Looking for a new and better approach to content marketing? We’ve got a big idea we’d like to share with you. The current approach to content marketing isn’t really working for anyone - surveys say that the vast majority of B2B marketers struggle to produce enough high-quality content. We think there’s a different way to monetize content, and we call it “Blockbuster Marketing.” It’s a content strategy that imitates Hollywood’s business model, relying on a single, heavyweight franchise that can be distributed year after year to build brand and drive leads. We’ll cover: - Why marketers should imitate Hollywood instead of newspapers - How to build a B2B Blockbuster using our creative best practices - How to distribute and measure a B2B Blockbuster to drive ROI

1. The Rise of The
B2B BLOCKBUSTER

2. Let’s start by talking about the
true value of thought leadership

3. B2B Buyers Are Scared
B2B is not “rational,” it’s even more emotional than B2C
Jon Miller
CEO & Co-Founder at Engagio,
previously Co-Founder at Marketo
“It’s not a big deal if you
buy the wrong can of soda.”
Don Draper
Creative Director at Sterling Cooper,
fictional character on Mad Men
“Nobody ever got fired
for buying IBM.”

4. …believe it increased trust
in the organization
82%
Business
Decision Makers
81%
C-Suite
Executives
…believe it builds trust in our
organization among potential clients
49%
Thought Leadership “De-Risks” The Buying Process
It establishes trust, which leads directly to sales
…believe it gets them more RFPs
17%
…believe it invites the organization
to propose on a project
37%
Business
Decision Makers
41%
C-Suite
Executives
Among Creators of Thought Leadership… Among Decision Makers…

5. But the current approach to
thought leadership is broken

6. Marketers Are Trying To Imitate Newspapers
Articles are hard to monetize--- journalism is a tough business

7. We believe there’s a better
marketing model for B2B

8. We call it…
Blockbuster Marketing

9. S U M M E R
2 0 1 5
FA L L
2 0 1 5
W I N T E R
2 0 1 5
S P R I N G
2 0 1 6
S U M M E R
2 0 1 6
FA L L
2 0 1 6
W I N T E R
2 0 1 6
S P R I N G
2 0 1 7
S U M M E R
2 0 1 7
Hollywood Is Much Better At Monetizing Content
Disney is the first studio to make $6B, by focusing on “familiarity”

10. A B2B Blockbuster Monetizes A Brand’s Expertise
Familiar IP assets that get extended into many digital channels/formats

11. This Lenovo Blockbuster Drove $118M In Sales
And turned Lenovo into an authority on Enterprise IT
Results
• $118MM generated in sales over first 13 months.
• 4.5k SQLs generated per month.
• 14.6k uniques per month.
Highlights
• Winner 2016 – CMI’s Content Marketing Program ROI/Program Measurement.
• Nominee 2016 – CMA’s Best Annual Content Strategy & Best Distribution.

12. Blockbusters
solve many
marketer’s
biggest
problems
1 They’re Easier: You’re focusing on fewer things
2 They’re Higher Quality: Fewer things can be done better
3 They’re More Effective: Better things breakthrough
4 They’re Sustainable: You can market them year after year

13. That’s why we’re investing in
“Blockbusters-As-A-Service”

14. M E A S U R E M E N T
D I S T R I B U T I O N
C R E A T I V E
A U D I E N C E
We Can Help Your Clients Build B2B Blockbusters
A full-service solution that allows clients to own key business topics

15. Audience Insights1

16. First, We Analyze Buyer’s Topical Interests
Leveraging LinkedIn + client data to guide content development
Offshore Drilling
Climate Change
Reserves
Energy Efficieny
Energy Conservation
Renewable Energy
Sustainable Energy
Smart Metering
Smart Grid
Energy Audits
Oil & Energy Engagement
Clicks + Likes + Comments + Shares

17. Then We Determine Which Topics Are Ownable
By benchmarking clients’ SOV against the competitive set
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
ShareofUSEngagement
Professional Development All
EngagementIndex
Brands in this category attract significant
engagement but are underrepresented in
the marketplace – generating greater brand
awareness and advocacy makes them a
serious threat to competitors.
Quiet Threats
High engagement and topic ownership
means brands in this category are
natural thought leaders.
Thought Leaders
With little engagement and little topic
ownership, these brands do not represent
a significant threat to others.
Laggards
These brands attract significant mindshare
without much engagement – they’re
crowding the marketplace with noise
and should focus on building greater
engagement with key audiences.
Noisemakers
Ownership of Topic Index

18. Creative Strategy2

19. Your Blockbuster Should Follow This Framework
It connects content strategy to business strategy
MISSION
BUSINESS LINE
BLOCKBUSTER
1
Formulaic
Structures
2
Touch
Points
3
Brand
Characters
4
Social
First
B2B MARKETING
SOPHISTICATED
GU ID E
?
?
SUCCESS ?
?

20. You Can Create 100+ Assets With Minimal Work
The same core IP gets re-used in a variety of formats and channels
2 Slideshares
6 Infographics
6 Blog Posts
1 Interactive Tool
One eBook 100+
LinkedIn Ads

21. 1. The Blockbuster Has A Formulaic Structure
Choose from a finite number of successful brand narratives
7 Basic Storytelling Plots
1. Overcoming the monster—Jaws
2. Rags to riches—Rocky (the original)
3. The quest—Star Wars
4. Voyage and return—Finding Nemo
5. Comedy—Annie Hall
6. Tragedy—Titanic
7. Rebirth—The Shawshank Redemption
7 Basic Plots in B2B
1. How-To Guide/Definitive Guide to [Your Take]
2. The State of [Industry Take]
3. The Annual Plan
4. The Trends Report
5. The Future of
6. The User Journey/Case Study [Client Take]
7. The Beginner’s Guide

22. 2. The Blockbuster Will Be Designed For Social First
Insights must come to life in the feed, not on a site or in a PDF

23. 3. The Blockbusters Will Enable Touchpoint Consistency
A unified experience across all channels improves recall + consideration

24. 4. The Blockbuster Will Feature Brand Characters
People trust people more than faceless corporations
48
Job Views
96
Profile Views
48
Company
Page Views
32
New
Connections
16
Company Page
Followers
100
Employee
Shares

25. Distribution Tactics3

26. To Drive ROI, Test Our Newest Products
Using 1st Party data to guide audiences through the buying journey
MQLNO YES REVENUESALESNURTURE
NO
BLOCKBUSTER

27. We Leverage Data Throughout To Reach Your Audience
Refining the parameters over time based on performance
19 MM
SMBs
10 M
SMB Managers+
5MM
SMB IT Committee

28. Top-Funnel > Drive Awareness Of Your Clients’ Expertise
Direct audiences to the central thought-leadership asset
NEW SFEED
PROGRAMMATIC
LI OFF NETW ORK
CAROUSEL ADS
Autofill LP
1-Click Lead Gen

29. Let Me Tell You A Bit More About 1-Click Lead Gen
It’s a new product that capitalizes on “Social First” dynamics

30. ▪ Capture up to 7 fields
▪ Recommend 3-4 at most
▪ Fields pre-filled with data
▪ All fields “required”
▪ User can edit fields
It’s A Fully Customizable Lead Capture Solution
But best practices have started to emerge

31. Bottom-Funnel > Drive Sales Of Your Clients’ Products
Once audiences are exposed to central asset, push products messaging
NEW SFEED
RETARGETING
CRM MATCH
PRODUCT PAGE
CONVERSION PIXEL

32. Holistic Measurement4

33. Measure Quality Reach With Audience Validation
Did our blockbuster reach our most valuable buyers?
$17.19
$39.04
$45.30
$78.33
$82.83
$92.25
$113.78
LinkedIn (A) DSP (B) Publisher (C) Publisher (D) Network (E) Network (F) Publisher
Effective Cost per Supervisor + SMB Impression

34. Measure Quality Impact With Brand Research
Did our blockbuster establish our brand as an expert on this topic?

35. Measure Quality Sales With Closed-Loop Attribution
How much revenue did our blockbuster-acquired leads drive?
01
02
03
04
Marketing
Qualified Lead
Sales
Qualified Lead
Cost Per Lead
Revenue

36. So, wrapping up…

37. We Can Do All The Work Required To Build A Blockbuster
The services are added value, but the media is not
AUDIENCE
• Insights Tag
• Trending Content
• Topical Ownership
CREATIVE
• Blockbuster
• Previews
• Brand Characters
DISTRIBUTION
• Sponsored Content
• inMail
• Programmatic
MEASUREMENT
• Validation Study
• Brand Study
• Closed Loop Attribution

39. Appendix

40. This Is How You Build A Blockbuster
It’s simple on the surface, but complex behind the scenes
BUSINESS LINE
BLOCKBUSTER
AUDIENCE
1.
Original
Insights
2.
Touch
Points
3.
Brand
Characters
4.
Social
First
CREATIVE DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENT
BU YER
ID ENTIFICATION
TOPICAL AN ALYSIS
1.
Native
Formats
2.
Targeted
Reach
3.
Always
On
4.
60/40
Rule
1.
Qualified
Reach
2.
Qualified
Impact
3.
Qualified Sales