11 strategy points you have to consider if you’re serious about content marketing
In the forever changing world of marketing communications and public relations, if you’re not talking content marketing, then you’re behind the curve.
Here are NettResults’ 11 strategy points that we work on with our clients, to help them meet their business goals and outperform their competitors when it comes to content marketing.
1 - Creation of a real content marketing strategy
Does your organization have a documented content marketing strategy? Sadly, most do not. Companies that do have one, and review it consistently, are more likely to be successful. Even though you might think this is basic, it’s not. We are still too focused on campaigns and talking about our products, instead of truly driving value outside the products and services we offer.
2 - Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is quickly gaining importance and the C suite is getting it. It seems that every enterprise has some kind of content and influencer strategy, but few organizations execute a real strategy that makes sense.
3 - Purpose-driven marketing
What’s your why? Why do you create your content? Does it have a real impact on your customers and prospects? Is there a deeper purpose behind what you do, instead of just creating content as part of your sales and marketing machine?
4 - Video and visual
We’ve been saying it for years in this blog, using video and having a visual storytelling strategy are paramount for success. But, most brands are still hanging their video strategy on the viral video, instead of building a process and organization around the ongoing delivery of valuable information through video.
5 - Teams and workflow
Doesn’t matter how good your strategy is – who’s on your team to implement it? Having quality people that understand content and the business you’re in is so important. Equally important, how are the client/agency, and the internal team going to work? Get that workflow right to give visibility and make the process as smooth as possible – clear communications with on-time delivery and checks to ensure nothing is delayed or inaccurate.
6 - Stories & writing
It’s all in the story. Writing still counts, perhaps more than ever. While some marketers are fanatical about social media and video, they don’t comprehend that most of our communication is still text and story based. Make sure your team has really, really good writers.
7 - Integration with sales
Sales and marketing HAVE to be integrated. If we don’t market well, then sales perform poorly. If there is less money that comes into the company, there is less money to pay salaries. Who are they going to cut first – a sales person that can make more money for an organization or a content marketing team? Hello! Your job is on the line. There you go – we said it.
8 - ROI and measurement
If you don’t measure it, you don’t know if there is a return on investment. If you can’t prove your ROI you’re out of a job. There you go – we said it again.
9 - Email and marketing automation
Email is far from dead, and may be more important than ever for our content marketing programs. In fact, with a lot of the conversations moving to text, chat, apps and personal email accounts, the business email account is a particularly uncluttered marketplace right now – if you use it wisely.
And then, as many B2B enterprises have done, they move from just email into marketing automation. That’s a conversation for another time.
10 - Executive buy-in
Content marketing is an approach… a way of doing business… and many executives in the C suite are still firmly set with the traditional four Ps model. Without executive buy-in, you’re dead in the water. Not only are you doing something they don’t understand or value, but you’re then not able to do other functions that they think you should be doing. What does this lead to? Job insecurity. Oh yes we did.
11 - Global integration
At NettResults we come from an international stand point – it’s in our DNA. More and more in today’s market, organizations are operating globally. This means complex processes, scattered teams, communication issues, politics, and varied customer experiences. Simply put, it’s hard. The global integration needs more communication, understanding and tools.
And a bonus… maybe more tactical that strategy:
Snapchat
Snapchat has surpassed Facebook in total video views, it’s about time we started to take notice. OK, so you may need your 13-year old daughter to explain it to you, but if you are targeting the users of Snapchat, then you need to start engaging now.