Content Marketing
Building the Bridge to
Success

Presenters:
Jon O’Brien
Executive Director
Keystone Contractors
Association
Patty Swisher
Sr. Manager MarComm
UPMC Enterprises

Content marketing is
at the top of the 2017
CMO agenda, with PQ
Media forecasting it to
be a $300-plus
billion industry by
2019.
http://www.cmo.com/interviews/articles/2017/2/22/a-conversation-with-joe-pulizzi-putting-content-marketing-success-in-context.html#gs.5NwK3SU

“ All this content that
we’re putting out there,
doesn’t make any
difference unless it
moves, unless people
connect with it, unless
people read it and share
it, engage with it and
comment on it…”
Mark Schaefer, author, speaker

B2B Content Marketing Trends 2017
1. Increased adoption of content marketing.
2. An increase in content marketing maturity.
3. Content creation and strategy developments.
4. Increased importance of documented content
marketing strategies.
5. Emphasis on lead generation and web traffic.
6. Evolution of content creation tools.
https://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/22199.aspx

What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on
creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and
consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience
— and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/

Content Marketing is built…
http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/11-Put_Your_CustomersNeeds_FirstMake_them
Content
Marketing

Your firm’s brand strength is a
combination of your firm’s reputation
multiplied by your visibility in the
marketplace.
Content Marketing helps you
increase both.
-- Hinge Marketing

1. Setting Objectives
2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs
3. Execution & Amplification Plan
4. Measurement & Metrics
4 Steps to Building a
Content Strategy

Setting
Content Strategy
Objectives1

What is your Content Marketing
Mission?
• Become a destination for [target
audience] interested in [topics]. To help
them [customer value]
• This will help us [content marketing goals]
http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/20-
Content_marketing_mission_statementBecome_a

Content Marketing Mission
Example:
• Become a destination for [higher
education facilities managers] interested
in [delivering successful lab projects]. To
help them [accomplish their goals]
• This will help us [to become known as the
“go to” firm for education research lab
projects.]
http://www.slideshare.net/NewsCred/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy-43549981/20-
Content_marketing_mission_statementBecome_a

Objectives
Why are you
doing
this at all?

What are your Content
Marketing Goals?

A few examples:
SPECIFIC
Not Specific: “I will use social media to increase brand
awareness.”
Specific: “I will create a campaign of hashtag contests on
Twitter to increase brand awareness.”
MEASURABLE
Not measurable: “I will increase my reach and engagement
on social media.”
Measurable: “I aim to increase my reach by 100 followers a
week and answer all queries over Twitter within 24 hours.”
ATTAINABLE
Not Attainable: “Double the number of my followers every
day on every social network forever.”
Attainable: “Grow my Facebook audience by 25 followers a
week, and my Twitter followers by 35 a week for the next
quarter.”

1. Setting Objectives
2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs
3. Execution & Amplification Plan
4. Measurement & Metrics
4 Steps to Building a
Content Strategy

Defining Clients’
and Audience
Needs2

How do You Build a
Client Persona?
A Client Persona is fictional, generalized
character that encompasses the various
needs, goals, and observed behavior patters
among real and potential customers.

Build your Client Personas with
• Demographics – M/F, Single/Married, age, religion
• Psychographics – attitudes, aspirations, habits,
hobbies, values
• Market – Healthcare, Banking, Manufacturing
• Geography – local, regional, national, international

Client
Persona
Development
Worksheet

Bridge: What does Client Persona/
Audience Development
Determine?
• What kind of content to create
• What tone, style, and delivery strategies
you need to develop
• What topics and targets should you focus
on to help continually grow your business
• How your Content Strategy will evolve

So, what might your Client
Persona Look Like?
Repeat Client
Challenges are easily identifiable
Know how they like to communicate
Can help them communicate internally
Potential Client
Need to better understand mission & brand
May have in-town and out-of-town decision makers
Multiple Entities Involved
Baby Boomers, GenX, and Millennials may make up
decision makers/influencers
Owner does not know your brand; ongoing relationship
with architect; focusing on proposed team members

Define
Audience Needs

Bridge: What do your Audiences
Need [Want] to Know?
• All Content should seek to Educate, Inform, or
Entertain
• Quality content provides value
• Consider where your audience will consume
this content (Mobile? Desktop?)
• Detailed Case Studies for Projects “like mine”
• Pain points and FAQs

Awareness
Consideration
Preference
Purchase
Repeat
Quality Content around broader, shareable topics
that drive visibility and engagement. Blog Articles,
Infographics, Videos.
Content that is useful and timely. Niche topics,
market specific to your offering and solution. More
detailed features/benefits; assessment tools,
process documents.
Combination of content to a more defined audience
specific to audience needs. White papers, detailed
project sheets, testimonials, Calls to Action.
Custom Content that answers buyer key concerns.
FAQs, Research Studies, Ebooks, Webinars,
Exclusive Events/Workshops.
Custom Content that reinforces buying decision.
Customer-Only Events/Workshops, Loyalty
Programs, Exclusive Client-Only Content (email),
Case Studies.
Bridging Content to the
Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs:
Awareness
Recognition of a Need
• Appeal to broad
audience
• What types of
messages?
• Provide information –
Guides, Blogging,
Articles, Infographics,
Videos, Social Media
• Project Features
Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs:
Consideration What are the alternatives?
• Target audience; might
buy in next 12 months
• Info to make better decision
• Prospect becomes a LEAD
• What are your
messages?
• Project Features/Benefits
• White papers; project info.
sheets, ebooks, research
studies, reports
Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs
Preference: Narrowing the field
• More defined audience;
purchase likely.
• What are your messages?
• White Papers; detailed
project sheets, project tours,
free trials
• Advantages
• How your product/service
differs from competitors
• Testimonials of other
satisfied clients
Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs
Preference:
What do they need to know
to select between TWO
good options?
• Does your process/service
satisfy the direct need?
• Does your process/service
make an emotional AND
logical connection with the
client?
• Limited time/special offers
• Testimonials that reinforce
buying decision
Stages in the Buying Cycle

Clients’ Needs
Purchase:
Stages in the Buying Cycle
Have you compelled the
client to make a purchase?
• Is it easy for them to do?
• User guides, FAQs of new
clients, Blog posts aimed at
new clients, client
loyalty/reward programs,
Events/ workshops for new
clients only, ongoing email
campaign to create loyal
clients

1. Setting Objectives
2. Defining Clients & Audience Needs
3. Execution & Amplification Plan
4. Measurement & Metrics
4 Steps to Building a
Content Strategy

Execution &
Amplification
3

Execution:
Three General Types of Content:
Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people
to click through to your website, blog or
landing page and share.

Execution:
Three General Types of Content:
Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people
to click through to your website, blog or
landing page and share.
Photos, Images
GIFs
Infographics
Headlines

Execution:
Three General Types of Content:
Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people
to click through to your website, blog or
landing page and share.
Engagement Content – The strategic use of
educational, informative, entertaining and
inspiring content that builds credibility, trust
and linking

Execution:
Three General Types of Content:
Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people
to click through to your website, blog or
landing page and share.
Engagement Content – The strategic use of
educational, informative, entertaining and
inspiring content that builds credibility, trust
and linking
Long Form Blogs Short Videos
Live Streaming Videos PodCasts
Crowd-sourced/User Generated Content

Execution:
Three General Types of Content:
Traffic Generation Content – Tempt people
to click through to your website, blog or
landing page and share.
Engagement Content – The strategic use of
educational, informative, entertaining and
inspiring content that builds credibility, trust
and linking
Conversion Content– Capturing those all
important leads and producing sales is the
real end game for traffic and engagement.
Landing Pages
Webinars
Ebooks
Interactive Content (Quizzes & Surveys)

Execution:
Build a Content Calendar

Execution: Calendar –
Excel Spreadsheet/Google Docs

What might my content include?

Amplification

How will We
Share Our
Content?

What forms of Content Build the
Bridge to Success?
• Website Homepage/Blog/News
• Email Blasts
• E-Newsletters
• (Organic) Social Media Posts
• Employees’ Social
• Customers’ Social
• Paid Social
• PR/Earned Media
• Webinars
• Guest Posts
• Paid Media
• Programmatic
Marketing (Retargeting)
• Digital Advertising
• On-Page/Off-Page SEO
• Display Ads
• Offline Ads (Print)

Build the Bridge to Success
Across all Social Media

Blog Post
& Tweets

Pre-Event Promotional Tweets

Blog & Press

Across Platforms

Across Platforms

1. Setting Objectives
2. Defining Clients’ & Audience Needs
3. Execution & Amplification Plan
4. Measurement & Metrics
4 Steps to Building a
Content Strategy

Measurement
& Metrics
4

Consumption
Metrics
Sharing
Metrics
Lead
Generation
Metrics
Sales
Metrics
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/
Four
Types of
Content
Metrics

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/
Build: Consumption Metrics
How many people viewed, downloaded or listened to this content?
Help you measure Brand Awareness and Website
Traffic
• Page/Video Views
• Downloads
• Social Chatter

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/
Build: Sharing Metrics
How often is this content shared?
Help you measure Brand Awareness
and Engagement
• Likes, Shares, +1s, Pins
• Forwards

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/
Build: Lead Gen Metrics
How often does content consumption result in a lead?
Help you measure Lead Generation, Lead
Nurturing, and Engagement
• Form Completion and Downloads
• Email Subscriptions
• Blog Subscriptions
• Blog Comments

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/a-field-guide-to-the-4-types-of-content-marketing-metrics/
Build: Sales Metrics
Did we actually make any money because of this content?
How you measure customer acquisition and
sales goals
• Online Sales
• Offline Sales
• Google Analytics

Summary

4 Steps to a Content Strategy
1. Setting Objectives
2. Defining Buyers & Audience Needs
3. Execution & Amplification Plan
4. Measurement & Metrics

Questions?

Thank you.
Patty Swisher
pmswish@gmail.com
Twitter @pmswish
Jon O’Brien
jonob.pa@gmail.com
Twitter @KCA_Builds