Introducing the ultimate content marketing ebook. The NuSpark Marketing team of b2b content directors contributed their thought leadership the book. Learn best practices on how content generates quality leads and sales.

1. Essays by Content
Professionals
Tips, Thoughts, and Various Articles
from the NuSpark Marketing team of
content strategists.
October 2011
1

2. Introduction
Welcome to our ebook on content marketing. I am
thrilled to have contributions from my team of national
content alliances; all experts in their field with many
years of experience crafting messages that contribute to
attracting, converting, and nurturing prospects into sales.
The ebook is not another ―how-to‖ book. It‘s not a
compilation of charts, graphs, and trends, nor is it a
paper on ―best practices.‖ What it is, is a showcase of
how our content people think, what their approaches
are, and their reflections on how content marketing can
contribute to business growth.
The essays are not new, but rather a collection of some
of their best writing. I am honored to have them
contributing to the success of our clients. Enjoy, and I
hope you learn something new…
Paul Mosenson
President and Founder
NuSpark Marketing
pmosenson@nusparkmarketing.com
2

3. Table of Contents
 How Good Content Can Grow Your Business……………2
◦ Paul Mosenson
 5 rock-bottom rules for effective B2B marketing content
offers……………………………………………………….6
◦ Susan Fantle
 How to Boost Content Downloads……………………….8
◦ Susan Fantle
 A Matter of Trust…………………..………………………10
◦ Bob Leonard
 Message Maps-Easier Content Creation…….…………….12
◦ Bob Leonard
 9 Steps to Continuous Content Improvement……………14
◦ Bob Leonard
 Interruption Marketing; Billy May Exposed……………..…18
◦ Maureen Monfore
 20/20 Insight/Content Strategy……………………………21
◦ Michael Selissen
 Creating Value and Trust……..……………………………24
◦ Michael Selissen
 Military Intelligence…………..…………………………...27
◦ Michael Selissen
3

4. Table of Contents
 3 Easy Steps to a True Value Proposition……………..…31
◦ Wendy Brache
 2 Key Ingredients to Social Media Content,,………….…33
◦ Wendy Brache
 Content Marketing for Your Brand……………………….34
◦ Wendy Brache
 Using Customer Stories to Nurture Leads………………36
◦ Oliver Picher
 White Papers for Lead Generation….…………..……….39
◦ Apryl Parcher
 Using Email to Promote Your Content……………………42
◦ Apryl Parcher
 Matching Content to Buyer Personas…..……………..…44
◦ Gerry Lantz
 Feeling Stumped when Creating Content?.....……………48
◦ Rachel Franco
 Is Your Content Having an Identity Crisis?.........…………50
◦ Rachel Franco
 Content, SEO, and Landing Pages…………….…………..52
◦ Paul Mosenson
4

5. How Good Content Works to Grow Your
Business and Drive Revenue
Paul Mosenson
Whether you‘re in sales, marketing, or top management, you have to
realize that it‘s the words that are written on your digital properties is
what matters most to attract, convert, and nurture leads into sales. At
the end of the day, a sale occurs between people- buyer and seller, but
that connection doesn‘t get to this point without the help and
guidance of the written word. Our website, NuSpark Marketing,
describes in detail the role of message throughout the website visitor-
to lead-to sale process. Let‘s summarize:
Prospect educates himself and stays abreast of industry news
 Trade journals
 Industry newsletters
 Blogs, and Tweets
 Online articles
Content
Prospect is persuaded that he has a need, and that solutions
exist
 Print advertising
 Direct mail
 Email sponsorship ads and banner ads
 Social media conversation
 Webinar, white paper exposure (demand generation)
Content
5

6. Prospect does further research on a solution
 Search engines- content drives SEO
 Pay-per-click advertising- content makes you click
 Blogs, forums, groups, social media- content is trustworthy
Content
Prospect finds your website or microsite and submits his email
to learn more on your solutions
 Web page messaging
 Conversion architecture
 Compellingness of offer
 Informational and educational downloads
Content
Prospect is nurtured until he is sales-ready
 Educational white papers
 Webinars, podcasts, and online trade shows
 Case studies for validation
Content
Throughout the process, leads needs to be qualified and scored, so that
only the most engaged opportunities move on…
Now sales takes over, ready to close.. On with the show.
6

7. 5 rock-bottom rules for effective B2B
marketing content offers.
Susan Fantle
Content is one of today's biggest topics of discussion in B2B marketing.
To some, content is educational information that positions their company
as a thought leader. To others, content is what is offered to prospects
to keep them interacting with the company as they move through the
buy cycle.
Content is such a focus in B2B marketing these days that many larger
companies now have a Chief Content Officer focused exclusively on
managing its creation.
It's important to know that one B2B marketer's content does not have to
compete with all the other content out there. It only has to have
value for the specific targeted universe the marketer is trying to reach.
Effective content follows these rock-bottom rules:
Make sure the title is a grabber. The title alone is often what
generates the download, so titles need to be strong and compelling.
7

8. Target the content. To be most effective, content should be targeted
not only to industry and topic but to individual titles. If decision-
makers and influencers include CFOs, CIOs, Product Managers and
others, there should be specific content relevant to each title. If
marketers need to send a single offer to many titles at once, they can
create a "kit" as a few of my clients have done successfully. The kit
would be a collection of content pieces with at least one item for
each pertinent title. The name of the kit must also be a grabber.
Make the content easy to read and digest. Don't make prospects
have to think. Write to the lowest common denominator -- that is the
person in a target group who might know the least about the topic
the content covers. Big words and inside lingo don't make the
company doing the marketing look smart, they just diminish the
readability of the message.
Provide a few quality take-aways. Content must reflect well on the
company offering it, but it doesn't have to win Pulitzer Prizes. When
creating content, make sure it delivers at least three bits of
information that can show the reader that it was worth the effort to
download and read it.
Don't look stupid. Have all content proofed by a professional
proofreader for grammar and spelling before it's used.
Summary:
B2B marketers don't have to feel overwhelmed by the perception that
their content has to compete with all the other content that's out
there. They just need to follow these five rules.
8

9. How to boost B2B content downloads.
Susan Fantle
Like most marketers these days, I have opted into sites that provide
regular access to articles, white papers, reports, surveys and Webcasts
that, hopefully, will make me better at my job.
With all these emails swirling into my inbox every day, I'm exposed to
invites to review hundreds of pieces of content every day -- and so
are your prospects.Will they take the time to read your marketing
intro or abstract and download your content? Only if the headline
catches their eye and their imagination.
To be effective, content headlines need to instantly communicate what the
piece contains. If your headlines read more like these real-life
examples, then you may be diminishing interest in what you have to
offer:
"Unified Communications and Process Automation Combine to Maximize
ROI"
"Managed data centre operating IT infrastructures successfully using
innovative services"
"Cover Your Assets with Desktop Managed Services"
"Transforming Data Into Relevance and ROI"
"How Virtualization Changes IT Costs"
"Don‘t let CRM push you over the edge: how to build your business case"
9

10. I'm sure the people who wrote these felt that they represented the
content very nicely. And they may have. But these headlines are mushy.
They provide no intrigue, no big promise, no revelations, no specifics.
For example, "How Virtualization Changes IT Costs" doesn't tell me if
the change is positive or negative. Heck, for all I know "Virtualization"
could be really expensive. Something like "5 Ways Virtualization Cuts
IT Costs" is a clear, strong and instantly understood title.
You don't want your prospects to have to think, you want them to react
to your message, or in this case, your content title.
Strong titles should instantly communicate a clear picture of what the
content contains, as these examples do:
"Enterprise VoIP PBX: What to Know Before You Buy"
"4 Things Your Anti-Virus Should Do, but Doesn't"
"20 Questions for Smart Business Decisions"
"How to Defend Your Network Against New Hacker Tactics"
"Top 5 IT Budget Killers: What You Need to Know"
With just a few active words, your content can move past sounding like
another ho-hum white paper and become information your
prospective customer sees as a "must read." So I recommend you pay
as much attention to your title as you do your content. It will make a
difference.
10

11. A Matter of Trust
Bob Leonard
Everybody knows that trust has to be established before a sale, especially
of complex and high ticket items, can occur. What is new is that it‘s
become increasingly difficult to establish trust. The internet has
distanced buyers from sellers. If you can‘t get in to see a prospect,
how are you ever going to build trust?
Useful and Relevant Information
Most business to business (B2B) companies use their website as
brochureware. Boring, static descriptions of their company, its
products and services. So easy for a prospect to click away to a
competitor site.You just lost a sale and don‘t even know it.
What do you do when you‘re meeting with a prospect in person? You pay
attention to the prospect.You ask questions to uncover problems that,
maybe, your products and services can solve. And then you listen.
When prospects find you online, they already know they have a problem
and they‘re actively looking for solutions.There‘s a whole discipline
called search engine optimization (SEO) that‘s devoted to getting
companies, products and services found online. We‘re going to cover
that in depth in later blog posts, but for today we‘ll focus on after
they‘ve found your website.
Golden Opportunity
Think about it. This individual is looking for what you‘re selling. They‘re
already qualified, to a degree. How do you persuade them to contact
you, to ask for a sales call? In stages.
11

12. Remember – your goal is to build trust. Establish rapport. Let the
prospect know that they‘re in the right place and that you might be
able to solve their problem. Give them information that is meaningful
and helps them to make an intelligent buying decision.
Above all, you have to tell the truth.You can‘t build trust with sleight of
hand or half-truths. If a marketing agency even suggests something like
that, get rid of them. This is the age of transparency. Remember Hillary
Clinton‘s story about dodging bullets on the tarmac in the Mideast?
A quality marketing agency will help you build a compelling (yet truthful)
story around your products and services.
Layers of Complexity
Odds are your product or service is fairly complex. Figure out all the
questions your prospect will need to have answered before they buy,
and give them the information they need. I‘m not suggesting that you
reverse engineer your product on your website, but you must give
prospects enough information, in bite-sized bits, over time, to get
them to the point where they‘re ready to make a buy decision and
they‘re willing to meet with a sales person.
If you do this correctly, a number of things happen. While taking your
prospects on this journey of discovery, you‘re:
 educating them about your company and its products and services;
 very gently, almost imperceptibly, persuading them;
 proving to them that you‘re trustworthy; and
 ultimately, becoming a trusted advisor.
Today, your website and other online content (blogs, case studies, email
messages, white papers, etc.) are the tools to use to build trust with
prospects.
12

13. Message Maps Result in Quicker and Easier
Content Creation
Bob Leonard
Consistent execution of content marketing and social media campaigns is
the critical success factor for SMB B2Bs. These posts, when taken
together, will vastly improve your execution and drastically reduce the
amount of effort and resources required.
A message map should be created for each solution that a B2B marketer
promotes.The maps identify the key messages that must be
successfully communicated to target prospects.
Here‘s how it‘s done:
A brainstorming session is held among sales people, marketers, product
managers and external agency people. Once everyone has shared
their thoughts, key messages that truly differentiate the solution from
the competition are generated.Validation of the messages occurs
when supporting facts are delineated. Finally, and most importantly, the
benefits to the customer are defined. The benefits should align with
the needs of your target prospects. If they don‘t, you have a product
problem.
When there‘s agreement on key messaging, the marketing team doesn‘t
have to define the message every time it creates new content. A
message map provides the basic messaging for everything from
articles to blog posts, podcasts to press releases, white papers to
webinars.
13

14. Message maps make it easier and more cost effective to work with
outsiders. If you outsource content creation, message maps give
external resources the guidance they need to create material that
supports and elaborates on your essential positioning.
Message maps can help keep the sales team on message. Some
enterprising sales people may create materials for specific sales
situations. By giving them the essential guidance they need in a useful,
accessible and approved messaging document, you‘ll make it easier for
the sales team to create one-off presentations, individual letters and
emails that are accurate and effective.
You‘ll find that some of the sales team‘s improvisations are entertaining
and persuasive.The sales team interacts with your target audience on
an ongoing basis. They understand the buyer. They know which
questions must be answered and objections overcome to close the
sale. They may discover information about target prospects‘ pains and
buying factors that you didn‘t have before. By maintaining a common
message map and soliciting sales input up front, you can integrate their
market knowledge into your messaging.
A message map accelerates content marketing. Time spent up-front in
developing the message map will be repaid in full during the content
creation cycle. Fewer iterations and faster content development
cycles will support a timely and successful content marketing initiative.
How about you? Have you deployed message maps? Have you
experienced increased efficiency when using them?
14

15. 9 Steps to Continuous Content
Marketing Improvement
Bob Leonard
Closed-loop marketing has been the exclusive domain of major
corporations until very recently. Smaller companies with limited
resources can now also reap enormous benefits from it. Closed-
loop marketing is the process by which market intelligence learned
during a marketing campaign is fed back into the strategy and plan;
resulting in more focused targeting, more effective messaging, and
improved resonance.
Until the past couple of years, closed-loop marketing could only be
achieved through expensive, labor intensive market research.
Imagine being able to automatically feed your prospects‘ reactions
to your marketing content back into your strategy, messaging
process and choice of delivery vehicles. It isn‘t just doable… it‘s
within the reach of even the smallest companies. What follows is a
brief overview of the Closed-loop Marketing Process.
1. Research
At the launch of any marketing campaign, it‘s ALWAYS a good idea to
make sure you have a realistic understanding of your product, the
marketplace, your value proposition and competitive positioning. In
this closed-loop process, I‘m depicting a research step only at the
inception.The process itself will automatically deliver new, deeper
market intelligence as you roll it out.
15

16. 2. Strategy
A clearly defined strategy is essential to the success of your content
marketing campaign.
 What are the objectives for the campaign?
 Who are your prospects?
 What industry are they in?
 What roles and titles do they have?
 What business pains are your targets experiencing (related to your
solution)?
 How will your product or service solve those problems?
 What are the resulting benefits?
3. Buyer-Centric Processes
You can‘t build relevant and useful content unless you know exactly who
you‘re talking to. Refine your definitions of target prospects from Step
2 into actual personas (representative individuals). Construct a map of
the steps that your prospects go through in making a buying decision.
Prospects have different informational needs depending on where
they are in the buy cycle. Message maps identify the key messages that
must be successfully communicated to prospects to move them to the
next step in the buy cycle
4. Editorial Calendar
Content marketers are publishers. Publishers develop editorial calendars
to give them a road map of where their publication is going – which
topics are going to be covered and when. Today we publish in many
different formats. Look at your message map and determine how best
to deliver your content (via blogs, case studies, emails, magazine
articles, podcasts, presentations, videos, web pages, webinars, white
papers, etc.).
16

17. 5. Content
Prioritize using all the information you‘ve gathered in the preceding steps,
and start building your content piece by piece.You don‘t have to
create everything from scratch. Odds are you can find existing in
house or third party materials that are appropriate and effective.
Don‘t just appropriate the content, Curate it. That means you
acknowledge the source, and then put the content into context by
explaining how it relates to your solution. Optimize with SEO key
phrases.
6. Promotion and Socialization
Once the content is built, you need to let your target prospects know
that it exists. If you have a permission-based email list, or blog
subscribers, you can deliver your content directly. Otherwise you
need to pull your targets to where your content is located online, or
push it to where your targets are congregating in social networks.
7. Feedback
Google Analytics, click thru tracking in emails, social media monitors and
other tools enable you to cost effectively see how your targets react
to your content.
 Where do they immediately bounce off a page?
 Where do they linger and learn?
 Which pieces do they forward, post, or tweet about?
 Where do they convert and take your desired action?
 What do they have to say in their blog comments?
17

18. 8. Document
To leverage the valuable information you‘ve collected in the previous step,
you must gather the information, organize it, and store it where you
can search it and sort on it. The more information there is (and tools
like Google Analytics can generate tons of it), the more you‘ll need
automation in the form of an integrated Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) system.
9. Analysis
Once you have the market intelligence you‘ve gathered in a format that‘s
easily manageable, it‘s time to measure how you did. This is an analysis
process that translates the market intelligence into action items to
course correct and tweak your campaign.
 Where did you do well?
 Where could you have done better?
 What should you change regarding your target descriptions, personas,
message map, vehicles and content?
Today‘s buyers are moving targets. Their needs and issues are constantly
evolving. The economic environment is always changing. Technologies
are continually being developed and upgraded. So it makes sense that
our marketing campaigns should also morph in an attempt to keep up.
Closed-loop marketing is ideal for B2B marketers who need to nurture
prospects over extended periods of time. By continuously analyzing
customer responses and refining your communications process and
messages, you can adjust your campaigns to deliver highly targeted,
relevant and effective marketing content.
18

19. Interruption Marketing: Billy Mays
Exposed
Maureen Monfore
I have nothing against Billy Mays, may he rest in peace. In fact, the man
was a selling machine. But Billy Mays‘ legacy represents all that is
wrong with the advertising and marketing methods of the last 30
years. Billy Mays and his interruption marketing methods must give
way to permission-based methods that will reign in today‘s
consumer-driven social media landscape.
But wait, there‘s more!
While Billy Mays‘ commercials might have been effective, they are loud
and obnoxious.The phrase, ―but wait, there‘s more,‖ implies that
we want to change the channel. And yes, when I see a Billy Mays
commercial (or one like it), I hit ―skip‖ on my DVR remote. Or just
as likely, I‘ll turn off the TV and open up my laptop where I‘ll readily
find content that isn‘t loud or obnoxious.
Billy Mays and his kind have succeeded because they realize they are
competing for our attention. Rather than simply showing us the
Shamwow and giving its price, they must sell the heck out of the
thing before we move on to the next guy‘s ad.
In a prophetic 1998 Fast Company article, Seth Godin (who coined the
term ―permission marketing‖) said, ―We are entering an era that‘s
going to change the way almost everything is marketed to almost
everybody…. The interruption model is extremely effective when
there‘s not an overflow of interruptions. But there‘s too much
going on in our lives for us to enjoy being interrupted anymore.‖
As laughably entertaining as those infomercials might be, Seth Godin is
right. I‘m too busy and there‘s so much more relevant, less
obnoxious content out there.
19

20. In social media, consumers have all the power. If marketers are to succeed
in gaining attention, they must first earn their consumers‘ trust.
Honesty plays a key role in this.
Call now and you‘ll receive…
Ignoring the importance of honesty, interruption marketers do their best
to seduce us. With the words ―call now and you‘ll receive…‖ they tell
us that if we buy just one bottle of their super, fantastic, magic cleaning
product, we‘ll get four more free…for just $49.99! You think, wow,
what a deal! That is, until you do the math. Not two seconds later, you
realize that you can get one bottle just like it at Target for $2.99—and
you change the channel.
Smart marketers have figured out that they don‘t need to dupe us into
buying their products. Quite the opposite is true. Rather than draw us
in with their seductions, smart marketers offer honest, valuable
content to earn our trust. This is what drives success in social media.
The research proves this to be true. As much as advertisers first feared
TiVo, studies show that viewers will watch commercials that pique
their interest. Remember that commercial with the Volkswagen stuck
in a tree? Or the eTrade talking baby commercials? Brilliant. I don‘t
know about you, but I genuinely enjoy watching those commercials.
Lest you fear the social media equivalent of the fast-forward button on
your consumers‘ DVR remotes, read this. ―Ad avoidance is less about
skipping ads than it is about skipping irrelevant or intrusive ads,‖ says
marketer Dave Evans in his book Social Media Marketing: An Hour a
Day.
Evans discusses two studies which found that viewers will often rewind
and view again commercials that are interesting or entertaining. Evans
says, ―Both [studies] underscored the value of user control over
content and the newfound ability to selectively watch ‗good‘ content
while skipping over fluff.‖
If only interruption marketers offered honest content—with the intent of
earning our trust rather than pulling the wool over our eyes—we
might actually want to watch.
20

21. Marketers are closet psychologists.They yearn to understand what makes
us buy and how they can take advantage of our natural inclinations.
Whether they‘re selling spray paint hair or ―exercise in a bottle‖ pills,
the ―as seen on TV‖ folks want us to think that if something is so
popular, it must be good. But we all know that the spray paint hair
factory is just down the road from where that commercial was
created. Likely, they can churn out ten cans faster than you can say,
―buy now!‖
What interruption marketers don‘t realize is that our ability to hit the
―off‖ button is far more powerful than their attempts to
psychoanalyze us. In social media circles especially, consumers gather
together around a similar idea and there‘s power in numbers.
In fact, consumers‘ power to avoid intrusive ads has resulted in
widespread technologies that give us even more power: ―Consumers
feel overwhelmed by intrusive, irrelevant ads. The result: a backlash
against advertising—manifesting itself in the growing popularity of do-
not-call lists, spam filters, online ad blockers, and ad skipping on digital
video recorders (DVRs),‖ (Jim Nail, The Consumer Advertising
Backlash, Forrester Research, 2004).
This is why marketers must ditch their intrusive methods for tactics that
give the consumer more control. Permission marketing does just that.
It respects the power of the consumer.
In his book Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day, marketer Dave Evans
hits the nail on the head when describing the declining power of
interruption marketing: ―It‘s all about trust…. ‗If you have to interrupt
or annoy me to get your ad across, how valuable can what you offer
really be? If you think I‘m dumb enough to fall for this, how can I trust
you?‘‖
Amen.
21

22. 20-20 Insight; Content Strategy
Michael Selissen
My first year playing Little League baseball was a nightmare.
If I was lucky, the opposing pitcher walked me. More often than not, I
struck out.
When it came our turn to take the field, invariably one of the coaches
would look at me and mutter, "Right field." He might as well have
said, "Go sit in the parking lot!" And if the occasional left-hander
hit a fly ball my way, I could do little more than watch as it sailed
overhead.
But something happened the following winter that altered my baseball
destiny.
Sitting in school, I realized I had a hard time seeing the writing on the
blackboard. So off we went, my mother and me, to visit the eye
doctor. A few weeks later I was sporting the finest in black horn-
rimmed glasses. Quite stylish for their time!
My corrected eyes opened up a whole new world. And as you might
have guessed, when the next baseball season rolled around, things
changed out there on the diamond.
My batting average climbed to over 300. I went from hitting ninth to
the number four "cleanup" spot. The coaches moved me to left
field - a coveted position in the days of Carl Yastrzemski - where I
snagged most of what came my way.
22

23. All in all, it was an unexpected transformation in performance. But one
that had nothing to do with developing new skills, buying fancy
equipment, getting a bigger allowance, or friending anyone on
Facebook.
The only thing that changed was my clarity of vision.
Now, the day-to-day life of a B2B marketing communication professional
can seem a little blurry at times. Still, odds are you have the baseline
skills pretty well under control.You know how to:
 Identify audiences
 Develop messaging strategies
 Write well
 Execute campaigns
 Define goals and metrics
 Integrate multiple communication channels
So then, how come it feels like you keep missing the ball?
Sales folks ignore the content you write; customers don't get excited
about your messages; or email response rates improve, but those
prospects soon fade away.
The answer may come down to something besides skill and effort: Maybe
it's time to look at business communication through a different lens.
23

24. Here's what I mean:
Take a thematic approach. More than a communication strategy, a
message theme articulates the greater vision of where your
customers need to be. It raises the level of conversation beyond
features, functions and benefits to include new ways of thinking about
business and the world. A theme reflects the brand and provides the
common thread that connects all of your content and campaigns.
Consider, for example, IBM's Smarter Planet and Eloqua's Revenue
Performance Management.
Be the customer. Customers want to know one of two things: How will
your solution reduce costs or increase revenue. But getting there is a
full nine-inning game packed with excitement, disappointment, twists
and turns. Winning takes a combination of content and conversation
that addresses a range of issues and concerns - large and small.You
need content that speaks to each of these, one pitch at a time. To
understand customer perspectives, talk with your channel partners
and customers using one-on-one meetings, surveys and social media.
Turn content into a valued asset. If your sales team looks upon content as
simply an invitation to a sales call, then in the world of self-fulfilling
expectations, that's how it gets written. But if you want to move to
the cleanup spot, you have to create content that sales considers
productive and indispensable. Sit down with key sales reps and subject
matter experts. Work together to ensure that every content piece has
a well-defined role to play in the buying process - from lead
generation to final decision.
"Ah," you say. "Doesn't all this take more time, money and skills than we
have?" "Maybe a little," I say. What it mostly takes is seeing how to use
your time, money and skills in a different way.
And once you've adjusted to that new pair of spectacles, you just might
discover that you can hit it out of the park.
24

25. Creating Value and Trust
Michael Selissen
I'm a sucker for a free meal.
OK, it wasn't exactly free. I did have to give a workshop on how to
create a lead nurturing program. But that was it. My reward was a
full breakfast, a stunning lunch and a cocktail hour with an hors
d'oeurve table that went on forever. Who could ask for more?
The workshop was part of an annual learning and schmoozing
conference hosted by CONNSTEP, a consulting group that helps
Connecticut's manufacturers get lean and mean.
Because I didn't have to present until the last session, I got to spend
most of the day wandering aimlessly--just like I do when walking
around the mall looking for Christmas presents.What I really did
though, was listen in on other marketing workshops.
During one particular session, the presenter told a story about a client
of hers who had a long and onerous contact form on company's
website.You know, the kind that asks how much you make, your
childrens' birthdays and the name of the 1961 World Series MVP.
She went on to say that the client experienced an amazing 80 percent
conversion-to-sales rate from the people who filled out the form.
"How can this be?," you ask.
Well wait, there's more...
At her request, the client added a second, shorter, form asking only for
name, email address and phone number. This form yielded a much
lower conversion-to-sales. But that was in addition to the sales
from the longer form.
25

26. In other words, the short form increased overall sales instead of just giving
people the opportunity to provide less information about themselves.
"How can this be?," you ask again, more impatiently. "And why would
people give up more information than necessary?"
Wow, those are all excellent questions!
The presenter didn't have an answer, so I'll give you mine.
It's an answer based in part on an email exchange I had a year ago with Dr.
Mary Caravella, a business professor at the University of Connecticut who
does research in this area.
Turns out that when confronted with a contact or other type of Web
registration form, a prospective buyer will make a cost-benefit decision
guided by a couple of factors:
1. How much do I really value what is offered--i.e., the white paper?
2. How much do I trust that this company won't spam me or call me
everyday, because I'm just not ready to buy now?
Using the workshop presenter's example, leads who were further along in
the buying cycle trusted the company and wanted to be contacted, so they
willingly filled out the long form.
But given the alternative, why not fill out the short form? Because they
wanted to look like good prospects to the sales department, so they
provided all the information the long form requested. It's the grownup
version of "Pick me, pick me, pick me..."
On the other hand, leads in the earlier research phase of the buying cycle
were likely more reticent and closed the browser window rather than fill
out the long form. But the short form gave them the opportunity to
minimize their information exposure while testing the trust waters.
26

27. The challenge for marketers, then, is to capture as much information as
possible from people in different stages of the buying cycle who
exhibit different levels of trust.
Here are a few thoughts...
Offer some content of uniquely high value that cannot be had anywhere
else. For example, create your own monthly Web survey.
Include a privacy statement on each form assuring prospects that you do
not sell or give away contact information.
For download registration forms (white papers, case studies, etc.) include
a check box with an opt-in statement like, "Yes, please have a sales
representative contact me."
If you use a long registration form, require only the minimum contact
information and make other fields optional.
Enhance the sense of trust on your website by including:
• Pictures and biographies of senior managers and key contacts
• Registration-free downloads of basic content
• Phone numbers
• Your company's physical address instead of a PO box
• Customer testimonials and case studies
By creating a flexible and trustworthy website environment, you can
capture leads who want your attention now and get a head start on
the ones who are "just looking" but will buy down the road.
And in case you're asked, Whitey Ford was the 1961 MVP.
27

28. Military Intelligence
Michael Selissen
It was a Saturday evening ritual.
My parents would desert their perfectly delightful children to spend a
few hours of fun and conversation with people their own age.
When I was little, it meant my older brother Jerry had to stay
home and keep an eye on me.
Like clockwork, Dad would get half way out the door, turn around,
point to us and say, "Now, don't you two fight while we're gone.―
"We won't...―
I'll spare you the details of the ruckus that usually ensued once the car
pulled out of the driveway.
This was among the thoughts that came to mind a couple of weeks ago
when I attended a ceremony on the occasion of Jerry's retirement
from the U.S. Air Force.
Now, here's the thing. Jerry is a civilian employee, not a uniformed
member of the military.
It turns out that the military treats their civilian colleagues as part of
the family. And when they retire, civilians are awarded the same
privileges and recognitions as any uniformed officer who leaves the
service.
As you might expect, the military retirement ceremony is pretty formal
and follows a prescribed ritual.Yet, it's highly personal and quite
moving. Jerry invited family members and close friends to share in
the festivities. And there was plenty of time for both civilian and
uniformed coworkers to gush over his career accomplishments as
well as his many civic contributions outside work.
It was a memorable event that honored the whole person.
So what does an Air Force retirement ceremony have to do with
marketing communications?
28

29. Simply this.
We live in a world of specialization. And marcom is no exception.
Marketing folks typically assume sole responsibility for the whole
enchilada that is outbound communications.
Yet, throughout every company there are individuals who are creative,
articulate and have something relevant to say. But they have no official
platform from which to say it.
As demand heats up for educational and thoughtful content, a new
competitive front is forming. It goes by different names like Content
Marketing, Inbound Marketing and Thought Leadership. But at its core
it is a competition for the eyes and ears of customers, prospects,
influencers and critics.
To create the stream of content you need to keep your audiences
engaged, think about reaching outside the marketing department to
welcome others into the family of company communicators.
I know, it's a scary thought. But take a sip of water and read on...
Do some early reconnaissance. Determine where the holes are in your
content. Consider subject matter beyond your products and services.
Topics like business processes, best practices, regulations and
economics are always helpful. Also determine which communication
channels need shoring up: the company newsletter, white papers,
videos, webinars, social media, etc.
29

30. Recruit top-flight contributors. See who among your fellow employees
already has a blog, creates videos for YouTube, or simply writes
mesmerizing emails and reports. Look to human resources, finance,
manufacturing, purchasing, customer education and professional
services. Each organization can bring a different perspective to the
industries you serve.
Establish a protocol. Like the military retirement ceremony, define a
structure for your contributors that also lets their personalities shine.
Create an editorial calendar, establish policies and set expectations for
frequency. Look here and here for examples of social media policies in
industry, government and non-profit.
Foster an esprit de corps. Invite contributors into meetings to discuss
ideas, goals, success metrics and ways to improve the content-
development process. A team approach keeps contributors engaged
over the long haul.
Look to the big guns for ideas. See how companies like EMC and IBM
incorporate content from all sorts of internal contributors.
The bottom line: If you're looking to expand the amount of content you
produce or the breadth of topics you cover, take a lesson from those
smart folks in the military. Go outside the marketing department and
bring in some civilians. Then recognize their accomplishments and
treat them as one of your own.
Who knows? Your business just might take off into the wild blue yonder.
30

31. 3 Easy Steps to a True Value Proposition
Wendy Brache
Everyone thinks they have a great sense of humor, right?
But not everyone is funny.
Such is the distinction between inside reality and outside reality.
We often believe we provide quality deliverables on time and with a
smile. But, customers may see us differently. Not that it‘s all bad–
unless you really do deliver crappy product late and are grumpy
while you do it…that‘s no good…
Creating a true value proposition is a matter of figuring out what you
do really well and capitalizing on it.
Here‘s how to do it in three easy steps:
Step 1: Interview three people in your company. If it‘s just you, then
ask yourself the following questions. Either way, take notes for
future reference.
 What services do you offer?
 Are you services cost competitive?
 What kind of support do you offer?
 In your opinion, what is your value?
 What evidence do you have to prove your value?
 What the most common piece of positive feedback you receive?
 What are three adjectives that describe your offering?
 What makes you (or your product or company) different than the
competition?
 If I‘m your ideal customer, why should I buy from you over anyone
else?
 What do you do that your competitors do not?
 What problem do you solve?
 What pain do you relieve?
31

32. Step 2: Interview three customers. Again–be sure to take notes.
 Why did you choose to purchase with/hire/partner with/accept [your
name here] over anyone else?
 What was the selection process?
 What alternatives did you consider?
 What impact has [your name, product or company] had on your
company?
 What impact has [your name, product or company] had on you
personally?
 What is the most important feature of [your name, product or
company]‗s solutions?
 How do you gauge success when it comes to [what your customer
purchased]?
 Have you worked with competitors to [you name, product or
company] before? How do they measure up?
 In what area does [your name, product or company] excel?
 In what areas could [your name, product or company] improve?
 Would you recommend [your name, product or company] to your
friends and peers?
Step 3: Look at your ―inside reality‖ answers and your ―outside reality‖
answers–do they match up?
Only now can you create a true value proposition–the bottom-line reason
anyone should hire, partner with or pay you over anyone else. Once
you have this, you are golden.You can use this as part of your elevator
pitch, as a sales tool and of course, as a solid branding tool.
AUTHOR: Wendy Brache builds and executes personal branding and online marketing strategy for executives
and corporations in the high-tech sector. She is the author of Sales Force Branding: Differentiate from the
Competition, and co-creator of the Sales Force Branding program. Wendy is a senior consultant specializing
in B2B Corporate Social Media, Demand Generation and Marketing Automation, and is also a featured
marketing technology speaker and columnist on renowned websites, such as Dan Schawbel's top-rated
marketing blog, PersonalBrandingBlog.com, Maria Shriver‘s Women‘s Conference, and Chopra‘s Intent.com.
The above article was originally published on PersonalBrandingBlog.com.
32

33. 2 Key Ingredients to Social Media Content
Wendy Brache
Key Ingredient #1: Always remember that you are marketing to
humans.
Spiro Pappadapolous is a speaker and consultant for restaurateurs and
small business owners looking for ways to enhance their revenue
through social media and emerging technologies.
In a recent blog post, Spiro pointed out an important branding lesson:
“You are marketing to humans.”
Of course, we all know this…but the content we delineate into our
marketplace often proves otherwise.
Spiro points out the following: ―Social media is not a broadcast
medium, it is an interaction medium.‖ He notes the importance of
participating in the conversation without selling all the time: ―Share
valuable information, share others ideas and services, say thank you,
and root others on. Be a friend, a champion, and true to your
beliefs. That is being human, being social, and being genuine.‖
Key Ingredient #2: Just be clear and honest
Marketing Experiments, powered by MECLabs is an expert resource in
optimizing marketing communications. In a recent webinar, the
team turned to their research to uncover what kind of copy
converts the most.
Presenter Flint McGlaughlin gave attendees an easy-to-remember rule
of thumb: ―Clarity trumps persuasion.‖
So, here‘s the secret to great copy: Be clear and honest.
In the end, great content + social media = customers
AUTHOR: Wendy Brache builds and executes personal branding and online marketing strategy for executives and
corporations in the high-tech sector. She is the author of Sales Force Branding: Differentiate from the Competition,
and co-creator of the Sales Force Branding program. Wendy is a senior consultant specializing in B2B Corporate
Social Media, Demand Generation and Marketing Automation, and is also a featured marketing technology speaker
and columnist on renowned websites, such as Dan Schawbel's top-rated marketing blog, PersonalBrandingBlog.com,
Maria Shriver‘s Women‘s Conference, and Chopra‘s Intent.com. The above article was originally published on
PersonalBrandingBlog.com.
33

34. Content Marketing for Your Brand
Wendy Brache
Content is a tool used to develop awareness. Content marketing is ―a
marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and
valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined
and understood target audience – with the objective of driving
profitable customer action.‖ (-Junta42)
So, how do we take awareness-developing content and turn it into
sales?
Let‘s start with a brief timeline of the decision making process:
Prospects first get an idea to buy. They then begin their research by
asking peers and colleagues for recommendations.They continue
by searching for and gathering information, and ultimately call a
company or person for more information.
Well-known author of The Sales Bible, Jeffrey Gitomer, states that
when a sales rep can reach a prospect with value-added
information at the beginning of this decision making process, s/he
has up to an 85% chance of winning business.Why? Because at this
point, s/he can shape the criteria upon which the prospect makes
all subsequent decisions in the buying process. Sales reps who
don‘t reach the prospect until the end of the cycle have only a 15%
chance of closing a deal. [Source: Jeffrey Gitomer, The Sales Bible.
John Wiley and Sons, Revised edition 2003.]
Gitomer provides further evidence, indicating a 95% chance of
winning business when a prospect calls the sales rep versus a 5%
chance when the sales rep cold calls a prospect, [Source: Gitomer,
The Sales Bible] which suggests strategic actions can enhance the
power of timing within the sales cycle.
34

35. The key to winning business lies in the strategic ability to provide valuable
content to the potential buyer during the initial stages of the buying
cycle, thus encouraging the prospect to engage early on.
Your 2012 content plan should tell a story about your brand and provide
a clear value proposition. It‘s a good idea to create a 6-month plan
now, and then another 6-month plan after Q1, allowing you to modify
your messaging as needed. Throughout the course of the year, your
story can be told via blog, email, direct messaging, through social
networks and direct mail.
Regardless of the medium, your content should be:
 Relevant
 Timely
 Engaging
 Helpful
Above all, your content should help your prospects make a buying
decision.
AUTHOR: Wendy Brache builds and executes personal branding and online marketing strategy for executives
and corporations in the high-tech sector. She is the author of Sales Force Branding: Differentiate from the
Competition, and co-creator of the Sales Force Branding program. Wendy is a senior consultant specializing
in B2B Corporate Social Media, Demand Generation and Marketing Automation, and is also a featured
marketing technology speaker and columnist on renowned websites, such as Dan Schawbel's top-rated
marketing blog, PersonalBrandingBlog.com, Maria Shriver‘s Women‘s Conference, and Chopra‘s Intent.com.
The above article was originally published on PersonalBrandingBlog.com.
35

36. Using Customer Stories to Nurture Leads
Oliver Picher
Are you still using one-size-fits-all case studies in your marketing? You might be
causing your sales efforts more harm than good. Here are some secrets that
will help you write better case studies for lead nurturing and content
marketing.
A few years ago, the CEO of the company asked me to manage our sales
references. Our prospects often asked our sales representatives if they could
speak to a few of our current customers. No problem, you might think,
except the CEO confessed that several big sales had been lost because the
customer said something that scared away the prospect!
I knew we didn‘t have customers giving us ―bad references,‖ so there must have
been something else at work here. In researching why we had lost those
sales, I discovered several key secrets to using customers in both the sales and
– yes — the marketing process.
Those same secrets can be used to improve the effectiveness of your case studies
in your content marketing. Case studies can be a valuable part of your efforts
to nurture leads and move them through the marketing and sales process.
Here are the secrets I learned:
Ever prospect is different. I discovered that our sales references had been picked
based on a rather simple criteria: could we get someone to take the
prospect‘s phone call? There was no consideration for what criteria the
prospect was using in their buying decision.
I put in place a process in place that would identify the criteria important to the
prospect, then I would match up customers who could speak to those specific
issues.
36

37. Are you still developing your case studies based solely on ―which customers are willing
to take my phone call?‖ Stop that, right now. Instead, think about the leads and
prospects in your sales and marketing funnel. What criteria are they using to
decide whether to engage with you and eventually become your customer?
Research your current customers to learn which ones speak to those criteria, and
then target those for case studies.
A hot button for one is a red flag for another. The sales we had lost were because the
customer had rather innocently said something that raised a red flag for the
prospect on our ability to deliver on what they needed.
Perhaps our customer loved our service team, because she called them night and day
several times a week. The prospect, however, was looking for a ―set and forget‖
solution that wouldn‘t require much handholding from us. The customer made a
great and positive comment that would have worked well for a prospect looking
for a strong customer support team, but it absolutely destroyed our chances with
this particular prospect!
I learned to start asking our sales teams about the hot buttons and the land mines for
the prospects. A hot button was a positive issue that would help move the deal
forward, or even accelerate it. A land mine was something that would ―blow up
the deal‖ if we ran across it. Every prospect was different, so I matched the
prospects and customers carefully to ensure that the customers could speak
effectively about the hot button issues while avoiding the land mines.
In content marketing, these hot button and land mine issues should be part of the
persona you use in developing for your content map. What hot button issues are
going to engage people? What issues are going to scare them away? These are
likely to be different for different segments. Make sure to map the right case
study to the right issue and the right segment.
Know what the real issue is for your prospect. Our first efforts matched customers
and prospects based on industry, company size, job title, or technology. You know,
financial services with financial services, CFOs with CFOs, etc. That worked to
some extent, but it became clear that there were often other factors involved. It
wasn‘t enough to segment out our prospects and customers based on the more
obvious demographics. Over time, the hot button and land mine issues we were
learning about helped us understand some of the hidden segments.
37

38. Your case studies need to speak to the ―hidden‖ decision points for your leads and
prospects. While industry might be a useful way to segment for you, there may be
other more effective issues to address that transcend industry, or company size,
or job title, etc.
Tell a story, and connect the story to the bigger issues. I spent a lot of time getting to
know our customers, and I came to know their stories about how our company
had helped them. Every customer had dozens of them. When I would ask a
customer to talk with a prospect, I told them about the prospect‘s hot button
issues. I then reminded them of some of the stories they had told me, ones that I
thought might speak to the prospect‘s hot button issues.
You can never put words in a customer‘s mouth. They are going to say what they want
to say, and you wouldn‘t want it any other way. At the same time, I knew what
our customers would say on certain issues, and I picked them specifically because
I knew that issue was important to the prospect. I then connected the story in
the customer‘s mind to that issue, so that when the issue came up in conversation
with the prospect, the customer might remember to tell the story.
Stories are very powerful, making an emotional connection between the storyteller
and the listener. The emotions behind the story make it memorable. But you
have to be explicit in matching the story to the issue. The response is emotional,
you cannot count on people to make a rational connection between the story
and the issue. Be explicit in aligning the stories in your case studies with the
issues you are targeting.
Also, note that every customer has dozens of stories to tell. Don‘t think that one case
study will cover all the potential value a customer can offer. Keep a file of dozens
of different stories from each customer. Some might be used a more official case
study, but others might be used as a quick example in a blog post or a tweet.
The final and most important lesson I learned was that the right connection will
resonate with people. I had one customer who was so eager to speak with our
prospect that he took the phone call while he was driving away on vacation.
There is no reason we should be shoving one-size-fits-all case studies at our leads and
prospects. Instead, we should be looking to target our customer stories so that
they resonate with the issues, hot buttons, and decision points each of the
segments in your content map.
38

39. Are Your White Papers Accomplishing Your
Lead Generation Goals
Apryl Parcher
Many companies have noticed that their white papers aren‘t attracting the
attention they once did. With all the shiny new toys available in marketing
today, some are even asking the question, ―Is the traditional white paper
dead?‖
A better question to ask might be, ―Am I using white papers correctly?‖ Sadly,
often the answer is ―No.‖
Yes, burgeoning technologies such as the Internet, social media, video and mobile
have created shorter attention spans, paper-less offices, and global
competition—but that doesn‘t mean your prospects aren‘t still looking for in-
depth information.
So how can we make the traditional white paper perform in today‘s world? Let‘s
take a closer look at what constitutes a good white paper, and how we can
take advantage of today‘s technologies to distribute and share it more
effectively.
The Basic Building Blocks
Compelling content that captures and engages the reader: Because
today‘s prospect has limited time, he has to be picky about the information he
selects to read/absorb. Your content needs to immediately grab his attention,
or it‘s lost in the shuffle.To capture and engage him, you need to have a
thorough knowledge of your ideal reader—not a faceless, nameless group of
people, but a deep knowledge of the individual—enough to picture this
person in your mind‘s eye.
An in-depth profile of your reader is essential before beginning a project, and
should include the following:
a.Age and sex
b. Job function/title
c. Personality type
d. Emotional motivators
e.Top problems and concerns (what keeps them up at night?)
This information allows the writer to speak directly to the intended reader,
construct headlines, leads and subheads that attract their attention, and body
copy that engages them from the outset and keeps them reading.
39

40. Enough information to adequately explore problems/solutions: While today‘s
white papers have become shorter than in the past, many companies make the
mistake of trying to make them too short. A one-page product brief is not a
white paper—and shouldn‘t be labeled as such.A true white paper must be long
enough to fully explore the problems your solution provides. It should be carefully
worded to include the trends or market drivers that are affecting the prospect‘s
decisions, as well as third-party proof elements such as reports, graphs and
statistics your reader will recognize and respect that bolster your arguments.
Incorporating enough information to help your reader make a decision will generally
take more than four pages, and can include as many as 10 or 12.
Don’t try to “sell” me: The main point of a white paper is to persuade your reader
that your solution will solve their problems. However, you should avoid overt
sales language and hype.Your reader is looking for concrete answers—not a
heavy-handed sales pitch.
In fact, among professional white paper writers, there is an ―unwritten code‖ regarding
sales language—try to get the client NOT to use it.Veteran white paper writer,
Jonathan Kantor, puts it this way:
― …when it comes to developing a business white paper, many companies often
forget these unwritten rules by presenting too much information about their
organization before they have been able to earn their readers‘ credibility, an
essential ingredient necessary to leverage that white paper into generating a
‗warm‘ business lead.‖
Make it easy to read: Another aspect of successful white papers is readability.
Today‘s short-attention-span audiences like brevity, clarity and visual appeal—so
give it to them. Use short paragraphs, bold subheads, bullet points, colorful
diagrams and illustrations…and lots of white space.
When outlining your paper, also keep in mind the logical flow of information. The
general outline of a typical problem/solution white paper should include these
basic elements (in this order):
a. Abstract (or Executive Summary )
b. Introduction
c. Trends
d. Problems (explore 3-5)
e. History (can act as segue into solution)
f. Generic solution
g. Company-specific advantages
h. Call to action
40

41. Include a planned launch/measurement strategy
In addition to these essential building blocks, modern white papers need a detailed
launch and measurement strategy to ensure success. Just a few short years ago,
the best mode of distribution was the company website and content syndication
sites like Bitpipe and Techcrunch. However, posting and ―hoping‖ is no longer an
option in today‘s crowded marketplace. Your audience may still look for your
content on syndication sites, but you need a more comprehensive approach to
getting your content in front of your target audience, which must include the
biggest game-changer in marketing today—social media.
Like it or not, social media is a fundamental shift if the way humans
communicate…and leaving it out of your launch strategy is akin to paddling
instead of motoring. A comprehensive social media strategy should include
breaking your content into smaller chunks and sharing that content across a
variety of social platforms—all of which should point back to your white paper
and company website:
 Blog about it
 Use Twitter to Tweet key ideas
 Post strategic points to Facebook and LinkedIn
 Make and publish videos about key points
 Write articles
Which platforms you use will depend on where your audience resides in the social
sphere, but creating a written plan of action while you‘re planning and writing
your white paper will help you decide how to chunk the information for your
audience—and which platforms to use to your advantage.
Modern sharing mechanisms
The industry standard for publishing white papers is still the PDF format, which is easy
to print and/or share electronically with colleagues. However, keep in mind that
new technologies can be incorporated into your documents to make them more
sharable and search engine friendly, such as:
SEO tagging (via document properties)
Live Links
Twitter Re-tweet buttons
Facebook “like” buttons
“Share This” buttons
If your white papers aren‘t generating the leads you would like, try re-assessing how
they‘re put together and how you disseminate them. While there have been lots
of changes in marketing over the years, your prospects are still looking for
information to help them make buying decisions, and a properly-executed white
paper that takes advantage of today‘s technological changes is still one of the best
forms of lead generation available.
41

42. Using Email to Promote Your Content?
Think Relevance
Apryl Parcher
Many companies rely on email campaigns to make announcements about new
content (such as white papers) to their client list. However, tracking those
blast emails isn‘t always high priority. Do you know how many of your emails
actually make it to your clients‘ inbox? How do you measure that? Is there a
significant portion of your e-list that seems dead or unresponsive?
According to Marketing Sherpa‘s 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report,
one of the biggest challenges facing email marketers today is deliverability—
but marketers have some new tools on hand to help ensure that their content
reaches their intended audience. Recently, Sherpa came out with a webinar
conducted with Return Path, an email deliverability services provider, that
discussed these tactics. Here are some of the highlights:
Of the 1,100 marketers interviewed in the survey, 65% say that targeting
recipients with highly relevant content is a significant challenge, and
39% said that improving deliverability is a big hurdle.
According to Sherpa, these two factors, relevancy and deliverability, are tightly
linked. In fact, irrelevancy is the number one reason that people
unsubscribe, and why email is not delivered. About half of email marketers
don‘t get it, however. They‘re still blasting subscribers with irrelevant messages.
But the intersection between what we want to say and what our readers are
interested in is the measure of relevance.
RELEVANCE
This concept tracks right along with how you title your white papers and use the
right copy to engage the reader and keep them interested, doesn‘t it?
Assuming that you‘ve done your homework there and have a compelling
report to share, the next trick is getting your email opened so subscribers see
and absorb the content.
One way to do that is to use what you know about your subscribers (collecting
data, tracking behavior) for personalization and titling. Helpful data can be
collected using automated analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to track what
people are doing on your website once they click on your email.You can also
use volunteered content preferences from subscription forms to help you
deliver the kind of content your readers are looking for.
42

43. Content Relevancy Improves Deliverability
We know that when people are actively looking for content on the web, that they
respond to content that seems relevant to their needs. The same is true of email.
When someone chooses to subscribe to your list it‘s because they expect you to
deliver relevant content. Meeting relevancy expectations improves activity (open
and click rates), which also improves your sender reputation both from your
recipients‘ point of view, and from the automatic SPAM detection systems that
filter emails.
Other Factors to Consider
A big chunk of emails go undelivered—and this is something you may not be able to
see from your Email Service Provider (ESP) reports.
Return path talked about the concept of Inbox Placement Rate (which is NOT
your ―delivered‖ rate). Most people think that the ―sent‖ messages minus the
―bounce‖ messages equals ―delivered‖ rate, but that‘s not true. It‘s the percentage
of your emails that actually make it into your subscribers‘ inboxes. Unfortunately,
that‘s not a metric that‘s tracked by most ESPs.
In addition to discussing Inbox Placement Rate, Return Path noted several other things
that marketers need to address in order to increase deliverability, and they
include:
 Monitoring your reputation
 Using Seed List Monitoring to review subscriber activity
 Routinely removing dead addresses
 Using win-back initiatives to recapture inactive (but still valid) subscribers
 Managing frequency
 Performing complaint analysis (to determine who is marking your emails as spam
and why)
 Maintaining a dedicated IP address
 Having a solid email infrastructure
How Do Your Email Campaigns Stack Up?
If you routinely deliver your white paper content to your email subscribers, you may
want to take a second look at how your mail is delivered, what percentage
actually makes it to the subscriber inbox, and how your subscribers interact with
your mail.
Getting a better handle on where you stand regarding email deliverability is a good
starting place. Scrutinizing your email practices and making improvements can
help your emails pass subscriber and email provider relevancy tests—both of
which are important in making sure your content has a chance to engage your
reader.
43

44. Matching Content to Buyer Personas.
Gerry Lantz
How to match content to buyer personas
B2B marketers, how do you make content truly useful to customers?
Let me answer that with a question: do you know your customers‘
needs, desires and behaviors extremely well? So well, that you
know what compels them? Don‘t be quick to answer ―yes‖.You
should know customers so intimately, you could write their story.
What‘s a persona?
Marketers and agencies have used the word ―persona‖ to bring a
heightened understanding of customers to the targeting of selling
messages and relationship-building over time. Using first-hand
observation of consumers via anthropological studies, qualitative
methods, and crunching primary and secondary data, agencies and
marketers are able to draw holistic portraits of a customer. These
portraits consist of words, pictures, video, every possible sense
experience (e.g., four years ago Chrysler built ―persona rooms‖ to
help them design and launch new models reflecting purchasers‘
lifestyles).
I like the term ―persona‖ because it pushes marketers beyond
simplistic boxcar demographics that don‘t contain real insight. The
process pushes deeper to find customer motivations and decision
patterns. Even better, a persona is not just another name for a
user‘s ―personality‖, which is typically described in not-so-useful
generics, e.g., playful, stressed, health-conscious, blah-blah-blah.
Personas force the discovery of human qualities that are rich,
individualistic, and relatable. (For example, working with Hershey‘s
Kisses®, we discovered that women purchasers ―loved‖ the brand,
truly found it lovable and quirky in its shape, foil wrap, and flag on
top.The result was a 20-plus year campaign, still running, where
Kisses live as charming characters dancing around in white space
print and TV ads.)
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45. Gathering material for a persona
Even if you don‘t have the resources of a national marketer (or the space
to add an extra room onto your house), the information you need to
flesh out a customer persona is as close as your keyboard and the
nearest Starbuck‘s®.
Tap the internet and conduct free or inexpensive on-line surveys.
Pick up the phone. Seek simple informational interviews with potential
targets. Offer to buy them a coffee, not to sell but to learn. I have
found customers often are happy to give you ―the benefit of their
experience‖ when you ask for it sincerely. More often than not, the
big answers are not found by sitting behind your desk.
Ask for and listen to customers‘ stories—how they experience you, your
company and its services. Ask sales people to tell stories about
customers: how they express their goals, the relief they seek, and what
makes them comfortable.Yes, comfortable. Use customers‘ words, not
yours. It‘s an authentic human story that creates a persona.
Write their story relative to the products or services you offer. It doesn‘t
have to be longer than a paragraph, maybe two. At the core of every
good story is the question: ―What‘s at stake?‖ What‘s a customer‘s
struggle or tension or highest aspiration—―their object of desire‖?
Whether you write it well or not, your understanding (including a
photograph, video, whatever) will be richer and more useful when you
finally tell them your story.
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46. Compelling Content:Your Story
When it comes to telling the right story to the right individual in a blog, a
website, a tweet, or an email, some classic marketing and selling rules
apply.
1. ―It‘s not about you, it‘s about them.‖
This adage contains two key principles for shaping content for true
consultative selling. First, don‘t just rattle on about your product or
services or how smart you are—don‘t be presentational, be
invitational. Huh? Don‘t just talk ―at‖ your audience, start a
conversation ―with‖ them. Make content so involving that it invites a
response.
Second, tie into their story, their persona. The game is to be genuinely
helpful and allow prospects to involve themselves with you. For every
product, service or bit of wisdom you have to share, turn the corner
verbally so the customers see explicitly how they can use it to better
their business.
2. It‘s not about what you want to say but what you want to accomplish.
Start writing with the end goal in mind. Don‘t meander. Know what you
want a potential customer to do after they read your words of
wisdom on a subject about which you are an expert. Is it merely to
get them aware of you, return to your blog, respond with thinking of
their own (ask for it!), or contact you directly.
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47. 3. Tell two kinds of stories: success stories and an overall story
Successes told as stories (not as dry situation-action-result case histories)
cause people to perk up and pay attention, especially when the story
is directly relevant to their business. Here‘s a made-up example. ―A
major auto parts wholesaler‘s sales collapsed with a resounding thud
in 2009 as the auto industry teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.They
tapped the power of marketing automation to engineer a recovery
ahead of the industry. Here‘s how they did it . . . .‖ If you‘re in that
industry, you‘re interested.
See your entire piece as a story. Start with a tension, a struggle, an
obstacle, or an issue that you can help resolve or an opportunity you
can help customers seize. (Note the opening of this piece.) Build the
story by connected and escalating steps (some supported by success
stories) that lead to the ultimate outcome they seek, whether it be
improved ROI, more control, or simply useful knowledge they didn‘t
have before.
A persona is a discoverable story and the best content is a story that
brings them both together.
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48. Feeling Stumped When Creating Great
Content? What Would Steve Jobs Do?
Rachel Franco
Steve Jobs was a creative genius. I know. Tell
you something you don't know. Did you know
that you can look to Jobs for key lessons in
creating genius content? If you're feeling
stumped when it comes to content or content
marketing, ask yourself what Steve Jobs would
do. And then do it. Because Steve Jobs wasn't
just about thinking differently; he was about
acting boldly.
What can we learn from Steve Jobs when it comes to content and
content marketing?
He delivered what his customers wanted...and more. Jobs was
legendary for knowing what his customers wanted even before
they did and for convincing them to follow him wherever he
wanted to take them.You can do that too with your content.
Develop those buyer personas and deliver content that speaks to
them. But don't just speak to them where they are now. Look out
into the future, as Jobs did, and deliver content that convinces your
prospects and customers of a need they may not even know they
have yet - but will as soon as your content shows them how your
solution solves their problem(s) in a different and better way.
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49. Steve Jobs was passion in action. He had this incredible way of making you
believe that what he said was "the greatest thing ever" was indeed the
greatest thing ever. How can you inspire your readers to think your
content is the best content ever? And, in turn, to think that your
company's solution is the best solution ever? Don't be afraid to inject
some personality, passion and creativity into your content. Customers
were glued to every move Steve Jobs made. Be creative so that your
buyers will be just as glued to your content.
Jobs was uniquely gifted at driving diverse parties toward a common goal.
Jobs didn't just have innovative ideas; he knew how to drive the
diverse personalities within Apple toward a common vision in order
to bring these ideas to life. How can you encourage the different
constituents (sales, marketing, etc.) in your own organization to create
and follow a cohesive, targeted content strategy?
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50. Is Your Content Having an Identity Crisis?
Rachel Franco
Are you on Facebook? If you are (and I'm guessing you are), then
you've probably noticed the many improvements annoying changes
they've made recently. Talk about negatively impacting the user
experience - at least, according to my Facebook friends.
And, talk about an identity crisis. Facebook is an example of an
identity crisis if I've ever seen one.
In trying to be so much like Twitter, Facebook is coming very close to
losing itself, to losing the customer experience that kept its
customers loyal.
(Let's ignore all of those privacy issues for now!)
Is your content having an identity crisis? Is your company trying so
hard to be like its competitors that it's sounding just like its
competitors? Don't "be like Mike". Be different.
How can you create differentiating content? Here‘s a start:
Understand your audience. To communicate effectively with your
readers, you must know who they are. Know everything you can
about your target markets, from who they are, what their needs
are, the types of content they read, their most preferred channels,
etc. Don't just think about their current needs, but also about their
"future needs" - like Steve Jobs would do (see "Feeling Stumped
When it Comes to Content Marketing? Ask Yourself, What Would
Steve Jobs Do?")
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51. Understand your competition. If you don't know what your competition is
saying in its marketing content, how can you know what to say in
yours that's different? Enough said.
Think and act like a journalist. Journalists are storytellers. They probe and
investigate so that they can craft the most compelling and credible
story that will engage their readers. Be like a journalist and create and
publish content on a consistent basis that's timely, educational,
relevant and engaging.
Include a differentiating call to action. Knowing what action you want your
readers to take is crucial for an effective lead generating and lead
nurturing strategy. What call-to-action can you include in each piece of
content that's meaningful to your audience(s) and different from that
of your competition? Don't just differentiate your content;
differentiate your offer.
I don't need to tell you how overcrowded the market is right now in
terms of content. I just ask that, if your content is having an identity
crisis, find the closest mirror, take a hard look inside and come out
knowing who your company is and how unique your content strategy
should be.
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52. Content Marketing: Of SEO, Websites,
Lead Generation, and Landing Pages
Paul Mosenson
Been thinking about content marketing again and after some recent
engagements with some clients, I thought I‘d better shed some light
on some important considerations as a further understanding of
what content marketing is and how it is deployed.
From an inbound marketing perspective, prospects can find you in a
number of ways- here‘s two:
 Via your website
 Via your landing page
Let‘s briefly take a deeper dive into each destination channel. By doing
so, you‘ll realize that each tactics has its own accompanying
content strategy. This is important when you consider your
approach to engaging with audiences, and where they are in their
own individual buying cycles.
As you go through this, think about what are your most important
business objectives?
If you say site traffic, I say ―no‖ because attracting visitors doesn‘t
necessarily lead to sales if your site is not relevant to your
prospects and contribute a solution to their business
problems. What you should say, is, quality leads that can become
future sales opportunities.
Website Content Strategy
First, what is a website really? Here‘s a definition: A website is an online
destination that combines relevant content and images that work
together to encourage visitors to do business with you. People
can find websites in three ways:
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53.  Search Engines. When prospects have identified a need and look to
search engines to begin the research process.
 Other websites or emarketing channels. When your site is listed in a
directory that allows a click through, or via advertising, or via a social
media channel.
 Offline marketing efforts. Traditional advertising, direct mail, PR,
business cards, friends, referrals, or other avenues that persuade a
prospect to enter your site into an Internet browser.
So there are two elements here: The website content itself, and content
that leads to a site visit (SEO mostly). Here are some questions to
ponder for each element:
Website. Ask yourself the following questions (at least as a start):
1. Have I done enough research on my industry and what my prospects‘
most important pain points are? Does my website address those pain
points simple and easily?
2. Do I cover the benefits of doing business with my firm?
3. Do I do a good job of telling my story without confusing prospects?
4. Does my content focus on solving business problems?
SEO. More questions to consider:
1. Does my website use keywords that my prospects use to find my
solutions? Remember, your website is about your buyer‘s needs and
language; it‘s not about how well you can write about your
features. Get it?
2. If I‘m in a very competitive industry, are there keywords or phrases
that are searched but maybe not so competitive but give me an
opportunity for better organic rankings?
3. Are those keywords the basis of your website page titles and meta
descriptions?
4. Are you writing keyword-laden blog posts and press releases that
attract back links?
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54. When all is said and done, if your prospect is just thinking about your solution, your
website must leave an impression so that the prospect bookmarks it, or
subscribes to any updates because of the content. If the prospect is later in the
buy cycle, the website must engage the prospect and guide him/her to the next
step- a call-to-action phone call, email, or web form.
Landing Page Content Strategy
So you have a website, and it‘s not optimized yet, so you‘re not getting inbound leads
because your website isn‘t found on search engines. Now we get into the
complementary, and just as important, lead generation tactic, email capture via
landing pages. Landing pages (or microsites) are created specifically to briefly
promote your solution, and provide valuable content worth downloading or
registering because it contributes to solving a business problem.
Landing pages are best used to complement advertising and social media. Here‘s how:
Pay-Per-Click. More and more you see ads that promote the content assets available
on a landing page. ―Free demo‖ ―Free white paper‖ ―Register Now‖ ―Download
Now‖ are all common terms seen in ads with the goal to attract a prospect‘s
attention with a form of thought leadership without having to go through a multi-
page website. Pure lead generation.
Banner ads/enewsletter sponsorships. Other forms of online media placements can
also attract audiences to download content. Here‘s the difference. With pay-per-
click, audiences are looking for a solution. With advertising, there may not be a
demand for your unique solution yet, so banner ads and sponsorships can help
build awareness and generate leads.
Social Media. There‘s multiple tactics to promote landing pages in social media,
including:
 Twitter: Give your landing page a URL shortener and promote your unique white
paper. ―New white paper on how to select a CRM, from @companyX‖
 LinkedIn: You can test LinkedIn ads to promote content, or strategically provide a
link to the landing page within a LinkedIn discussion or a LinkedIn Answer
 Blog Posts: An excellent way to summarize available content in your post, with a
link to the landing page for full download.
Nurturing email. Whether it is a general email platform or marketing automation,
content can be delivered via email, promoting new content, and persuading
recipients to click to the landing page for download.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg, with the attempt to give a brief overview on
the two major approaches to content strategy. Websites engage audiences in
detail with compelling evidence of your solutions. Landing pages offer content for
quick lead generation. The ideal content marketing plan includes strategies for
both scenarios.
Go back to your goals; both techniques need to work together for optimal lead
generation. That‘s what it‘s all about, right?
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55. About the Writers
 Oliver Picher
 Oliver Picher is a Content Strategist with over 25 years of B2B and high tech
marketing experience, both on the corporate side as well as his own
consultancy. Oliver is a highly accomplished technology writer and
communications expert, with superior skill at writing white papers, case studies,
and website content that is relevant and engaging. Oliver‘s past experiences
include stints as Marketing Director for Synygy and Public Relations Manager at
Unisys.
 Apryl Parcher
 Apryl Parcher has over 25 years of experience in business, ranging from civil
service to owning and operating several small businesses. She has a wide range of
writing experience as well, starting out as a freelance journalist while still
operating a retail establishment, and ending up a full-time business copywriter. Her
content background allows her to manage our client‘s blogs, social media
messaging strategy, and website content.
 Strategic Alliance: Parcher Marketing Services
http://aparcher.com/
 Susan Fantle
 Susan‘s specialty is creating content that is interactive and inviting for prospective
clients and customers to request and read. With 25+ years of marketing to
businesses of all sizes and in dozens of industries, she understands how businesses
think and make decisions. She believes that effective educational content designed
to generate a response should fit the situation, the goals and the current
perceptions of the targeted business title. She speaks the language of business
and can help companies make a real connection with their target markets.
 Strategic Alliance: The Copy Works
http://www.thecopyworks.com/
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56.  Wendy Brache
 Wendy specializes in high-tech B2B content strategy and development for
Fortune 1000 corporations and demand generation agencies. She provides
engaging content backed by the strength of a deep technical background,
understanding of the executive audience and experience with demand generation
best practices and platforms. She writes all forms of web, print and digital
marketing content.
 Strategic Alliance: Sales Force Branding
http://www.salesforcebranding.com
 Michael Selissen
 As a writer and inbound marketer, Michael creates content that establishes
thought leadership and promotes brand awareness for B2B companies. He work
closely with marketing managers, subject matter experts and senior executives to
define expected marketing outcomes, assess the needs and barriers of relevant
audiences, match content to address needs and barriers, and integrate that
content into the lead management process. His work has appeared in industry
newsletters, publications from major technology manufacturers and business Web
sites.
 Strategic Alliance: Case Mountain Communications
http://www.casemountain.com
 Maureen Monfore
 Maureen is a writer and marketing consultant who specializes in business-to-
business marketing materials for technology companies. Maureen has written for
enterprises like Microsoft as well as for emerging start-ups. Her clients credit her
ability to quickly grasp complex ideas and create clear, concise copy that sells. As a
marketing consultant and copywriter, Maureen writes and edits many marketing
materials like brochures, white papers, trade magazine articles, case studies, data
sheets, web pages, blogs, sales presentations and more.
 Strategic Alliance: MM Copywriting
http://www.mmcopywriting.com
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57.  Bob Leonard
 Bob works with medium sized information technology (hardware, software
and/or services) companies who sell their solutions to other businesses (B2B).
Bob helps clients develop marketing strategies that target sophisticated business
buyers, and then educates those buyers on the features and benefits of their
solutions. Bob has over 20 years‘ experience marketing and selling computer
hardware, document management software, telecom infrastructure, storage
hardware and software, business intelligence software for airlines, ATM software
for banks, and outsourced IT services.
 Strategic Alliance: acSellerant
http://www.acSellerant.com
 Rachel Franco
 Rachel helps technology and healthcare companies write white papers, case
studies and articles (newsletter, bylined, etc.) that, in an increasingly ―buyer-
controlled world‖, generate and convert more high quality leads into customers.
Bringing the inquisitive eye of an investigative journalist and the strategic business
savvy of a seasoned B2B marketer, she takes a very results-oriented approach in
developing engaging and relevant content for every stage of the sales cycle.
 Strategic Alliance: RAF Communications
http://www.raf-communications.com
 Gerry Lantz
 Stories drive Gerry. He discovers and expresses the authentic, human story in any
business communication particularly whitepapers and case histories—no matter
how functional or technical the content. His experience in major New York City
ad agencies in multiple goods and services categories and as a Corporate
Director of Marketing has given him a unique perspective on both the creative
and business sides of marketing. He describes himself as a ―creative guy in a
business suit‖.
 Strategic Alliance: Stories That Work
http://www.storiesthatwork.com/
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58. About Paul Mosenson
 “Our vision is to help companies understand that marketing isn’t just
a list of tactics, but an integrated strategy designed to generate
quality leads and sales. We wish to be your marketing partner with the
goal to drive more traffic to your website, convert more traffic, and
help you sell more leads.”
 Paul is a seasoned marketing vet of 25 years. Experienced in b2b marketing
as well as consumer marketing, Paul can step in and help problem solve
within almost any industry. His vision is to help companies with thoughtful
marketing strategy and tactics that cover the entire funnel of ―leads to
sales.‖
 As Media Director at a full-service ad agency, Paul managed large media and
marketing budgets. In addition to his comprehensive media experience, he
is also adept at social media and offers his services for training,
implementation, and measurement. Further, he is an expert on analytics and
media measurement.
 For more than 20 years, Paul has been building strategic, comprehensive
multi-media marketing campaigns that get results. He possesses a unique
expertise in traditional, interactive, and social media. In the last few years,
Paul has become a national thought leader on lead generation and content
marketing. His vast and versatile marketing experience spans the fields of
healthcare, financial services, business-to-business, economic development,
technology, retail, state-funded programs, automotive, and tourism.
 He is a professional that believes in developing effective win-win business
partnerships, and as such he always employs a consultative, team approach
when working with clients and business partners.
 NuSpark Marketing is the firm Paul founded in early 2010. We give your
marketing a ―new spark‖ by implementing a new approach to lead
management. Lead management is the process of putting together sound
strategies that generate quality website visitors that convert into leads via
engaging websites and landing pages, and then convert into sales via lead
nurturing platforms called marketing automation.
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59. About NuSpark
Marketing
 eMarketing Firm focusing on
lead generation, lead
management, content
marketing
 Founded in 2010; Team
members average 20 years of
experience
 Philadelphia based; virtual
team of experts
 Provides the process, content,
and consultation for firms that
implement marketing
automation
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60. What We Do
 Assess Your Lead Generation
and Content Needs
 Assign myself and a content
strategist to your team
 Put together a strategic plan
to optimize your efforts
 Implement the tactics to
generate better quality leads
and increased sales
opportunities
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61. Let‘s Begin a
Relationship
And Grow Together
61

62. Contact
 Phone: 610-604-0639
Email:
pmosenson@nusparkmarketing.
com
Website:
www.nusparkmarketing.com
Twitter:
@nusparkmktg
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