Marketing Interactions

Why Should I Care?

If you do nothing else when evaluating the probability that your marketing content will resonate with your prospects and customers, answer this question from their perspective: Why should I care?

And make sure it's in the first couple of sentences.

Yes, a title that tells them is great, but you have to back it up with the meat for the premise to hold their attention for more than the first paragraph.

It used to be that you had more time - up to about 7 seconds. Now I'm seeing reports that say it's down to 3 seconds. That means getting the point across quickly is an imperative.

For those people who scan before they read, you need to make sure you've got the compelling reason or takeaway they're interested in reiniforced in your headers and/or bullet points.

Most importantly, you need to make sure that you're asking and answering the question from the buyer's perspective - not yours. What you believe is important doesn't count. The only thing that matters is whether or not they care about the information you're sharing.

A couple of other things to consider:

• Specificity counts. High-level generalizations aren't helpful.
• Credibility must be earned. Back up your claims to build trust.
• Focus on the Takeaway. What's the one thing you want them to "get" from your content?
• Give them a next step. What's the one thing you want them to do next?
• Reinforce the urgency. Trust me, if this is something they think might be valuable in the future, you've missed the opportunity.

Developing great content doesn't need to be complex. If you keep this question in mind while you're developing it, you've greatly improved its chances from the start.

 

What's Your Website Content Really Saying?

One of the things that gets forgotten during marketing content developed for website use is the impact of the presentation of the content within the "look and feel" of the web page it will be displayed on. The other is what's in it for the reader.

I just looked at a webpage that used the company's name 20 times on one page. They also used the primary keyword phrase for the subject matter focus 19 times. Sure, they have great organic search results for that phrase, but the disappointment is that the content didn't have any substance to it. After a couple of paragraphs it became tedious. But, that might have also been due to the amount of vague jargon and buzzwords that was included. The result; search optimized pablum.

This webpage is on the company's website. Their company name is in the banner, the domain name and several of their product names. It didn't need to be used 20X - people know where they are. But the true hindrance of overusing the company's name in content is that it dictates focus. And, focusing on the company, rather than the reader (prospect/customer) is not going to do much to help you—or them.

They did try to involve the reader by including sentences that discussed what people can do with their solution and a few benefits they would receive. But the next sentence would switch back to them. The result is kind of like watching a tennis match.

Focus on You

Focus on Them

Focus on You

Focus on Them

What this content was really saying is that their company is more important than your problem.

Now let's get to the jargon and buzz word stuff. Using jargon results in ambiguity. That's the last thing you want your content to produce. For example - elasticity and scalability used in relation to private clouds. Yeah? I'd expect that. So what? What does that mean to me?

• Does it mean I can expand my private cloud to meet my expected capacity needs for the next 3 months, or 3 years?
• How hard will it be to scale? 
• Does my staff need special skills they don't currently have?
• Is there a catch in the expand and contract promise of elasticity?
• In what ways can I best utilize this capability to meet business objectives?

If you've read my work for any period of time, you know that one of my imperatives is that content should be designed to answer prospect and customer questions in relation to problems they're trying to solve.

What you see here is that the content only served to raise questions, not answer them. Raising questions is a great tactic if you provide pathways for the reader to get those questions answered straight from that page. Unfortunately, this company didn't do that. So now the reader is frustrated and feels like they've wasted their time. The first thing they'll do is go search for answers to those questions—although probably not on your website.

What questions could your content be raising that you need to answer? Either by making "see also" content available, or by revising the content on the page to make it more compelling.

18 B2B Reasons to Attend Content Marketing World

As I finalize my slide deck for my presentation "Build a Better Experience with Content Marketing" for Content Marketing World, I'm getting really excited to be there.

This is the first year that we've had several conferences focused on content marketing:

• Content Marketing Strategies Conference in Berkeley in Feb was intimate and impactful,
• Confab in Minneapolis in May was fantastic,
• DemandCon was dedicated to the entire pipeline, including both marketing and sales,
• and now Joe Pulizzi and the classy folks at the Content Marketing Institute are putting on CMW. 

It's been quite a year, so far...

In thinking about why I'm so excited for this show, I thought I'd share a few reasons with you. You know, just in case you're still sitting on the fence about being there. You've got two weeks - plenty of time to make plans to come.

1. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - how can you pass up an opening party in that venue?
2. Live blog chat with Mack Collier - I had the pleasure of meeting Mack at Marketing Profs B2B Forum in Boston and he's the real deal! And, even better, blog chat live will be held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
3. The chance to hear Sally Hogshead talk about The Power of Story!
4. David Meerman Scott - nuff said. If you haven't seen him in person, you need to!
5. The Content Marketing Technology Cage Match at lunch - It'll be interesting to see what the speakers can pack into only 5 minutes worth of presentation time. Sounds like a show down to me!
6. HP, Dupont, Vertical Measures, Dell and Kelly Services are sharing insider views of what it takes to manage content within their companies - should be an eyeopener!
7. Pam Didner from Intel is dishing on how to manage a global editorial planning. Considering that this is one of the hardest things for marketers to master, can you afford to miss her insights?
8. Who knows more about fans than sports organizations? The CAVs, Browns and Indians are sharing their secrets to social media strategies. I'll just bet their insights can be adapted for businesses who want more raving fans - stay tuned.
9. Brian Clark and Michael Stelzner are sharing how they built Copyblogger and Social Media Examiner into raging successes by using content.
10. A great panel on how to use metrics to justify content marketing budgets.
11. Fireside Content Marketing Chats with a number of experts.
12. More Shotgun Sessions during lunch, just to keep things lively!
13. Lee Odden!
14. Strategies for getting your content found - who doesn't need that?
15. Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman!
16. Jason Falls is sharing The Content Marketing Measurement Roadmap
17. Kevin Smith entertains us with comedy one night and then discusses how he became a storyteller.
18. Last, but never least, the Godfather of Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi is masterminding this event. 

And those are just the B2B reasons. If I was a B2C marketer, I'd have to start another list.

I have to say that I'm really excited about the diversity of topics and the real-world experience that will be shared at CMW. I hope I'll see you there.

I mean, seriously, how can you pass up the chance to gain so much insight that you can put to work right away? Content marketing is the now and the future of marketing. It's time to stop thinking about it and start doing it. Or, if you're doing it now, do it better. The rewards are huge.

Marketers need to develop new skill sets and those 18 reasons to attend above contain tips and insights that will help you understand and embrace a number of them.

This isn't just any conference - it's Content Marketing World!

From Click to Content - What's the Response?

Clicks are often considered as measurements of B2B marketing success. But have you ever stopped to think about the meaning of a click? How do you know what that click means to the clicker (clickee?). After all, the meaning is attributed by the person who clicks, not the marketer who tallies them up to prove their campaign was successful. The number of clicks doesn't have as much to do with success as the response generated.

A click can result in a variety of responses, for example:

• I'm curious...oops, not what I thought it would be. Pardon the back button.


• Wow - just what I was looking for, thanks!


• I thought this white paper would be great, but 2009? Are you kidding?


• Really good points. My boss should see this. Thanks for including a share feature.


• These guys are full of themselves. Talk about me, me, me! Sheesh.


• I got new ideas! Best 5 minutes I've spent in a while. I better sign up for their RSS feed, follow them on Twitter...Finally, someone who doesn't waste my time.


• Oh my gosh - another bait and switch. Send these guys to the junk folder.


• I'm going to bookmark this article for later. I think the next budget might have room for us to consider doing this. Wish it wasn't a year from now...


• Yet another webinar on X. When will someone come up with something new?

Which of these responses do you think your "clickees" are thinking after they click on the link in your latest marketing campaign - social or otherwise?

The marketers who generate great responses to their clicks have likely:

• Segmented their lists to provide the most valuable information to the people who need it.
• Developed personas to get to know just what information their prospects consider valuable.
• Eliminated any form of sales pitch.
• Mapped their content to buying stages.
• Presented consistent content their prospects have determined is worthwhile as payment for their attention.
• Used words and phrasing that engages their prospects.
• And so much more.

The marketers who create less than good responses have likely:

• Assumed they know what prospects want.
• Taken the easy way out trying to reuse old content by making the call to action sound new.
• Paid more attention to the message and click than the content at the other end.
• Sent the same thing to everyone - ala batch and blast.
• Tried to push the sale.
• And so much less...

The truth of generating great responses is that it takes time and effort and consistency to do the work that produces valuable interactions. In a world where your prospects have access to so much information, you can't fool them anymore - and shame on you for trying.

Then again, the proof will be in the conversions, pipeline momentum and downstream revenues.

How can you tell if you're creating great responses to the clicks you generate?

• What's the follow-on activity? Do they follow you, subscribe to your RSS feed, register for an upcoming webinar, etc.?
• Do they thank you for sharing that great content?
• Do they consistently respond when you share another link?
• Are you winning an increasing share of their attention?
• Are they telling others about your content?

And finally, are they becoming customers? That's, of course, the true test. But, in the meantime, you've got to consider what kind of responses your clicks are generating and what meaning your prospects are taking away from the interactions they have with your marketing content. Not just the articles, white papers and blog posts, but the whole process that entices them to click and how that transition from click to content forms an impression that's leading toward a relationship or, well, not.

Content Marketers' Great Expectations

With the advance of content marketing as a mainstay strategy for B2B marketers comes the inevitability of great expectations. But, I often encounter B2B marketers who are recounting their experiences with content marketing as not living up to expectations.

I hear things such as:

"Other email campaigns generate much higher click through and open rates than our lead nurturing program is achieving. It's just not working."

To which I inquire: What kind of email campaigns are you comparing with your nurturing program results?

The answer is usually related to eNewsletters or sales discount offers. These are two very different vehicles.

• An eNewsletter will generally have multiple offers and links with a variety of information. The recipient list can include both customers and prospects. I'd expect response rates to be different.


• A sales discount offer is one of urgency with a deadline/expiration date. Sure more people will click and look - just to be sure they're not missing out on anything. Or perhaps because they've been waiting for a sale to buy.

Nurturing programs are based on soft-sell, educational and thought leadership content - hopefully matched with stage in the buying process. They are also designed to engage over the long haul of a B2B buying process.

In other words, are you really suprised that early stage leads aren't replying to ask for a demo or submitting an inquiry on your website? Seriously?

One of the things that continues to confound me is the obsession with quantity. Based only on the number of what's considered a low-volume response, many marketers will equate that to an unsuccessful campaign.

Here's a challenge to marketers who think that way - or those under pressure to produce quantity based on ill-perceived corporate expectations:

How many of those leads or "opt ins" are actually ideal prospective customers?

How many of them actually close?

If your campaign produces 150 leads, but only 20 are quality matches to your ideal customer profile, is it better than a program that produces a solid 20 high-quality leads?

Here's a hint: Everyone is NOT your customer.

When your programs produce higher quality leads, you're actually providing better service and enablement to your sales team based on higher marketing effectiveness.

Some of the benefits include:

• Sales spends less time sifting and filtering to find the "good" leads.
• Sales begins to believe in and rely on marketing to provide leads worthy of pursuit.
• Marketing can track cleaner ROI from initial contact to close - not to mention higher levels of sales accepted leads.
• Your marketing database stays nice and clean and is more effective for segementation and analysis.
• You can determine just where the best leads are coming from/found.
• Marketing can start to identify patterns in how your ideal customers buy, such as the frequency of messaging they respond to best, the types of information they prefer, which information is needed when (think mapping content to buying process), etc.

The upshot is that content marketing expectations must be calibrated differently than some traditional marketing tactics, batch and blast email campaigns, and sales-focused "marketing" campaigns.

Where the expectation really needs to refocus is from quantity to quality. I'd rather have 10 great leads any day of the week than 1,000 that I have to sift through to find the 10% that are actually viable.

If marketers can define, attract and concentrate on leads that have the highest potential to become customers, then the results they create for their company will not only contribute to downstream revenues, but become repeatable and consistent in delivering that impact.

If, instead, marketers continue to go after getting clicks from as many people as possible, regardless of who they are, they'll have to work twice as hard to identify patterns, determine frequency preferences and convince sales to follow-up.

I mean, it's got to feel good to tell your boss that you generated a gazillion leads from your last manifesto download offer. But what happens when you actually need to equate those gazillion leads to customer acquisition and revenue contribution? What do your percentages look like now? How are those numbers perceived by your boss and company? Impressive?

How do you think marketers' expectations from content marketing need to change to help better prove the value it can deliver for B2B companies?

Content Marketers Need a Customer Field Trip

As content marketers, we're often so busy cranking out content and executing programs that we fail to step back and take a look at the big picture from the outside in. Marketers set up their company's presence on a variety of platforms, load content onto websites, pull the trigger on email campaigns, host webinars, etc.

But over time, things change. Sometimes we even forget all the places we may have established a profile or published content. What happens is that consistency and relevance can erode given the speed of change. Some content is up to date and some is not. What our companies do, focus on, changes and, maybe that's represented in one place, but not in others. Do you know?

It's critical to take a "customer field trip" to experience what your prospects and customers experience as they interact with your brand online and to correct any inconsistencies to improve their experience with your company and your content. 

When's the last time you:

• Typed your company's name into a search engine? (all of them - Is what comes back what you thought? What you want?)


• Searched on the keywords and phrases you think buyers use to see what comes up?


• Viewed your social media profiles from the outside - as your buyers would? (do they all tell a consistent story? Is it engaging, given the platform?)


• Read your website? (Every page, every resource - Is it engaging?)


• Moved from one online presence to another? (read your blog, then move to your website, to LinkedIn company page, to a micro-site, etc. What impression does that make?)


• Signed up for your company's webinar and experienced it like an attendee? (How were the reminder emails? The presentation? The Q&A? The follow-up? Were there times you got bored?)


• Opted in for your nurturing program to see what the experience is like?


• Read your company's Twitter profile page just as someone else would when they're deciding to follow you - or not? Would you follow your company?


• Watched your videos all the way through? (where did your interest lag? why?)

The trick to taking a solid customer field trip is to adopt their mindset as much as you can. Your perspective is not valid on a customer field trip - you need to think like them. So when you're taking this trip, here are a few questions you should ask based on which type of customer/buyer/persona you've assumed for the trip. Make sure you define X before you start the trip. Write down the answers without pondering. Go with your gut.

• Based on my need to solve X - this content is...
• Because I'm interested in X - I'd return (or not) to this site/profile, etc. again...
• This company interests me because...
• What I wish they had here is...

What do you think? Have you taken a "customer field trip" lately? If so, what did you learn that surprised you?