18 Tips from Content Marketing Innovators - Content Jam eBook

18 CONTENT MARKETING �INNOVATOR TIPS �

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IT’S TIME TO JAM �Strategy Creative Promotion Measurement ��

Content Jam is a conference for people who create or curate content for the web. Experts in content strategy and creation, SEO,

analytics, promotion, and marketing automation share their tips in the Content Jam Innovator eBook.

Andy Crestodina Web Strategist and

Co-founder of Orbit Media Studios

@crestodina�

Science of attraction and action �

There is a science to a-rac.ng visitors and ge2ng them to take ac.on. But the connec.on that happens next is all art. Data drives marke.ng decisions about rankings and traffic, content and conversions. But as soon as that visitor submits, subscribes or comments, they change from a number to a person. Treat them with kindness and humility.

TIP �

Content Jam & Konstant Change

“There is a science to attracting visitors and getting them to take

action – the connection that happens next is all art.” �

Andy Crestodina

#ContentJam � @crestodina�

Gini Dietrich Founder/CEO

Arment Dietrich Founder and Publisher

Spin Sucks Blog

@ginidietrich�

The truth about in-depth articles �

Google recently announced a new feature that returns in-‐depth ar.cles in search results. Do a broad search for your industry -‐ marke.ng, public rela.ons, communica.ons, social media, fundraising, telecomm, etc. -‐ and see if any in-‐depth ar.cles come up. If nothing appears, you have a huge opportunity to write some longer-‐form content that is well researched and op.mized to extend your brand. If ar.cles do appear, it's .me to roll up your sleeves and get going!

TIP �


“In-depth articles are the � newest innovation in content �

marketing. Roll up your � shirtsleeves and do the work. �

Google will reward you.” ��

Gini Dietrich

#ContentJam � @ginidietrich�

Brad Farris Principal,

Anchor Advisors

@blfarris�

Write the easy way �

It's so hard to write well -‐-‐ it takes a ton of .me, thought and effort to write a great blog post. So don't do that -‐-‐ it's too hard. Instead, write a really lousy blog post. Your blog needs your ideas and your voice but there are hundreds of competent former journalism students out there who are perfectly good editors. Hire one of them to turn your crappy blog post into something that someone else wants to read.

TIP �


“Good writing is hard. �Bad writing is easy -- �

Do the easy job & �hire out the hard one!” �

�

Brad Farris

#ContentJam � @blfarris�

Mana Ionescu Founder

Lightspan Digital

@manamica�

What you need to do to write well �

Whether wri.ng 120 characters, an Instagram cap.on, a catchy hashtag or a blogpost, wri.ng requires skill. And that skill comes with prac.ce. You can't write if you don't read. You can't write if you....avoid wri.ng. And you can't write well if you don't rewrite. So read what others write, write fearlessly, and dare to seek perfec.on by rewri.ng and rewri.ng.

TIP �


“Read what others write, write fearlessly, and dare to seek perfection by rewriting and

rewriting.” ��

Mana Ionescu

#ContentJam � @manamica�

Sean McGinnis Digital Marketing Director

Sears Parts Direct

�@seanmcginnis �

The secret to valuable links �

Want to rank well in search results? You need links. Want links? Write epic shit! Your goal should be to create the best web page on the internet for that topic. People are inclined to read, share and link to the highest quality informa.on. Do your “content marke.ng” efforts measure up to that loWy standard?

TIP �


“People are inclined to read, �share, and link to the �

highest quality information.” ��

Sean McGinnis

@seanmcginnis �#ContentJam �

Keith Ecker Writer. Educator.

Performer.

@keithecker�

The secret to keep’em coming back �

If we were to think of websites as restaurants, SEO is the billboard, and content is the food. Your audience might come because of the SEO, but they come back because of the content. Moral of the story? Do not overlook the importance of being interes.ng and of use.

TIP �


“You will get a lot more out � of your content if you � think of yourself as a � storyteller first and �a marketer second.” �

�Keith Ecker

@keithecker�#ContentJam �

Marti Konstant Founder and Growth Hacker Konstant Change

@martikonstant �

The wisdom of relevance �

If 70% of the sales process is completed before a customer contacts you (Sirius Decisions 2012), get straight to the heart of what your customer wants or needs. What you want to say and what your customer is interested in are oWen different. Listen, give’em relevant informa.on, talk about what is on their mind, and help them solve their problems.

TIP �


“What you want to say �and what people are interested

in are often different.” ��

Marti Konstant

@martikonstant �#ContentJam �

Steve Susina Director of Demand Generation for Crain Communications / Business Insurance

@ssusina�

Content before marketing automation �

Before ge:ng started with marke<ng automa<on, it is important to have a great content strategy already in place. Automa<on will help you deliver your content faster and more efficiently to the right people. That's awesome if you have great content. If your content sucks, marke<ng automa<on will also expose it to more people, more quickly.

TIP �


“Marketing automation is an ideal platform to deliver the

right content to right audience at right time in purchase cycle.” �

�Steve Susina

@ssusina�#ContentJam �

Luvvie Ajayi Writer and

Digital Strategist Awesomely Luvvie

@iLuvvit�

Social smarts for branding �

Branding is the en.re idea and image that people have of something or another person. It's what determines what people expect from you and how to treat you. To create a strong one online, you need to be CONSCIOUS of your voice, CONSISTENT with your content, and COHESIVE across all social networks.

TIP �


“For a strong online brand, be conscious of your voice, consistent

with your content, and cohesive across all social networks.” �

�

Luvvie Ajayi

@iLuvvit�#ContentJam �

Jill Salzman President

The Founding Moms

@foundingmom�

Practical content wins every time �

Get prac.cal. It may be impressive to offer theore.cal insights and beau.ful concepts, but what are we supposed to do with that long-‐term? Offer ac.onable, prac.cal steps, .ps or tricks and you'll have them coming back for more.

TIP �


“Best kind of content marketing? �The practical kind.” �

�

Jill Salzman

@foundingmom�#ContentJam �

Jill Pollack Owner

StoryStudio Chicago

@jill_pollack�

Cocktail party content marketing �

Content Marke.ng is like a cocktail party; being a good host means you don't stand in the middle of the room ac.ng like a know-‐it-‐all. Instead, start a discussion by involving your readers in the conversa.on.

TIP �


“Start a discussion by �involving your readers in the

conversation.” ��

Jill Pollack

@jill_pollack�#ContentJam �

Deana Goldasich CEO

Well Planned Web

@goldasich�

Uncover relevant content �

A single customer story can literally transform your editorial calendar overnight. Maximize your ROI (Return on Interview) by thinking waaaay beyond case studies and tes.monials. If you’re disciplined in your interview, facilita.on, listening and documenta.on, you’ll uncover a boatload of ac.onable content items that are über-‐relevant to your prospects

TIP �


“Content must map directly to a specific audience need, dilemma, �

or pain point.” ��

Deana Goldasich

@goldasich�#ContentJam �

Jodi Navta VP Marketing and Communications

Coyote

@jodinavta�

Have context �

Stories are everywhere, but not every story is worth telling. Think beyond your ver.cal when developing content. What’s going on in the world, in the economy, in your city that people may have an emo.onal connec.on to? Think of context first, form content around that context, and then share. You'll find new audiences and also engage the audience you want to in a more meaningful way.

TIP �


“Start a campfire in your �organization, and suddenly �

everyone will have a compelling �story to tell.” �

�

Jodi Navta

@jodinavta�#ContentJam �

Kate Eyler-Werve Project Manager

Mightybytes

@innokate�

Don’t call it content �

For the love of li-le green apples, stop calling all that gorgeous work you've created "content!" Content is a handy umbrella term for prac..oners but to most folks it sounds off-‐pu2ng, like calling people "human resources." Plus, have you ever heard a customer declare their interest in consuming content? Of course not. People come to your site for tutorials, explana.ons, ideas, facts, research, videos, pictures and expert advice. S.ck with concrete descrip.ons that convey the value of your work instead of using professional jargon.

TIP �


“Don’t call it content – stick with concrete descriptions that convey �the value of your work instead of

using professional jargon.” �

Kate Eyler-Werve

@innokate�#ContentJam �

Susan Silver President

Argentum Strategy Group

@argentumstrat �

How does content further growth? �

Be strategic about how you use content marke.ng. Ask yourself how it can best help you grow your company's business.

TIP �


“First ask yourself how content marketing can best help you grow

your company’s business.” ��

Susan Silver

@argentumstrat �#ContentJam �

James Ellis Director of Digital

Strategy Flirt Communications

@saltlab�

Google Analytics mastery �

Once you understand Segments, Campaigns and Conversion Goals, you are a Google Analy.cs master. Segments allow you to filter and only see/understand a single audience. Conversions lets you measure what's really important to you. Campaigns lets you see what messages and channels really worked. Everything else is searching for the right bu-on.

TIP �


“Content Marketing is a fancy term for giving users what they

wanted all along.” ��

James Ellis

@saltlab�#ContentJam �

Keidra Chaney Founder/Editor

The Learned Fangirl

@kdc �

Website trend spotting �

As a content creator, it’s really easy to get caught up in traffic chasing: logging into Google Analy.cs, looking at a single metric – say, number of visits – in isola.on and making a value judgment about how well your content is performing. The trends of your content performance are the most valuable way for you to get a perspec.ve on how well your site is performing over .me. Se2ng your own monthly traffic benchmarks should be a primary goal.

TIP �


“In Google Analytics,set monthly traffic benchmarks to get a

perspective on how well your site is performing over time.” �

�

Keidra Chaney

@kdc �#ContentJam �

Tim Frick Principal

Mightybytes

@timfrick �

Agile Content Development �

Validated learning, the process of conduc<ng user tes<ng at every stage of product development, is an agile soKware development process that content marketers can add to their workflows. Create. Measure. Learn. Create content based on a single, specific hypothesis. Measure the validity of your hypothesis through tes<ng and analy<cs. Make data-‐based decisions regarding whether to abandon hypothesis (pivot) or stay the course (persevere).

TIP �

Orbit Media Studios & Konstant Change

“Analytics tools make it easy to create small chunks of content,

test them and then either pivot to a new approach or persevere.” �

�Tim Frick

@timfrick �#ContentJam �

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