The document discusses content strategy and competitive advantage. It argues that content strategy is about gaining an advantage, not just tactics or a plan. To gain an advantage, companies should audit their valuable, rare, inimitable, and organized (VRIO) resources and translate these into content differentiators. Examples of content strategies discussed include partnerships, appealing to multiple senses, risk tolerance testing, and measuring non-blog competitor content. The future of content is predicted to involve more real-time newsjacking and public service ads.

1. TheCONTENT
COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
Credit
Winning Content Wars With Business Strategy Principles
@scottcowley

2. Scott Cowley
•Marketing strategy instructor
•PhD student
•Digital marketing researcher
•SEO consultant
scottcowley.com
@scottcowley
contact: scottcowley@asu.edu

3. Credit

5. Facebook
Google+
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest
YouTube

6. ZERO COMPETITION
INFINITE TIME
UNLIMITED CUSTOMERS

8. THE MODERN ARMS WAR

9. Credit

10. Content strategy
comes down to one word:
ADVANTAGE

11. “That’s not fair!”
- The competition

12. CONTENT STRATEGY
IS NOT…
A plan
A blog
A collection of tactics
A content calendar

13. Source

14. “Good content strategy combines
competitive advantage principles with
content psychology.”
- Chinese Proverb*
*Not really a Chinese Proverb

15. What Makes Content Marketing Work?
Content
Exposure
Content
Liking
Brand
Liking
Purchase
Intention
Source
Advertising Content
Non-Advertising Content

16. ZAGG Blog Traffic vs. Revenue
Source

19. VRIO

20. Valuable
• Brain Dump
VALUABLE
1.Proprietary Technology / Data
2.Financial Resources
3.Physical Resources
4.Human Resources
5.Organizational Resources
6.Managerial Knowledge
7.Learning Curve Cost Advantages (1st Learner
Advantage”)

21. Rare
RARE
Most companies have resources that are valuable,
but common. Where do you differ?
(A “RESOURCE BRAIN DUMP” AUDIT SHOULD TAKE DAYS)

22. Audit Example for Human Resources
What are you passionate about?
What are you particularly good at?
What extracurricular activities are you involved with?
What have others hired you for or asked you to speak about?
Do you have special access to something cool or unusual?
Who do you know that our customers would care about?
Who do you know with unusual talent?

23. INIMITABLE
Few companies can compete purely on a text-based content
strategy because of one word: inimitability.

24. Organized
ORGANIZED
Features
Complexity
Timing
Location
Customization
Reputation
Product differentiators
you can translate into
content differentiators

25. 1.Bootstraps
2.Kickstarter
3.Digital
Content Tools
ERIC WHITACRE’S VIRTUAL CHOIR

26. E-commerce + Photography w/ Barrier to Entry

27. Samsung borrows
tweets from the iPhone
5 line

28. Source
Build Authoritative Content

29. Work For Good Content Partnerships
Source

30. Vividness: How Many Senses Does Your Content
Appeal To?
Source

31. The Stupid Law of High Numbers
Source
“Longer” Content = More shares, more comments, more links

32. "If you just graded [SAT essays] based on length
without ever reading them, you'd be right over 90
percent of the time." Dr. Les Perlman, MIT
Source

33. SourceCredit

34. Content By Risk
Link

35. Risk Tolerance
$1000 - RED camera rental
$2500 - 5X iPad 2’s
Removed Due To Shareholder Complaints

36. Seeding Science
Source
Hubs & Bridges > Friends & Random
Incentives > Network Effects
Your e-mail list is a good place to start

37. Create a Content Test Funnel
News, company activity, ideas
Blog posts & tweets
Facebook & Google+
Promoted post,
Email, Video
Static

38. How Does Content Rank?
URL
H1 Tag
Body Content
Page Title
Meta
Description*

39. Keyword Research w/ Google Suggest
One blog post showing ZERO search volume in Google’s Keyword Tool
Soovle.com extends G Suggest
Google Keyword Tool

40. Competitive Social Analysis
Link
Worth tracking: follower counts, brand mentions, post frequency, reach, growth rate
Tools to help: SocialMention.com, Tweetreach.com, SimplyMeasured.com

41. RSS Social Analyzer
Source
Measure & Track “Share of Shares”
70% of HubSpot’s leads come from old blog posts

42. Measuring Non-Blog
Competitor Content
Source

43. Does client have analytics installed?
What are competitors using that I am not?
Does my competitor have any hosting or architecture advantages?
Do I need everything my website has in the code?
Does client have Webmaster Tools tracking correctly?

44. THE FUTURE OF CONTENT

45. Training agencies in
BuzzFeed-style
storytelling

46. Public Service Ads as Content

47. More Planned Real-time Newsjacking

48. • Pick your content battles
• Focus on your resources and advantages
• Infuse content with an understanding of human
nature
• Take calculated risks
• Reinvest some winnings

50. Thank You!
scottcowley.com
@scottcowley
contact: scottcowley@asu.edu
Have some interesting content data?
I want to talk to you!.