How to Impress Your Boss, Get Ahead of the Curve,

And Tighten Your Bottom (Line)

ANN HANDLEY Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs

@MarketingProfs

COREY O’LOUGHLIN Content Marketing Manager, MarketingProfs @CoreyOlo

WARM UP

Who we are • The Boss: Ann Handley

• The Do-er: Corey O’Loughlin

TODAY’S WORKOUT

Transform Yourself: 2014 Trends • Step It Up: from Elementary to Excellent

• Online Content: Create and Curate

• Social Savvy: from Restricted to Required

• Integrate: from One Voice to Many United Voices

• Data: from Overwhelmed to Actionable

Cool Down: 10 Bad Habits to Shed in 2014

STEP IT UP:

FROM ELEMENTARY TO EXCELLENT The basics are no longer enough.

STEP IT UP

Real-time marketing is required.

• Do you have the ability to produce real-time, same-day

content around relevant news stories?

• Real-time relevance is key (you don’t have to be Oreo)

REAL-TIME RELEVANCE

STEP IT UP

Real-time marketing is required.

• Do you have the ability to produce real-time, same-day

content around relevant news stories?

• Real-time relevance is key (you don’t have to be Oreo)

Story and strategy are your cornerstone.

• Do you have processes and platforms that work?

• Create a variety of content types: Reimagine, refine.

(BTW: Download research at

Slideshare.net/mprofs)

USEFUL X ENJOYABLE X INSPIRED =

EFFECTIVE CONTENT

Multiplication signs are key. (Thank you, Doug Kessler.)

STEP IT UP

Real-time marketing is required. • Do you have the ability to produce real-time, same-day content

around relevant news stories?

• Real-time relevance is key (you don’t have to be Oreo)

Story and strategy are your cornerstone. • Do you have processes and platforms that work?

• Create a variety of content types: Reimagine, refine.

Loosen up your content. • Content is evolving from buttoned up to business casual

• Video is the opportunity in 2014!

HOW TO: STEP IT UP

Real time marketing is required.

• Google Alerts, Hyper

Alerts

• Stay on top of your

brand, but also on top of

trending stories/events

of importance to your

audience. (Not all

opportunities are the

right fit.)

HOW TO: STEP IT UP

Story and Strategy are your cornerstone.

• Content Rules (Ann and C.C.) or Content Strategy for the Web (Halvorson)

• Make sure you have staffing roles covered (See Ann’s simple org chart: http://www.annhandley.com/2013/10/06/a-simple-content-marketing-org-chart/

• Get educated: MarketingProfsU, Content Marketing Crash Course, or Marketing Writing Bookcamp

HOW TO: STEP IT UP

Loosen up your Content.

• iMovie, Vine, Instagram, YouTube

• Improv classes.* Bringing a sense of playfulness to your content will

help you stand out. (*Tim Washer’s idea)

ONLINE CONTENT:

CREATE AND CURATE Voice and tone are your secret sauce.

ONLINE CONTENT

Voice and tone are your secret content sauce. • A distinct brand voice is essential in 2014.

• You have personas for your prospects: Do you have one for your brand? Do you have a “verbal identity”?

Hi.

ONLINE CONTENT

Voice and tone are your secret content sauce. • A distinct brand voice is essential in 2014.

• You have personas for your prospects. Do you have one for your brand? Do you have a “verbal identity”?

Evolved focus: Create and curate • With a content surplus, the value of curation comes in

finding the best content, commenting on it, and sharing it.

ONLINE CONTENT

Voice and tone are your secret sauce. • A distinct brand voice is essential in 2014.

• You have personas for your prospects. Do you have one for your brand? Do you have a “verbal identity”?

Evolved focus: Create and curate. • With a content surplus, the value of curation comes in

finding the best content, commenting on it, and sharing it.

Take social seriously as a content/story platform. • Curate content from your audience.

HOW TO: ONLINE CONTENT

Voice and tone are your secret sauce.

• Tool: A whiteboard (and the smartest people you can find).

• Create a brand persona: Who are you? And: Who are you not?

• Tip: If you erase your visual branding, is your content clearly yours?

HOW TO: ONLINE CONTENT

Evolved focus: Create and curate.

• Tool: Curata, Buffer

• Sharing links without commenting on why it matters is simply aggregating; add value for your audience.

HOW TO: ONLINE CONTENT

Take social seriously • Tool: Oktopost (for

publishing, monitoring)

• Tool: Storify (for social curating)

SOCIAL SAVVY:

FROM RESTRICTED TO REQUIRED Opting out of social media isn’t an option.

SOCIAL SAVVY

Marketers have to be steeped in social and know how to best use it.

• Identify your communities and influencers

Stay current on social rules. • Social networks change the rules frequently. (We’re looking at

you Facebook.) Stay up to speed!

HOW TO: SOCIAL SAVVY

Find your communities and influencers. • Tool: Little Bird

Stay up to speed on changing social rules, guidelines, best practices and my relationship status…. (Ha!)

• Tools: MarketingProfs, Mashable, Moz

• Tip: Read MarketingProfs #SocialSkim every Friday! (Ann’s favorite bit of content.)

INTEGRATE:

FROM ONE VOICE TO

MANY UNITED VOICES Help your employees tell your story.

INTEGRATE

Involve your employees: Everyone is a brand ambassador.

Find the hidden assets on your team • Who has latent or dormant skills that may help your brand stand

out?

Make it fun! • Incentivize participation in content/sharing.

HOW TO: INTEGRATE

Everyone is a brand ambassador.

• Tool: Addvocate

HOW TO: INTEGRATE

Find the hidden assets on your team. • Tool: Your ears and eyes.

• Tip: Sometimes all you have to do is ask.

HOW TO: INTEGRATE

Make it fun! • Tool: YouEarnedIt

• Tip: Not everyone is competitive: What motivates your team members?

DATA:

FROM OVERWHELMED TO ACTIONABLE Measure what matters.

DATA

Figure out what you need to know to make decisions. • Measure what’s important.

Manage your time wisely.

Report regularly (weekly, monthly) to those you need to inform.

SEE FAST COMPANY’S

GOOGLE ANALYTICS FOR CONTENT MARKETERS

HOW TO: DATA

Breathe. You’ve got this: • Tool: Moz Analytics

• Tip: The more you understand the better your content will be

HOW TO: DATA

Get smart about time management. • Tool: Kanbanize

• Tip: Focus on what matters. The rest can wait.

HOW TO: DATA

Report regularly: Simplicity works. • Tool: Excel

• Tip: Hold yourself accountable.

10 BAD HABITS

TO SHED IN 2014 Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

THE TWITTER ROBO DM

YOUR CRAPPY LINKEDIN PHOTO

SPAMMY BLOG COMMENTS

CLICHÉ STOCK PHOTOS

EMOTICONS

RIDICULOUS ADJECTIVES

You are not a ninja.

“BORROWING” CONTENT

It’s stealing and it’s not cool.

FRANKENSPEAK

AUTO CROSS-POSTING

Humble Bragging and Vaguebooking

ANN HANDLEY Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs

@MarketingProfs

COREY O’LOUGHLIN Content Marketing Manager, MarketingProfs @CoreyOlo

Thank You!