Content Marketing: Digital's Eureka Moment

Content MarketingDigital’s Eureka Moment

Paul NorthHead of Content and Strategy

@2pointNorth

plus.google.com/+PaulNorth

uk.linkedin.com/pub/paul-north/27/987/1aa/

paul@mediarundigital.co.uk

WHAT?

Mediarun’s Definition

The strategic use of content to drive marketing goals, support business

objectives and strengthen a website as a key destination for a target

market.

Content should be original, exceptional and engaging if it is going to

stand out and perform.

“To create ideas so contagious they

cannot be controlled, we call this

liquid. And these ideas are so

innately relevant to our business

objectives, brands and consumer

interests, we call this linked. And

through the stories we tell, we will

earn a disproportionate share of

popular culture.”

Other Definitions

Jonathan Mildenhall – VP Global Advertising Strategy & Creative Excellence, Coca Colawww.youtube.com/watch?v=G1P3r2EsAos

Brands As Publishers

Brands As Publishers

Advertising Performance

People ignore, get frustrated by, actively block this:

Advertising Performance

Adblock used by 30% [Pagefair August 2013 Report]

Advertising Performance

People seek out,

subscribe,

interact and tell

others about

this:

Advertising Performance

This cost £7,000,000:

https://

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=XqWig2WARb0

Advertising Performance

This cost £3000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI

New Publishing Models

New Publishing Models

New Publishing Models

New Publishing Models

Changing News Models

Brands Commissioning Work, Not Ads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHtvDA0W34I

Brands Commissioning Work, Not Ads

dumbwaystodie.com

Marketing Team StructuresWithout With

HOW?

Know Your Message

• Align with business and

marketing goals

• Make it answer needs of

customers

Awareness

Consideration

Purchase

Experiencing

Advocacy

Customer Buying Cycle

Make It Meet The Requirements of a Channel

Social – emotionally engaging, confirm purchase decision, imagery

Search – match search trends and intent

Email – say something new

PR – newsworthy, relates to wider issue

Display – answer customer needs

Make It Good

Pick at least 1

Make It Good

Consider curation

Make It Good

Just don’t be unremarkable, or else:

The 70:20:10 Rule

70% - Safe, quick, proven

20% - Plays with formula and pushes boundaries

10% - completely new, high risk/reward

How to develop your approach:

70% - Learn about your market, products, customers

20% - Learn about how to do content marketing

10% - Learn about something totally separate that inspires you

And another one…

What Is Already Being Done?

• Competitors aren’t just those with similar products• Competitors compete for your audience’s time and attention• Be better/different

• Above: image search for “Game of Thrones infographic” published since April 1st 2014

Know Your Audience

Know Your Audience

Customers Prospects

Press

Influencers

What Is Already Being Done?

Time It Right

Amplify

Amplify

Great content needs effective planning, execution

and promotion to work

Amplify

WOW! A book excerpt featuring 2 of the internet’s heroes!

Amplify

OH COME ON!

Amplify

Great content and ideas alone are not enough.

It’s as much about context, execution and promotion.

Amplify

Missing:

• Inter-team collaboration (content and social)

• Content promotion (Social media profiles never promote the blog!)

• Content strategy

• Centralised strategic function

What if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of social followers?

• Build influencer relationships

• Create content that answers needs of influencers and customers

• Be exceptional

• Have a personality – be identifiable

Amplify

• What is needed:

• Seeding

• Influencer targeting (Cision, Gorkana, Radian6)

• Build an audience to work for you

• Paid promotion (Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Outbrain, Taboola)

• Split test

Measure

WHY?

How Content Works For Everyone

How to guide for:

• Onsite

• Social

• SEO

• PPC

• Email

How Content Works For Everyone

Video Interview with CEO for:

• Social

• PR

• SEO

How Content Works For Everyone

Infographic for:

• Native advertising

• SEO

• Social

How Content Works For Everyone

Content

The Benefits

• Unified channels, consistent message

• Collaborative teams, cross-pollination of ideas, greater efficiency and

effectiveness

• Customers do the work for you

• Budget savings

• Production efficiency

CASE STUDY

Oscar Dresses Infographic

Goals:

• Develop fun and sharable content

• Celebrate key industry event

• Attract links and gain social shares

• Increase brand exposure and brand awareness

Thought Process:

• Leveraging timing increases chances of interest, press

coverage and viral effect.

• Content needs to be visually attractive to appeal to fashion

industry.

• Cross over with film industry would bring additional audience.

Execution, Production & Outreach

• Best Actress Winners

• Dresses & Designers

• Illustrative Pictures

Research

• Briefing Illustrator• Font, Copy, Colours,

Designers, Look & Style

• Visual Guidelines

Execution• Placement on site• Seed out to 3rd party

fashion titles• 20 UK and 50 US

titles

Outreach

Final Product

Results: UK Coverage

Results: US Coverage

Results: International Coverage

Results: Social Media Buzz

Results: Social Media Buzz

Results:

• 385+ placements/links

• 160,000+ visits to Mediarun site

• Massive social engagement

• Estimate tens of millions of views worldwide

• Massive UK and International press coverageAchievement of All

Desired Goals!

• Develop fun and sharable content

• Celebrate key industry event

• Attract links and gain social shares

• Increase brand exposure and brand awareness

IN SUMMARY

Content Marketing is Digital’s Eureka Moment

WHAT?• Internet has changed things again

• Ad performance exposed

• Strategically used content for achieving marketing aims

HOW?• Brand, message, voice

• Find out what makes you great to people

• Targeting, timing

• Build, iterate, improve

WHY?Content marketing is the logical primary response to the new marketing opportunities the

internet and particularly, social media present us.

How Do Agencies Work In This Picture?

• Increase resource

• Increase performance

• Add expertise

• Provide crucial outsider input

• See the bigger picture