Content Marketing Strategy Part 2

Planning a content strategy is a challenging venture. One cannot just put up any old content in any old order and expect it to save the day. As with any strategic initiative, you must plan effectively and thoroughly.

Here is a video to set a foundation: 

In the previous post I talked about the goal of content strategy. The goal is the best starting point. From the goal, one can build a strategy by identifying the high-level elements that are required to make the strategy come to fruition. I touched on this briefly in the last post and we will explore in more detail here.

As you will recall the goal is:

Efficiently produce and organizing relevant / up-to-date content that engages by immersing the audience in a meaningful / helpful / enjoyable / interesting /and sharable experience in order to attract new and existing followers / customers / readers and motivates your audiences to practice the same behaviors as your best customers. In time you will develop a following of people that will return to you habitually in time of need.

The first step is to define the scope of the content. Within the goal, we can identify several requirements for the content. Those things are:

• Efficient production
• Well organized content
• Meaningful, engaging content
• Directed at both customers and non-customers

Accomplishing these content goals will require extensive research including the following:

• Competition
• Industry
• Other industries
• And… Review your own company data and knowledge (analytics, system usage, win/loss analysis, debriefing sales people, brainstorming with other departments, etc.)

Looking at all this data, collecting feedback, etc. will help define the scope of the content (That way you don’t end up creating a three-headed monster inaccurately nicknamed content strategy).

The next step is to define how and where to deliver the content. As noted in the previous post content can be delivered in a wide variety of forms including, but not limited to: whitepapers, news articles, video, infographics, etc. The organization of this information is just as important as the content itself. An expert in information architecture or user experience is a valuable asset here.

As you continue through the planning process, the next step is planning a means of measuring your return on investment. To do this, first you must understand the short-term and long-term goals. Out of the gate, traffic might be light and sales are not likely to skyrocket. So, be sure to set realistic expectations. Here is a list of key performance indicators to consider including in the plan:

• Sales lead ‘quality’ and quantity
• Website traffic – page views / returning visits / unique visits
• SEO ranking
• Time spend on website
• “Membership” acquisition
• Links
• Views/downloads
• Mentions
• Shares (shares to social media, for example)
• Followers
• # of Comments

Next, plan what tools you will need to carry out the plan. For example, you will definitely need a way to keep track of the content schedule (like an editorial calendar). Also, to support KPI reporting, you will need Google Analytics, and perhaps some type of social media scanner to see where your content is referenced/shared.

The last part of the plan will relate to how you will spread the word once the content is live. This will likely include a search engine optimization strategy and advertising.

Please remember, this is just a quickie, high-level overview. It is certainly not enough to form a really thorough plan. If this has whet your appetite and you want to learn more check out: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com

What is a Content Marketing Strategy?

You may notice that the more recent posts on this blog are not wholly related to

healthcare. This is no accident. I believe that people benefit from a wide variety of ideas and, to that end, I strive to learn new things while sharing what I know.  I never mentioned this on the blog before, but a sometime ago I disrupted my career.  I left healthcare and started working in a completely different industry. This, of course, has not changed my interest on healthcare, nor have I stopped following healthcare.

This personal disruption isn't abandonment; it is a means of growth.  And, boy-oh-boy, have I learned a lot! Not only have I learned a new industry, I have also learned new ways of doing things, I have learned to see common things in a different light, I have learned new applications for the same old, and so much more. I think these things can benefit both you and me. So, while I will still post about healthcare frequently, don’t be surprised to see a more broad range of topics.

Today, I want to share what I have been working on recently: Content Marketing Strategy

With the Internet being such a powerful learning tool, content is a great way to develop brand recognition as a thought leader and fountain of information. The goal of a content marketing strategy is:

Efficiently produce and organizing relevant / up-to-date content that engages by immersing the audience in a meaningful / helpful / enjoyable / interesting /and sharable experience in order to attract new and existing followers / customers / readers and motivate your audiences to practice the same behaviors as your best customers. In time, you will develop a following of people that will return to you habitually in time of need.

I know that is a giant run-on sentence, but with good cause. Content marketing strategy has a huge job that requires a huge sentence. The words in the goal stated above were not chosen at random, each word has a specific purpose. For example, look at the first word, efficiently. If your goal is to produce mass content, you must do it efficiently or your marketing spend will go through the roof and your business won’t benefit.  If you are new to content marketing strategy, I encourage you to read and reread that phrase. Interpret each word for yourself. Then, work to improve upon that phrase.

In addition to the word choices, the statement is intended to imply actions that help to execute on the goal. For example, the phrase attract new and existing constituents, is intended to imply the need to develop a plan to attract people to your content. This may be through advertising, SEO, etc. 

Another implication relates to the part of the phrase that says motivates your audience to practice the same behaviors as your best customers.  Clearly, you have to know your best customers before you can do this. In knowing your customers, I don’t just mean knowing their names – I mean knowing their behaviors and speaking to that persona. If you aren't familiar, you should do a little research on user persona. While it generally is used referring to user experience and interface design, it actually has a much wider implication in getting to know your customers. 

Now, spend a little time picking apart the goal phrase above and see if you can find the other implications that drive planning and execution. 

Here is a great video I found on YouTube that sums it up well. 

Anyway… I find I learn best with visual examples. So, if you want to get a good grasp content marketing strategy, take a minute to look at what others have done. Here are some examples of really impressive content marketing strategies:

• http://www.webmd.com/
• http://yourquestions.mcdonalds.ca/
• http://virginmobilefeed.com/
• http://www.msptv.net/
• http://www.homemadesimple.com/en-us/pages/home.aspx
• https://presentations.inxpo.com/Shows/Cisco/IP_NGN/05-10/Website/home.htm?AffiliateKey=11431&AffiliateData=188986_6
• http://www-01.ibm.com/software/solutions/soa/innov8/cityone/index.html
• http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx

You will notice on those example sites that content types and the organization/display of that content vary from site to site. So, what is content? Here is a short list of possibilities:

Social media	Webinars	Video
Case studies	White papers	Articles
E-newsletters	Blog	In-person events
Articles on other sites	Research reports	Infographics
Microsites	Branded content tools	Ebooks
Syndicated data	Virtual conferences	Podcasts
Books	Mobile content	Digital magazines
Games	Comics	Competitions
Apps	Gifs	Guides
Hangouts	Framework	Images
Link bait	Press releases	Quizzes
Social feed	Slideshows	Live presentations / QA session

Now that I have defined content marketing strategy and given some examples, I think I will close this post as it is getting rather long. In the next post, I will share more about planning and executing a content marketing strategy.

Before I go, I do want to point you in a direction to learn more while you wait on my next post. In my venture into content, I learned the most valuable information from the Content Marketing Institute. You should pay them a visit to learn more: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com

Tips on Launching an Effective Social Media Marketing Campaign

Today, I wanted to focus on how a small business can build a brand while driving traffic to their website for relatively low cost (even free) with good ROI. This article will discuss the ins and outs of social media marketing. Before we start, let me preface with the fact that social media marketing is time consuming. It can be a very effective, affordable means of advertising – but it will require a dedicated investment of time to be effective. As you read the article, you will see what I mean.

First and foremost, you must have a good website or no marketing in the world will help. A good website includes elements of good user interface design that is attractive, functional, and easy to navigate. Text is a very important factor in a good website for two reasons. First, text is part of the way search engines like Google and Yahoo catalogue your website. Search engines ignore pictures and Flash components. So if your website is completely designed in Flash, you are in trouble!

Secondly, people who visit your website depend strongly on text to understand what your site is all about. A well written, well organized website makes your business seem more professional and expresses the purpose of the business. In addition to this, useful, educational text on your website can bring in traffic.  People like things that are free. While you cannot necessarily give products and services away for free, you can give free information about topics that support your brand’s image. Not only do websites with educational content attract more traffic they also attract more business as the useful, free content builds a relationship and sense of trust with potential customers.  

A blog is a great way to do this. Make sure that your blog is attractive, has good strong, useful text and lots of catchy pictures (you’ll know why good pictures are important in a minute). The educational content should be relevant to current themes of interest in your industry. If you don’t know what current interests are – read the news, other blogs, etc. to find out. Never copy or steal someone else’s ideas. If you are planning to build on someone else’s article (commentary style), be sure to attribute the original idea to that other person and link back to the original article.

Most importantly remember your mom’s advice: “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”.  There are great rewards associated with saying nice things about other people and other businesses that complement (but don’t compete or undermine) your business and brand image. For example, you may find that your comments about another business result in that business linking back to your website or blog to “return the favor”.

While it is perfectly alright to disagree with someone else’s ideas, it must be done politely with an acknowledgment of the original idea’s validity even though your thoughts differ in a certain way. If you have absolutely nothing nice to say – say nothing at all. Negativity or bad mouthing another (even if it is a competitor) is unprofessional and just plain old bad business that WILL damage your reputation.

Once you are providing useful, brand supporting educational text – brag about it! Promote your website’s educational content with free tools like Twitter, Pinterest, Stumble Upon, Google Plus, Linkedin, and Facebook. Every time you post a new piece of educational content, post an update on all of the above sites. Also, be sure to add your blog feed to your Linked In profile.  For the sake of Pinterest, make sure you have eye-catching images on your site that you can pin. Remember, don’t steal images or pictures off the internet at random – you will get caught and you will make someone angry. We are trying to build a positive brand, not alienate people. With a little effort, there are plenty of free images you can use.

Next, you will need to follow other people on the sites referenced above. There is an unwritten rule, that you must “return the favor”. When someone follows you, follow them back UNLESS their content could be damaging to your site or brand image. Also, when another business follows you, check out their website – perhaps you will find that you can write something nice about them as a extra relationship-building thank you for following me. If you do write about them, tell them so in a quick email to their marketing/sales department (they might just link back to your article).

Another way to build traffic is to comment on other blogs and Linked In group discussions, but here I will caution you to play by the rules!!!!! DO NOT SPAM. In most cases you will be required to either comment as anonymous or register for a profile; always opt for the later and proudly make your name known. Be sure add your website link in your profile. Take the time to read other articles and comments then give your opinion on the topic in a polite, professional manner. Do not just add a comment like “nice article so check me out at  i_am_a_spammer.com” – really comment with a thoughtful opinions or experiences related to the article.

Again, you do not have to agree – but if you disagree, do it politely and professionally supporting your opinion with facts/experiences. Those readers who agree with your thoughts will naturally want to know more about you, click on your name, and end up at your website. Readers who choose to actively pursue your site by following the link in your profile are more likely to become good connections. Further, playing by the rules (not spamming or adding junk comments) will develop your positive brand image as a good business person who respects others 'property' while making your name more widely known.

So, I think that’s enough for just now. I will post another article with more affordable advertising ideas shortly.  In closing, I will remind social media marketing can generate a positive ROI if you follow the rules. However, it will take time and dedication – Rome wasn’t built in a day. The industry research, blog and discussion comments, tweeting, pinning, linking, writing, replying to comments, etc. required to successfully grow a social media marketing campaign is time consuming. Depending on your aspirations for growth and brand development, this may be a full-time job. Considering how big and important this is, you may consider hiring a person or company who knows how to do it right. 

Healthcare Marketing

As technology evolves and HIT demand drives more and more people to start their own businesses, i thought it would be nice to talk about advertising for small businesses. Over the years I have worked with many small healthcare businesses and found that advertising is a huge challenge for small business. The reason for this is simple, advertising is expensive. Still, there are ways to affordable ways to advertise.

Now, I am going to start this post by saying something shocking – but don’t be turned off…wait and here me out. Here is the shocking statement: Contrary to  popular opinion, services like Google Ad Words alone are not likely to produce a return on investment. This is not to imply that you can ignore Google Ad Words, but rather to say that Ad Words ALONE will not work and investment in Ad Words when finances are limited can be disastrous.

First, I will give a brief blurb on Ad Words for those not familiar. Search engines, like Google, have advertisements at the top and sides of the page. These ads are produced based on the words a person searches compared to the advertisement’s purchased keywords. For example, if I search the word ‘tomato’, at the top and sides of the search page, I will see advertisements for businesses who have ‘purchased’ the word ‘tomato’. Each time a person clicks on one of those advertisements, the business that advertised by purchasing the word ‘tomato’  is charged for the word’s use.

So, if people are clicking on an advertised term, one can assume that the person wants that item. Why would that be disastrous? There is one single reason and it is return on investment (ROI). Let’s say a click on your advertisement costs $0.50. Over the course of a month, 1,000 people click on your ad. That will cost you $500. Your tomatoes sell for $0.50 each. Of that 1000 people, only 1 person bought a single tomato. So, your revenue was $0.50 and your advertising cost was $500… where is the ROI?

It can be argued at this point that getting your name out there - in front of the consumer - is worth that loss of $499.50 in the long run. Unfortunately, for a small business this absence of immediate RIO is the primary reason why the marketing/advertising budget is the first thing cut when finances are tight. So, there has got to be a better way and there is.

First, let’s think about why only 1 person out of 1,000 bought tomatoes from you.  There are a lot of possible reasons but two reasons stand out as things you can control and I will discuss both at length in two posts (to keep this from getting too long). The first possible reason is that your website is terrible. The second reason is your brand recognition which I will explain in this post and give tips for improving it in another post.

Let’s start with your terrible website. A terrible website can be defined in two ways. One is a website that is confusing. There are ‘rules’ for good user interface (UI) design. If your website breaks the rules and people cannot find what they want –they will not buy from you. If you don’t know the rules, you can research that but before you rush off to do that finish reading here first. 

The next thing about terrible websites are ugly, homegrown, unprofessional websites.  In many ways an ugly website is WORSE than breaking good UI design rules. If your website it ugly, people will leave the site immediately and your reputation will sink. It does not matter how good a business you have, how affordable your prices, how fabulous your service, etc…if your site is ugly – you lose business. 

Face it, most people like shiny objects – attractive websites, modern websites, innovative-looking websites will take your business away. Don’t depend on your own judgment about your website – you are bias. It is like children’s artwork – to a parent, that piece of artwork hanging on the fridge is comparable to any Van Gogh. To everyone else, it’s just ugly. The best investment a small business will EVER make is in professional web design.

Now, understand professional web design is not a homegrown thing done by a relative who claims to know something about it. You need to hire a consultant who is wholly objective. Interview a LOT of companies or independent designers before choosing who will do your website. The person/company  you choose should understand good user interface design, user experience, and search engine optimization (SEO, search engine optimization is the art of designing a website so search engines can effectively catalogue your contents and product web search results).  

Do your research on these terms before interviewing – understand the topics so you are not deceived by someone who claims to know more than they do. Then spend quality time reviewing the designer’s portfolio. Ask a lot of questions. You can also ask many designers to create a sample page for your website so you can see what they are capable of. Keep in mind many designers will charge for such custom samples (as a precaution). Above all else, don’t be cheap in website design! Spend the money on your site and hold off on the expense of Ad Words for a bit. Once you have a good website, you can start driving traffic for free or relatively inexpensively.

The next reason you only sold one tomato may be your brand image. As a small business, how can customers know you are reputable? Who are you? Before Ad Words can have a positive impact on your sales, you need to build your brand. A brand is the combination of your name, what you do, how you do it, what you stand for, etc. Before people will trust to buy from you, they need to know your brand or at least not be afraid of it. Your website is a major part of your brand, make sure it is professional-looking! Additionally, branding activities can be used to generate website traffic. That, however, is the subject of the next post.