In its dual role as the raw material used to build websites and the finely crafted pieces which are shared across the internet, content can help realise an array of marketing objectives.
Trang 1The True Value of
Content Marketing
Trang 21 What is Content Marketing? - p1
2 Why does Content matter? - p2
3 What forms does Content take? - p3
4 What determines high-quality Content? - p4
5 What results can Content Marketing achieve? - p5
6 What is the right Content Strategy? - p8
7 Why use a Content Marketing Agency? - p9
8 Takeaways - p12
9 References - p14
Trang 3What is Content Marketing?
Content is the material that the web is composed of It is the raw element with which pages, websites and the internet are built, the polished pearls that adorn them, as well as the medium through which connections and communication occur
Content Marketing is about the most effective way to harness content’s ubiquity and its power
At a structural level that means designing attractive sites built on solid foundations, which are easily accessible and well-signposted In its refined, finished form that means crafting eye-catching, sought-after content And, as a communication tool, that means using content to reach out, forging partnerships, spreading messages and listening to others
“The creation, organisation and distribution of content to attract, acquire and engage a target audience, delivering a return
on investment and enhancing an organisation’s brand.”
Distribution
Distribution
Aesthetic Structural
Trang 4Why does Content matter?
The “Content is King” mantra was coined by Bill Gates way back in the internet’s infancy but it has never resonated as clearly as it does today Anyone with a presence online – which means virtually every organisation, even those who prefer to stay offline – needs to understand the value and power of content In its dual role as the raw material used to build websites and the finely crafted pieces which are shared across the internet, content can help realise an array of marketing objectives
Social– Every day 27 million pieces of content are shared via social media Creating the right kind of engaging, quality content can tap into a global network, enhancing the reach
of your brand and joining the conversation online Not only that, social media works as an amplifier for content’s role in search, with signals from the likes of Twitter and Facebook affecting the visibility of your site in search engine results
“First and foremost we care about trying to get the stuff that people will really like – the good, the compelling content
- in front of them.”
Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s Webspam team and Search Quality, Dec 2011
Content
is king
Search – Search engines dominate the way we use the web Every month more than 131 billion searches take place, with an estimated 91 per cent of adults using search engines What’s more, search is getting better Google and Bing especially are more sophisticated than ever at returning the right kind of results users want - and that means top-quality content For a website
to be visible, content is crucial
91% of adults use search engines
to find info on the web
2012 saw growth in social media use across the spectrum 62% of companies said that social media had become more important as a source of leads in the past six months.
Trang 5What forms does Content take?
Content can take a wide range of forms, each with its own style and appeal At a micro level, individual pieces of content attract and engage web users When pieces are combined, the effect can be dramatic
“Blogging, tweeting and posting not only generate brand awareness and buzz, they also build links, which are like gold
to Google’s ranking algorithm.”
Shane Snow, writing on Mashable, May 2011
Trang 6What determines high-quality Content?
Whatever form it takes, content must be of sufficient quality Google’s guidelines on what consti-tutes quality – and, consequently, what will feature most prominently in its results – are focussed around compelling, engaging content The ‘Panda’ updates the search giant rolled out in a series of adjustments to its algorithm are part of an ongoing drive across the search industry to return better results Instead of a simplistic checklist or shortcuts to signpost the best sites, the search engines are focussed on qualitative signals
Google Fellow Amit Singhal explained the concept behind the shift in search by posing the following questions, which he said reflected “Google’s mindset” when it came to search technology The emphasis is on compelling, engaging content
How does Google assess the quality of a page or an article?
• Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it shallower in nature?
• Does the site have duplicate, overlapping or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
• Does this article have spelling, stylistic or factual errors?
• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
• Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research or original analysis?
• Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopaedia or book?
• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
• How much quality control is done on content?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
Trang 7What results can Content Marketing achieve?
Content Marketing is about using high-quality content to deliver tangible results and ROI As a marketing tool, the potential impact is wide-ranging and significant
Search Engine Visibility – There is no magic bullet for search engine optimisation (SEO) but content is central to a range of factors that determine performance Well-written copy, which is information-rich and competes on the right keywords, can drive traffic to your site, making you more visible to your target audience Good content is also more likely to be shared, liked and linked to – all of which has an impact on how well pages are ranked in search Quality content creates a virtuous circle: more people can find and then share your site
Engagement – Informative and compelling con-tent is something consumers engage with Seven
in ten people say that Content Marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company, while
60 per cent say content helps them make better product decisions Nor is this restricted to consumers According to Roper Public Affairs, 80 per cent of busi-ness decision-makers prefer information in the form of articles over advertisements
“If a website doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold
or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate
to ads, that’s not a very good user experience Such sites may not rank as highly going forward.”
Three-fifths of marketers plan to spend more money
on content marketing in 2012.
BLOGGING
25%
CRITICAL
of users of users of users
IMPORTANT USEFUL
34% 22% 8 in 10 marketing professionals rate
company blogs as “useful” or better Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s Webspam team and Search Quality, Jan 2012
Trang 8Credibility & Trust – Sites which have good quality content inspire greater trust Dr Jakob Nielsen, a leading expert in web usability, says sites have ten seconds to make the right impression Poorly written, inaccurate or amateurish content is an immediate red flag Long-term impressions also count If you populate your site with the latest thought leadership, quality interviews and insightful analysis, it can mark your organisation out
as an authority in its field, and a high-value brand Content Marketing is a powerful tool for assisting reputation management, working across search and social to inform, edu-cate and engage your audience A Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 consumers from 50 countries found that 70 per cent trusted online consumer opinions, rising to 90 per cent among people they know
Customer Understanding – It’s not enough just to be heard – you also need to listen So-cial media and search channels offer the chance to learn about your customers That can come from the comments section on your blog, the reaction on Twitter to an opinion piece
or identifying the key search phrases which lead most people to your site You can also harness the wealth of statistical information that content yields through web and social traffic If you mine the data effectively, you can learn what makes your audience tick and hone your marketing strategy Content Marketing is not just about boosting traffic, it’s also about understanding who your customers are, what they are looking for and how you can meet that demand Remember, 70 per cent of search traffic comes from the long tail and a niche can be
a great place to be
30
The average website visitor decides in fewer than
10 seconds whether they want to continue reading
a web page
44%
28%
60 seconds
30 seconds
Content Influence on Brand Awareness
Brand Awareness – According to a MediaCom study, every additional
30 seconds spent engaged with content delivers an upturn in brand awareness, consideration and pur-chasing intent Even with just 30 seconds of interaction, a 28%
improvement in spontaneous brand awareness was recorded in comparison
to no interaction
Increase in Brand Awareness
Trang 9Lead Generation & Conversion – Content Marketing is not just about the intangibles:
it has a clear impact on the bottom line Social media and search are a source of leads Nearly three-quarters of marketers who have been using social media for around three years say that their social efforts have helped them close business deals Six in ten social network users say they were at least “somewhat likely” to take action when a friend posted something about a product, service, company or brand on a social media site
Amplify Existing Marketing Channels – Effective Content Marketing makes your existing marketing channels work better Greater web visibility and brand awareness online can send more customers to your physical sites; an effective email marketing campaign can in-crease the traction and targeting of your telemarketing efforts Just as search and social should work as complements rather than alternatives, so too offline and online efforts can forge part of
a wider strategy
SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound sourced leads have a 1.7% close rate.
SEO leads are eight times more likely to close into customers than outbound leads.
Leads from inbound links (referrals) are five times more likely to become customers than outbound leads.
Trang 10What is the right Content Strategy?
The truth is there is no ‘ideal’ default content strategy The right approach will depend on your organisation and your objectives
Are you a customer-facing company looking to increase traffic to your product pages? Are you a business-to-business site aiming to generate leads? Or are you are a charity looking to increase the reach of your existing offline message?
The right content strategy will provide the best fit for your objectives and your organisation The next step is building a working brief: selecting a balanced blend of content types, establishing the right style, the appropriate tone and identifying the channels which will give you access to the audience you are targeting
Trang 11Why use a Content Marketing Agency?
Content Marketing is growing as an industry and accounts for an increasing portion of marketing budgets, with three-fifths of marketers planning to spend more money on Content Marketing in 2012 Yet it is not without its challenges
Developing and executing an effective content strategy requires expertise and experience, which is where a Content Marketing agency can help
So what are the advantages of using an agency?
Editorial Expertise – The emphasis on the quality and diversity of content makes editorial expertise a fundamental principle of an effective content strategy Low-cost writers from India and Eastern Europe are an option but the ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’ approach to content does not tend to produce compelling, engaging content A full-service Content Marketing agency should have in-house editorial expertise, as well as the strategic, technical and PR skills to deliver sustainable results
“Analysis of website figures shows a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half.”
Biggest Content Marketing Challenge
Producing the kind of content that engages prospects/customers Producing enough content
Budget to produce content Lack of buy-in/vision from higher-ups inside your company Producing a variety of content
Budget to license content
12%
18%
20%
41% 7%1%
Internet entrepreneur Charles Dunscombe, as quoted by the BBC in 2011
Trang 12Digital Media Law – A confident and capable agency will take care of any legal issues that crop up and assume liability If you are publishing in the public domain, be prepared to deal with complaints and queries An agency will know the rules on defamation and copyright, as well as the latest precedents when it comes to new media
Holistic Approach – Content Marketing is about focussing on the individual compo-nents and their interaction as part of a broader picture when it comes to realising marketing objectives Old-school SEO-agencies which focus exclusively on off-the-page ‘SEO tricks’ are becoming increasingly outdated Google is taking steps to penalise this kind of myopic approach to content, which is the antithesis of an effective content strategy, with engineers working on the algorithm to penalise ‘SEO intensive’ practices
Joined-Up Approach – As well as crafting a suitable content strategy, you need the technical integration, ongoing consultancy and support, plus the production capability
to execute it effectively At the same time, there should be an ongoing process of recalibra-tion and adjustment Feedback and testing can help develop your content strategy, refining the way you produce and connect content in order to achieve the desired results Content Marketing is about providing a combined, coherent – and ‘live’ – service which is more than the sum of its parts Do it well and the different components can catalyse one another
“The idea is basically to try to level the playing ground So all those people doing, for lack of a better word, over-optimisation or overly SEO [will be penalised] - versus those making great content and a great site We are trying to make GoogleBot smarter, make our relevance better.”
Google’s Matt Cutts speaking at SXSW during a panel discussion moderated by Search Engine land’s Danny Sullivan in March 2012
• Facebook & Twitter internet libel cases doubled in 2011
• Following an article in 2010 by the Daily Mail, which used tweets from civil servant Sarah Baskerville, the PCC ruled that Tweets were not private, even where employees state ‘views are my own’
• Flickr has blocked users of Pinterest from pinning photos without consent
• Social media, proprietary websites and communications in non-paid-for space are all now subject to Advertising Standards Authority regulation