen • Medium to Large

Companies • Enterprise

Digital Marketing/Strategy • Large to Medium Companies • Enterprise and Digital Media

IT Executive • Large to XL Companies • Digital Media

Network/Systems Operations • Medium to XL Companies • Enterprise and Digital Media

Engineering/Development • Small to Large Companies • Enterprise and Digital Media


Know Your Market Segments

Manufacturing Financial Services


Map the Buyer’s Journey

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Loosening the Status Quo

Committing to Change

Explore Solutions

Commit to a Solution

Justify the Decision

Make a Selection


Conduct an Audit (and repeat!) •  Map Content to Personas and Buyer’s

Journey •  Identify gaps AND •  Identify opportunities AND •  Inspect what is successful


Context Matters!


Context is Multi-Faceted

Environment

Profile Interactions


Seems like “Magic”…


But it doesn’t need to be “Magic”


•  Danger in doing nothing

•  Danger in being too narrow and deep

•  Don’t Reinvent

CRM

•  Funnel •  Pipeline • Wins/Losses

Sales

•  Attend Sales Meetings

•  Anecdotes • War Stories

Market

•  Analysts •  Influencers •  Competition

Customers

•  NPS •  Surveys •  Case

Studies

Analytics

• Web Metrics •  SEO •  Conversions

Social Media

•  Trends •  Reputation

Sources of Insights


Bringing it Together for Success


Content is a Team Sport

Marketing Strategy Creative Production Project

Management SME’s


Process Best Practices •  Have a process!

•  Have clear roles and responsibilities per project •  Respect different ways people work •  Be realistic about the full scope of efforts

required (i.e. “the cat herding”)

Defined Need Creative Brief Production Buy-in Final Product


Deadlines Required

[ Note: “Always be collecting” ]


•  Art: providing engaging content to influence results

•  Science: getting the right content to the right people at the right time

•  Success: repeatability, predictability


Standard & Poor’s: The Art


•  Trending Topics

•  Geographic consumption data

•  Key Videos to Translate

Standard & Poor’s: The Science


Summary The Art: •  Engaging Content •  Be Informed! •  Core Messaging •  “Provide” and Create

The Science: •  Personas and Segments •  Buyers Journey / Audit •  Context •  Insights

Engineering: Team and Process


Success Will Look Like: •  A strong multi-disciplinary team •  Repeatable processes •  Increased productivity •  Improved results •  Higher return on investment


Thank You!

Questions?

Jeff Freund [email protected]

jefffreund @jeff_freund

Mixing Art and Science for Content Marketing Success

Marketing

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