According to Content Marketing Institute, 48% of marketers don't have a written strategy for content marketing efforts. Get started by jotting down your goals and messages on a cocktail napkin.

1. Content Marketing
Strategy on a
Cocktail Napkin
Content Marketing
Strategy on a
Cocktail Napkin

2. A flight of
content marketing
Too many marketers are just putting content out
on sampler trays trying to give everyone a little
of what they might want without knowing why
they are doing what they are doing.
A little content on Facebook, a visual on Pin-
terest, a little blog here, a little video there.
Marketers are serving up content all over the
place without any rhyme or reason to it because
that’s what they think they should do.

3. Some sobering
facts:
According to Content Marketing Institute, 83%
of marketers said they have a content marketing
strategy, but only 35% said it was documented.
The graph below represents the percentage of
B2B marketers who have a content
marketing strategy.
14% No
35% Yes and documented
3% Unsure
48% Yes and not documented

4. Conduct an
intervention
If you don’t have a documented plan, stop what
you’re doing right now and document your
content marketing strategy. Once you get it
written down, bring your team into it and create
accountability.
The three most important elements:
Know what you’re trying to do
Know why you’re doing it
Know how you will accomplish it

5. Keep it simple
A content strategy doesn’t have to be a 16 page
report. It can be a simple, one page document.
Write it on a cocktail napkin, jot it on a desk
blotter or send it in an email. Just get it in writing.
Keep it short and sweet, but be sure to include:
Business goals
Objectives and KPIs
Target markets
Audience personas
Target keywords
Key messages
Distribution channels
Content creation tasks
Measurement metrics

6. Stop and ask “Why?”
List all your marketing channels and ask why
you’re distributing to that channel
Why are you on Facebook?
Why are you on Twitter?
Why are you on Pinterest?
Why are you on Youtube?
List all your content and ask why you’re creating
that content
Why an ebook?
Why an e-newsletter?
Why an email blast?
Why a webinar?

7. Stop making
excuses for poor
planning
We’ve always done it
That’s what we do
Our competitor is doing it
Sober up and match your goals and KPIs to
overall corporate goals. Keep asking the question
“Why” until the answer is linked to an overall
business goal for your brand. If there’s no
business goal behind it, don’t do it.

8. Plan for results
An effective marketing strategy shows results
and increases effectiveness. After you have
questioned what you are doing and why, begin
to plan based on overall corporate goals.
Create a hypothesis
Create a plan to test the hypothesis
Set KPIs
Establish metrics
Share your plan
Review and update your plan regularly

9. Take back your
resources
Less is more. Take back the resources you spend
on things that aren’t part of the strategic plan
and don’t contribute to corporate goals.Then,
focus on being truly epic at the strategic content
marketing that you have planned.

10. Stop binge
marketing
DON’T do content marketing just to do content
marketing. Create a strategy and then stop doing
what doesn’t make sense for the business or for
your customers.
DO find the areas of need for your brand
Where are there areas of need?
How can we fill the need?
What’s the most accessible need to fix
right away?
Is there a way we could tell a story to fill
the need?

11. The funnel rut
Marketers have begun to think of certain
mediums as brand mediums and certain
mediums as deal closers. As you develop your
content strategy, think of the message and the
audience to determine what to create, when to
create it, and how to distribute it.
Consider the entire customer journey and not
just gaining awareness and share of mind at the
top of the funnel.

12. Podcasts and
video - not just top
of the funnel
Remove the invisible boundaries of the funnel
and consider where your target audience is and
how they want to get your content. As you
consider podcasts and video as part of the
strategic mix, think of them as vehicles to
distribute content and create more interactive
experiences for your audience.
Podcast case studies
Video product walkthroughs
Video white papers
Video case studies

13. Random acts of
video and
podcasting
Video and podcasting have not escaped the follies
of the random content marketer. Before you
consider adding video or podcasting into your
marketing mix, be sure to ask why and then
create a schedule for consistent distribution.
Produce one asset weekly to a targeted set
of people
Establish consistency to create anticipation
Measure effectiveness over time
Consider your audience

14. Start with a taste
test
Creating corporate culture change and getting
buy-in from senior level executives begins with
giving the management a taste before offering
them the whole bottle. Establishing a content
marketing department or a content center of
excellence will be easier if it’s approached in
small steps.
Consider beginning with a pilot program. In a
sales driven culture, the C-suite may be more
likely to accept the change on a trial basis instead
of committing long term budgets to the efforts.
Once you’ve established a successful pilot
program, you can toast your successes and
expand your efforts.

15. A winning pilot
program
Here are some tips to set up the pilot and get buy-
in for the long-term
Set measurable and attainable goals
Share your strategic plan with other
departments
Narrow your focus to one or two key metrics
Set a short time frame – e.g. six months
Set a meeting to review after six months
Measure your efforts
Share your wins and areas for improvement
Establish best practices for the future

16. Last call: Becoming
strategic and
relevant
Some last words of advice:
Determine overall corporate goals
Set content marketing goals based on
corporate goals
Decide on channels and content
Rethink the marketing and sales funnel
Design a customer journey
Create relevant content

17. Let us know:
e@ginzametrics.com
Twitter: @ginzametrics.com
facebook.com/ginzametrics
Let us know:
e@ginzametrics.com
Twitter: @ginzametrics.com
facebook.com/ginzametrics
Questions?