Here are the answers to the numerous questions we received from listeners during the AMA sponsored “Content Marketing: How to Make It Work” webinar on Tuesday. We learned strategy behind an effective content marketing plan, and also that Aaron Dun sounds just like Jim Halpert from “The Office.” Enjoy!
Our joint presenters put together their own post on questions they answered you can view it here.
Q: As a former journalist, I’ve tried news aggregation but suffered poor SEO coupled with copyright concerns. Do news-oriented platforms benefit from content marketing and, if so, how?
A: There’s a big difference between aggregation and curation. If you’re curating content you’re being selective about the content you’re highlighting and using, instead of acting like a news aggregator and pulling each headline. Content marketing can require marketers to act like publishers, so it’s not far removed from the world of journalism. If you have a strategy in place for the kind of content, rate you’d like to publish, and are selective with the kind of articles you curate and comment on, your SEO and content marketing should greatly improve.
Q: I am already getting inundated with content and I don’t read it. What do I need t o do to cut through the ever growing clutter?
A: First of all, let’s take a look at the content you’re inundated with. Is it email subscriptions you’ve signed up for? An over-bearing twitter feed? There are simple ways to feng-shui your twitter feed, with tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck you can select to see the search terms you want to read and voila: less clutter.
Once you know what content you actually care about reading, do some introspection as to why. Does a “top 10 reasons to…” list grab your attention? Or a recently published case study? Take into consideration what, if anything, stands out in the crowd, and then apply that to your own editorial calendar.
Q: Can you please give us one example of where to look for new content when we feel like the current content is already distributed (addressing the Insufficient Content challenge).
A: Talk to your sales staff about what their clients and contacts are saying. The sales team hears first-hand the trends and pains facing customers, and they may know of topics you’re missing an opportunity to discuss. Additionally, don’t be scared to throw in some fun, slightly off topic content once in awhile, if it fits with your typical style and voice, why not make it fun and timely?
Keep in mind, you may be bored with a certain topic, but that doesn’t mean your audience will be. Look at the content you’ve already produced and review the metrics on the most successful pages. You may see patterns in what kind of content achieves the most traffic and engagement.
Q: Do companies usually have a dedicated content manager to pull this together or whose job is it? How is the content brought together across the organization – weekly content meetings?
A: Companies are structured in varying ways: some have a dedicated person whose role it is to create and push content, others have content created from a number of roles. The best bet is to have your content coming from all levels of your organization and different departments, while having a project manager to oversee the strategy and execution of the content. The team meetings can be effective, but setting an editorial calendar and strategy ahead of time should remedy the need for constant meetings. If structuring your team is difficult, keep in mind these few key roles:
- A content manager: acts as the editor, handles scheduling, publishing etc…should be familiar with SEO/
- Content creators: your writers, or contributors from your organization willing to write and develop material for your site.
Q: What do you use for measurement? Affordable measurement options for small companies?
A: In order to measure simple things, like the amount of content visiting your website, Google Analytics is a great place to start. Tools like bit.ly also enable you to track clicks and views to a specific link. Beyond using measuring tools, be sure to develop a clear strategy of actionable goals to measure your successes against.
Q: Can you recommend any books for further reading about content marketing?
A: Content Rules by Ann Hadley and C.C. Chapman & Managing Content Marketing: The Real-World Guide
Q: Why did you compare the website with a dessert in the Distributing Content Challenge? Isn’t the website supposed to deliver the most content? Somehow I associate dessert with something small, not big. 🙂
A: Even if your desert is small, it doesn’t mean it can’t leave an impression. Dessert is usually something to look forward to, indulge in and enjoy – which is what your customers should think of when they come to your website! In the grand scheme of things, your social media presence is an appetizer, a sampling of what you have to offer in bite size amounts. The meal, following the appetizer, may be a hearty blog post or white paper with the exact ingredients you were seeking at the time. The remaining information on your website should be an added bonus; easy to access, consistently updated, streamlined, and deliciously satisfying. When the entire meal comes together, including the perfectly paired wine and the restaurant’s ambiance (your overall marketing presence), guests will want to share their experience with Yelp, friends and family.
Q: @laurahoraniful tweeted “@percussion how do you measure ROI from content marketing? #ContentWorks”
A: Hi @laurahoranfiful, a great, arithmetic based way to measure your ROI can be found here: http://bit.ly/WZy7pu
