1. How Start Ups
Get Customers
Using Content Marketing & Social
Media to Tell a Better Story

2. Kim Donlan
CEO, RedSwan5
KDonlan@RedSwan5.com
Thinker, Idea Launcher, Brand to Customer Connecter,
Messaging Expert, Digital Strategist, Executive Coach
Media Psychologist
Professor, Bentley University

3. What I promised to teach you…
• create a unique value proposition that stands out
• how content marketing and social media can help build
an audience
• increase leads and your prospect list

4. Stop
looking at your technology from YOUR perspective.

5. –Steve Jobs
“You’ve got to start with the customer
experience and work back toward the
technology, not the other way around.”

6. How customers knows you not paying attention to
them.

7. –Forrester Research Report on Customer Data Space
“There are 6,700 marketing technology
products. Multiple technologies in different
departments to accomplish the same task
make any solution a challenge. 19% of B2B
marketing budget is spent on mar-tech. A
well-formed and executed strategy lead by
experts will enable marketers to be far
more successful to offer contextual, relevant
experiences to customers. 56% of potential
customers acknowledge a lack of required
technology is a challenge.”

8. START
to position your solution based on the customers
perspective

9. Begin with a Persona

10. The Only View that Matters is Your Customers
• Personas are dynamic
• Stay focused on customer perspective
• An empathy map is required
• Get to the emotional points that trigger decisions

11. Buyer Persona Customer Persona
End User Persona
• decisions maker
• influencer
• champion
• gatekeeper
• economic or functional buyer
• account owner
• department(s) executive
• procurement manager
• end user
• future champion
• future influencer
Chose your solution
work with your product
Prospects who have a problem
Forrester Research

12. User Persona (dynamic)
• Embody the characteristics and behavior of a group of
users.
• Based on internal, secondary and primary research and
interviews with users.
• Include goals, needs, personality and interests
Personas do not
tell you Why

13. Sample Persona Based on internal and external consumer insights

14. Unique Persona Represent distinctly different needs that will impact how they
approach your brand

15. Add an empathy map

16. Empathy Maps Reveal the Psychology
• It’s an emotional representation of the user’s world
• Marketers translate these feelings into
• Content that would matter
• During the best decision points along the buyer’s
journey

17. Empathy Map Resources
• Personas
• User interviews
• Failed (and successful) sales calls
• Testimonials & comments
• Social media mentions
• Focus groups and survey responses

18. Sample Empathy
Map
• 4 quadrants
• Thinking
• Seeing
• Doing
• Feeling

20. CREATE
primary message to focus on
user persona
+
the empathy map

21. Who are they marketing to?
Does this speak directly to the customer?

22. Who are they marketing to?
All customer data in YOUR hands.
Or Does this?

23. I have multiple technologies, how does this help me?
Is this copy thinking about their role,
responsibility and stress and what you’ll
address.

24. I have multiple technologies, how does this help me?
The One Intelligent Platform You Need.
Or Does this?

25. I know my customers, I just don’t have a full picture of
everything they do?
Does this make you feel that they care about
the customer’s day-to-day problem?

26. I know my customers, I just don’t have a full picture of
everything they do?
Engage Your Best Customers. Everywhere.
Or Does this?

27. What I promised to speak about…
• create a unique value proposition that stands out
• how content marketing and social media can help build
an audience
• increase leads and your prospect list

28. BUILD
a following based on relevant, valuable content.

29. – Figured out by every one within seconds of birth
“Attention is a gift.”

30. Inbound vs Outbound Marketing
• Inbound
• Attracting leads using
customer created
internet content. The
customers come to
the company. Why?
Because they find
content that guides
them. They have
opted in.
• Outbound
• More traditional,
disruptive methods
like. Online Ads,
commercials,
retargeted ads, trade
shows, sales calls,
email spam, flyers,
brochures, catalogs.
They have not opted
in.

31. The Inbound Method: Content, Content, Content.

32. Content marketing is an online dialog that lives on
the internet and social media and leads to sales
and new business opportunities.

33. THINK
“How much do you value content that addresses
the exact question you had?”

34. Content works
• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and
generates 3X as many leads
• B2B companies that blog generate 67% more lead/month
• 37% of companies say blogs are the most valuable type of content
• Average return on an email is $44.25 for every dollar
• 72% of marketers think branded content is more effective than magazine
advertisements
• 69% say its superior to direct mail and PR

35. The Turtle & The Hare:
• Compelling online presence
• Steady stream of relevant
communications
• Building a new audience over time
• Strengthening relationships and
creating loyalty
• Working with sales & early
customers as a source of content

36. Content Marketing Strategy How To:
1. Review the customer journey you prepared
2. Select a place(s) where the customer is unhappy or not reached
3. Brainstorm a creative content marketing campaign
4. Using a fresh Customer Journey Sheet and stickies, assemble the
component of the campaign
1. How will the user persona receive/encounter content?
2. Does the content type you select match the emotional state?
3. What data would you hope to gain?
4. What metrics would you consider successful?

37. SECRET
formulas to ignite start ups.

38. SEO

39. THINK
“How much do you value content that addresses
the exact question you had?”

40. SEO - what can you own
• Review any relevant competitors. This will help us identify the words, phrases and
consumer scenarios that are potential opportunities to introduce your brand and products.
• The keywords and phrases will be implemented on
• Website Brand/Company Posts
• LinkedIn Technology and Brand Posts
• Instagram Technology. Customer and Brand Posts
• Instagram Story Posts
• Twitter Brand, Customer and Technology Posts
• Twitter Posts
• Promoted ads on Google and Appropriate Social Media

41. Lead Generation Programs for Start ups

42. Lead Generation Program Types
• Corporate Blogs/Influencer posts
• White papers/ebooks
• Slideshares
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Email
• Social posts
• UGC: ratings/reviews
• Landing pages
shorter, curated, focused, informative
longer focused, with links to detailed custom content
Slides of ebook, SEO heavy, mini animations, social posts
customer stories and interviews with thought leaders
become increasingly important to be ‘endorsed’ or
counter distractors
hubs that contain multiple links, show progress, ask
for more details
how to, customer or generic case study, founder vision
display ads, cross posted, infographics, announcements
campaign specific or follow up based on needs

43. break each section
into 400 word blog
posts & post on
LinkedIn, Medium,
Industry Pieces,
Corporate Site
Post ebook on
LinkedIn, Medium,
Influencer Blogs
Make slides and
post on Slideshare
Social Posts on ALL
platforms with photo
Social Posts on ALL
platforms with
quotes
Promoted Social
Posts of Each Quote
& Figures
Animated
Powerpoint (with
voice over) of
Graphics Posted on
YouTube
Webinar of ebook
with founders.
Posted to
prospect lists,
LinkedIn

44. Repurpose Content
• Corporate Blogs/Influencer posts
• White papers/ebooks
• Slideshares
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Email
• Social posts
• UGC: ratings/reviews
• Landing pages
social posts: quote, graphic, collect several into a bundle/s
short blog posts, infographics, quotes, stats,
slideshare
Slides of ebook, mini animations and audio, social ads
transcribed and made into blog, video tutorials
social posts, collection of customer testimonial paper
SEO super power
videos on youtube, how to tutorial, thought leadership
quotes posted on twitter
display ads, cross posted, infographics, announcements
social posts, blogs, twitter,

45. Everything CAN drive to landing pages with form
fields that capture information.

46. PATIENCE
Give 6-8 small content pieces away before
scheduling an appointment.

47. If someone is very interested, it is okay to skip the
content and just call them.

48. Thank you. RedSwan5.com