How to Get Content Right

My favorite blog right now is Junta42 by Joe Pulizzi. He really provides the strategy behind the vast jungle of social media tools. It is all about content--but the right kind of content.

A client recently called in a panic saying one of their competitor's web sites was using the same tools we were using with our client. "It's the same!" our client told us. Perhaps. Visually it appeared to be following the Hubspot model, but when you examined the content the difference was clear.

They'd missed it!

Their content was still product-centric and promotional.

The biggest challenge facing marketers trying to win in the social media space is the dramatic shift in messaging strategy. It's no longer "your message", it's the "buyers' message". Marketers are really struggling with this. They are using the new tools and new media, but they are still using the same old messaging strategy and it isn't working.

Here's a simple way to determine if your content is right. Great content satifies these five criteria:

1. Is the content about a customer problem, challenge, or pain that may or may not be directly connected to your product or service?

2. Does the content provide answers to the questions your customers are asking?

3. Is your content honest; absent of spin, persuasion, and adjectives?

4. Is it easy to find and access?

5. Is it complete, providing the full details (good and bad)?

Next time you are developing content for your web site, blog or social media world, ask yourself these five questions and see where you are.

Surrender Control to Your Customer

We were in a meeting with Envano an innovative social media marketing firm and the owner shared Joe Pulizzi's book Get Content. Get Customers. with us. Turns out one of their clients is featured in the book.

I am a big fan of Joe Pulizzi. Other than the fact that he is enormously articulate, he's right. Here's a summary of his take on content:

Content marketing is not easy because you actually have to listen to your customers and know what their challenges are. You cannot solve your marketing woes through buying advertising space. You must make a connection to your customers, and get new customers, by focusing on their true pain points and healing them with information.

There are millions of "social media experts" out there. Unfortunately, the majority are experts on tools, devices, and technology. Very few are experts on understanding the customer. Why? Because it's hard.

The recent Johnson & Johnson Motrin debacle is a great example.

Why Understanding the Customer is Hard.

Getting insights about the customer is not the challenge. A wealth of data is readily available. The real barrier is "surrendering control". I would argue that marketers know what their customers' want, but the marketers are unwilling to surrender control. Johnson & Johnson's ad agency tried to tell the customer who they are (or control brand perception) and it blew up in their face. Recently, we did a market study for an ad agency and gave them the unvarnished truth about the customer and the tools needed to engage them (lots of social media). They responded that they didn't want that. They either didn't know how to do what we recommended or didn't know how to make money doing it. They asked us to change the report to include tools they knew how to produce and could make money doing. WARNING! This is the norm not the exception.

Technology Isn't the Answer

Now the opposite of the example above is also true. Don't look to the new world of social media to solve the problem. It is not a solution. It is a wonderful tool to help marketers solve the problem. The problem is engaging the customer. The other problem is all the resources (vendors) available to help marketers don't care about engaging the customer, they only care about selling the services they offer.

Don't Try to Be the Smartest Person in the Room

The day's of Darren Stevens are over. Marketers don't need to be geniuses trying to create the next "big idea". They simply need to listen to their customers and give them what they want--not what marketers want to sell.

It's About Content.

As Joe Pulizzi points out, it is all about content; content that is meaningful and valuable to the customer. To do that, you must be willing to surrender control to the customer.

Keep up the good work Joe!

How to Market in a Down Economy

An economic downturn typically spells trouble for marketing budgets. If your marketing budget gets slashed, what can you do to keep sales leads coming? Here's a few tips:

1. Shift to Social Media - A recent study by Cone Inc. found 83% of Americans said companies should not only be present in social media but interact with the consumer using social media. If you believe social media is not happening in your market, now is the time to reconsider. Plus, social media is essentially FREE.

2. Create a Content Strategy - In the social media world, content is king. Social media guru David Meerman Scott said recently that the new marketer will need journalistic skills. The reason is the new marketer will spend most of their time creating content (e.g. writing news stories). A content strategy establishes your company's or brand's messaging platform for the content to be created and published. In the social media world this content needs to deliver value rather than promote. For example, how-to's. Share your knowledge and expertise. Another key aspect of your content strategy is leveraging SEO. You want to be sure your content is focused to drive specific keyword search phrases to your blogs and website.

3. Assign a Content Manager - If your marketing budget gets cut, you will have staff looking for something to do. Choose the strongest writer and make them your content manager. They will be responsible for creating and publishing your content.

Remember, social media is FREE. The other advantage is social media is inbound marketing. That means you spread content throughout the social media world and those buyers seeking solutions will find you. Even in a down economy, there are buyers. You don't have to worry about finding them, with the right social media program, they will find you.

In tough economic times when your budgets are being cut, social media is a great choice.

A Hot PR Firm

Looking for a PR firm that gets it? A firm that understands social media and networking and knows how to leverage it to market your brand? I've found one. It's Red Shoes PR.

Lisa Cruz and Jessica Dennis are the founders. Both have a wealth of experience in traditional and social media PR. Shortly following Hubspot's webcast of "PR in a Social Media World," the ladies at Red Shoes kicked up their social media offering and the results have been incredible.

The primary challenge facing marketers in social media is creating and publishing content. Most marketers lack the staff and expertise to generate the volume of content required to really drive success. That's where Red Shoes PR comes in. They understand how to develop an effective content strategy, create fresh content, publish it and promote you via social networking.

85% of Americans believe a company should not only be present in social media, but also interact with its customers via social media.* Red Shoes PR can help.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is discovering innovative, forward-thinking companies and the people who run them. Red Shoes PR is one.

*Cone LLC Study, September 25, 2008