Marketing Strategy – the New Way (What you need to know)

There have been so many gimmicks over the years about new Marketing strategies, that we have become skeptics.

CONTENT STRATEGY  is really the best of everything we have practiced in the past, but with added focus.

Content Strategy is credible, trustworthy, transparent content that enhances your  business strategic goals.

There are three major obstacles we face as content providers :

• Tidal wave of information keeps multiplying each year
• Tough competition for people’s time from their over scheduled lives
• People will only give you time if you supply what they want

People are bombarded with messages all day that are trying to get their attention,  so if you want to be seen – you must offer what they need and seek.

Content Marketing Strategy is all about telling a story – so it’s the perfect channel for writers.  To that point, many Marketing Departments are now hiring writers to help build their content. So if you are a writer looking for a job you enjoy, check out new postings for Marketing Departments. Don’t be surprised that they need writers. Career Builder – Content Marketing

I am sharing some information here from the Coursera course I just completed through the MOOC program at Northwestern University. I suggest to look for this course offering in the future, it was well worth the time for anyone who has a message to send out via blog or any other social media outlet.

Currently in progress is the #MOOC course Content, Advertising & Social IMC by Northwestern University. It’s part of a 6-course series, the Social Media Marketing Specialization   Check it out if you have time. It adds to this topic as well, and teaches approach and  tactics with insights to the new ideas regarding the future of marketing.

Content Strategy is similar to Content Marketing but it varies in an important way. Content Marketing is created to drive “profitable customer action.”Content Strategy is created  to help a target audience be better informed.

The main idea is that people respond better to stories they can relate with…

It is more than just Brand, more than just Sales, and more than just Marketing –  It is a message, a story, that the entire organization can identify with and contribute to in a campaign.  It is alive, it grows, it responds – it connects with humans, and their hearts.

Experiences are how people feel, think and act when they consume your content. Experiences matter for three reasons:

• First, all content creates user experiences.
• Second, experiences are linked to usage.
• Third, you, the creator of the content, can shape those experiences

Another major breakthrough with this type of Content Marketing, is the realization that a campaign is an ongoing story, and all points of communication by a company have to be in tune to the same message.

Check out this successful Content Strategy example by Coca Cola:

Coca-Cola Content 2020

Writing good content is the new measurement by all the search engines.

It is here now, and it is the future.

Like it has been in the past and always will be – writing a good story is not easy.  It is a process that takes time and energy. This is good for writers, because it is our trade of choice, writing stories is familiar to us  – but we also know how much effort it takes to write a dam good story.  Still, we have the jump on most, since we already wrote a good novel or novella.  So now we need to identify the message we want to send as an author and business person.

Understand your target market –

Your audience will only pay attention to content if it is engaging, convenient and in a form that works for them; where, when, and how they want it. Utilizing social media should be a strategy which involves adding value to the audience’s experience. Otherwise they will tune you out, and your content will not be shared or pushed by social media engines. (I struggle with this myself, and I am trying to identify my audience. It is a continuous journey.)

Consider your VOICE –

In order to hold the attention and interest of an audience, the writer needs to speak in a voice the audience will recognize as someone like them.  Tone is the mood of the writer’s voice. It gives a writing voice nuance, depth and color. Like any good story, your strategy story should have a good beginning, middle and end.  (The problem, the movement, the solution) Try to be yourself. Be direct. Be specific.

Make the decisions . . .

on what content media and platforms you will use – choose the best one to connect with your audience. Most of the public market use mufti-media platforms already, so spice it up by utilizing a combination of pictures, video and blog posts.

Social media truths about communities:

• Social = networks + virtual communities

• Social communities come in two “flavors:” Passion communities and Trigger Event communities.

• Passion communities are internally driven and can move between passion levels with permanent communities and stable members.
• Trigger Event communities are both externally and internally driven by lifestyle changes or some specific event. Their members tend to be more temporary.

• Virtual communities are on a mission. They look for expertise and they want to engage with their audiences.

Success in social is developing timely, relevant content.

So identify what is important to you…  What do you want to share?  What will a reader get from your work?

Try using these 3 tools to search for connection to your content:

• Social Mention is the place to start.
• Alltop is great for tracking topics.
• Wefollow is a great way to find experts on your topic.

Follow the 5D’s as discussed HERE in a previous post

• Discover
• Define
• Design
• Develop
• Deploy

Content Marketing Strategy – what is your story?

     Keep reading – Keep writing!