1. Why content marketing is so important
To understand why content marketing is important we give a brief
overview of the content marketing life cycle; an explanation of what
content marketers and digital project managers do to make content
effective, followed by detail on the key audiences, speakers, types of
content and timing and delivery of content.
Here’s the life cycle of content marketing:
• I'm an ___________
• My goal is to __________
• An ad or search query focuses my attention on this goal
• I click through to a landing page
Now the fun begins
I assess the quality of the website landing page and its content
and also sync my perception of the brand’s trustworthiness and
credibility. This will influence my action - to signup for emails or
purchase. I should also discover more social channels through a
landing page.
The next step is key
The quality of the product or service and my experience while using
it influences future interaction and referrals to other potential buyers.
Good content must supply a demand and be likeable.
Although brands initially buy awareness and users, delight those
users enough and they will spread the word for you. Then you begin
adding the rest of your users – for free.
Bad content is rampant on the web. Any brand has an opportunity to
stand out from others just by delivering clear, bright, informative
content on their website or social media channels that does not waste
a visitor’s time.

2. What content marketers and digital managers do
Content marketing and digital project managers help people decide what
their websites and other digital and social channels should say and how it
should be said. They work with web writers to take business goals and
build web content (your message) that helps customers gather information
and complete tasks without any hassle.
Content inventory maintenance
Your brand already has content (old, new and improved):
• Old content can be repurposed
• New content needs to be created
• All content needs to be tuned for appropriate tone and voice
People come to your website for the content after searching for answers to
questions and you expertly position yourself with exactly what they want.
You use text, video, audio, slideshows, just about anything that provides
those answers. A digital strategy leader’s daily responsibilities include
defining, refining and promoting the value of digital content across all
platforms - including social media platforms.
After you deliver content
Digital channels (websites, blogs, social media channels) help to
place your message (your content) in a timely manner. Two critical
things happen outside these channels:
• Your brand’s content is shared in other digital spaces
• Credibility of your message is tested in space you don’t control
You’ve worked with display advertising, TV commercials, banner ads
and radio spots in the past. AlI of these great old methods of
advertising are not exactly portable. Advertisers can’t put it in your
hands immediately and in a way that you can then share with others.
You want your ideas to be sharable, rapidly portable and to carry
customer credibility? Your digital marketing strategy needs a
content strategy to move message.

3. People, Content and Timing
Content marketers must understand who is delivering and receiving
the content message, what makes that content unique and shareable
and when and how often to deliver.
People
You are building your content for these groups – they are receiving
and engaging with the content:
• Potential customers
• Knowledge/thought leaders
• Brand advocates
• Critics/detractors
Ask people what they want and then produce it. Focus on this
audience when they interact in your space but be keenly aware of
their behavior outside of your space. The same conversation about
your brand attached to a Twitter hashtag is as valuable as the
comment shared directly on your website.
Your best speakers (content producers) include:
• Employees that have specialized knowledge
• Employees that have customer touchpoints provide invaluable
information about tone and patterns
Content
Without great content you cannot develop a relationship with a
potential customer. Your content lives for engagement, refine it with
SEO, and constantly adjust tone. Give your audience the information
to fill gaps and reduce pain points
• Provide unique and usable content on many platforms
• Content is king, but conversation is king, too. Social Media is
only social if you’re talking.
Never lose the social tone. A successful content strategy minimizes
the marketing attitude about delivering the message, because

4. absolutely nobody cares about your message. People care about
themselves. Drop the broadcast tone and use a conversational tone.
• Work with SEO to help determine what keywords and phrases
will attract the most traffic over time. Don’t treat SEO as a
dump. If you arrive on a page with the right keywords but bad
content you will shatter the user experience.
Timing
Content marketers deliver content throughout the sales cycle, the
customers’ buying cycle and the constant news cycle.
• Produce an editorial calendar that supports your sales cycle
and make messages timely. Curate information from Twitter,
Facebook, blogs and the news cycle to discover what people
are talking about right now.
• Create content that mirrors and supports the customer’s buying
cycle. Provide relevant content when the buyer is uninterested
and unaware to the final stage: a loyal customer.
Great content marketing that delivers
Are you able to answer a potential customer’s questions with unique,
shareable, relevant content that doesn’t go away after an ad buy?
Connect the right people with the right message at the right time.
Your content remains anchored 24/7 to deliver your message. Are
those content beacons good enough? Are they better than your
competitors?