Content is Marketing Currency

Ardath Albee
CEO and B2B Marketing Strategist

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Where Were Going:

Where Weve Been From Marketing Education to Application

Specifically for US & Canadian Partners Your feedback helps shape Accelerate! topics and new marketing programs

Twitter Hashtag - #Accelerate

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Todays Presenter:
Ardath Albee, CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist Marketing Interactions, Inc.

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How Todays Buyers Buy

48.4% utilized more sources during research. 59% shared the information with others. 66% message consistency influenced decision. 77% did not follow a traditional buying path. 77.8% began with informal research into a business problem. 95% chose a vendor that provided ample relevant content during their buying process.
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DemandGen Report
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Relevance is Elusive

Only 14% of the unique benefits promoted by companies drive enough preference to have a commercial impact. Corporate Executive Board

Irrelevancy reduced chance to close a sale by 45% - IDG 61% of links in social media are irrelevant - IDG

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The Content Currency Exchange

Buyer Response

Buyer Perception

Marketing Content Vendor Currency

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Buyer Perception

Engagement Level Buyer Currency

Buyer Response

Immediate Relevance

Recognizable Value

Payment with Attention

Payment with Action

The Content Engagement Equation

Their Perspective

Your Expertise

Content Engagement

Focused on them Promotes thinking & learning Narrative Help, not Hype

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The Buying Process

Past

Now

Status Quo

Priority Shift

Research

Options

Step Backs

Validation

Choice

Marketing
content gap
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Sales
Figure 5.1 from eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale

What Buyers Need to Know

Validation Step Backs Options Research Priority Status Quo

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Why should I trust your company? How long will it take me to get to ROI? What if.??? What if end users wont adopt the new process? What are the options or alternatives? Who can add the most value to the project? Are there best practices I can refer to? Which experts can help me think strategically? How does the issue impact my industry? What are my peers & competitors doing? Why should I change? What will happen if I dont?

Listening is Critical

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1. Phrasing
They say: Bottleneck

We say: Performance Improvement

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2. Webinars

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3. Blogs
Comments are a goldmine for ideas.

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4. Twitter Streams

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5. Bit.ly Links
http://bit.ly/bxm78N+

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6. LinkedIn Groups
Telecom Professionals Group Can VoIP Meet Quality of PSTN? 441 comments

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7. Feedback
Surveys Your webinar Q&A Product Reviews, Referrals Contact Center Customer Interviews Inquiries Reader comments

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8. Metrics for Listening

Content Use Email Response Form submissions Lead Generation Transitions Bounces Keywords

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Create a Style Baseline

Element Subject Problem

Use You, CIO, IT, etc.

Dont Use Us, We, Our, Company

Words prospects use, Product names or external focus on internal biz benefits that dont directly challenges & benefit value. impact their business. Long-tail search terms and phrases reduce or increase X Customer success examples Jargon or buzz words innovative, leading, etc. Intangibles improve effectiveness Stand-alone statistics about feeds and speeds

Keywords Value Proof

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Create Content Hubs

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Content Hub in Action

Tweets

Press Release

Email Invitations

Blog Posts

Articles

Webinar

Lead Database

LinkedIn Status/Groups

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Grow Currency Value

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Time Depth Storyline Interactions Social Opt in Referral

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Example 1

Per asset Time Per visit # of Web pages viewed Depth Topic relationships Subscribes to newsletter Opt In Signs up for Webinar

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Example 2

Storyline

Following the story the way you share it. Consistent engagement. Share ideas in their own words. Start discussions about your ideas. Recommend your company content. Pass along resources to influencers.

Social

Referral

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Example 3

Time

Spend an hour in a webinar Ask a question during a webinar Respond when you email more info Influencers watch archived webinar.

Interaction

Referral

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4 Deficiencies Derail Content Marketing

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Lack of Technology and Tools

Publishing Lead Management Analytics Interactive Event

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Lack of Compelling Content

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Lack of Conversational Competence

Okay, I asked Did they hear me?

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Lack of Marketing Measurement

Only 46% of marketers measure the effectiveness of digital marketing.

Digital + Exhibits Marketing Insights Report

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Thank You for Your Partnership

Please complete the evaluation Content is Marketing Currency eBook The Truth About Marketing Blog http://blogs.cisco.com/ciscotalk/marketing Cisco Programs Available in Partner Marketing Central Written Success Story Video Success Story SharedVue Syndicated Web Content MarketingSherpa B2B Summit Cisco Partners receive a $700 discount on registration fee Virtual Velocity Events o September 27th Marketing Optimization: Three Principles to Improve Lead Generation o October 28th - Engage: How to Build, Cultivate & Measure Success in the New Web with Brian Solis
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