#ContentWritingChat Recap: Creating a Content Marketing Strategy 101 with Doug Kessler
It’s no secret that every brand needs to have an effective content marketing strategy if they want to see results within their business. However, many brands feel unsure of how to get started when creating a strategy of their own. This week’s #ContentWritingChat was all about the basics of creating a content marketing strategy, so there’s no more excuses. You can get started on yours today!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Creating a Content Marketing Strategy 101 with Doug Kessler
Join us for #ContentWritingChat on Tuesday, March 7th at 10 AM CST with @dougkessler! pic.twitter.com/PdfmUbT1ec
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) February 28, 2017
For this Tuesday’s #ContentWritingChat, our guest host was Doug Kessler. Doug is the is Co-Founder and Creative Director of Velocity. He shared some great insights with our audience about content marketing, so you’ll want to read through these tips and start implementing them.
Q1: Discuss the importance of content marketing for brands in 2017.
So, how important is it for a brand to develop their own content marketing strategy? And what kind of results will it provide once they have? Check out these tips from Tuesday’s chat:
A1 Content marketing has gone from niche tactic to mainstream strategy. #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Doug said that content marketing has turned into a mainstream strategy.
A1 Content marketing is the lifeblood, breath, heartbeat of great brand marketing. Check out these #stats. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/4Df0vU1fwN
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 7, 2017
Julia knows just how important your content marketing strategy is when it comes to marketing. The stats she shared are pretty impressive!
A1: Content marketing isn’t optional anymore. It’s expected. You’ll build an interested audience + thought leadership #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/G4lPT2jA54
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) March 7, 2017
As Annaliese said, content marketing has become expected of brands. She feels it helps you to build an interested audience and can establish you as a thought leader in your industry.
@ExpWriters A1: Content marketing is crucial to build relationships with customers which will lead to more brand loyalty #ContentWritingChat
— LAVIDGE (@lavidgeco) March 7, 2017
Content marketing can help you build relationships with your customers, which can ultimately lead to more brand loyalty. You’ll see these kinds of results when you do your content marketing strategy the right way.
A1: Content marketing is now quintessential. It establishes trust and value for your clients above most other things #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/bvPkP8WLfQ
— Digital Natives Cast (@DgtlNativesCast) March 7, 2017
The Digital Natives team said it’s key for establishing trust and adding value for your clients.
Q2: What’s the first major step(s) of a solid content marketing strategy for any business/industry?
When creating a content marketing strategy for your brand, there are a few steps you’ll have to take in the early phases. Here’s what you need to know in order to get started:
A2 1st step: know your audience. Inside out. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/YbGww9u2in
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Doug said that the first step to creating a content marketing strategy is getting to know your audience. If you don’t know who your audience is, you can’t create the right kind of content to attract them.
A2: Research. Understanding who you are, who you audience is, and how that works together = Success. #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/rQfZUXgDHK
— Digital Natives Cast (@DgtlNativesCast) March 7, 2017
To get to know your audience, you’ll need to do some research. It may be time-consuming, but it’s a must before you can get started with anything.
A2: Knowing your goals and knowing your AUDIENCE. THEN you can plan on how to get them to connect. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/hmUx0XsQ0U
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) March 7, 2017
Know your goals and who your audience is. Once you’ve figured out those two things, you can start planning how you’ll connect with them and what kind of content you’ll create.
A2: Have a SMART goal that will help guide your strategy development. Without a goal, you can’t have a path. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/9ZJZAne4nZ
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) March 7, 2017
Annaliese agrees that it’s important to set goals before you begin creating your strategy.
A2) Customer journey mapping. What plan does each piece of your content serve for your audience AND your brand? #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/L7Dcb0xTZ0
— Jason Schemmel (@JasonSchemmel) March 7, 2017
Take the time to map out the journey you expect a customer to take. This is very beneficial to your success!
A2 Start by listing your business objectives and your audience’s needs/desires. Where they overlap is key. #contentwritingchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) March 7, 2017
Bill’s advice is to list out your business objectives and the needs of your audience. This will help you start planning.
A2 Understand why your audience is coming to you as a brand, find ways they like to read/access content and deliver!! #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/MnkGEPtg8f
— Tony Stephan (@OmnipoTony) March 7, 2017
Tony recommends finding ways your audience likes to read and access content. Once you’ve figured that out, you can create exactly the type of content they’re looking for.
Q3: Content marketing vs. traditional marketing (i.e., TV spot): Your thoughts? Is one higher ROI?
Today’s brands still invest in traditional marketing as part of their content marketing strategy. There’s no shortage of ads on television. But is it really the most effective tactic or is content marketing the way to go? Here’s what our chat participants had to say:
A3 CM = higher ROI. I explored #contentmarketing vs. a #superbowl ad a few weeks ago: https://t.co/nb3JBZeUGZ #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/90fNzMzfmP
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 7, 2017
Julia shared a link to her post that showed just how effective content marketing can be when compared to a Super Bowl ad.
A3: All depends on who your audience is. Find your customer base, get the word out wherever their eyes are. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/ajLDgJywlo
— Kevin Breindel (@KevinBreindel) March 7, 2017
Kevin’s advice is to figure out who your audience is and where they’re spending their time. Once you know that, you’ll be able to create content and put it directly in front of them on the platforms they’re using.
A3 In today’s market, consumers want relationships with brands. Broadcasting is over. Sales are made in conversations. #contentwritingchat
— Keira Dazi (@KeiraDazi) March 7, 2017
Keira brought up a great point about how consumers now crave relationships with brands. Those relationships are what help to build trust, which ultimately turns a follower into a customer. Conversations are key to building relationships with your target audience.
A3: We have the ability to track the success of content marketing much easier than traditional marketing. #ContentWritingChat
— Roslyn Wertheimer ? (@RE_Wertheimer) March 7, 2017
As Roslyn said, it’s also easier to track the success of content marketing than traditional marketing. This will help you to really see the results you’re getting from your investment.
Q4: Discuss a few favorite channels/content types that work for you (live streaming, guest blogging, etc.).
The channels and content types that work best for one brand won’t necessarily be what works best for another. It’s important to experiment so you can see what works for you, then make it part of your content marketing strategy. Here’s what seems to be working well for our chat participants:
A4 Fave content types? I’m a big fan of Slideshare. And B2B still loves a chunky eBook. #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
A4 Video is still hugely important – even more so with live video. #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Doug is a big fan of SlideShade, which we’ve also used here at Express Writers. If you haven’t tried it for yourself, give it a shot and see how your audience responds.
He also mentioned video, which is still very powerful today. Whether you’re uploading videos to YouTube or doing live videos on a platform like Facebook Live, it’s great for your brand.
A4 Fave content marketing avenues: 1) writing authority content on guest blog sites + our own 2) #ContentWritingChat 3) authoring a book ?
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 7, 2017
As Julia said, she sees results from writing guest blogs for other sites and here on Express Writers. This Twitter chat and her book have also worked out well.
A4: *Consistently* blogging on our own site and guest blogging are great for our industry. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) March 7, 2017
When blogging on your own site, make sure you do so consistently if you want to see results.
A4: I really enjoy guest blogging but more for the exposure. I also think social media engagement is hugely effective. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/o9CTuBcwnQ
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) March 7, 2017
Annaliese has seen great results with guest blogging. It’s a fantastic way to increase your exposure since you’re able to get in front of a whole new audience. Social media engagement is also great!
A4: Blogging + amplification on Twitter has been big for us. New clients, juicy backlinks, and even some street cred 🙂#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/Gk09EawKoX
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) March 7, 2017
For Sarah and the ThinkSEM team, they get the best results from blogging and sharing on Twitter.
A4: Despite its difficulties, @Twitter still brings a lot of engagement – and so do #infographics ?#ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/b01IKLnRRB
— @AndreaTorti90 (@andreatorti90) March 7, 2017
Andrea is also a fan of Twitter, as are we here at Express Writers. Infographics are a great one as well!
A4: Blogging and promotion on Pinterest are key for me. Pinterest is my largest traffic referral. #ContentWritingChat
— Rachel (@redheadrachel) March 7, 2017
If your audience is on Pinterest, it’s worthwhile to pin your content there to increase traffic back to your website.
A4 I like #CHATS. I think they work better than people realize. Also, video & story features on IG & Snap are great too. #contentwritingchat
— Michelle (@michelletweet) March 7, 2017
Michelle loves joining Twitter chats. They’re actually a great way to connect with new people and to share your expertise. She also enjoys using the story features on both Instagram and Snapchat.
A4: For @Brandfolder, when we hit on the right customer pain point, our audience takes notice, especially through email. #contentwritingchat
— Meg Prater (@Meg_Prater) March 7, 2017
Meg mentioned email has been very effective for the team at Brandfolder.
A4. Though I have not seen an immediate return on investment yet due to podcast, I know that I am building authority #contentwritingchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) March 7, 2017
Cheval knows that podcasting is great for building his authority within his industry. Even if you don’t see a return on your investment right away, it can happen over time.
A4: It’d probably be weird if we didn’t say podcasting, wouldn’t it? #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/mgIbOGKG4n
— Digital Natives Cast (@DgtlNativesCast) March 7, 2017
Another point for podcasting!
A4 #Contentmarketing success requires all three, regardless of channel, type, format, etc. #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/fpu85dKCul
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) March 7, 2017
This is great advice from Bill!
Q5: Share some ways to stand out in a sea of content. How do you find and showcase your brand voice?
With so much noise online these days, it can be hard to stand out. How do you do it? Check out these tips:
A5 I like sneaking voice into weird places. Microcopy. T&Cs. Error messages… @SlackHQ is great at this! @MailChimp too #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
A5 Insane Honesty is another killer tactic for leaping out of the content ocean. Tell the whole truth! #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Infuse everything you create with your brand’s voice. Doug said Slack and MailChimp do a great job with this. Honesty is also important!
A5 Authenticity, transparency. Solid production but not too polished. Active engagement, clear #CTA & follow up posting #contentwritingchat
— Michelle (@michelletweet) March 7, 2017
Great answer from Michelle, especially her point about authenticity and transparency.
@ExpWriters A5: Don’t be afraid to take risks. Try something new, if it fails, learn from it #ContentWritingChat
— LAVIDGE (@lavidgeco) March 7, 2017
Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things. If something doesn’t work out for you, don’t get discouraged. Learn from it and move on.
A5: Write, revise and test your messages. Be creatively concise. Be helpful. Serve others. #contentwritingchat @ExpWriters
— Jeremy Murphy (@jeremypmurphy) March 7, 2017
Jeremy said it’s important to test the content you create. This allows you to see what’s working and what’s not. Make sure you’re also being helpful and serving others.
A5 SEO. It defines/measures outstanding content, and it delivers it to your audience on their terms, when they want it. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/5jMOTkz8e6
— Lex (@estherproject) March 7, 2017
Make sure you’re also expanding your reach by utilizing SEO.
A5 engaging and talking to your audiences helps tremendously – showing them you are human and there to offer solutions #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Vera (@amnda_vera) March 7, 2017
Don’t forget to engage with your audience regularly. It shows them that you’re human and helps to build a connection.
Q6: How can you identify if your content marketing strategy is actually working and generating results?
Once you’ve developed and implemented your content marketing strategy, how do you know if it’s working for you? These tips will show you what you need to track:
A6 Measure everything. Soon, vanity metrics (early indicators) turn into money metrics. #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Doug’s advice is to measure everything. You can learn a lot by seeing the areas in which you’re growing.
A6: That’s where goals come in. If you’re meeting your goals, then it’s working. If not, may be time to regroup. #ContentWritingChat
— Kristi Kenyon (@kkenyon86) March 7, 2017
As Kristi said, this is where your goals come in. You need to set goals for the content you create so you can see if it was actually effective. If it is, great! If not, you need to make some changes.
A6: Know your business goals and KPIs. Make success specific and measurable from the get-go! #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/HLIvCujzxQ
— Mallie Rust (@malliefe2o3) March 7, 2017
Make success specific and measurable from the get-go. This is great advice from Mallie!
@ExpWriters A6: Know what you want to measure before you look for results. We can all get lost in the sea of data #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/6SrEwZ5a3e
— Jacob Rouser (@J_Rouser) March 7, 2017
Jacob is spot on with his answer. You don’t want to get lost in a sea of data, so know what you want to measure first.
A6: Know your goals & how long it may take to achieve them. The fruits of a new strategy can take 6+ months to see. #contentwritingchat
— Meg Prater (@Meg_Prater) March 7, 2017
Be sure to give yourself ample time to reach your goals. Don’t expect results overnight.
A6 Leads ready to buy are coming in because your content brought them in. ? ? Revenue + clients = end goal! #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 7, 2017
Julia knows it’s important to track leads. Your content brings in leads, which ultimately leads to more clients and revenue for your business.
A6. It’s all about conversion. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/chaF5M80pF
— 《 Sabjan 》 (@sabjanseo) March 7, 2017
As Sabjan said, it’s all about those conversions.
A6 People are engaging with the content, sharing your content becoming a customer. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/WlHT2j0rRz
— Tony Stephan (@OmnipoTony) March 7, 2017
If people are engaging with your content, sharing it, and eventually becoming customers… You’re doing something right.
Q7: Share some favorite tools you rely on consistently for your content marketing.
If you’re looking for new tools to help with your content marketing, you’ll want to check out this list.
A7 Slideshare is still a staple. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/wpQrEonmXm
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
A7 Evernote is my external memory drive. Great planning tool #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Doug loves using SlideShare and Evernote.
A7: I use @yoast for SEO but more importantly: for readability. SEO is key, but your content is for humans first. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/qNs5rnhGKG
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) March 7, 2017
Like Annaliese, we also rely on Yoast here at Express Writers. It’s great for SEO and readability.
A7: @evernote for storing ideas and drafts, @asana for project management, @yoast for SEO, and @buffer for social media. #ContentWritingChat
— Rachel (@redheadrachel) March 7, 2017
Evernote is great for storing ideas and writing drafts. Asana is awesome for project management. And we can’t forget about Yoast and Buffer!
A7: @Keywordtoolio & @answerthepublic for content ideas. @canva to make images. @Sproutsocial to share on SM. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) March 7, 2017
These tools are all worth checking out!
@ExpWriters A7. I depend on @postplanner, @buffer to help me to put out content on a daily basis #contentwritingchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) March 7, 2017
Cheval relies on Post Planner and Buffer on daily basis to put content out for his audience.
A7 collaboration through tools like @buffer and @trello. Also use @googledocs for content planning! #ContentWritingChat
— Amanda Vera (@amnda_vera) March 7, 2017
Buffer, Trello, and Google Docs are key for Amanda when it comes to her content marketing strategy.
A7: @CoSchedule is another great tool! #contentwritingchat
— Breonna Bergstrom (@bmbergstrom161) March 7, 2017
CoSchedule is great for planning out your content!
Q8: Share some predictions or observations on the state of content marketing for 2017 and beyond.
What do you think is in store for content marketing in the future? Check out these predictions:
A8 Those who really commit to content marketing will win. Those who dabble will waste their budgets. #ContentWritingChat
— Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) March 7, 2017
Those who commit to content marketing will win, while those who dabble won’t.
A8: Prediction: new platforms, tools, smarter systems will be coming. Obs: never forget your audience is real people. #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 7, 2017
Julia is predicting new platforms, tools, and smarter systems.
A8: Prediction – it’ll get so much more important to hone in on audience desires/timing/placement/etc. to be successful#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/Wvd3YNzinO
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) March 7, 2017
Sarah thinks it’ll become more important to hone in on your audience’s desires, as well as timing and placement of your content.
A8: Video marketing is growing fast – taking the lead over text – so we need to know how to create them effectively. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/PwKXnPwDnc
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) March 7, 2017
Now is the time to start committing to video content, as its popularity will only continue to grow.
A8 There is going to be more video especially live and seeing more usage of Stories on IG & FB once that fully launches #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/X1pjQOXKNE
— Tony Stephan (@OmnipoTony) March 7, 2017
Tony also agrees that video content is important.
A8: Visuals are big and so are quotes that people can use in conversation. So I see that trend growing. #contentwritingchat pic.twitter.com/rym94G6LSE
— Mind of a Diva (@MindofaDiva) March 7, 2017
Great visuals for your content will always be important!
A8: #AugementedReality is going to become increasing more common in content marketing in the years to come. #ContentWritingChat
— Javier Sanabria (@SanabriaJav) March 7, 2017
Javier predicts that augmented reality will become a lot more common.
A8: The future of content marketing: Work smarter, not harder. Highly strategic content in a variety of mediums #contentwritingchat
— Sara Tetzloff (@que_sara) March 7, 2017
Work smarter, not harder with strategic content.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!