New research shows that today's buyers want more succinct and relevant content to help facilitate their decision making. Do you know how your content stacks up to these new buyer expectations? Join Tom Pisello, The ROI Guy and Chairman / Founder of Alinean, Inc. to explore the latest marketing effectiveness research findings, and learn the best practice methods to better connect and engage today's more empowered, skeptical and frugal buyer. In this webinar we will answer several important questions to help drive your content marketing effectiveness: Which content is most effective at connecting and engaging today's buyer? How this content should be shaped to deliver more relevant decision support content in less time? Which best practices and new content can be best used to achieve content marketing success? At the end of this webinar you will be provided with several real world examples and links to improve content marketing, and better connect, engage and sell.

1. The Best Content For
Short Attention Span
Theater
Tom Pisello, The ROI Guy, Chairman &
Founder, Alinean
December 01, 2011

2. Our Speaker
Tom Pisello: The ROI Guy
– A 25-year career helping companies to get more
business value from their IT and business
investments
– Serial Entrepreneur
– Chairman and Founder
• Alinean – Content Optimization w/ Interactive
Smart Content and Value-Based Sales Enablement
Tools
• Akonna – Social Media Marketing Competitive
Benchmarking
– Evangelist & Blogger
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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3. Agenda
1. The Significance of Content Marketing
2. Content Marketing Challenges
3. Why the Content Marketing Crisis in Confidence?
4. New Content Optimization Strategies & Tactics
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4. The Significance of Content for Marketing &
Sales Enablement
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5. Content Marketing Spending and Tactics
51% increasing budget
over next 12 months
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Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey

6. Content Marketing Challenges
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey

7. Crisis in Confidence
Only 41% indicate
that their content
marketing efforts
are effective.
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey

8. Why The Content Marketing Crisis in
Confidence?
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9. Buyers Have Fundamentally and Permanently Changed
More Leads to Close Same Executive Scrutiny Reduced Deal Size
Amount of Business
Longer Sales Cycles Increased Competition
More Stakeholders
Stalled Deals
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10. How would you describe the budgeting/approval
process for your most recent solution purchase?
26.7%
Budget for project was approved and
allocated during beginning of the year
26.1%
Budget was allocated as part of a larger line
item once need was established
20.6%
Budget was determined post multiple bids
15.8%
Budget was taken from another line item
after need was established/clear
10.9%
Determined potential impact through other
adopters and built a business case
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11. How would you say the buying/decision-making process
changed for most recent purchases vs. prior decisions?
Multiple Responses Allowed
Took more time to research and
consider solutions 48%
Utilized a wider variety of sources to
research options 36%
Did more detailed analysis of costs/ROI
of solution before finalizing the process 34%
More internal team members provided
their input into decision process 30%
Relied more on live customer
feedback/recommendations 21%
Fewer internal team members provided
their input into decision process 16%
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12. Which resources did you find most useful in the
early stages of buying process?
70.9%
44.2%
40.6%
34.5%
21.2%
16.4%
10.3%
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13. As you progressed through the research process on the
company, which types of communication/content did you
feel were most helpful in supporting your decision?
57.6%
Vendor Comparison Analysis
48.5%
Case studies of successful implementations
Documents/Tools that supported the ROI 43%
justification for the project
White papers supporting the business 26.1%
case/impact of the solution
7.3%
Other
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14. In the later stages of selecting a vendor and rolling out the
product or solution, which tools did you feel were most helpful
in supporting your decision?
56.4% 56.4%
27.3%
23.6%
12.1% 12.1%
“Freemium”
Approach
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15. Who do Buyers Trust for Decision Support
Content?
ost often selected as trusted source for purchase decisions content
35%
30% Internal events/triggers
Peers
25%
Industry analysts
20%
Trade publications
15%
Search engine results
10% VARs/Partners
Consultants
5%
Vendors
0%
Early Middle Late
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
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16. Short Attention Span Theater
Making the Case for Shorter Content, IDG Connect, Bob Johnson, Analyst, n=389, October 30, 2008
http://www.idgconnect.com/view_abstract/6005/making-case-shorter-content?source=connect
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17. Lack of Content Relevance Has a Significant Cost
• Drives up content creation costs
• Increases the buyer’s decision making process by two weeks or more
• Reduces the chances of making the buyer’s selection shortlist by 1/3rd
• Shrinks the chance of getting the sale by almost 50%
86% of respondents indicated that
relevant content drove the buyer’s decision
Making the Case for Shorter Content, IDG Connect, Bob Johnson, Analyst, n=389, October 30, 2008
http://www.idgconnect.com/view_abstract/6005/making-case-shorter-content?source=connect
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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18. Content Optimization Strategies & Tactics
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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19. Making Content Relevant to Facilitate the Buyer’s Journey
Why Change?
Buyer’s Journey Why Now? Why You?
Purchasing a Solution can be a Complex Change Management Process for the Buyer
Discovery Consideration Decision
Buyers Need Help in Facilitating the Steps in the Process:
• Easier to Do Nothing than to Change
• Several Stakeholders
• Economic Scrutiny
• Competitive Agendas
Buyers are Seeking from Solution Providers:
• Decision Support Content that is Personalized and Concise: One-to-One
• Consultative Advice Not a Sales Pitch
• Relevancy
• Answers to Reasons Why
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20. Relevant Content to Facilitate the Buyer’s Journey
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21. Interactive Smart Content™ & Diagnostic Sales Tools
• Interactive
• Increased Relevance
• Intelligent Quantitative & Qualitative Personalization
• Interactive White Papers
• Diagnostic Assessments
• ROI Calculators
• TCO Comparisons
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22. Other Content Optimization Techniques
• Social Sharing of Content & Collaboration
• E-Books
• Video
– Presentations
– Case Studies
– FAQ Guides
– Landing Pages
• Free Trials / Demos
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23. Conclusions
• Buyers Have Changed
– Purchase process is more complex
– More empowered, but overloaded
– More skeptical and frugal / economic-focused
• Content Marketing Must be More Relevant to Be Effective
– Concise
– Personalized
– Consultative
– Facilitate the Buyer’s Journey
• New Content Marketing Needed to Drive Relevancy
– Interactive Smart Content
– Diagnostic Sales Tools
– E-Books, Video / Video White Papers / Video Landing Pages
– Demos & Trials
– Social Sharing and Collaboration
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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24. Questions?
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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25. Next Steps
Content Optimization Assessment
http://www.alinean.com/COA
Best Practice Resource Center
http://fightfrugalnomics.com
Ask the ROI Guy Resource Center
http://www.alinean.com/faq
DCS Research & Content Connection Blog
http://www.demandcreationspecialists.com/blog/
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