21 Key Considerations When Developing a Content Management Strategy

Transcription

1 How to Integrate Content Marketing Into Your Communications Strategy Steve Halsey Principal Managing Director, Business Consulting 1

2 It s all about strategy Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. Sun Tzu, The Art of War 2

3 Where to start Defining the fundamentals of a business strategy starts with answering three key questions: 1. Who is the target customer? 2. What is the value proposition to that customer? 3. What are the essential capabilities needed to deliver that value proposition? Source: Ken Favaro, with Kasturi Rangan and Evan Hirsh, strategy+ business, Summer

4 Key considerations when developing strategy A strategy is essentially a road map for achieving one or more organizational goals, so make it actionable and measurable Focus the strategy on the longer term, not the routine No one gives you market share for free, so anticipate and plan for likely customer and competitor behaviors Be prepared to deal with unforeseen events, because they will happen for the good and bad 4

5 So what are the implications of the business strategy on the content marketing strategy? 5

6 B2C executives want to drive business value 6

7 B2B professionals want engagement 7

8 A look at metrics Linear those things that tie nicely into the sales funnel Visits, page views, time on site, time on page, link love, goal completion, etc. Nonlinear those things that are not so easy to quantify Employee engagement, customer loyalty, brand preference, etc. 8

9 What is more important, linear or non-linear metrics? It all depends what your senior leadership values and can make decisions on 9

10 If you don t know your business goals, how can you create meaningful content management metrics that measure toward them? Beware the folly of make-me-look-smart and overreach metrics. Remember that the most meaningful metrics are the ones that foster better decision making. 10

11 Thinking about ROI But, there are many different definitions and calculations of ROI 11

12 How to structure, manage and assign content marketing responsibilities What is your situation? 12

13 The Lone Wolf: Managing Yourself Lean, mean and stressed Don t fall prey to the ping pong syndrome Identify key players and assign content deadlines to them. Hold them accountable and teach them how to flag and curate for you. Focus on the highest value, highest impact activities Do a few focused things right and create demand for your services Leverage that demand for added resources 13

14 The Three Musketeers: Managing a mid-sized team Ideal structure includes: Team lead who is: Responsible for managing the overall content strategy and adjusting the strategy based on company, marketplace and competitive factors. Able to keep an eye on the prize. It s too easy in the day-to-day to lose focus on the purpose/direction Effectively advocate for the content marketing team A kickin copywriter skilled at ferreting out stories and delivering content that is creative, measurable, on target, and in the proper tone of voice A master of channel and distribution management and measurement 14

15 Five for Fighting A well-equipped commando team for content management Should comprise the skillset, expertise, resources, and support to make a big impact on the business Similar structure and roles to the three musketeers scenario, with the added options of: Topical/functional expert(s) Specialist in promotions and third-party engagement Dedicated channel specialist, if appropriate 15

16 Agency account manager Need to decide whether to deploy an account-teamcentered approach or insource to other experts in your firm Depends on: Size and capabilities of your account team Available expertise within the firm Structural, cultural and political factors It is important to avoid profit center wars Do not treat content management as an afterthought to traditional public relations, marketing or advertising 16

17 Content mercenary Need to clearly establish your expertise, value proposition and game plan Are you the visionary or a doer? Do you want consulting assignments, overflow work, or to be a seconded consultant? What are the characteristics of your target client(s) and what do you need to do to protect your turf? 17

18 A good planning guide 18

19 Resource planning using the 1/3 Rule Direct costs Indirect costs Profit/Return 19

20 Who should you call for reinforcements? In-house hires bring: Extra arms and legs Ability to gain the exact expertise and skillset you need Credibility of being company employees Agencies bring: Subject matter experts who can guide you onto new platforms and bring you fresh thinking Broader perspective and experience Scalable horsepower A line item rather than headcount 20

21 Key takeaways Strategy first and always Build and align your metrics to the business metrics Optimize your team based on its size Remember the 1/3 rule Hire when, where and how it makes the most sense for your situation 21

22 GIBBS & SOELL, INC. 60 E. 42 nd Street, 44 th Floor New York, NY Steve Halsey Principal Managing Director, Business Consulting 22