InterviewWhat is content marketing?| 00:04 | Hi, I'm C.C. Chapman,
co-author of the book Content Rules.
| | 00:07 | I make a living as an author, speaker, and
consultant, working with brands around the
| | 00:11 | world, of all sizes, to do
better with online media.
| | 00:19 | So, content marketing is the, you know,
marketing du jour these days.
| | 00:23 | It's been around forever.
| | 00:23 | I mean, radio print and
television ads were content marketing.
| | 00:28 | Content is what you have created to share
your story with the world, but now, because
| | 00:32 | of the social nature of the Web, and more
and more people being on it, people are paying
| | 00:36 | more attention to it,
| | 00:37 | because you can't just create a print ad, and
hope the world is going to be excited by it.
| | 00:41 | So content marketing is really strategically
looking at what you're doing from a marketing
| | 00:46 | and communications perspective, and how you
are going to make images, words, stories that
| | 00:52 | people are going to want to share with others.
| | 00:53 | And that's really what
content marketing boils down to.
| | 01:01 | So, the goal of content marketing should
always be about getting your immediate audience to
| | 01:05 | share what you've created with their audiences.
| | 01:08 | So your potential customer base, or people who
already have your product; they know about you.
| | 01:13 | Reaching them is easy, but what
makes the Web so powerful is when somebody
| | 01:18 | else shares information about you.
| | 01:20 | I may not care about your company, because
I've never heard of it yet, but if one of
| | 01:24 | my friends who is a fan of your product
shares something you've created, all of a sudden
| | 01:29 | now it's on my radar.
| | 01:31 | And the hope is that, wow! I'll be so
excited by it that maybe I'll come purchase your
| | 01:34 | product or service, or at least find out
more. In the best possible situation, I'll be so
| | 01:39 | excited by that content, that I'll share it.
| | 01:41 | And that social reaching out beyond
communities is why content marketing
| | 01:46 | in today's world is so exciting.
| | 01:47 |
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| Finding success as a content marketer| 00:05 | Let me share some of the traits
of successful content marketers.
| | 00:09 | First and foremost, they are conversational. They
are comfortable having a conversation with you.
| | 00:13 | They are not talking down to you, or at you; they
are talking with you. They are having a conversation.
| | 00:18 | Another trait is that they listen really well.
| | 00:20 | No matter how big your company is, you have
to listen to what's being said about you out
| | 00:24 | there, and react appropriately.
| | 00:27 | And finally, you're consistent.
| | 00:29 | You are creating on a consistent basis.
| | 00:32 | People want to know what
they're going to get from you.
| | 00:34 | Yeah, you might have a one hit wonder.
| | 00:36 | You might have that video go crazy,
and that's all you ever have to do.
| | 00:39 | But let's face it; that's luck,
and you cannot depend on luck.
| | 00:42 | If you are going to be successful,
you've to create on a regular basis.
| | 00:45 | You have to be conversational, and you have
to be able to listen to people out there.
| | 00:53 | The skills you need to be a successful
content marketer are very similar to what
| | 00:58 | you need to be a journalist, or a storyteller.
| | 01:00 | You've got to be able to dig out
the stories from any situation.
| | 01:04 | Some companies aren't as exciting as
others, and finding those stores is hard.
| | 01:08 | So figuring out how to discover a story, and
then how to craft it, and share it is the most
| | 01:13 | important skill you can have.
| | 01:15 | On top of that, figure out
social media. Really spend time in it;
| | 01:19 | the nuances of what's different about the platforms,
how people interact, how the Internet as a whole works.
| | 01:25 | All those things are going
to be very, very important.
| | 01:26 | And then on the top of it, you're
going to need basic business skills.
| | 01:29 | You're going to have to understand the business
world, or whatever world you want to work in;
| | 01:33 | you've got to understand that industry,
because there are specific things about that. Or you
| | 01:37 | can be a generalist, and
just kind of go with the flow,
| | 01:40 | but the best thing is just learn your craft,
learn how to find those stories, learn how
| | 01:44 | to tell them, and then how to
create on all sorts of mediums.
| | 01:48 | The more you can create
in, the better you'll be.
| | 01:56 | An example of a brand that I think
has done really well in the content marketing
| | 01:59 | space, and is a small business, so they've
done it on a limited budget is GORUCK.
| | 02:04 | GORUCK makes a line of backpacks and gear
that's built for military quality, but made
| | 02:09 | for everybody to wear.
| | 02:11 | What I love about it is they are
small manufacturing firm in Montana.
| | 02:15 | It's started by guy who is ex-special forces.
| | 02:17 | He puts his story out there.
| | 02:19 | He has his dog Java,
| | 02:21 | that if you go to their Web site, or any of their
marketing materials, you'll see this chocolate
| | 02:25 | lab there with the product,
| | 02:26 | so already you're kind of
connected with this brand.
| | 02:30 | Everything they do exemplifies their brand.
| | 02:32 | They are small business;
they are American-made,
| | 02:34 | so he likes, on his blog, to visit other
factories, and show other American-made products.
| | 02:40 | Obviously there is a military connection,
| | 02:42 | so he goes out and interviews
soldiers, or shows people using their product.
| | 02:47 | They're doing content from the heart.
| | 02:49 | Their brand is based on their products,
but it's also based on their beliefs,
| | 02:53 | and they have done a really nice job
of balancing the two of those things.
| | 02:56 |
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| Getting started with a small budget| 00:05 | The most expensive resource you're going to
spending is your time, and that doesn't matter what
| | 00:09 | size you are, so you always have to think about it.
| | 00:12 | Upfront, plan out what you're going to be doing.
| | 00:14 | Figure out how you are
going to be measuring success.
| | 00:16 | Figure out what tools you're going to
be using; why you're using those tools,
| | 00:20 | because if you set up a good strategy upfront,
you'll save time and money, no matter how
| | 00:26 | big your budget is.
| | 00:28 | And let's face it; the bigger the budget, the
more planning you've got to do, because you
| | 00:30 | don't want to be wasting your money.
| | 00:37 | The tools of content
marketing constantly are changing.
| | 00:40 | There are new apps coming out every day,
there is new software coming out everyday,
| | 00:44 | and so thus, there is always
something new for you to play with and use.
| | 00:48 | But let's face it; we've always loved images,
we've always loved video, we love audio, we
| | 00:53 | love the written word,
| | 00:54 | so the tools you're going to use to create those may
change, but the actual content you're creating is not.
| | 01:00 | Right now things like Facebook and
Google+ are very popular for sharing.
| | 01:04 | The idea of social photography such as Instagram,
or Best Camera, or Hipstamatic; these things
| | 01:10 | are very popular right now.
| | 01:11 | Apps are important.
| | 01:13 | People are using those on their phones now.
| | 01:16 | The tools are going to change.
| | 01:17 | They're going to get shinier, they're going to
get cooler, they are going to get more exciting,
| | 01:20 | but at the end of the day, it's what you did
to tell your story is what's going to make
| | 01:25 | it the most important thing in the world to
your customers that you're trying to reach.
| | 01:29 |
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| Building a community| 00:05 | Using social media to get your content
seen is a core part of content marketing.
| | 00:11 | Let's face it; you want to give your content
wings and routes, you want to get it out there
| | 00:14 | for people to see, and
social media makes that possible.
| | 00:18 | In the past, when you put a print ad in a
magazine, or a television commercial, there wasn't a
| | 00:23 | way for me to easily share it with others.
| | 00:25 | Social media is all about sharing.
| | 00:27 | So make sure when you put your stuff out there,
little things, like make sure that it's watermarked,
| | 00:32 | or has your URL somewhere on the video or
the photo, so people can find you later.
| | 00:37 | Put it on the social networks
that are relevant for your audience.
| | 00:40 | Put it up on Facebook, and YouTube, and
Vimeo, and Flickr, and all these other services, so
| | 00:45 | that people can see it, they can like it,
they can comment on it, and they can take it
| | 00:49 | and share it, and embed it on their own sites.
| | 00:52 | That's where social media is so important
to content marketer, because suddenly not
| | 00:56 | only do you have the megaphone of the Internet,
but everybody who sees every piece of your
| | 01:01 | content also has that megaphone, and they
can share whatever they find from you that
| | 01:05 | they like, they can share with the world.
| | 01:13 | Your community is vital to your content
marketing success, because those people are already,
| | 01:17 | they are predisposed to you; they know you.
| | 01:20 | When you push out something, they're probably
already seeing it, because they're following
| | 01:22 | you on the proper channels, they are subscribed to
your newsletter, they read your blog, or other channels.
| | 01:27 | But the key to content marketing is them sharing it
beyond; them sharing it with their own communities.
| | 01:35 | What you subscribe to and
what I subscribe to are different.
| | 01:37 | I spend time on different networks. I have different
friends. I have different communities I'm part of.
| | 01:42 | So your hope is that the people that are
part of your community are going to share
| | 01:46 | what you create, what resonates
with them, out to their communities.
| | 01:49 | They are going to say, hey! Take
a look at this; this is awesome.
| | 01:52 | You need to check out this
service. I love what they're doing.
| | 01:55 | That's where the real magic of having a community of
your own shines forth, and it's where content marketing goes.
| | 02:01 | That's what the success is,
is sharing it with others.
| | 02:09 | As you think about creating mobile
content, also keep in mind location.
| | 02:12 | Our phones, our tablets, even our laptops
now, know where we were physically located
| | 02:17 | while we're consuming content.
| | 02:20 | That's going to become very
important in the very near future.
| | 02:22 | I'm going to walk into a town, and I might
pull out my phone, and I might say, I am looking
| | 02:27 | for dinner tonight, where could I go?
| | 02:29 | If your content is tagged with geolocation,
perhaps your video pops up, and says hey!
| | 02:34 | We're the best pizza joint
down the road from you. Come visit us.
| | 02:38 | That technology is right on
the cusp of happening right now,
| | 02:40 | so think about it as
you're producing your content.
| | 02:42 | Is there something we can do where we specifically
want this content to address local people
| | 02:47 | to where we are.
| | 02:48 |
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| Finding your "human" voice| 00:05 | It is difficult for a large organization to
have a human voice; to feel like the person
| | 00:10 | next door to the person
online, but there's ways to do it.
| | 00:14 | Sometimes it's having a champion in the
company that is designated as the voice to the public.
| | 00:19 | A company that has done this very well is Ford.
| | 00:21 | Ford is an enormous company;
thousands of employees around the world.
| | 00:26 | Yet, they have hired an individual
named Scott Monty, who is their voice.
| | 00:29 | He is the person who is in charge of
social media, and is the face to the world.
| | 00:34 | People connect with Scott even if
they have never talked to him directly.
| | 00:37 | He is on Twitter, he is on the social networks,
he goes out and speaks, and he is a voice;
| | 00:42 | he is a presence to them.
| | 00:43 | In addition, they have other people on the
team who tweet and post via Ford. They're
| | 00:49 | also creating new content all the time.
| | 00:52 | They've also gone so far as they have taken
content that other people create; fans, just
| | 00:57 | regular, everyday people have created videos
of their love of the car, photos of the car.
| | 01:03 | They take those, and they
share them on their channels.
| | 01:06 | So it's not always their voice talking about
the brand; it's actually those people in their
| | 01:11 | community, the advocates who have stepped
up and said I love this product, and Ford has
| | 01:17 | taken their voices, and shared them
with the world, and given them a voice.
| | 01:20 | So suddenly, all of a sudden, you're not
looking at the big blue oval that is Ford; you're
| | 01:24 | looking at these people, the customers, and
their love, or you're looking at Scott, as his face.
| | 01:29 | And the great thing about an organization,
no matter what size, as long as someone feels
| | 01:33 | that emotional connection, that bit of friendship,
even it's just a little bit online, where they
| | 01:38 | feel, oh wow! I've talked to this
brand, or Scott is the face; I know this person.
| | 01:44 | Even if it's just a little bit; it could be
something as simple as a tweet, or an e-mail,
| | 01:47 | or a Facebook exchange, they feel like
they know the company a little bit better.
| | 01:51 | And all of a sudden the size, the millions
of dollars, and thousands of people doesn't
| | 01:55 | matter, because they've got that connection,
sort of that small town feel of, wow, I know
| | 01:59 | this guy, or girl, I know this
company; I want to do business with them.
| | 02:02 |
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| Doing something unexpected| 00:05 | A great example of someone taking what they
have already done, and totally reimagining
| | 00:09 | it into something different
was PBS Digital Studios.
| | 00:12 | What they did was they took these classic
American shows, like Painting with Bob Ross,
| | 00:17 | and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and
they auto-tuned them for a new generation.
| | 00:21 | So what they did was they took these
classic clips that we've all seen before, and they
| | 00:26 | ran them through this software called Auto Tune
that made them sound like hip-hop, rap
| | 00:30 | artists, and put them together, and edited the
videos together to make these new videos.
| | 00:34 | They were fun, they've been seen by millions
and millions of people, they have been shared,
| | 00:39 | and liked, and +1'd in every other social network
way you can show your love for a product.
| | 00:45 | And what was great about this was it was so
unexpected. No one expected PBS -- very, you
| | 00:50 | know, very proper, very conservative -- to do
something is outlandish, and fun, and crazy
| | 00:57 | as this. And what was great about it was, it
was respecting to the brand, it was completely
| | 01:01 | new, it was unexpected, it was different,
but it in no way made fun of, or was bad towards
| | 01:08 | the brand, because they created it. And they
realized, wow; this could be something that
| | 01:11 | would shake up, and get people's attention.
| | 01:13 | It was a great example of a very large and
very established brand doing something unexpected
| | 01:19 | to attract people online.
| | 01:21 |
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| Publishing content| 00:05 | A crucial part of content marketing is having a
schedule, and producing content on a regular basis.
| | 00:10 | The way you do that is by creating an editorial
calendar. Magazines have used them for years.
| | 00:14 | You need to start thinking like a publisher.
| | 00:17 | For those of you don't know, an editorial
calendar is what you're going to use to plan your next
| | 00:20 | weeks, months, and years of content.
| | 00:24 | We always talk about thinking like a publisher.
Magazines do this all time; they know what
| | 00:27 | the next issue is going to be
about before they publish it.
| | 00:30 | So figure out what you want to cover over
the next days and weeks, and lay them out in
| | 00:35 | a simple spreadsheet -- it doesn't have to be
anything high-tech -- and figure out what platforms
| | 00:39 | you're going to publish to, what content you're
going to create, and when you're going to publish it.
| | 00:47 | Each individual or company has to figure out
for them what's the right level of sharing.
| | 00:53 | The key, though, is to think upfront,
what are we not going to talk about.
| | 00:57 | Having those conversations, especially as an
organization, or with your small company, is
| | 01:01 | really important to have it upfront.
| | 01:03 | Start with what are we not going to talk about.
| | 01:05 | As an individual, I know lots of people
don't talk about their children, or their family.
| | 01:08 | If you're in a regulated industry, you have to
think about what are we not allowed to talk about.
| | 01:13 | Have those conversations upfront, and then
use them as your guide as you go forward of
| | 01:17 | what shouldn't we talk about, and the more
you do it, the more you're going to have to
| | 01:21 | stop and think, should I be talking about
this? Do I want to talk about this? Because
| | 01:25 | things you're going to come
up that you weren't ready for.
| | 01:27 | But look at this way:
| | 01:28 | if you put it out there, what
really is the worst that can happen?
| | 01:32 | People enjoy that; it allows you to see that
you're a human. People love connecting with that.
| | 01:36 |
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| Dealing with negative feedback| 00:05 | Negative feedback is part of the Internet,
it's part of life, it's part of -- if you
| | 00:08 | make something, or do something,
not everybody is going to like it.
| | 00:12 | How you deal with it is just how
you'd deal with it in the real world.
| | 00:15 | You react to it, you
address it, you respond to it.
| | 00:18 | If someone had a bad experience with
your product or service, talk to them.
| | 00:22 | Say hey, how can we make this better next time?
| | 00:25 | You're not going to be able to fix every
problem; it's impossible, but if someone has gone to
| | 00:29 | the point of saying and complaining online,
the biggest thing you can do is listen to them.
| | 00:34 | Say hey, we hear you.
| | 00:36 | We're sorry, you had a bad meal, or we're sorry
our product didn't live up to your expectations.
| | 00:41 | How we can make it better next time?
| | 00:42 | If you can fix it, fix it, but you're not
going to always be able to. But ignoring negative
| | 00:47 | feedback is the worst possible thing you can do.
| | 00:50 | These people are already so passionate and emotional,
that they're sharing their negative; they are ranting.
| | 00:56 | If you can turn that around with a positive
experience, I guarantee you the passion that
| | 01:00 | they put behind their anger will be tenfold on
the positive side when you can flip it around.
| | 01:06 | So don't ever try to bury the negative feedback.
Address it, listen to it, and try to make it better.
| | 01:16 | The biggest thing to remember is to talk to
people; be helpful, listen, interact, have
| | 01:22 | that conversation with someone before you
try selling. It's the biggest and the easiest
| | 01:26 | pitfall people fall into, where they start
with selling, rather than starting with forming
| | 01:30 | a relationship, and having a conversation.
And honestly, that's what social media, that's
| | 01:35 | what content marketing is all about.
| | 01:36 |
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| Measuring success and maintaining relationships| 00:05 | Measuring success is something you have to
pay attention to. Even if it's just yourself
| | 00:09 | doing it, you want to make sure that
your time and effort is worthwhile.
| | 00:13 | Now, the way I advise people to do this is,
upfront, figure out specifically how they're
| | 00:18 | going to measure success, because especially
if you're small business, you may not be doing
| | 00:22 | other marketing efforts. Your content
marketing might be the only thing you're doing, and
| | 00:26 | if you're constantly selling more products,
more services, getting more people go through
| | 00:30 | your door, then it's working.
| | 00:32 | But then there are tools. You should be
looking at Google Analytics, or some other tool of
| | 00:36 | that sort to see traffic on
your Web site; is it going up?
| | 00:40 | Any of those tools will show you what
kinds of content resonates with your audience.
| | 00:44 | Perhaps you did a photo essay one day, you
did a video the next week, and you did a written
| | 00:48 | post the following week.
| | 00:49 | If you start seeing that people are viewing the
photography post more, maybe you should do more of those.
| | 00:55 | If they're watching the videos,
maybe you should do more of those.
| | 00:58 | And then of course, you need to look at
simple things, like the number of views, the number
| | 01:01 | of hits, the number of shares, and
likes, and those sorts of things.
| | 01:05 | Every social platform has different measurement
tools built into it, and you should be looking at those.
| | 01:11 | At the end of the day, you are a business.
You're trying to sell a product or service,
| | 01:15 | and you need to make sure that whatever
you're spending your time and budget on gets back
| | 01:19 | to getting more money into your
pocket, or more people in your front door.
| | 01:28 | Maintaining a community and relationship
with people is just like the real world. It's no
| | 01:32 | different than when it's magically online.
You need to talk to these people on a regular
| | 01:36 | basis, you need to be helpful; you
need to reach out to them every so often.
| | 01:40 | Don't just reach out to somebody when you're
trying to connect with them, or sell to them.
| | 01:44 | Talk to them on a daily basis, or every
so often, say hey, how are you doing?
| | 01:48 | It's amazing how social media has
empowered us to able to do that.
| | 01:52 | And once you've got a community of people, they
want to feel welcome. They want to feel like,
| | 01:56 | oh wow, they do still care about me.
| | 01:58 | If the only time you care about somebody
is when they buy a product from you, that's
| | 02:02 | not a relationship, and that's not a community.
| | 02:05 | So be sure to be listening, and be helpful
on a regular basis, and those relationships
| | 02:08 | will pay off in the long run.
| | 02:10 |
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