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Get Your Arms Around Content Marketing

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Was it two or three years ago that the term  “Content Marketing ” entered the marketing lexicon?  I first addressed the subject in March 2013  https://freelancetheconsultantsdiary.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/content-marketing-is-the-new-ad-copy .  Back in the day,  advertising strategy focused on which publications would reach the most potential customers at a price the business could afford.  Depending on your business,  traditional advertising can still deliver the desired ROI,  but Content Marketing cannot be ignored.  It is the conduit to engaging with customers on a granular level.  Through it,  we are able to reveal our understanding of customer priorities and challenges,  build trust and credibility as a result of that understanding and demonstrate how and when they might benefit from using our products and services  (and in that order,  BTW).

KISSmetrics CEO Neil Patel defines Content Marketing as  “…the way for a business owner to educate your customers and potential customers about your products and services.  The goal is to offer tips,  help and education about anything that can be helpful to a customer.  This kind of information can be shared in the form of a blog, white paper, webinar, video or social post.  The opportunities are endless.”  Michael Brenner,  a Forbes Magazine Top 40 Social Media Marketer and head of strategy at NewsCred,  points out that  “Small businesses don’t have the luxury of massive ad budgets…they need to drive brand awareness and (sales) leads with limited resources.  Content Marketing is a great way for small businesses to do both.

Great.  Now let’s get you started on creating Content that’ll do some good.  First,  define the Content you should create,  i.e. the Content that your customers value,  presented in a way that will make them tune in to your message.  Think carefully and from the customer’s viewpoint about the reasons that they use your product or service: what are they trying to achieve and what information would they appreciate as they strive to examine and resolve that process?  Chatting with customers about their business goals and challenges and getting a better handle on where your products or services fit in will give you some guidance.

Shelly Kramer,  CEO and founder of V3 Integrated Marketing,  insists that you will benefit from applying what you learn from your research to your strategy and,  just as important,  commit it to writing.  “Write down your strategy.  The key is to tie your overall business goals and objectives into your Content Marketing strategy”,  she says.  Kramer is very astute as she reminds Freelancers and business owners to remember the big-picture marketing strategy for the enterprise and incorporate Content Marketing,  including social media,  in that picture.  “Social and Content have to work together in order for you to be successful….you can’t have success with Content without a robust presence in the social media space and….understanding the role that fresh,  relevant Content and social media channels play.  There is great Content being published on corporate blogs on a daily basis that no one ever sees.”

Next,  choose your delivery system.   Do customers visit your website often?  Then maybe posting a white paper once a month or writing a weekly blog will work for you.   Are customers part of your LinkedIn group,  Facebook fan page,  or do they follow your business on Twitter?  Add those icons to your email signature block and your website to make social media connections that alert customers to your Content an easy process.   A monthly newsletter is another great Content Marketing strategy.  It’s the savviest form of email marketing  (include an opt-out feature).

Fresh and relevant are your operative words,  as Kramer notes.  Volume,  value and variety are your other guideposts.  Brenner says “(Volume)….starts with this notion that you need to be present in our always-on,  always connected world.  The second thing is value.  Your Content has to be good.   I always recommend that brands identify what they want to talk about and then make every effort to produce as much valuable Content around those topics as often as possible.  The final tip is about variety.   People (and search engines)  reward those brands that deliver value in multiple ways,  so think about text-based articles,  videos,  SlideShare presentations,  research reports  (white papers) and all the different things we consume across the digital,  social and mobile web.”

How do you measure ROI and recognize success?  Patel offers 3 specific steps:

  • Track Content views
  • Use Google Analytics (free) to track which types of Content drives visits to your website
  • Measure your search traffic

Patel advises “You have to give it time.  Don’t expect great results in 3 months or 6 months,  but you will see traction.  Within the first 3 months you should see more traffic to your site.   Within a year you should start to see good results and an opportunity to monetize traffic on your site.”  Patel concludes  “Good Content Marketing builds trust.  If someone trusts you,  they are more likely to buy your products and services and more likely to tell their friends and family.”

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving,

Kim

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10 Ways To Reboot Your Email Marketing List

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E-newsletters,  webinars,  Slide Share info-graphics and other email marketing content can go as flat as an open bottle of champagne after a while.  Business in the 21st century is sort of like show business,  folks.  Gypsy Rose Lee said it best,  “You’ve gotta have a gimmick”.  You need to know how to hold your audience.  For that matter,   you’d better know your audience well enough to recognize when they stop paying attention.

Assuming that the content you provide is relevant to potential readers and not just a 3 page sales pitch about you,  wonderful you,  there may eventually be a drop-off in the email open rate.  Attention spans are short and email in-boxes are filled to the brim with all manner of messages.  But you can’t afford to lose control of your “room”,  your list members.  Presumably,  that list is populated with clients,  prospects and referral sources.  They are the life blood of your business.  How do you win them back? Try these tactics:

1.   Examine your stats and identify who is not opening your emails.  Studies show that 60% of email marketing communications are never opened.

2.   Prune the list.  Facing up to audience members who have fallen out of love with you takes courage but like any love affair that’s over,  it is best to move on.  Resolve to remove the non-readers.  Carol Tice, who founded the Freelance Writer’s Den and maintains a formidable email list,  sends her non-readers an email and asks if they would like to remain on the list.  The overwhelming majority do not respond and their names are removed.  A handful ask to continue.  You will feel better when you do the purge.  You’ll have an open rate that makes you smile.  You will know that the creative energy and hard work invested in your content marketing will be appreciated.

3.   Ask list members to update their email information.  Your open rate could improve just by allowing readers to have communications sent to an alternate email address.  Those who don’t respond after a second or third reminder to update their info are clearly not interested and can be removed from the list.

4.   To maintain the interest of readers who remain,  especially if your open rate is dropping,  take a look at your subject line.  A well-written subject line is a siren song to potential readers.  See  headline hooks that reel in readers

5.   Include a tempting call to action and name it in the subject line.   A Survey,  free webinar (hosted by you or someone whose expertise you trust),  or a white paper on a subject of interest to your readers re-establishes your relevance and will persuade a certain percentage of non-readers and infrequent readers to click and engage.

6.   Think mobile.  In July 2014,  Forrester Research reported that 42% of emails from B2C retailers are opened on smartphones and 17% are opened on tablets.  Customize your email communications for responsive design,  so that reading will be easy on mobile devices.  Make it convenient for all potential readers to open your communications.

7.   Send on a regular schedule.  Frequent readers of this blog know that Tuesday is publish day,  even if Christmas or the 4th of July fall on that day of the week.  You may prefer to publish on a given date.   Whatever you do,  establish and adhere to a predictable publishing schedule.  Readers appreciate it more than you may realize.  Make readers anticipate receiving and reading your communications.

8.   Build your list.  Organically and with permission,  build your email marketing list.  You should have met each person on your list at least once.   At the email campaign launch,  send to all business contacts along with an introductory message that announces the debut,  explains the benefits to readers,  reveals the frequency (weekly or monthly)  and provides an easy and effective opt-out.  Resist the temptation to add to your list the names of everyone who hands you a business card.  When speaking with people,  do mention your email marketing campaign,  give examples of the subjects covered and how often you send.  Ask if they would like to receive at least one and let them know that if they choose to opt out,  that can be easily and quickly done.

9.   Personalize.  Whatever service sends out your emails should include a greeting to the individual recipient.

10.  Sign me up!  On your website and social media,  allow interested parties to sign up to receive selected email marketing communications,  register for webinars or receive a copy of any white papers.

Content marketing is the new advertising and emailing your content is the best way to reach clients and prospects who no longer answer the phone.  Create a viable list by continually adding and purging members to enable your campaigns to deliver optimal ROI.  Draw in readers with relevant content and intriguing subject lines.  Format in responsive design to include those who prefer to read on mobile device.  Fulfill expectations by publishing on a regular schedule.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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The Buying Process Is In Effect

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In 2012,  the global research and advisory firm Forrester Research reported that clients are as totally in the driver’s seat as we all knew anecdotally and that product and service providers have much less influence over purchasing behaviors than we enjoyed a decade or two ago.  We have left the era of the sales process and entered the realm of the buying process.  It is time to readjust your approach to marketing and sales in response to the new reality,  because what was will never be again.  Our clients are making decisions largely without our input.  Many sales professionals and consulting specialists aim to present ourselves as  “trusted advisers”  who guide the sales process and influence customer choices,  ideally for the good.  Say goodbye to all that.

According to the Forrester report,  clients now discuss product and service needs and options with their own team of trusted advisers,  which may include unknown third-party  “experts”  they find on websites like Yelp and Angie’s List.  How far along in the buying process that clients proceed without us varies by industry,  but the report indicates that 65% -90%  of the research process is often completed without assistance from sales professionals or consulting service providers.  By the time the client is ready to make a purchase,  much up-front research has usually been done and only vendor price quotes are needed.

Clients like the control of being in the driver’s seat.  A mistrust of sales practices perceived as unsavory,  combined with access to technologies that allow clients to rather easily research product and service needs once they’ve been identified,  are the driving forces behind the client independence.  Many are leery of being manipulated into paying for upgrades and add-ons that do nothing for their objectives.

In the flip from sales process to buying process,  your marketing strategy will become more prominent and your approach to sales will change.  Your marketing must first create visibility and awareness,  so that prospective clients will find your firm’s offerings and second,  create and sustain demand through exquisitely targeted messages and narratives dispensed through channels that clients trust and follow.  Content marketing will continue to grow in influence as it is distributed through your website and all social media outlets that clients trust.

Develop your content marketing to explore and discuss motivating factors that compel prospective clients to research your products and services,  solutions that you provide and benefits that clients receive,  frequently asked questions and how to buy from you.  As has long been said in academic circles,  publish or perish.  When not generating content,  do what you can to get in front of an audience and teach a workshop,  moderate a panel,  or give a presentation and further your brand as a source of expertise.  Remember also that traditional media outlets may still be important to your clients,  so the art of the press release should not be forgotten.

Whither the role of sales?  Rather than being reduced to mere order takers,  consulting service providers and sales professionals will apply their well-honed communications expertise to identifying networking opportunities and building relationships.  Content is king and having lots of good things that demonstrate your expertise come up in a search is a wonderful thing,  but in my town,  no one hires anyone that they don’t know.  If a prospect does not already know you,  then an introduction made by someone whom the prospective client trusts is the next best thing.  No amount of artfully written content will convince anyone to hire an unknown.

Networking will be the queen,  as you meet potential clients and referral sources and take the time to build relationships,  taking an interest in others’ concerns and offering to give before you receive.  The B2B buying process is a tall order for a Freelance consultant,  but we are determined to succeed and we will rise to the challenge.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Headline Hooks That Reel In Readers

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Whether you’ve written an email,  blog post,  newsletter,  white paper or press release,  your primary job is to persuade your intended readers to read what you’ve written.  Anyone worth writing for is buried in potential reading material.  Prioritizing and skimming are the norm.  Use yourself as an example.  When sorting through business or personal reading material,  what persuades you to stop and read?  The headline!

The headline is the hook that reels in readers.  Dull headlines do not grab attention.  They do not resonate with or intrigue your intended readers.  They do not communicate the value of the content that you’ve spent time to research and write.  Package and sell your content with a headline that makes your intended readers know that your content,  email or press release contains valuable information.

Headlines alert intended readers to subjects of interest.  Attention-grabbing headlines cause us to read even articles that we may conclude are a waste of time and which we may abandon,  but the subject line was like a siren song to our eyes.  Consider what would be most appealing,  or alarming,  to your intended readers and also descriptive of the content.  The perspective from which you must create your subject line / title is from the intended reader’s ultimate vetting question,  “What’s in it for me”?

The right headline gets you more attention,  more readers,  more buzz and more results.  Keep these headline categories in mind as you create the headline for your next important communication:

I.     How-to headline

Content that instructs and informs will benefit from a headline that motivates intended readers to take action

  • Cold Calling Dos and Don’ts
  • Five Tactics Guaranteed To Make You A Better Networker
  • Headline Hooks That Reel In Readers

II.    Challenge headline

Headlines that pose a question that intended readers are presumed to want answered,  because they likely grapple with the predicament that the content addresses

  • Is Your Business Model Still Relevant?
  • Will Producing Content Take Over Your Life?
  • Would You Like To Scoop Your Biggest Competitor’s Biggest Client?

III.  Targeted headline

Needless to say,  targeting is the basis of marketing and customer outreach and the more specific the headline is to the interests of the intended readers,  the greater the probability that the content will be read

  • Financial Management Tips for the Finance Phobic
  • PR Strategies for Cash-Strapped Start-Ups
  • Teaching Brings Cash and Credibility to Freelance Consultants

IV.   Warning headline 

“Shock and awe”  headlines put intended readers in a head lock and drag them in,  often times even if they would rather not.  Many newspapers and magazines specialize in such headlines

  • What Your Clients Won’t Tell You About Your Sales Pitch
  • Why Your Advertising Budget is Only Money Down the Drain
  • You Can’t Retire On Less Than $2 Million

V.      Story headline

Entice intended readers with a headline hook that communicates the theme of your compelling narrative

  • A Back Bay Grande Dame Celebrates Her 125th Birthday
  • The Client Wore Black
  • From Living in a Car to Living at the Taj: An Uncensored Story of the Entrepreneurial Life

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Compelling Content Drives Inbound Marketing

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Reach out to potential customers by providing content,   the new tactic for advertising and demonstration of expertise,  and persuade those prospects to reach out to your business.  Traditional advertising,   email campaigns and PR,  better known as Outbound Marketing,  reach out to a broad audience that has been vetted for the presence of target customers,  yet still includes many that fall outside of that profile.

Outbound Marketing  “pushes”  information about your company out to an audience that has not necessarily demonstrated an interest in learning about the company and its products and services.  Moreover,  Outbound Marketing assigns to the intended audience a limited role: buy the product or attend the event.  Outbound Marketing usually costs more money than time to create and ROI can be difficult to measure.

Inbound Marketing is well-suited for the digital age and its use has grown tremendously as a result.  Inbound Marketing is driven by content that functions as a  “pull”,  drawing prospective customers who are interested in posted content to read,  learn and perhaps take action.  Inbound Marketing lives on the internet.  Slide Share,  Google +,  LinkedIn,  Twitter,  YouTube,  company websites and other social media platforms receive content and those in search of information choose to visit those sites.

Content production usually costs more time than money to create and ROI is much easier to measure.  Relevant white papers,  useful videos and podcasts,  research results,  surveys and your blog or newsletter form the basis of high-quality content that delivers your message and your professional acumen wrapped in a package that prospects want to open.  Prospects must take an active role and engage with Inbound Marketing content. They initiate and control the interaction.

When planning your Inbound Marketing campaign,  be advised that it is not necessary to either provide a wide variety of content or post content onto numerous venues.  The type of content provided,  frequency of postings and selected platforms will be guided by target market preferences.  Develop Inbound Marketing goals and devise an appropriate campaign strategy.  Brand awareness, customer acquisition / retention and lead generation will no doubt top your list.

Be mindful that Inbound Marketing content is based on giving and not receiving (despite your goals).  Prospective customers are hungry for knowledge and those who provide high-quality content will obtain trust,  respect and top-of-mind status that is reflected when decisions are made to purchase your category of product or service.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Content Marketing Is the New Ad Copy

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Several times this year,   you will be presented with opportunities to advertise your Freelance consulting services in a print or online publication.  You probably belong to at least one professional networking organization,  whether it’s one that caters to peers in your field,  or a local business association.  The organization will have a newsletter and a directory and you will be asked to make the decision about buying an ad.  What should you do?

The answer is to confirm your budget after checking out the rate card and jump on it if you’re able.  Consider the advertising opportunity as an extension of whatever content marketing you produce.  If you don’t write a blog or newsletter,  then ads are  your content marketing and you must make the most of them.

Consider who will see the ad.  If potential clients are members of the organization,  then you definitely want to advertise in newsletter and directory.  Additionally,  there is  a second audience for your advertisement,  the organization big shots.

Placing ads with the newsletter and/or directory of the right organization will cause the big shots to look upon you more favorably.  They will likely reward you with valuable opportunities for exposure.  In exchange for your ad,   you can expect to be invited to moderate or speak on a panel or receive some other showcasing opportunity.  You may even be nominated to become an organization big shot yourself.  It’s a political thing and if you can scrape together the budget,  you are advised to join in.

Frame your approach to the ad in terms of content marketing,  that ubiquitous new term for advertising copy.   Content marketer and ex- advertising executive  Barry Feldman says that first,  determine what potential clients need to know about where and how your services fit into their business needs and then decide what action you want them to take on the road to hiring you to solve those needs.  Those pillars shape your ad copy,  i.e. the content marketing message.

Your content must be compelling,  communicating the story and providing  information that matters to prospective clients,  even if the audience consists of your peers and not prospects.   Peer organization big shots may be good referral sources,  so take the time to produce persuasive content.  Because life has become a barrage of marketing messages emanating from various media,  create content that makes your ad pop.  Spotlight three or four primary services maximum,  so potential clients and referrers will not become confused about what you do.  Hire a graphic artist to design a sleek and eye-catching ad.

Be authoritative,  never arrogant,  and perhaps be  a bit provocative as you concisely describe the challenges that cause clients to hire you and the unfailingly excellent results that you deliver.  Weave in terminology that clients use,  so that content will resonate.  Remember the call to action,  to inspire prospects to call you when in need of your kind of services.   After they’ve read your ad and decided they might want more info,  what do they do? You must tell them.

Maybe they send you an email or give you a call,  which gets a conversation going.   Maybe they go to your website and fill out a short questionnaire to get the ball rolling.  Generating prospective client follow-up,  also known as in-bound marketing,  entices prospects to commit to evaluating the fit between your services and their needs.  Most ad viewers won’t take the plunge,  but if even one does you will be on the road to good ROI for ad dollars spent.  If you get invited to a meeting with your prospect,  you will be 85%  of the way to a contract.

As I’ve said before,  social media gets all the headlines,  but tried and true forms of advertising are still able to deliver results.  Advertisers must approach ad copy as content marketing now and aim to teach as much as sell.   From the Mad Men era to the new millennium,  if you tell the story in a way that grabs prospective clients,  you will get the sale.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Boost Social Media ROI

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Like nearly all Freelance consultants,   I engage in social media  (LinkedIn)  for professional reasons.   I have yet to obtain a client through social media interactions  (my business is nearly 100% referral,  since basically no one hires business strategists or marketing consultants without a personal endorsement),  but I must keep up appearances and so I keep my profile in good shape and post relevant updates to keep things fresh.

The experts say that like all marketing campaigns,  what and how you communicate through social media must appropriately reflect your brand and appeal to current and prospective clients.   To achieve the desired return on investment from social media,   it is imperative to deliver the right message to the right sites.  To accomplish that,  you must know the customer.   Who hires you and what type of social media might they trust and follow?

To help define which social media platforms to focus on,   begin with the age group of your prospects.   Are they under 35 years old? If so,  they are more likely to be very comfortable with a variety of social media.  They’re likely to  own a smart phone,  tablet and laptop.   They may very well create and copiously share online social media content in their personal and professional lives. 

Conversely,   if your typical clients are 40+ years old  (like mine),  they are less likely to be heavily involved in social media and much less likely to create  content.   They may own a smart phone,   are guaranteed to use a computer and may even own a tablet,   but should they decide to share content,   it was most likely created by someone else.  

Social media expert Judith Lewis  says that about 20%  of social media users are High Sharers and about 80%  Low Sharers.  High Sharers are almost three times as likely as Low Sharers to recommend  products or services to those in their network.   Therefore,   it is wise to create content that will appeal to the High Sharers,  who will do some  “e-legwork”  on your behalf and boost your social media ROI. 

Lewis has identified seven types of social media High Sharers and explains how their sharing style can be leveraged to target and engage clients and prospects.   Give the list a read and see how you might tweak your message and perhaps vary the sites you use:

Altruists

Altruists share content out of a desire to help those in their network.  They respond well to appeals made through email and Facebook.  Altruists make up the largest percentage of social media users.

Selectives

This group shares information if they feel it will be useful for a specific individual.  They usually use email to share information.   Selectives comprise the second largest percentage of social media users.

Passionates

Passionates share information with those who share their intense interest in a given topic,  cause,  band,  fashion designer or whatever.  This group uses Facebook most frequently.   Also,  they are big contributors to customer review sites.

Connectors

As their name describes,  this group likes bringing people together to socialize or perhaps do business.   Connectors tend to use several social media sites,  most notably LinkedIn,  Flickr,  Twitter and Facebook.

Trendspotters

This type uses social media sites to show the world that they are on the bleeding edge of the hottest trends.   Trendspotters are compelled to build their credibility and they are busy working many social media platforms.  YouTube,   Foursquare,  Delicious,  Twitter and Facebook are favorites.   Trendspotters can be very useful for B2C  ventures seeking to increase visibility and sales,   especially in fashion,  electronics and baby products.

Provocateurs

Bloggers often fall into this category  (but not your humble diarist).   Provocateurs like to do just that—be controversial,  cheeky and outrageous and get a rise out their readers.  In addition to their blog,  these folks tend to favor YouTube,  Delicious,  Flickr and Twitter.

Careerists

This group will use social media networking almost exclusively for business purposes.   They favor LinkedIn,  but will use Facebook,  Twitter,  YouTube and Facebook as needed,  to effectively share information about their business enterprise or career.

As a postscript,   I will say that I don’t know any Freelancers who have successfully monetized their social media relationships.   From time to time I read and participate in LinkedIn Answers and there are those who swear that they get clients  (whom they have never met)  through LinkedIn.   I have my doubts.   Still,   creating some buzz will never hurt your business.  If you’re able to get on the radar screen of a High Sharer who will post a good recommendation for your services,   at the very least this may help convince someone who is on the fence to go ahead and offer you the contract.

Thanks for reading,

Kim