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Ferris Bueller and the 3Es of Content Creation

In the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the lead character played by Matthew Broderick explains to his pals, “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

The speed of life struck this morning when I realized it has been six years since I wrote my blog post about the “3Es” of content creation – engage, educate and entertain.  I vividly recall the inspiration which helped the words to this seminal post flow while I was in flight to the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

While my contention about the 3Es remains relevant, the content narrative has evolved to a multimedia orientation.

Words on a screen simply are not enough.  Marketers have a responsibility to produce and publish video, podcasts, infographics, e-books, presentations, etc.  The rationale for this diversification is clear:  your audiences consume and digest content in different ways.

Joe Witte, ISEBOX

That’s why I asked my friend Joe Witte of ISEBOX to join me on Tuesday, July 29 at 11:30 AM ET for an exclusive online conversation entitled “Become a Visual Storyteller: the Evolving Role of Multimedia in Content Marketing.”

I have chatted with Joe at a couple of industry conferences and found him well informed, engaging and…yes…entertaining.  Join us for 30 minutes on July 29 by registering at this link.  It will be time well spent.

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My New Book for Modern Marketers

It happened to me last year at industry conferences in San Francisco, Boston, Orlando and Vancouver.  I stepped off stage after a presentation and audience members asked where they can buy my book.

“I don’t have a book,” I’d say.  To which they would respond, “Maybe you should.”

I’m thrilled to share that my first ever professional text is now available.  The book is entitled The Intersection Point: Where Content, Sales and Social Collide and it’s available for download at no cost at this link.  You don’t even need to register to receive the book as a PDF.

The Intersection Point is an easy and informative read about how companies create engaging, thought leadership content, and then put it to work to support tactical sales activities.  I’ve also included exclusive interviews with a few of the most respected corporate marketers and consultants in the industry.

Take a read…let me know what you think.

 

Video of my keynote address at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston in October 2013 – Be Heard in a Crowd: How the Right Content and Social Strategy Will Drive Sales.

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Crossing the “Last Mile” in Content Marketing

The last mile in content marketing is the alignment with measurable sales metrics. (Photo source: http://aws.amazon.com)

I often compare the sales enablement component of Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) client campaigns to the last mile that has historically bewitched cable, television, telecommunications and Internet providers.

For telcos, it is this valuable final stretch of network that is the speed bottleneck for the customer and (ironically) the most expensive to upgrade.

For corporate and field marketers, it’s the alignment of content with sales metrics (i.e. lead generation, prospect nurturing, deal capture and sales intelligence) that provides the most measurable return, yet proves the most daunting.

Why?

There are a couple of entrenched obstacles a marketer must circumvent to deliver on the sales ROI of content marketing:

1. Foster an open and collaborative relationship at all levels of the sales organization.  Sales leadership must be convinced to champion the program and promote its importance to enterprise and inside reps.

Then, reps must be educated about how they can actively participate in the program by providing guidance on editorial/content strategy, serving as a content distribution channel and, most important, taking an action based on intelligence generated from analytics.

LinkedIn recently published an excellent blog post with suggestions about how to train old-school sales pros in the art of social selling.

2. Capture analytics and translate it into actionable sales intelligence.  Reporting on quantity and quality of readership and audience engagement is an indication of brand awareness, credibility and thought leadership.  Yet, these are the all-too familiar benchmarks marketers fall back on, even though they lack true ROI.

The modern marketer recognizes how critical it is to make recommendations about a tactical sales activity to be taken based on analytics.  This demands the marketer have intimate knowledge of sales messaging, the status of opportunities in the sales pipeline, product developments and enhancements, and competitive threats.

I provide more insight into the changing role of today’s marketer in this four minute video produced by the Pulse Network.

3. Set realistic expectations and then measure program ROI.  What if we bring opportunities to the sales team, make actionable recommendations and things don’t pan out?

This is a real and legitimate concern among marketers because of how tenuous the relationship often is with sales.  Waste a rep’s time chasing a prospect, and you’ll lose respect and support.

Plus, in a corporate environment, no one likes to be associated with failure when they have personally championed a new approach.  It’s not good for job stability.

Set expectations upfront when it comes to the opportunities identified from an integrated content marketing and sales enablement program.  Not every lead or nurtured contact will produce immediate return.  That’s true of any type of sales or marketing program.

The appropriate success benchmark is programmatic, and needs to be evaluated at quarterly or semi-annual intervals.

How much opportunity in the sales pipeline did this program touch during the past three months?  And what percentage of those deals turned into revenue?

Those are the questions executive leadership, sales management and modern marketers need to ask (and answer).

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Content Marketing Insight from a Former Journalist

Nearly five years ago I penned a blog post entitled An Open Letter to the Unemployed Journalist in which I contended the shift in influence from traditional sources of credibility to search and social networks would result in a forced exodus from news reporting.

“What is important now is that you recognize the elimination of your job is most likely permanent. It’s comparable to those industrial laborers whose positions were swept away by globalization and automation.”

A myriad of talented and highly skilled journalists did indeed make the transition from newsrooms and broadcast studios to corporate environments where they have been professionally reborn as content marketers.  One such writer extraordinaire is Sean Callahan, former editor of BtoB Magazine.

Now marketing director at Bizo and editor of the company’s popular Digital Marketing Remix blog site, Sean offers a valuable perspective on how to craft content that engages, educates and (when appropriate) entertains.

Sean Callahan, from journalist to content marketer.

Yesterday, I hosted Sean for an exclusive online Q&A to discuss the content marketing landscape.  I asked him a couple of timely and relevant questions, including:

1. Recent surveys from groups like the Business Marketing Association indicate marketers plan to invest significant dollars in 2014 in content creation.  Yet, there is confusion about applications such as content marketing, native advertising and brand journalism.  Can you help our audience understand what each is?

2. Research firms like CEB have found that B2B buyers are now nearly 60 percent of the way through the decision-making process before they engage with a vendor on their solutions.  Most marketers agree content is essential to reach these enlightened buyers.  So, there’s a lot of stuff out there, yet companies struggle with how to publish effective content.  Do you have any advice?

3. OK, let’s say your company is now publishing insightful, thought leadership content and the challenge becomes how to put it in the hand of the right audience – customers, prospects, partners and influencers.  Talk to us about content distribution based on your experience as a journalist and now at Bizo.

4. What are a few things that companies should absolutely avoid doing when it comes to their content marketing strategy and content creation?

To hear Sean’s thoughts on each of these questions and for valuable insight to enhance the success of your content marketing programs, you can listen to a replay of our online chat and review the accompanying presentation in the resource center of Modern Marketing Today.

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Lovin’ Jimmy Kimmel on Accenture

When speaking with a client about how to craft a compelling and engaging content strategy that will attract high value readers, I often refer to the three-part methodology employed by late night talk show hosts.

1. Be timely

2. Be creative

3. Interview celebrity guests

Celebrity needs a bit of context.  For Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) business-to-business and government-focused clients, we interview subject matter experts, customers, partners and influencers (i.e. analysts, policy-makers, trade group execs, etc.).  That is who holds celebrity status.

Here’s an example from our work on Juniper Networks’ The Modern Network program.

The aspects of timeliness and creativity are consistent though.  Like the TV host on the hunt for ratings, companies must offer readers a unique, educational and entertaining experience.

Recently, the spheres of B2B and TV talk shows intersected when Accenture was selected to take the lead on the troubled HealthCare.gov program.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel produced a laugh out loud faux commercial for the global consultancy.

While Accenture itself couldn’t stray this far down the creative path, the take-away is clear.  Engage the market with unique and unexpected content, and you’ll attract a community of high value readers.

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