Detailed introduction to content marketing strategy for small businesses and non-profits. It includes a step-by-step plan and practical tips to help small business owners/marketing manager create and execute a feasible, sustainable content marketing strategy. Presentation prepared for the Chicago Web Weekend Expo (Jan. 11-12, 2014)

1. A step-by-step plan
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2. ž Anything
that provides information, education,
or entertainment
ž Must
ž Must
relate to your business goals
address a customer need, question, or
desire

4. If you don’t have relevant findable content online,
you are not part of the customer’s decision-making
process.
YOU
Basically, in this day and age, you don’t exist.

5. ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
ž
Brand distinction and storytelling
Visibility
Learning about your customers
Thought leadership, authority, credibility
Audience engagement
Relationship building
Lead generation
Lead conversion
Word of mouth
Selling (and upselling)!!!

6. PART I: PLAN YOUR STRATEGY

7. Determine your business goals

8. ž
Don’t just think in terms of sales! It’s a layered,
gradual process…
ž
Identify measurable goals
ž
Don’t overwork yourself with too many goals

9. Get clear about:
who you are,
your competitive strengths,
and the overall message
your content should focus
on

11. Create profiles for your customers

13. ž
Be as specific as possible
ž
1 profile for every type of customer
ž
Write the profile in first person from the customer’s
point of view
ž
Be realistic about what your company is for them (you
can say what it is now and what you want it to
eventually be – change of perception as the
relationship grows)

14. Identify the most feasible online channels for
content distribution

15. ž
Be realistic about what you can do (based on budget,
time, comfort level with platform)
ž
Don’t try to do too much too soon
ž
Choose channels that fit your business goals
ž
Choose channels that fit your audience

16. Map content topics to customers and stages
in the sales cycle
Awareness
Research
Vendor
comparison
Purchase
Customer A
Customer B
Customer C
Customer D
CONTENT MAPPING GRID
Support
Relationship
assessment

17. ž
Think which stages you need to work on the most,
based on your goals; then make those your priority
ž
Address the customer’s feelings, not just rational
arguments
ž
Come up with at least 2 topics for each stage
ž
Go back to your customers’ profiles for inspiration and
guidance
ž
Is the topic educational, informational, or
entertaining? Ease foot of the promotion pedal, even
for Vendor Comparison stage

18. Do an inventory of existing content
Yes, you do have content you are sitting on!!

19. ž
How can the content be re-worked, broken up or
pieced together with other content to fit your needs?
ž
Where does it fit into the Content Map?
ž
What channel can it be re-worked for?
ž
Look at the competition: what are they doing that you
can do better/put your own spin on? What are they
missing?

20. Create an editorial calendar
Yep, you’ve got to think like a publisher!

22. ž
Make sure you address every part of the Content Map, keeping your
goals in mind
ž
Research on relevant keywords can help you figure out topics to
address
ž
Don’t try to do too much
ž
Think quality over quantity
ž
Plan 4-6 months ahead
ž
Be flexible with topics, not with date
ž
Think seasonality or specific time periods relevant to your business

23. Create a list of relevant keywords to use in
your content for SEO

24. ž Use
the Google search bar and see which
suggestions it shows when you start typing
keywords
ž Use
Google Adwords to see what people actually
search for
ž The
earlier in the buying cycle, the less
knowledgeable the customer, the simpler, more
generic and less accurate the keywords they use

25. PART II: EXECUTE THE STRATEGY

26. Produce the content, optimizing for SEO

27. ž
Educate and inform; don’t “sell”
ž
Relevance and focus: Every piece should answer 1 question in
your customer’s mind
ž
Invite feedback and more questions
ž
Find a unique angle to address content areas
ž
Don’t forget the power of images!
ž
Include links to relevant pages of your website
ž
Facilitate social sharing of your content

28. Include calls-to-action based on your goals

29. ž Don’t
assume the audience knows what to do
next: spell it out clearly
ž Even
if you just want them to comment or share
the content with others, say so!
ž Don’t
overwhelm them with calls-to-action. Pick
one per piece of content
ž Don’t
be vague

30. Promote the content

31. ž Share
ž Ask
it on social media channels
loyal customers to share it
ž E-mail
targeting: deliver based on interests
ž Send
it as suggestion to contacts you are
nurturing
ž Comment
or guest blog on other blogs and
include links to your relevant content

32. Identify at least 1 way to repurpose each
piece of content

33. ž
How can each piece of content re-worked for other
channels you are focusing on?
ž
Break longer pieces of content into smaller bits
ž
Assemble shorter pieces of content into a longer
piece
ž
Don’t just “copy and paste”: put a new spin on things
ž
Create recap list that feed from previous content

34. PART III: ANALYZE AND IMPROVE

35. Analyze your content performance through
analytics

36. ž Don’t
panic if you don’t see great short-term
results: it’s a marathon, not a sprint
ž Make
sure you focus on data that relate to your
business goals
ž Don’t
ž Look
check analytics every day
for patterns building over time
ž Don’t
get discouraged

37. Revise your strategy accordingly

38. ž Be
patient and give yourself time to collect
enough data
ž Don’t
be stubborn either…
ž Make
little revisions and see what changes
ž Think
of it as a continuous tweaking process

39. www.symphonic-communications.com
valeria@symphonic-communications.com
Symphonic Communications!
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