How We Can Help Brands like Yours Create a Content Marketing Strategy

SEO. Social media. Websites. Blogs. With so many strategies and options available, it can be overwhelming to develop a content marketing strategy. We shared our results earlier this week on how we developed content. This post will show you how I do it for brands such as yours.

We work with brands at all stages of their content marketing journey. We help brands create processes that will allow them to reach customers effectively, from those still learning about content marketing and why it is important to those who have already implemented their campaigns and need guidance.

Quick Takeaways

• 
  Content marketing is a growing trend. Marketers are focused on content marketing that builds brand loyalty.
  
• 
  Content marketers need to focus on solving the problems of their target audience.
  
• 
  Find the right platforms to connect with your audience. Make content that your audience prefers to consume.
  
• 
  Businesses need to realize that their employees are their greatest marketing resource, and find ways to activate them.
  
• 
  Effective content strategies require data, brainstorming and alignment with the customer journey.
  

Content marketing is crucial to brands' survival in today’s economy, as many brands have discovered. According to the Content Marketing Institute's 2022 Budgets, Benchmarks and Trends report, 43% of marketers reported that their company's content marketing budget had increased since 2020.

74% of marketers believe their campaigns are more successful than they were a year ago. 66% expect their content marketing budgets will continue to grow. Respondents stated that the more mature their content marketing is, the greater the chance it will succeed.

Content marketing is not a sprint. We can help you and your brand reach the finish line with loyal customers who have satisfied your needs.

Here's how it works:

1. Content Marketing Objectives

The way we approach marketing has changed over the last decade. Buyers now have complete control over their buying journey. Brands have to provide a seamless and quality experience for their customers. One thing is certain: the goal of content marketing campaigns must be defined.

This step involves an analysis of five aspects within a brand.

1. current audience insights
2. Business case
3. Current state
4. Mission statement
5. Budget

What is the brand's current position? What is our mission statement What are our current customers like? What is our budget?

2. Determining the Target Audience

Understanding buyers is crucial as they are now in complete control of their experience. They have high expectations for brands and want to establish relationships with them.

It includes more than the basic data such as age, gender, race and income.

We always take into account other factors when conducting content marketing workshops for clients. Are they satisfied with their personal and professional lives? What are their current frustrations? Where can they find their information? What are their curiosity about?

Although the list of questions is long, it allows us to begin to create the foundation for a content marketing campaign that will be successful.

3. Publishing content

You will publish content only if you know where your target audience is located.

There is some confusion around platforms. We don't blame you! Millions of people use at least 12 social media platforms. You can also build your hub using a variety of content management systems. It is easy to get lost.

We place the greatest value in the area where brands can control their content. Just look at the content marketing best practices. They are great for content distribution but the constant flux of social media algorithms and user agreement makes them unreliable platforms to develop a content marketing strategy.

4. Content Marketing Workflow

The next step is to determine the best way for us to work together with you and your brand. This includes defining the process we will use to plan, approve, create, and publish your content marketing campaign. This is an easy process for some clients. Some clients have needed additional steps or internal procedures that were not yet defined by law.

5. Editorial Strategy

Once we have a clear understanding of the brand's goals and who their target audience is, we can begin to define the editorial strategy. This includes the identification of content topics, types, and themes. Marketing Insider Group identified four key themes.

• content marketing workshops
• content strategy agency
• Activation of employees
• Content marketing for events

Next, we created topics around these themes such as how or tools to use video in content marketing strategies. The topic will determine how these articles are written. However, the content can include lists, how to articles, infographics, and why posts.

6. Brainstorming

Brainstorming is an important part of creating a content strategy. Our clients work with us to find the best ways to reach their target audience. It can be (and should be) one the most enjoyable parts of the entire process.

Design thinking is a strategy where everyone contributes ideas to the group and then they categorize them.

Analytical types are not to be worried. To brainstorm, we use data-driven techniques.

• Google is the place we first look. It offers suggestions based upon the number of searches made for a particular topic.
• AnswerThePublic is another excellent resource for categorizing the most commonly asked questions about a keyword.
• BuzzSumo allows us to identify the content that is performing well over a certain time period. It allows us to see both our content and that of competitors. We can also search for high-performing content by topic on the platform.

7. Consumer Journey: How Does the Content Fit in?

It will take a different approach to reach a consumer who has not heard of your brand than if they follow you on social media. We work with brands in determining which demographics should be included in the three stages: middle, late, and early.

This stage also affects how often we create or reuse content, and how we reach consumers (blog posts/email, social). We always remember that buyers aren't searching for a specific product. They want to solve a problem.

8. Distribution of Content

There are many platforms that you can choose from for your content marketing campaign: social media, podcast, video and paid advertising. You also have the option to activate employees through harnessing employee activation. We work closely with clients to determine the best tactics for achieving their goals.

Brands we work with are encouraged to think within when choosing the best way to promote digital content. The strongest marketing tactic is on the payroll: employees. Employees can share content from their employers up to 8x more often and 14x more brand awareness than content that is brand-exclusive.

9. Content Marketing Measurement

According to research, 100 pieces of content are produced for each buyer. This makes measurement an important component of content marketing strategies and will likely be the most relevant to your CEO.

We help brands identify the metrics that need to be tracked based on their goals and buyer stages early in the process and give them a dashboard to keep track. Although our reporting schedule is flexible, it is designed to optimize a brand's content marketing campaign.

Make your brand stand out with your content

Content marketing is essential for distinguishing your brand, positioning you as a thought leader and positioning your company in the industry. It can be difficult to keep your ideas current, especially when your competition is also creating content.

You can also bet your competitors will soon be following you if you create something new and interesting. These are some tips to differentiate your brand through content marketing.

1. Strategically Position Yourself

You must be different from your competitors by using your content and expressing your unique viewpoint.

You must first know your market and key content marketing trends within your industry before you can position your brand in a positive light. Also, do some research about your competitors to see what they are doing.

Find out which creative direction is being pursued by the competition. You can see what kind of tone they prefer and what aesthetics they use. You can get an idea of their tone and aesthetics by looking at their logo, mascots and even the colors they choose.

• What themes are they using?
• What message are they trying to convey?
• Which campaigns are they running and what kind?

You must know your target audience if you want to be different. Your brand should be unique to fill a niche. You can take what your competitors do and make it better or add a new spin.

2. Customers Experience is the main focus

Your brand's customer experience can make a significant difference. Instead of thinking that there is one perfect customer experience, you should try to find out what your customers want. Revieweal's content marketer Jerry Estes says that different customers choose to use different brands for the unique experience they get.

Your brand positioning should be reflected in the experience. It should also reflect your personality.

3. High Quality Content

There are many ways to produce quality content that your customers will love. A good place to start is to determine your niche. Consider an area that is untapped and hungry for content. If you can appeal to a niche that is not being covered by other brands, you can build a loyal following.

A good idea is to focus your primary goal on educating and informing people. Learn what customers are most interested in and then create content to address those questions. You can use forums and blogs to discover the most popular topics when people search your brand or industry. Then, create content based on this information.

4. A long-term growth strategy is important

Fads can change, but they shouldn't dictate how you plan your strategy. Long-term growth should not be the focus of your strategy.

The internet is very fast-paced and has a short attention span. Your brand will quickly lose touch if you try to incorporate this week's sensations into your strategy.

"Thinking long-term is key to seeing how far you can expand your boundaries. You should look for opportunities to expand your reach and grow in new areas within your own sphere. Keep in mind that expanding doesn't mean you are changing your brand's message or positioning," Doris Tanguay (ecommerce content writer at Essay Service) says.

5. You can improve your content writing skills by using online resources

Many people are great at creating content but have trouble writing compelling copy. There are many online resources that will teach you how to write like an expert.

These are some great ones to start with:

• Studydemic/Academadvisor
  
  These resources will help you improve your grammar skills. Bad grammar can be a big problem for your brand and you could really damage yourself.
• Assignment Writing Service / Essayroo
  
  These online tools will ensure flawless content copy. A single typo can make you appear like an amateur.
• StudentWritingServices
  
  A guide makes it so much easier to write. This guide will help you navigate the writing process from beginning to end.
• UKWritings / BoomEssays
  
  Editing can be tedious and not everyone enjoys it. However, these resources will make editing easier and more enjoyable.

6. Segment and Distribute

Many brands have trouble segmenting their audiences based on their wants and needs. It's important to think about the journey of each group when segmenting your audience. This includes engagement, conversion, loyalty, and awareness.

Segment your content according to pricing, customer service, product lines, or services. You should also consider your geographic location and relevance when segmenting.

Differentiation can have a negative impact on both your short-term profits and your long-term viability. Your brand will not be remembered if you are just another less interesting person. You need to be able to clearly position yourself and stay on top of similar brands' activities so you can find unique angles to work with.

The Best Brands With Great Content Strategy

It seems that every brand has its own publishing house, with a content marketing strategy. This is due to the success of content marketing and its explosion. They create content for specific websites to reach their target audience, convert visitors, increase exposure and establish themselves as experts in their fields.

Branded content, however, isn't always the best. Some brands don't appeal to their customers, while others reuse articles, photos and videos rather than creating original pieces. Others are pushy in trying to sell their products.

You should do your research on the top-of-the-best brands to learn how you can start your own content website. Five of them, including IBM, GE and Williams-Sonoma, spoke about their websites and how they consistently produce great content.

These content creators talk about their content marketing strategies, methodologies, and goals when it comes building a brand-new content site.

IBM: Creating a real-time content desk

Tami Cannizzaro, a designer of a real-time content desk at IBM in 2014, has this to say about branding content and messaging: "I don’t think I’ll get too many views contrary to what I say that effective marketing is becoming harder every day. People seem to be allergic to any type of selling. Banner ads are wallpaper that has a very low conversion rate of.1%. The DVR has virtually eliminated television ads. Text ads can be a brand killer if they aren't pushed at the point of sale when the discount coffee is still hot. I could go on.

What can you do to make your brand part of a welcoming conversation? Marketing is about creating relevance and utility for your brand. Social media is often the first step in a conversation, and should be integrated into the brand experience. Tami and her team at IBM created a real-time content department. This system has a profound impact on how we create and distribute brand content.

There are five main stages. Here's how to build one.

Monday – The Beat Box Find the most relevant conversations and ask what's going on in the world. You can use social listening tools to find the most recent topics. Sparks & Honey is a great agency to tap into important cultural trends. The agency provides a daily report that covers current world events, consumer trends, and general cultural shifts. Create themes that are in line with the areas of market interest.

Tuesday Editorial Sync: Determine what content your audience wants to consume and how. A seasoned PR professional working with your marketing team can help you to guide and direct this process. You might use this example to illustrate how your software can help you identify the right candidate for election. Or, it could be Valentine's Day when you're selling expensive gifts for your loved ones.

Wednesday: The Angle: Brainstorm about the content to be produced. Ogilvy & Mather is a content strategy and creative agency that supports the desk. They help to create both short and long-form content. SlideShare that is filled with facts, and ties in to a upcoming holiday.

Thursday – The Deadline: Plan how to deploy content across brand properties. Plan how paid, owned, or earned media will increase the content's visibility. Retargeting and other technologies can be used to help consumers move down the funnel.

Friday – The Analytics: Do a weekly evaluation of winners and losers. What content types are consumers sharing and engaging with? It is crucial to understand which themes and content types are most successful for increasing brand engagement.

IBM's real-time content desk made it easier to create content that resonates. This desk's nirvana is "news jacking" conversations. It can push a SlideShare into another conference stream, or be the top tweet that goes viral at a major world event.

As consumers, we hate being sold. We marketers know that we must sell. To be heard by consumers, brands must align with people's perceptions of the world in order to find the right way to connect. This engagement can be achieved by using a content engine such as IBM's.

Casper: Rather than focusing on conversion, focus on awareness

Casper is a startup which sells "outrageously comfortable" mattresses directly to consumers, eliminating the need for commissions.

The brand's launch in April 2014 has seen rapid growth. It generated $30 million in revenue in a period of 10 months and expanded its staff from five to hundreds.

Casper has been able to power an on-brand, off-domain blog. However, in June 2015, Casper made an unexpected move and launched Van Winkle's, an independent editorial venture.

Quality Journalism Examining All Aspects Of Sleep

Casper announced Van Winkle's on its blog. It is an independent editorial venture that is staffed with an award-winning team. Van Winkle's original stories and features explore all aspects sleep, science-wise as well as pop culture.

Luke Sherwin is Casper's co-founder. He explains that the site will publish "weekly, in-depth features," "hard-hitting investigative articles, columns and explainers" and will also report on cultural issues and topics "through a lens grounded n rest and wakefulness, such as the societal implications and experimental interrogation techniques or the limitations to quantification."

This brand clearly puts quality content as its top priority. It has hired experienced journalists from Maxim Magazine, Travel + Leisure and Men's Journal. Elizabeth Spiers, a former editor-in-chief of The New York Observer as well as a founder editor of Gawker, will lead the team.

An Independent Venture

We've seen content marketing initiatives without branding before (e.g. L'Oreal's Makeup.com). However, it's usually a move by brands that a. are trying not to be associated with a negative brand perception; b. are trying to repair customer trust issues or c. have a number of brands all rolled up under the same parent company. Casper is not one of these.

It seems that the purpose of the site was to fill a journalistic need in an area of interest. Casper is not just a mattress seller, but a lifestyle brand. This comes at a time in which people are more concerned about work-life balance. They are also wearing fitness bands to monitor their sleep and activity. Casper seemed to be the only one who could fill this void.

Van Winkle's is supported by Casper but retains its autonomy in branding, online identity, and budget. This site is not intended to be used as a marketing tool or to drive traffic towards the Casper website. It's not even part of Casper’s marketing budget. Van Winkle's does not indicate any association with Casper. The only exception is a small disclaimer at footer.

Van Winkle's online identity is also separate with independent social accounts and an unassociated URL (vanwinkles.com instead of something like casper.com/vanwinkles). It's also interesting to note that Van Winkle's online identity is separate with independent social accounts and an unassociated URL (vanwinkles.com instead of something like casper.com/vanwinkles). It will not contain shoppable or e-commerce links. Most brands who choose an unbranded strategy will still have shoppable hyperlinks scattered throughout their content.

Although still in its infancy the site has generated a lot of buzz and been featured by Wall Street Journal as well as the New York Business Journal. Van Winkle's site is an interesting experiment, which will be fascinating to see and influence the content marketing strategies of other brands at a time where content is the "in-vogue" strategy.

The Strategy

Jeff Koyen, Van Winkle's editor in chief, does not consider himself a marketer. He is a journalist who manages freelance journalists. They are just like traditional journalists, and they want to tell great stories and increase awareness about specific issues. Koyen sees sleep as the issue.

He stated, "We aren't converting people to Casper.com. That is what makes Van Winkles unique." "We don't measure ourselves by mattress sales or conversions."

Our goal is to create a new vertical called sleep and to get "more eyes on Van Winkle’s." Casper will be able to benefit if we create the sleep category. They will make people say, "Gee, we have a better mattress." It is my job to raise cultural awareness. While my competitors might also benefit, it is ultimately up to Casper's position to be there for customers when they want to purchase.

What is it that Koyen has found his readers most interested in when they talk about sleep? He says, "Not surprisingly," posts about boners do well. I did one about morning erections. Another is about how to clean your sheets. These two posts were shared far and wide on social media.

Koyen advises other brands who want to launch their own brand content websites: Don't be too cautious. He says, "It takes courage to let an editorial entity run and launch on its own." Most people think that someone from the brand side will blink and tell them, "I don't know whether this story is appropriate for the brand." They might overthink it. You need to be bold and trust your editor if you want it to be published. Don't try to sell Red Bull or convert eyeballs. You need to find the right editors to do real journalism at a higher level and ensure they are honest with themselves.

Why It Works

There will undoubtedly be many people who are skeptical and pessimistic about this potentially risky venture. However, there are several elements in the site's strategy which have made it a strong contender for success. The site's first advantage is that it has a team of experienced journalists who are skilled at creating compelling content. They are able to deliver on the high standards they set, regardless of what topics they cover.

The site's broad topic on "sleep", which is a broad topic, has an impact on all aspects of our lives. Because sleep can be integrated into almost anything, they have given themselves the freedom to write about subjects that are truly interesting. They won't be writing boring stories just because they fit in with the overall theme of the site six months from now.

The unbranded strategy is third and fits perfectly with Casper’s mission. Casper's direct to consumer business model benefits consumers by removing inflated prices. A business built around the benefit of the end customer has an advantage over other businesses. This will help you build a trustworthy and honest brand image. This positive perception is further enhanced by the launch of an unbranded editorial website, full of amazing content and without a direct strategy for driving e-commerce.

The executive team is realistic, open, and ready for adaptation. Sherwin doesn't expect the site will be a place that people visit every day. The goal is to create valuable, interesting content that will be shared.

Sherwin says, "We live today in a world where being the destination site is not always the primary goal for all content sites." Philip Krim, Casper's CEO is aware of the risks and will alter the strategy if necessary. He explained, "If it's not well received, we'll need to reevaluate. But if we succeed in creating amazing content, then I think that we'll be able to have an interesting standalone company here."

Barneys: Provide exclusive content

Your brand has unique access to people and information that other brands do not have. The staff at Barneys' branded content website, The Window, know this.

Marissa Rosenblum, editorial director, says interviews with Barneys' designers are the best content on the site. She also mentions "things that you can only get by visiting The Window," as she describes the best content. This is due to the exclusive access we have at Barneys. The exclusive collaborations that we have with Barneys are not available elsewhere.

This kind of original content is available at The Window in a variety of formats, including written pieces about designers and photos from Barneys' photo shoots as well as videos from their runway shows.

Rosenblum says that brands must stick to the old advice of writing what they are experts in order to be successful. Tell the stories that you are an expert in, and people will be interested in your brand's point-of-view. They are interested in our opinions on emerging designers, fashion, style, and other topics. Although we are still trying to sell them something it doesn't change that fact that they respect and value our viewpoint."

Williams-Sonoma: We want to attract repeat visitors

Success is not measured by the number of visitors to your brand content website. Your brand's success depends on loyal customers who return time and again.

Merritt Watts is the senior content manager at Williams-Sonoma. She says they want people to return to their website Williams-Sonoma Taste for more content. "Return visitors are a sign that we are truly connecting with customers. Although they may not purchase every time they visit the blog they will be returning to a trusted site that has already taught them how to cook, inspired them to host memorable holidays brunches, and suggested some Austin restaurants for them to try. This is the type of long-term success that we want."

Watts and her team, which includes freelance and in-house writers, create content that is valuable to customers in order to encourage them to return. She says, "Our primary target is the home chef." They don't need to be able to cook a souffle or sous vide (though many of our customers are able to do so). (editors note: Seamless? They are not! But they are people who love to be inspired and who enjoy getting their kitchens messy and setting up a table for family and friends with a delicious meal.

Recent pieces include how to plan a spicy cookout and how to make ice cream sandwiches.

GE Reports: Get the scoop

Tomas Kellner, GE Reports' Managing Editor (read a complete interview with him here), stated that the brand wanted to tell its own stories and appeal to a broad audience. They also wanted influencers to see them as more that an appliance company.

They report on technological innovations to do this. They research the most recent information on subjects like 3D printing and medicine, science and technology. Then they hope to have it distributed by other publishers such as Gizmodo or Fortune which have large readerships.

Kellner says, "With one our stories about 3D printed jet engines we got hundreds and thousands of views, and it was picked up by other websites, which generated a large universe of impressions." "Ultimately, impressions are more important than traffic to the site," Kellner says.

Kellner has easy access to the stories of innovation because GE makes technology. He then looks at the stories that he believes would be popular with his readers and assigns them to them. He says, "If I try to sell to readers, they're just gonna walk away." You must be honest and truthful, as well as informative, current, and useful.

How can we help your brand succeed in content marketing?

As much as I've helped brands develop successful content marketing campaigns I also enjoy the discovery phase because I get to learn something. We can help brands succeed, no matter what the challenge is.

Are you curious about how we could work together? Get in touch with us today!