Junta42 blog

Online Content Strategies Every Marketer Needs - A Forrester Report

I attended a presentation by Sarah Rottman Epps from Forrester last week during our Custom Publishing Council member meeting.  Sarah gave an excellent presentation about how custom publishers can make the jump from print to online content solutions, but her advice is just as important for content marketers.

Here are some of the stats that made her case:

• People want their online experiences to be visual (39% of US adults watch video online).
• People want their online experiences to be social (35% of US adults connect on social networks).
• They want to have fun (48% of US adults play online games).

Sarah also stated many reasons why customers won't come to your website, including the integration of RSS, widgets and the growth of mobile devices. This means that your content needs to be everywhere, not just your website.

The solutions to these behavioral patterns are three-fold, according to Forrester's Epps.  They include:

1. Aggregate Content and Functionality

For example, the Baltimore Sun integrated widgets next to their content about gas and oil-related content that helped readers find the cheapest gas prices in the region.

And the Washington Post works with Sphere.com to show readers who's blogging about their articles.

2. Syndicate Broadly to Engage Your Audience

The Wall Street Journal, the CBC and others use Loomia to syndicate their content on Facebook.

 

3. Use Social Media To Get Customers to Engage with Your Brand

Here, Epps recommended acquiring a clear understanding of how far your customers and prospects can be pushed up the online social ladder. For example, if the core part of your audience right now is spectators versus creators, your expectations for social media involvement should be at a much lower level.  Start there, and then push the envelope.

The key here is to get to know your audience.

Have you asked your customers what their level of social media involvement is? If you haven't, now is the time. Surveys are great, but don't forget one-on-one meetings. I would recommend having your direct salespeople ask this question as well. In order to prepare to ask the question confidently, they'll most likely need to prepare - which is a good thing.

Here's my takeaway:

The key to any online content strategy working is an understanding of your audience. What are their informational needs? How far can you take them without losing them? Experimentation is great, but remember that it's not about the technology, it's about people.

This is one thing that will never change.

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Seven Content Strategies to Build Trust with Today's Savvy Consumers - A Complimentary eBook

At the heart of all sales transactions is trust.

The greater the trust, the more likely the sale. Without trust, there is no sale. In today’s business world, where more and more relationships are being developed and maintained over the Internet—the need for establishing trust and building confidence with buyers may be stronger and more powerful than ever. One of the resulting challenges for marketers is to find ways to quickly establish rapport, and then build upon it. How can you best do that? By listening to your customers and prospects and giving them information they need—information that will build their trust in your company as a solutions provider, and lead to the ultimate goal—sales.

That's exactly the reason why have developed this complimentary eBook/white paper entitled "Seven Content Strategies to Build Trust with Today's Savvy Consumers." Big thanks to our sponsors McMurry and ContentWise for supporting this important project.

This comprehensive eBook will:

• Give you seven strategies to enact right now that can tip the trust scale in your favor.
• Provide clear examples of how leading brands are creating trust through content marketing.
• Identify factors that erode trust and how to avoid them.
• Show you simple and free online tools to help monitor what customers are saying about you.

Download your complimentary eBook now!

If you like this one, you may also be interested in our complimentary white paper, "How to Attract and Retain Customers with Content Now." If you are a custom publisher/content provider, check out The New Rules of Custom Publishing and How to Become a World-Class Content Provider.

If you are signed in as a Junta42 member, you'll go straight to the eBook.  If not, your name and email address will direct you to the white paper download.

Enjoy!

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Telling Your Story and Southwest Airlines

Quick story for you.

I was flying back last night from Chicago via Southwest Airlines. After we landed, there was a long taxi to get to the gate - and to pass the time, everyone was talking to each other (it was actually pretty loud).

About a minute into the taxi the Southwest flight attendant asked if anyone wanted to hear a story. Within 10 seconds, over 100 people were completely quiet, and so, she told the story.

Once upon a time there as a man and a woman.
The man was in love with the woman.
So, the man asked the woman to marry him.
The woman said no.
And she lived happily ever after.

After much laughter, the flight attendant said "wait, the man ended up happy as well. He moved back in with his mother."

The Importance of Story

All people, consumer buyers and business buyers, love stories. We had all kinds of people on the Southwest flight, and every one of them were quiet so they could here the story. A story engages, it uplifts, it persuades.

Whether you are Barack Obama or an automotive parts distributor, you need a story to accomplish your business goals. Whether you want to inform or entertain, you need a story to do it.

And, for the first time ever, I attended a media/publishers conference this week where one of the main topics was (wait for it) - helping customers "tell their story" (rather then peddle them space). For those of you not familiar with the inner-workings of b-to-b publishing, this occurrence runs a close second to the invention of the phonograph and Tootsie Rolls.

Buyers listen to stories. They listen to stories unlike anything else today.

Most of the passengers ignored everything the flight attendant said before, during and after the flight...but when she mentioned the "story" they stopped and listened. Harnessing and distributing what your business story is may be the most important thing you can do over the next few months.

Learn how to tell your story, because if you don't, chances are your customers won't listen to anything else.

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Junta42 Releases New Top Blogs List - TopRank Blog Sneaks By Copyblogger

We're excited to announce the fourth installment of the Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing blogs. Congratulations this month goes to Lee Odden and the team from TopRank Online Marketing, whose Online Marketing Blog just squeaked by Brian Clark's Copyblogger (which held the #1 position for the last two updates).

This quarter's update included a record 187 blogs, up from 172 last quarter. In addition, the Junta42 Top 42 are now featured as part of the content marketing category at Alltop.com (which will be updated soon with the new 42).

Here is the complete Top 42:

1 Online Marketing Blog
2 Copyblogger
3 Writing on the Web
4 Influential Marketing Blog
5 Web Ink Now
6 Marketing with Meaning
7 Nigel Hollis
8 Conversation Agent
9 Buzz Marketing for Technology
10 Post Advertising
11 Conversation Marketing
12 Marketing Interactions
13 PR 2.0
14 Nick Burcher
15 The Toadstool
16 Servant of Chaos
17 Chaos Scenario
18 No man is an iland
19 What's Next
20 Buzz News
21 Be the Voice
22 Really Practical Marketing
23 Bringing Brands to Life!
24 ContentMarketingToday
25 Hard Knox Life
26 Web Strategy by Jeremiah
27 Drew's Marketing Minute
28 JournaMarketing
29 Writing White Papers
30 Seth's Blog
31 Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog
32 News from the Herd
33 EyeCube
34 Find and Convert
35 Techno//Marketer
36 Eat Media Blog
37 Conversational Media Marketing
38 Emerson Direct Marketing Observations
39 Internet Marketing Blog
40 Feed Growth!
41 Daily Fix
42 Occam's Razor

Click here to see the news release, which will be distributed on Monday.

Click here to see the entire Top 42 Content Marketing blogs.  To view the selection criteria, click here.

Again, congratulations to the Top 42, and keep up the great work!

Related Articles:

• Copyblogger Takes Top Spot for Second Time in August Top 42 Update
• Junta42 Announces New Top 42 Content Marketing List (May)
• Junta42 Announces Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs (January)

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Custom Publishing Council Celebrates 2008 Pearl Award Winners

I just came back from the 2008 Custom Publishing Council Pearl Awards Ceremony in New York City at the Rainbow Room. The Pearl Awards is a celebration of the best that the custom publishing industry has to offer.

Some of the highlights included:

• Don Johnson, Editor-in-Chief for Meredith Integrated Marketing, took home the coveted John Caldwell Award, which celebrates lifetime achievement in the custom publishing industry. Don, a 40+ year veteran at Meredith, won the night over with an emotional acceptance speech that brought tears to many in the room.
• The Best in Custom Award, sponsored by Nxtbook Media, went to Centurion magazine from American Express, produced by Journal International Verlag.
• Rodale Custom Publishing was the big winner of the night, taking home an astounding 13 Gold awards. 
• Co-presenter Jonah Bloom (from AdAge - who presented along side Mr. Magazine himself Samir Husni) had trouble pronouncing Lamaze (a Rodale magazine) most of the night (all in good fun). Jonah also wanted to know the ROI on the Merrill Lynch custom magazine.
• Junta42 came away with two gold awards (best microsite and best blog).

Also, a big thanks to the sponsors who helped make the night possible: Nxtbook Media, Fry Communications, Lane Press, Arandell Corporation, and Convera.

Here is the full-list of award winners.  Congratulations to all the winners.  There were truly some amazing print and web publications on display from the best content providers the industry has to offer. 

Design

Best Cover

Under 50,000 - Luxury Travel Guide/Faircount Media Group

50,000 - 250,000 - Ethisphere/Mindspace

Over 250,000 - deliver/Campbell-Ewald

Best Opening Spread

Under 250,000 - big ideas in technology/Leverage Media

Over 250,000 - all animals/Time Inc. Content Solutions

Best Overall Design

Under 50,000 - Gilette: The Best a Man Can Get/Time Inc. Content Solutions

50,000 - 250,000 - Momentum/Journal International Verlag

Over 250,000 - deliver/Campbell-Ewald

Best New Magazine

thinkMoney/T3 Publishing

Best New Newsletter

Solage/DCP

Most Improved Publication

Under 50,000 - Draeger's Cooking/DCP

Over 50,000 - escape/Great Water Media

Best Special Issue

Capital Thinking/Leverage Media

Best One-Shot

Next*/DCP

Best Use of Photography

Under 50,000 - Experience Bermuda 2008/09 / HCP/Aboard Publishing

50,000 - 250,000 - Four Seasons Magazine/Pace Communications

Over 250,000 - Hemispheres Magazine/Pace Communications

Best Use of Illustration

Under 50,000 - Independent School/The Magazine Group

50,000 - 250,000 - little brown book/Rodale Custom Publishing

Over 250,000 - Sky/Pace Communications

Best Use of Typography

Hemispheres/Pace Communications

Best Tie-In with Corporate Marketing Objectives

on Investing/Custom Solutions from Smart Money

Digital

Best Integrated Print and Web Program

Stir/Hanley Wood Marketing

Best Web Publication

F2/Fader Media

Best E-Newsletter

on Air/Spafax Canada

Best Microsite

Junta42.com/Whitespace Creative

Best Blog

Junta42 blog/Z Squared Media

Best Use of Alternative Media or Multimedia Technology

National Small Business Summit Website/Hammock Inc.

Best Interactive Tool

You24/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Web Feature or Article

You24/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Overall Web Design

Cygnus Custom Solutions/Cygnus Business Media

Best Achievement of Corporate Objectives

Lamaze/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Launch or Relaunch

Guide 2 Gaming/Future Plus

Editorial

Best Cover Lines

CBS Watch!/McMurry

Best Feature Article/Package

Under 250,000 - Capital Thinking/Leverage Media

Over 250,000 - Look Good Feel Better/Transcontinental Custom Communications

Best Overall Editorial

Under 50,000 - Centurion/Journal International Verlag

50,000 - 250,000 - cleveland clinic magazine/The Magazine Group

Over 250,000 - Acura Style/Javelin Custom Publishing

Best New Magazine

Are You? Central/Emphasis Media Limited

Best New Newsletter

cancer prevention works/Rodale Custom Publishing

Most Improved Publication

Girl Scout Leader/Spot On media

Best Column

diane/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Regular Department

Hemispheres/Pace Communications

Best Special Issue

little pink book/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best One-Shot

Fight One - Doubledown Media

Best International Publication

Automation Today Asia Pacific/Penton Custom Media

Strategy

Best Tie-In with Corporate Integrated Marketing Campaign

Smart & Simple/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Achievement of Corporate Objectives - B2B

Wal-Mart world/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Achievement of Corporate Objectives - B2C

little brown book/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Proof of Return on Investment

little pink book/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best Distribution Strategy

deliver/Campbell-Ewald

Best New Launch or Relaunch - B2B

Wal-Mart world/Rodale Custom Publishing

Best New Launch or Relaunch - B2C

Lamaze/Rodale Custom Publishing

Related Articles

• Custom Publishing Council Announces 2007 Pearl Awards Winners

Purpose-Based Marketing, Jim Stengel and Content Marketing

I've seen Jim Stengel speak many times and always enjoyed it.  For the past five+ years, the global marketing chief from Procter & Gamble seemed a regular on the advertising and marketing speaking circuit.  Now we know why.

Mr. Stengel has formed his own marketing consulting company called (appropriately) Jim Stengel LLC. Stengel states in this Wall Street Journal article that "marketing is in need of a major overhaul...trust in brands is at an all-time low."

Stengel's "new way" of selling is called "purpose-based marketing," which, according to the article, is "about defining what a company does - beyond making money - and how it can make its customers' lives better."

Although this is nothing new, it's nice to see this picked up in the Journal, and that a well-followed and successful marketing executive is carrying the banner of what we call content marketing.

Yes, Stengel's "purpose-based marketing" is "content marketing".

Here is what I wrote back in January on this topic:

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.

In the WSJ article, Stengel discussed how Pampers found its higher purpose: helping moms develop healthy, happy babies.  From that, P&G offered parenting advice (relevant content) and recruited experts on a variety of parenting topics (yep, that's content marketing).

The Results: the brand won market share. Pampers became not just a product, but a trusted resource through their use of content marketing.  They did it by telling a meaningful, relevant and compelling story.

Look, nothing against Mr. Stengel here, but this "new idea" has been the basis of the custom publishing (what I call content marketing) movement for over 100 years (since John Deere launched the first recognized custom publication called The Furrow in the late 1800s - and still in publication by the way - bless you John Deere).

Stengel's book release that expands on his idea (currently titled "Packaged Good") is currently in production.  While you wait for that one to hit bookstores, here's the original.

Creating Relevant Content Is About One Thing

I was presenting a speech in San Diego last month to a group of online marketers called "Becoming the Media". After the presentation was over, an online marketing executive came up to me and asked the following:

"This may be a stupid question, but what does it really mean to create valuable, relevant and compelling content?"

First of all, this is an amazingly insightful question.  Most people really don't understand what creating relevant and valuable content actually means - either for themselves, their companies or their customers.

Creating relevant, valuable and compelling content is all about just one thing (ever see City Slickers?).

As Curly (the Jack Palance character) states to Billy Crystal's character, "the secret of life is about one thing."

The secret of good marketing is about one thing as well - your customer. Nothing else matters.

To take that a step further, the secret of creating great content marketing...content that evokes a behavior and engages customers in a conversation...is about one thing as well.

What is the key to my customer's success?

Ask yourself that question. Have you thought about this before?  Not for how it can generate more product and service sales, but simply what factors will ultimately make your customer successful?

By asking yourself that question, and doing the research that follows that question, you will find answers to the following:

• What keeps your customer up at night?
• How do they keep themselves educated in order to do their jobs better?
• What channels (online, print, in-person, mobile, etc.) do they use to get their information?
• How do they engage with each channel?

By answering these questions, you have the necessary components to create your content marketing, custom media program. By understanding your customer's informational needs, and understanding what channels they use to get their current information, you can develop the tools that will form the base of your content program.

With execution, you will position yourself as a trusted content resource. Trust in today's Internet environment is more important than ever.  Trust ultimately leads to a sale.

And, as you look to gain support for your content marketing program in your company, keep the following in your back pocket.

Without trust there is no sale.  Without content there is no trust.  Without understanding what makes your customer successful, there can be no valuable, compelling content.

For more, check out Junta42's free white paper on "How to Attract and Retain Customers with Content."

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Upcoming Events to Learn More about Content Marketing (Marketers, Journalists, Publishers included)

More and more organizations are starting to feature educational sessions around content marketing and custom publishing. Better yet, there's something for all disciplines.

Here are a few of my upcoming events...something for everyone.

Are you a marketer?

November 10th, 1pm Eastern
Webinar Presentation
How to Use Custom Media to Generate Marketing Results

Need the basics? Trying to understand how companies are executing on the content strategy process?  If so, this one's for you. I'll be presenting this Tech Briefs webinar with friends and colleagues Paul Dunay (Buzz Marketing for Tech) and Rohit Bhargava (The Influential Marketing Blog).

Here's the Overview:
Custom Media has been around for centuries, but marketers are just now taking advantage of this high-growth strategy. As traditional marketing continues to crack, smart marketers are creating compelling and relevant content for their customers that is leading to sales growth and customer loyalty. There is also no better way to reach prospects via the web than with the creation of valuable content.

December 4th, Noon Eastern
Webinar Presentation
Content Marketing: How to Position Your Company as a Trusted Expert Resource

MarketingProfs webinar that I'll be detailing for over an hour on why trust is more important than ever and how relevant content engenders trust. Less high-level and more of what you need to do right now to make this happen as a marketer.

You will learn:

• Six reasons why content marketing is essential to your overall marketing strategy.
• Using the B.E.S.T. methodology as a litmus test for your content efforts.
• Setting up "listening posts" to find out who's talking about your brand and what to do about it.
• How to execute the content plan.
• What small and leading brands are doing to leverage content to grow their businesses.
• Next steps: What you must do now in analyzing and executing your content plan.

Are you a journalist?

November 17th, 1pm Eastern
Webinar Presentation
The B2B Journalist's Guide to Creating the Next New Media Resource

Harry McCracken (former editor-in-chief of PC World and creator of Technologizer) and I will be discussing how journalists and editors can use their content to create and promote their own brands (instead of always creating content for others).

Learn how to:

• develop an effective marketing strategy to promote your content;
• identify and participate in online conversations that can help draw audiences to your work;
• use social networking Web sites to reach out to online communities who are likely to value your expertise;
• leverage the power of “free”; and
• build successful permission-based marketing initiatives.

Are you a publisher?

April 27, 2009 - Denver, CO
Custom Publishing Strategies - For Publishers
Niche Magazine Conference

Are you a traditional or niche publisher trying to figure out how to sustain and grow revenue from your custom publishing operations?  If so, this presentation is for you.

Here's the overview:
Everybody is struggling with custom publishing and many traditional publishers don't know where to begin. Content creation is the single most important marketing initiative for your advertisers -- help them (and build your bottom line) with custom publishing. Learn custom from the ground up: How to set up a partial service model; how to meet advertiser expectations; how to price; how to sell; how to implement. Joe Pulizzi is going to change your publishing life forever!!!

Please support these organizations that are evangelizing our content marketing efforts.

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MoveOn's "Obama Loss" Video a Viral Hit

Okay, okay...I just had to blog about this. This morning counted the fifth person to send me this viral election video from MoveOn.org supporting Obama.

As of last Thursday, more than 9 million people have passed this video on to friends and family (as of sending this blog it's 13 million and counting). I'm not sure what they invested in the production and marketing of the video, but you can bet it's less than the three to five million dollars that Obama spent on his 30 minute advertorial on all the major networks last week.

Funny thing is, more republicans than democrats sent this to me because they thought it was a cool video (the personalization does it).  Yikes!  Now that's content marketing.

Check out mine below.

Attracting Customers with Content and Relevant Direct Mail

I came by this article as I was going through some archives.  Still rings pretty true.  What say you?

I recently received a US Postal Service direct mailer on Variable Data Printing (VDP). It’s a nice piece. It had my name all over it…very personable. The only thing:  I was a bit bothered by some of the copy.

The last line of the insert read, “As a large business looking for new ways to appeal to customers, personalization may be the exciting new temptation you’re looking for.” Besides the fact that I run a small business, the question begs: As marketing professionals, are we really looking for a “new temptation” to reel our customers in?

Look, I’m no direct mail expert. My expertise is in content marketing. But it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that VDP will pretty much become the standard. Direct mail, both in print and online, that isn’t personalized, will be perceived as SPAM. Some people might even argue that this is already the case.

But VDP, or any kind of personalization, isn’t enough. Two things complicate the issue: buyers are becoming smarter (whether we like to believe it or not), and they’re continually being inundated with marketing clutter. Both of these are making legitimate marketers cry as even their most sophisticated direct mail programs show low response.

Temptation isn’t enough. It’s not about how we tempt customers to open a letter or email or anything else. It’s about how we as marketers can deliver ongoing information to our customers that make them more intelligent. It’s about tearing down the decades of organizational interruption-style marketing practices that most of us are used to, and creating a singular focus on delivering quality content in multiple formats. All the while, our goal is to help customers do their jobs better, or lead more improved lives.

The future of marketing is not about tempting them or conning them into buying more; it’s about communicating a message that says, “Regardless of whether you buy from me or not, you need this information. Enjoy!” Smart marketers are doing this today via every media imaginable, including direct mail.

There will always be a place for direct mail in the years to come, but personalization without valuable, consistent content will be destined for the trash. Those brands that take the high road will ultimately find profitable customer relationships that will drive business success.

NOTE: Even if we initially tempt customers with an offer or a new product, we'll need to continually distribute valuable content to them in order to keep the conversation going.

This article originally ran in DM News.

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