Customer stories and reference content are some of the most valuable assets you can include in a content marketing strategy. But simply publishing a technology case study on your Web site or Twitter feed won’t drive the kind of engagement that results in measurable ROI—and won’t bring the attention your customer reference program deserves. Great content marketing starts with great editorial; human, provocative, and personal customer stories that aren’t about speeds and feeds, but rich, life-affirming “editorial” hooks that draw prospects into the world your technology makes possible. This presentation (part 1 of 3) teaches you how to bring a journalistic, editorial eye to your customer stories, and establish an editorial cadence and distribution plan that can anchor a world-class, measurable content marketing strategy for your entire organization. Key takeaways will include: • Before and after examples of editorializing customer stories • How to rethink and refresh existing case studies, videos, and testimonials to deliver a powerful cadence of customer stories • How to merchandize and publish the stories you create through your Web site, social channels, and 3rd party paid and earned placement • How to break through and drive your customer stories into the sales, product, channel, and corporate initiatives of your organization • How to bring real teeth to your content marketing strategy by integrating with your existing marketing automation and lead gen/nurture programs Thanks for viewing. Feel free to share or contact us with your feedback or questions.

1. The Human Factor
Part 3:
Getting Started

2. Human, editorial stories, with built-in, ‘get-the-rest-of-the-
story breadcrumbs, are the key ingredients for a Customer
Content Marketing Strategy.
What is the Human Factor? It’s not products,
technology or solutions. It’s that “awwww”
or “huh?” or “hmm” that journalists look for
when writing a great story.
The Human Factor changes a case study into something
editorial – a story about YOUR customer.

3. Use breadcrumbs and links to gate content and integrate
your strategy into measurable lead nurture and automation
systems.
Rebuild your customer Web pages with
featured customer stories, much like an
online publisher merchandizes editorial
content.
Use your provocative story headlines to link story
pages across home page, product pages, 3rd party
pages and into social media.

4. Now Part 3:
Getting Started
Here comes the step by
step…

5. Step 1:
Get your Web team
onboard.

6. Work together to build a Web
requirements document.
Map the design, merchandizing and
promotion strategy, and phases of
execution for your featured stories.
#humancontent
TIP: If you don’t have a plan to
merchandize and distribute your
stories, it’s not worth creating them.

7. Web teams are
comfortable posting case
studies. Expect to teach
them about human stories
and what you want to
achieve with your
Customer Content
Marketing Strategy.

8. HINT: Use Parts 1 and 2 of this SlideShare
series to show key internal stakeholders
what you mean.
Click to view Parts 1 and 2.
Or even better, request a live demo with
us.

9. Step 2:
Find your human stories.

10. Audit your existing case studies, partner
stories, PR stories, videos, trends stories that
leverage customer proof points – anything you
can call customer content. Apply the ‘before’ and ‘after’
technique you learned in Part 1.
Create a content audit
matrix to track your
human story ideas.

11. Shall we look
at an example?
A Content Audit Matrix from
Black Box, the fictitious
company we introduced you to
in our Part 2 demo.

12. Case Study & Customer Story Audit

13. Case Study & Customer Story Audit
Take a
critical
look at
customers
old &
new for
potential
story
angles.

14. Track your ideas for transforming existing assets into
sharp, provocative Human Stories.
HINT: Not every one will be a winner and that’s OK.

15. Step 3:
Create an Editorial Calendar

16. Identify your first 5-6 feature stories
to roll out as a beta, followed by a six-
month rolling calendar of editorial
content.
Establish a regular
publishing cycle around
campaigns, events, and
seasonal news.

17. Identify your merchandizing strategy
for each of your stories:
Hero on Home page?
Social media?
Paid media campaign?
Product page?
• What are your headlines?
• When do you use
breadcrumbs?
• What will you point to?
• Where will you link back
from?
• When do you gate?
Download?

18. How about
another
example
from Black
Box?

19. Black Box Editorial Calendar

20. Timing &
Deadlines
Story angles
Breadcrumbs & links
Story themes
Related Campaigns/Events

21. Step 4:
Develop your content.

22. Who do you need to interview? Don’t assume it’s the
same old IT buyer. Perhaps it’s the VP of Experience or
Brand or PR – or one of your customer’s customers.
Find the Human Story.

23. Ask your customer how they want to express
their humanity – chances are they aren’t gonna
mention your products or services.

24. Curate existing videos, images, or articles about your
customer and include them in your merchandizing
strategy.
It’s a great technique –
and it’s how online
publications think.

25. TIP: Optimize resources by
writing your story and all your
social posts, tweets, banners,
lead nurture emails &
promotional headlines at the
same time.
#humancontent

26. Step 5:
Launch & Merchandise!

27. Merchandise beyond customer
pages: Look at home page heroes;
teasers & thumbnails on product,
channel, partner, and sponsored
3rd-party pages.
TIP: Integrate into your social channel. Your social team
will be so happy … they always need stuff to promote at a
certain frequency.
#humancontent

28. Measure, learn and
repeat!
Use your Human Story bread-
crumbs to create registration gates
that link your strategy with your
existing lead capture and
automation initiatives.

29. Final Step:
Take a New Seat at the Table
Now you are a content
strategist, master of a
rolling calendar of the
key ingredients of a
content marketing
strategy.

30. That’s it for Part 3.
Click on a thumbnail if you missed
Parts 1 & 2.
Or request a live demo of the
entire series.
info@eccolomedia.com
@eccolomedia

31. SO… in case you missed it, here are the takeaways…
As always, feel free to
SHARE!
TIP: Write story, social posts, tweets, banners & paid content
all at the same time.
#humancontent @eccolomedia
Tip: If you don't have a plan to merchandize and distribute
your customer stories, it's not worth creating them.
#humancontent @eccolomedia
TIP: Integrate into your social channel. Your team will be so
happy … they always need stuff to promote at a
certain frequency. #humancontent @eccolomedia