Why Your Content Marketing Strategy Needs a Strong Listening Culture #lavacon

@marisacp51 #Lavacon @LavaCon

Why Your Content Marketing Strategy Needs a Strong Listening Culture

Marisa Peacock

The Strategic Peacock


About the Speaker

Marisa Peacock is a social business strategist and marketing consultant, who helps organizations create and implement online strategies that appropriately target the right audience with the right information using the right media. She is the principal and chief strategist for The Strategic Peacock, LLC.

In addition, Marisa is a senior reporter for CMSWire.com, and an adjunct faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art teaching Social Media Marketing as a part of their Masters in Business of Art and Design program.

What is a Listening Culture?

A listening culture refers to the ability to listen to the trends and behaviors of an organization’s constituents so it can adjust decision-making processes to reflect and respond to what you hear.

www.strategicpeacock.com / @marisacp51 / #Lavacon

How Does it Apply to Content Strategy?

There’s really only one central principle of good content: it should be appropriate for your business, for your users, and for its context. - Erin Kissane, The Elements of Content Strategy


Why Listen?

• By listening to what your constituents are saying online and off you can craft messages that meet their needs.

• By listening to those who create, share and manage content, companies can streamline workflows to ensure efficiency and knowledge sharing.


Elements of a Listening Culture

• Collaborative work environment; limited or no silos

• Open to using cloud, mobile technologies

• Open to adopting news ways of working and sharing information

• Committed to taking action based on insights gleaned from content audits and conversation scans


Part 1: Content Development


Conversation Scan

• A good content strategy accounts for the needs of your audience and the channels they use and the media they consume and enjoy

• Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know the who, where and what about your audience, conduct an external conversation audit.


External Conversation Audit

• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of org’s conversation potential.

• The results will help you better understand the types of existing content that can be used or developed to address, engage and promote conversations among key constituents with the purpose of identifying potential influencers.

• Analysis also serves to identify active platforms and networks upon which online conversations take place.


Tools to Use

• Google search; linkto: http://• Pinterest search, source tool

(pinterest.com/source/website.com)• Twitter Search, Facebook Search, Tumblr

Search• Google Alerts• Google Analytics• TweetReach, SocialBro


Example


Conversation Scan

• A good content strategy accounts for those who create, review, publish and manage content within an organizations.

• Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know how content is created or published, conduct an internal conversation audit.


Internal Conversation Audit

3 specific aspects of the organization are examined:

• Conversation profile of internal constituents (where do they take place, what issues are reflected?)

• Inventory of conversations already taking place among internal constituents

• Existing level of commitment to your organization’s mission and message


Tools to Use

• Focus groups, social hours, department meetings

• Internal social networks, intranets• Mobile reporting tools (IT)• Lunch time conversations

Do what’s authentic for your company!


Content Audit

• A good content strategy accounts for an organization’s ability to store, manage and leverage existing content to meet the needs of evolving trends and technologies.

• Potential Starting Point: If you don’t know what content currently exists and where it is stored, conduct an content audit.


Content Audit

• Does content accurately reflect keywords associated with he brand or company?

• Does the website provide information based on customers’ frequently asked questions?

• How are files, reports, white papers, etc organized on the site? How are they categorized?

• How are off-site blogs, tumblrs, flickr accounts, etc incorporated into the site and company branding?


Tools to Use

• Website search• Google Analytics• Excel spreadsheets• Content management systems


Get Started

• How does a bill become a law? How does content get from point A to B within your organization?

• Identify bottlenecks, logjams that prevent relevant content from being reviewed, published.

• Identify the key players. Identify your key allies.

• How do systems work together? Can they be seamlessly aligned?

• Initiate conversations. Ask questions. Add value.


Part 2: Content Implementation &

Workflow Development


Content Implementation and Workflow Development

• Facilitate the development and strategic delivery of content deemed appropriate for engagement

• Create a content workflow that leverages conversations and networks identified during the external conversation scans.


Plan & Create a Conversation Strategy

• The process will include, but is not limited to outlining:

• permission and oversight required for initiating, responding or contributing to content created by the organization

• procedure for communicating these policies and information about the org’s internal/external engagement strategy

• procedure for knowledge sharing among staff and other required users about conversation starters and topics


Develop Internal & External Monitoring Process

• Test & choose the right online tools to help monitor online conversations across social media

• Create and deliver reports, which share insights about conversations and necessary actions

• Select beta users and brand ambassadors from among constituents to discuss, facilitate and generate ideas for creating and co-creating content and conversations.


Manage, Monitor & Measure

• Set and measure goals that will determine success

• Communicate goals & objectives

• Give clear Call to Actions to internal & external audiences

• Integrate insights into marketing and engagement campaigns.

• Report on performance regularly. Let people know what’s working and what isn’t.

• Keep agile so you can evolve as needed.



Thank You!

Marisa Peacock

www.strategicpeacock.com

@marisacp51

[email protected]

http://www.strategicpeacock.com/

mailto:[email protected]