Content Strategy for Lead Generation

@crestodina
Andy Crestodina
CONTENT STRATEGY for
LEAD GENERATION
Orbit Academy

@crestodina
“A plan to reach a specific goal”

@crestodina
“A plan to use content reach a specific business goal”

@crestodina
source: Brain Traffic

@crestodina
CONTENT
Blogs / Articles
Social media content
Press releases
Whitepapers
Videos and podcasts
Training materials
Policies
Procedures
Project / Client Docs
Proposals / Contracts

@crestodina
CONTENT
Blogs / Articles
Social media content
Press releases
Whitepapers
Videos and podcasts
Training materials
Policies
Procedures
Project / Client Docs
Proposals / Contracts
Marketing Content Internal Content

@crestodina
Put your content on a mission
Audience & Topics

International travelers get
travel tips and news
to make travel easier

Help engineers answer the
most challenging industrial
soldering questions

The best source of info on optical LANs.
We show IT buyers how to address tech and
business challenges, identify trends, reduce
expenses and improve user experiences

Where digital marketers find practical advice
on content, analytics and web design
to get better results from their websites.

Our content is where
[audience x] gets
[information y] that offers
[benefit z].

@crestodina
Source: Content Marketing Institute

@crestodina
Source: Content Marketing Institute
“Do you have an editorial mission statement?”

@crestodina
Marketers who document
their mission statement are
3x more likely succeed

Where office managers find
fun tips for the workplace and benefits
to build happier, more productive teams.

@crestodina
1. Keyword research
2. Q&A websites
3. Listening to your audience
Sources of topics

@crestodina
source: keywordtool.io

@crestodina
1. Sales team
2. Customer service team
3. Customer stories
Listening

@crestodina
Your outbox is filled with content

@crestodina
Topics and focal distance

@crestodina
Topics and focal distance
Is Beer At
Work a
Dumb Idea?
Awesome
Office Kitchens
Top 10
Office Perks

@crestodina
The Power of Research

Amazing
Contributor
Weak
Contributor
Perceived Content PerformanceActual Content Performance

@crestodina
Most content gets
no links and few shares
source: Moz, BuzzSumo

...if you want to create content that achieves a high level of both
shares and links then you should concentrate on
opinion forming, authoritative content...
or well researched and evidenced content.

...if you want to create content that achieves a high level of both
shares and links then you should concentrate on
strong opinions
original research

4,066 websites link to CMI’s research

Three ways to produce research
1. Observation: Pick a data set. Gather data.

2. Aggregation: Combine data from existing sources

2. Aggregation: Combine data from existing sources
3. Survey: Mass outreach and analysis

@crestodina
source: 2017 Blogger Survey, Orbit Media

“What do people in our industry
often say but rarely support?”

Don’t take shortcuts;
they take too long.
Sonia Simone
CCO, Copyblogger Media

@crestodina
Formats
There’s more to live than text

@crestodina
FORMATS
articles, guides, ebooks
infographics, diagrams, memes
How to, explainers, animations
interviews, roundups
Text
Images
Video
Collaborative

Movement is more powerful than images.
Images are more powerful than text.

Source: Periodic Table of Content

“Let’s turn our top ___________
into _____________”

into _____________”
blog post
a video

into _____________”
blog post
an infographic

into _____________”
three articles
a guide

into _____________”
FB post
a newsletter

@crestodina
Are people looking for this information? ...yes!
source: keywordtool.io

Search optimized article
Infographic with diagrams

Statistics for landing pages

Statistics for landing pages
Interview with experts

@crestodina
Works in Search Works in Social
Answers questions Triggers emotion
Headlines with explicit benefits Headlines with curiosity gap
Long and detailed Compelling visuals
Contributor quotes
from experts
Contributor quotes
from social influencers

@crestodina
Influencers & Collaboration
Outreach, collaboration and earned media

@crestodina
source: 2017 Blogger Survey

@crestodina
Content should be
designed to attract visitors

@crestodina
Optimized for search…

@crestodina
Optimized for social…

@crestodina
1. Quote and mention in an article
2. Ask for a contributor quote
3. Include them in an expert roundup
4. Invite them to guest post
5. Deep dive interview
5 Ways to Collaborate

@crestodina
An ally in creation is an ally in promotion

@crestodina
If you’re not making friends,
you’re doing it wrong.

@crestodina
There are two kinds of people on the internet
Creators
Consumers

@crestodina
Guest Blogging & PR

I wrote an article for you.
Here it is.
Aaron Orendorff
Expert Guest Blogger

@crestodina
Let’s Do This!
Putting it all together to drive leads

@crestodina
What... topics
How... formats
Who... collaborators
Where... host blogs

They want info.
We want leads.

Your website is the mousetrap.
Your content is the cheese.
Barry Feldman
Feldman Creative

@crestodina
The Service Page
Office Coffee Delivery
Keyword-focused: “Office coffee delivery service”
Conversion optimized: answers, testimonials, CTAs

@crestodina
The Anchor Piece
Office Perk Ideas from the Top 50
Workplaces
Original Research
Keyword-focused: “office perks ideas”
Charts and Graphs
Quotes from contributors, influencers

@crestodina
The Content Upgrade
Complete Guide to Top Office Perks
Designed: eBook PDF with charts
Gated: enter email address to download

@crestodina
How-to Article
How to retain your employees
Keyword-focused
Uses charts from anchor piece
Quote from influencer
Links to anchor piece

@crestodina
“Evil Twin” Guest Post
How to lose a top employee in 30 days
Published on high DA website
Links to how-to and anchor piece

5 Perks That Get Your
Team To Come In Early
The 5 Simple Mistakes
of Rookie Office
Managers

@crestodina
Infographic
Top Perks at Top Offices
Designed with charts, stats
Includes a short article

@crestodina
Guest Post / Infographic
Top Perks at Top Offices
Published on high DA website
Includes a new short article

@crestodina
Influencer Interview
What employees really want
Content creator:
• Large following
• Writes for high DA website
In-depth conversation

@crestodina
Contribution / Interview
New Research! What’s on Tap
at Top Workplaces
High DA website
Guest post, email interview or
podcast interview

@crestodina
Blog Post One
5 Workplace Secrets: Inside
Top Offices
Provocative headline

@crestodina
Blog Post Two
Coffee, Tea, Beer? What
they’re drinking at top offices
Links to service page

@crestodina
Blog Post Three
The Dirt on Dishes: What’s
wrong with office kitchens
Links to service page

@crestodina
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Original Research
(search optimized)
Ultimate Guide
(search optimized)
Detailed How-To
(search optimized)
Original Research
Full report Checklist Resource Guide Full Report
Video Infographic Infographic Animation
Influencer
Interview
Round Up Panel-style article
with three
influencers
Influencer
Interview
Article for Media
Site
Guest post on
industry blog
Short series for
local association
Contribute to
media column
3-5 articles 3-5 articles 3-5 articles 3-5 articles
Anchor Piece
Content Upgrade
Media
Collaboration
PR / Guest Post
Blog Posts

@crestodina
1. Know their audience
2. Understand topics, keywords and SEO
3. Use many formats
4. Collaborate with influencers
5. Publish in many places
Persistence and Structure!
Great Content Strategists…

@crestodina
source: NN Group
Website Usability Study 2004 vs 2016

@crestodina
source: NN Group
Website Success Rates 2004 vs 2016

@crestodina
source: NN Group
Causes of User Failure

To convert someone, go and
take them by the hand and guide them.
Thomas Aquinas
Saint

@crestodina
“I need some marketing technology...”
Does this system connect with my database?
...integrates with the top 50 platforms
“Thanks for the help connecting to my system!”
Logos of tools
Chat with an expert about integration >>

@crestodina
Senior housing
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, we are pet friendly
“My puppy Buster loves his new friends!”
Discuss pet relocation with an associate >

@crestodina
Non-medical home care
Can you help mom with her meals?
Yes, our caregivers prepare healthy meals
“Janice cooked the salmon perfectly!”
Ask how we plan and prepare healthy meals >

There are all kinds of answers

Justin Rondeau
DigitalMarketer.com
Optimization is about meeting user expectations.
Page elements anticipate the visitor’s questions or objections
and page design prioritizes these answers.

“Questions Every Page Must Answer”
1. Who is the company?
2. What do I get?
3. Is this immediately valuable to me?
4. Is my information safe?
5. When do I get it?
6. Is this offer reliable? (Offer trust)
7. Is this company reliable? (Brand Trust)

What questions does my audience
ask before purchasing?

What classes can I take? What degrees do you offer? Are you accredited? How long does
it take? Financial aid: Can I afford it? Are there scholarships? Can I go part time? What
can I do with this degree? Is it worth it? Are the alumni happy? Who goes to to this
school? What are the demographics? Is there wheelchair access? Is there Spanish
language support? What about demographics, diversity, LGBT? How is parking? Is it
accessible by public transit? Can I use transfer credits when I apply? Life after
graduation? What are the housing options? Where would I live? Is childcare available?
Access to faculty? Retention rates and graduation? What kind of student support is
available? What about the library? What makes this company unique? When do
programs start? What is the neighborhood like? Do I need to take the GRE test? What is
life like for students? What have the professors done? What research? Publications?
What projects can I work on? Are they paid? Is there work-study available? Is this a for
profit school? Is it part of a bigger organization? What are classes like? Is there field
study or internships? available? How long has this school been around? Can I talk to a
professor before I apply? What is the process for applications? What if I’ve never worked
in this field before? Is there a difference between the online and on-site programs?

What are the three questions people always ask
before hiring us or buying?

Questions to ask your audience. Answers to publish.
1. What was happening that sent you looking for a solution?
2. What else did you try and what didn't you love about it?
3. What almost kept you from buying from us?
4. What made you confident enough to give us a try?
5. What made X the best solution for you?
6. When evaluating X, what was most important to you?
7. What can you do now (or do better) that you couldn’t do before?
8. Give me an example of when X made a difference for you?
Source: Joel Klettke, Call to Action Conference

They ask. You answer.
Marcus Sheridan
The Sales Lion

Message, messengers and formats

Facts are called ‘cold and hard’ for a reason.
They don’t have the ability to warm hearts,
which is the key to changing minds.
Rob Biesenbach
Author, Actor, Speaker

Big Evidence: Data and Statistics

Little Evidence: Testimonials and Stories

7 Things to Add To Your Testimonials

What is the right amount of evidence?

Percent proof on a sample Amazon page
After removing the header, footer and ads...
7260 pixels of page

7260 pixels of page
3130 pixels of proof

7260 pixels of page
43% of the page is proof

6858 pixels of page
Percent proof on a Oli’s speaking page

6858 pixels of page

6858 pixels of page
51% of the page is proof

What else did those two pages have
in common?

No shorties
20x longer
+30% conversion rate

Give them everything
...one thing at a time

Remove Distractions!
...plus, tips for maximizing email signups

source: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Every Blog Design
Too many
options...

Attention Ratio
...the ratio of the number of things you CAN do
to the number of things you SHOULD be doing

1.Prominence
2.Promise
3.Proof
Why it worked...
source: Email Signup Forms, Orbit Media

Calls to action and specificity

What’s missing from your website?
...unsatisfying

...unsatisfying
...weak

...unsatisfying
...weak
...not compelling

Out of context answers
FAQ Page

Out of context evidence
Testimonials Page

@crestodina
The Cheese and the Mousetrap
A Page-by-Page Breakdown

@crestodina
Design Your Own Skillset!
Be valuable to your clients, your brand and yourself

@crestodina
COMPENSATION CHANGES: June 2016 – Nov 2017

@crestodina
The Birth of a Lead

@crestodina
Leads ...everyday!

@crestodina
More to think about...
• Personas
• Paid
• Marketing automation
• Workflow
• Measure, audit and optimize

@crestodina
How to do all this stuff...
• Content Strategy Explained in 180 Seconds!
• How to Create Your Content Marketing Mission
• A Guide For Repurposing: The Periodic Table of Content
• Content Marketing Collaboration: 5 Ways to Upgrate Your Content

@crestodina
Andy Crestodina
THANK YOU!

Content Strategy for Lead Generation

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