Content Marketing 101 - Tutorial

While we're always committed to being your printing partner, we want to look beyond the printed piece and be your marketing partner as well. We are going to focus on a topic that will continue to be one of the biggest movements in marketing: content marketing. The key word in this stat is custom. Custom doesn't mean difficult; it means explicitly understanding the customers and where they are in the journey, and then tailoring the content to meet their needs. First, we will focus on how content aligns with sales and customer growth goals. Next, we will focus on specific and actionable custom content ideas at each stage of the sales cycle. Then, we'll talk about analyzing content and making adjustments as you go. We'll also share tips and tricks for curating content and becoming a better writer, and we'll introduce resources for ongoing education. Anyone (we mean that) can become a content marketer. Instead of waiting for the future, we're planning in the present. Together, we'll craft a metrics-driven content strategy that builds trust and engagement throughout the customer journey. Before we jump to strategy, why does custom content matter? Understanding your customers' buying process allows you to identify the right message at the right time. Gone are the days where you could send mass blasts of general content and expect it to hit home. Customers are too savvy. They expect highly personalized, relevant, entertaining and informative content that offers them an explicit benefit. Custom content needs context. A good framework for identifying content is the sales funnel. Every business is different, and content takes patience, along with trial and error. Think about where your customers spend the majority of their time and work for greatness in those areas first. These next ideas are meant to jumpstart content creation. Content should build on itself. By aligning content with your sales funnel, you see a natural progression that leads to creation. This quote by Benjamin Franklin is spot on for our discussion today. "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." —Benjamin Franklin Telling or talking at your customers won't cut it. Teaching at the top of the funnel is the first step. Then, involve your customer to move them through your funnel. Specific engagements with data-capture and tracking mechanisms are critical to the sales process, and your content is all connected. So, let's start from the top. We're going to pick a paper company as an example for this discussion. The variety of content at the top of the funnel is the most diverse. Think less like a salesperson and more like an educator. You can weave in your proposition, but the overall structure of the content should be about helping prospects solve a specific problem or need. Google's Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) study revealed that a consumer consults 10.4 sources before making a purchase. Additionally, 77% of buyers said they did not talk with a salesperson until after they had performed independent research, according to DemandGen. Here are a few ideas for this stage: Going back to Mr. Franklin's quote, this is where we start to engage with potential customers and gain valuable data about their customer journey and decision points. If you've done your job at the top of the funnel with education, you position yourself as a thought leader in your category, and that builds trust. Blanket techniques or throw-and-stick strategies are washed-up tactics. Personalization is key. Customers aren't static. They access content from multiple devices, and as you build a relationship with them, the stakes are higher for content creation. Personalization leads to persuasion. Hubspot, one of the leading marketing automation platforms, reviewed more than 93,000 messages from their customers and found that those with personalized content performed 42% better than those with generic messages. Here are a few ideas for this stage: Understanding how to create loyal customers is one of the most important business metrics. Interactions should be memorable-and even more so, remarkable. According to Bain and Co., a 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company's profitability by 75%. Gartner Group statistics tell us that 80% of a company's future revenue will come from just 20% of existing customers. Offer customers something remarkable, and they'll champion your brand. Here are a few ideas for this stage: