case studies

May 27, 2009

Why You Need to Publish a Custom Book: Q & A with Eloqua's Steven Woods

Digital body language I had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Woods (CTO at Eloqua) recently when we were both speaking at Online Marketing Summit - DC. We came to the subject of our respective books (mine Get Content Get Customers, Steve's Digital Body Language) and how they serve as the ultimate marketing tool.

Readers of this blog know that we (Newt Barrett and I) originally self-published Get Content Get Customers in 2008, with McGraw-Hill picking up the rights to the book in 2009. Outside of this blog, the book has been the #1 driver of success for both myself and with the organizations I'm involved.

With that in mind, I wanted to know what Steve's book has done for him, both personally and for Eloqua. Steve was nice enough to share his time and answer my questions below. After you read through this, you, as a professional and a stakeholder in your company, should think seriously about writing a book that positions you as a trusted expert in your field.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Just talked to Steve who said he'd be happy to give away a copy of his book to our readers.  Anyone who comments is automatically entered in a drawing to receive a free copy. So...comment away.  Thanks Steve!

Joe - What was the purpose behind writing the book?

Steve - We’ve been working with marketers for 10 years to understand how they are interacting with today’s new buyer.  These marketers have all realized that today’s buyers have fundamentally changed; they use Google, various online sources, and social media to find their information, rather than interacting with a sales person.  As a marketer, they are looking at how to engage with this new buyer and facilitate their overall buying process, rather than trying to sell to them.  As we’ve helped these marketers, we’ve had a great opportunity to dig deep into what it takes to be successful, and the mistakes you can easily avoid as you evolve your marketing organization.  Every time we spoke with our customers, they were very interested in the lessons of what pitfalls to avoid, what is critical to think through, and how to succeed in today’s B2B marketing environment.

As the space has evolved, there have been a lot of new companies springing up who are suggesting that it’s a problem that can be solved with technology alone.  Today’s marketers know that engaging with today’s new buyer requires a new way of thinking about their business, not just another flashy piece of software.  So many marketers were asking us to help them think through the business problems, rather than just the technology, that we knew we had a story that needed to be told.

Why a custom print book over something else?

I think there’s still something about the format of a book.  Regardless of whether it’s a physical book, or on Kindle (we did both), the length of the format lets you dig into an area more deeply than you would if you were reading a one or two page article online.  We wanted to give marketers something that they could take on the plane, relax, and make their way through, getting immersed in the topic for a few hours.  I’ve had many marketers tell me that that was exactly how they read the book, and when they landed, they had a host of new ideas to take back to their teams and get started on.

I think each format has its own unique characteristics, and they work best when they are used together.

Talk a bit about the process for getting the book written and produced.

That was an interesting  process.  I would say that it took about a year, start to finish, to do the writing of the book.  I still had a day job, so much of that was on planes.  A trip from Toronto to San Francisco gave me at least 3 hours of uninterrupted writing time, for example.  However, I also wanted to share the stories of how various marketers were tackling the challenges of engaging with today’s buyer, and where they were succeeding.  To do that, I had the marketers behind 30 of the most fascinating marketing challenges tell their story, and included those in the book.

The interview, editing, revision, and approval process for those 30 stories took almost as long as the writing itself, but was probably the most interesting for me, as I had the chance to talk with some of the best marketers around.

Interestingly, I found out that you only need cover art and an ISBN number to get your book up on Amazon.  We had it live for pre-order at least 6 months before the books were ready.

Start to finish, it was about 18 months to complete the book.  I outlined a rough time line in a blog post I wrote when the first copies arrived, for those considering the process.

How do you balance the need for not being “promotional” in a book with the need to drive business?

It’s a good question.  I wanted to make sure that we didn’t talk at all about our technology or solutions in the book so as not to be promotional.  However, in educating the market about what’s possible, how to think about the challenges and opportunities, and what is critical for success, the book has been a big driver of business for us.  I would say that it helps in three ways:

  • Early Stage: as marketers are thinking about their plans and initiatives, having them aware of what’s possible in the space, and how they can engage with today’s buyers better and more effectively leads to a higher level of interest in our space in general.
  • Mid-Funnel: each story in the book gives readers an idea of what’s possible.  Some of those stories trigger an “aha” moment, and lead to a conversation about a way we can help that marketer’s business that may not have been thought of previously.
  • Buying Stage: the book gives marketers a more comprehensive view of all the people, process, and technology elements that are needed to succeed.  Armed with this, they are better able to ask deep questions and get beyond the “pretty demo” phase when they are evaluating solutions.

So, although the book itself is not promotional at all, it definitely helps us in all aspects of the sales cycle.  The more educated potential buyers are about our space in general, what’s possible, and how to truly achieve success, the better we do.

Once you have a book created, how do you best leverage that marketing asset?  How do you get the word out about a book?

It’s a great asset to leverage, and we are using almost every channel to leverage it.  The Digital Body Language blog talks about many of the ideas in the book and both drives awareness and keeps the conversation going.   We use everything from Twitter and email marketing to press releases and banners to drive awareness of the blog as a central point in promoting the book.  Similarly, the book provides a great foundation for webinars with other thought leaders in the industry, relations with social media luminaries like yourself, speaking opportunities, and direct client engagement.

So, what kind of results are you seeing because of the book?

The results have been fantastic so far, and we’re just getting started.  It’s the stories that really help; we’ve had so many examples of people we were talking with who read an example and said it was exactly what they wanted to do.  That led to a great conversation about their business and how we would make them successful.  However, the real indicator of success was when they went out into the market and did their research into alternative solutions.  When they came back to us saying that they had seen a variety of pretty demos, but were now able to ask the hard questions about how their business would get to success, I knew we had succeeded with the book.

Would you do anything different?

Like any first experience it’s a learning experience.  I think that if I did it again, I would start the conversations in social media well before the book launches.  We started the Digital Body Language blog at around the same time as the book launched, which meant that it was still building momentum well after the book was out.  Starting the social media conversation around the topics in a book well before the book launches allows you to build buzz and momentum prior to the launch.

How about a second book?

Definitely something under consideration…   There has been a great response to a lot of the topics I’ve covered on the Digital Body Language blog that were somewhat outside of the book’s main topic.  Not sure of exactly what the book would look like or when, but it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about very seriously.

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May 19, 2009

Kodak: Why Content Strategy Is the Key to Marketing

Kodak_toms I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Hoehn from Kodak at Online Marketing Summit - DC last week.  Tom has a really cool job at Kodak, where he is director of brand communications and convergence media.

After my presentation on the Keys to Social Media, Tom and I got to chatting and we realized that we focus on many of the same things, the most important being the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant and compelling content as a core part of marketing. Tom was nice enough to participate in this Q&A about Kodak's content strategy.  There's some gold nuggets in here...enjoy! Thanks Tom!


Joe
: Does Kodak have a content strategy that's a part of their overall marketing strategy?  If so, how do you integrate it into the plans?

Tom: Yes, our content strategy is two pronged. First, we focus on content creation that showcases our products in use. We have a long history of doing this. Our Tips and Projects Center is the best example.
It is chock full of examples, projects, tips, and inspirational photo essays. The second part of this strategy is about distribution. We use the content in a number of different permutations and distribute through our various channels based on seasonality, promotions, etc. Channels include our website, blogs, partners sites, social media, e-mail tips, etc. You can see our social media presence at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.

Joe: When you hear the phrase "content marketing", does it mean anything to you?

Tom: It means everything to me! Seriously, we love how people use the products we make to tell the stories of their lives. It is great to work in a category that enables people's self expression. Giving voice to those stories and inspiring others is what it is all about.

Joe: What does Kodak call the process of delivering consistent, educational and entertaining information to customers?

Tom: Our job.  It is an expectation of our customers that we walk the walk and talk the talk and have quality content. We make sure that we leverage Kodak's businesses and sponsorship for content at every turn. It is in our DNA.

Some examples include:

So there you have it, we are nuts about content! ;-)
Kodak_content
Joe: How do you take customer education to the next level to drive increased loyalty and sales?

Tom: The next level? In my mind it isn't always about what we think people want to learn. Amplifying the voice of the millions of people who take pictures, do cool things with them, and share with others is the big opportunity for us. People take 70 million pictures every day with Kodak cameras. Yes, you read that right. Don't you think that is quite an incredible wealth of source material that can be tapped?

Joe: Kodak has been in the middle of social media for a while now.  What's worked really well?  What are you no so sure about?  What hasn't worked?

Tom: Our blogs, starting with A Thousand Words, have been active since September 2006. That is ancient history in the social media space - in terms of large companies blogging it is positively prehistoric! The stories and photos we have shared from everyday Kodak people have been acclaimed by many. We get kudos for recognizing the space and how to use it. We are adding value to the conversations that are occurring. We are not shoving marketing messages at people. That doesn't work and we knew that from the outset.

Our distributed publishing model has worked really well for us. We decided not to have a few dedicated Kodak rockstar bloggers and opted to have many employees contribute. It helps to spread the work. I am happy to say we have published every business day since our launch - that is no small feat. A wise person by the name of Joe Pulizzi ;-) mentioned that "Frequency" is an important aspect of blogging. It looks like we embraced that from the get go. Every post contains a few photos (of course), most have more. One post I did actually had over 200 clickable thumbnails (but that is a story for another day).

A benefit we saw that was unexpected was the employee pride in contribution. They loved the fact that anyone could contribute their stories and were proud to share with family, friends, and their networks. 

Joe: How is Kodak promoting the use of social media within the company?  Do you have set guidelines?

Tom: We have a simple social media policy that was crafted with input from marketing, legal, our IT group, and corporate security. It contains very sound and practical advice and isn't overly restrictive. We promote the use of social media channels to product marketing groups and adoption rates vary. I find that people are eager to learn and we are happy to share our experiences.

Joe: What's the next great frontier regarding online content? (is there one?)

Tom: It is the power of you. Instead of everyone being famous for 15 minutes perhaps we will be famous to 15 people. Telling your story requires content. Text, photos (yes!), videos (naturally!). What stories are you telling to your network?

Joe: How about print?  Do you do any print magazines/newsletters for BtoC or BtoB?  Wondering what your take is on the distribution of print content?

Tom: Yes, we do print and make products that support print. Did you know Kodak has commercial businesses that are in the printing and packaging industries? It is a multi-billion dollar per year category for us. That being said, we use print for B2B publications for our Entertainment Imaging (motion picture)
and Graphic Communications (printing) businesses. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that print also extends to personal needs. Are your precious memories locked on a hard drive somewhere? I hope not!

I hope you found this Q&A helpful.Thanks Joe for inviting me.
Leave a comment I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks, tom @tomhoehn on Twitter

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April 20, 2009

Five Content Marketing Ideas that Will Pay Dividends

Really cool eBook by Amplifier Content Marketing (full disclosure: Amplifier is a client of mine) called "Five Music Marketing Ideas that Could Pay Dividends Now".

Truthfully, the five ideas in this eBook could be applied to any industry, not just music.  Also includes some amazing examples and case studies.

The five ideas to seriously consider now for your brand (according to the eBook) include:

  1. The Content Filter - Be the "editor" in a market and present people the best content in that market or that topic. Be the enabler of the information they are looking for.
  2. The Microsite - Become the trusted expert on a particular niche topic (on a different URL than your company URL, i.e., Mercedes Benz Online Magazine).
  3. The Magalog - Combine that outdated catalog with the compelling content of a magazine and give your customers something to really engage in.
  4. The Digital Magazine - Go no further than checking out what KLM is doing with their digital magazine, iFly.
  5. The Tweeter - Same concept as the "content filter" or "microsite" model...just distribute the content through Twitter.

Download the full PDF of the eBook here. Thanks to Glenn Sabin from Amplifier for putting this together.

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March 25, 2009

When BBC (Bad Branded Content) Strikes

I was on a Continental Airlines flight yesterday and starting leafing through their in-flight magazine, Continental. I may be the one person out there that actually seeks out and reads advertorials (ad placement in the form of content).

That's when I came to an advertorial from Valenti International, the upscale professional matchmaking service. First off, I have nothing against Valenti, but this was one of the best examples I've seen in a while of bad branded content.

Here is the first two sentences of the Valenti's advertorial story Ending the Endless Search.

Irene Valenti, the founder of professional matchmaking service Valenti International, is overflowing with insight about the ways of the world. A visionary and creative thinker, she is blessed with an amazing intuition that led her to found Valenti International nearly two decades ago.

To be honest, I stopped reading at that point. Unless the reader was Valenti's parents or husband, I'm not sure why you would read much further. This is the kind of branded content that gives branded content a bad name.

The lesson: all content, even paid advertorial, needs to focus on the needs and wants of the reader in order to be effective. It's that simple.

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March 04, 2009

A Recession Content Strategy that Works - Look at Monster.com

Times are tough, and the folks at Monster.com are responding.

I was forwarded this updated career advice section from Monster (thanks @jimkozak) and from the looks of it, they are responding directly to the informational needs of their customers.

Let's take a look at challenges faced by those people looking for or trying to keep their job:

  • What jobs will be readily available with the passage of the stimulus bill?
  • If I'm downsized, what do I need to do now to protect my career?
  • How much am I worth in a downturn?
  • How do I protect my job in a tough economy?
  • Can I still get a raise in a recession?

Those five questions that employees are struggling with are actually the first five articles on the Monster.com site.

Monster.com Career Advice

The Payoff: Monster.com positions themselves as a trusted solutions provider for the jobs market. If someone relies on Monster to get information related to their career, do you think they will use Monster.com when the time comes? I say yes.

What can you learn from Monster.com?

  • Can you create information specific to your website that focuses on recession-related buying patterns?
  • What objections are your sales reps finding because of the economy?  How can you take those questions and turn them into answers on your website?
  • What is that one piece of information that your customers cannot live without during tough financial times?  Why can't you create it?
  • Can you deliver ongoing, valuable information to your customers and prospects without actively selling your product or service?

If you as a company aren't providing this kind of information in this manor, I can pretty much guarantee you that your competitor probably is. They will become the trusted provider of information relevant to their lives.

It's too risky NOT to publish valuable content marketing information to your customers and prospects. It's a cost of doing business today. Like it or not, you are a publisher. 

What will you publish today?

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March 02, 2009

Scouting for Content - Girl Scouts Head to the Social Web

Girl-scouts The following is a guest post courtesy of Jackie Ross.

Content marketing just received a healthy dose of girl power.

The beloved spreader of good deeds and great cookies, the Girl Scouts, has expanded the conversation beyond the community center and campfire and into new arenas like chat rooms and blogs. It’s all part of a recent brand makeover that uses content to reach the hearts and minds of American girls.

Old-school pastimes like cookouts and sing-alongs haven’t disappeared from the Girl Scout lexicon, but the association has wisely refocused on how to best achieve its mission to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” And “the how” is through communications.

Blogs, chat rooms, videoconferencing, and student-penned books give girls a voice and a platform where they can connect to each other and the causes they care about. A Go Girls Only section of the Girl Scouts website gives girls a forum to “Sound off and be heard” and read “What’s up?,” the latest news from the association.

"Now we're talking the language they're used to,” the Girl Scouts' multicultural marketing manager told The Washington Post.

So the value of the Girl Scouts, as it turns out, is not Thin Mints and Macaroons. But instead the messages – the content – that empowers the association’s members to connect and engage.

Jackie Ross is Director of Corporate Development for the World 50, where she builds and manages small, private networks of C-level executives.

December 09, 2008

10 Content Marketing Tips to Start Now for 2009

Number 10 One of the reasons I love my job is the different kinds of people I have the opportunity to interact with. Over the past year, I've met with entrepreneurs, thought leaders, agency executives, top marketers, social media gurus, publishing veterans, authors and others - all with particular insights and challenges about how to sell more, do more and be more.

If 2008 was the year social media went mainstream, 2009 should be the year of content marketing, the corporation as media company, the brand as publisher and broadcaster. Why? Because everyone of those incredibly intelligent people I met with, in some way or another, told me that the difference for brands who make it versus those that don't will be relevance. How can we, as brands, be relevant to our customers? How can we create and develop real relationships with them? How do we engage?

As my friend and colleague Kirk Cheyfitz has said over and over - brands can do only two things to create the goal of 100% engagement - we can inform our customers - or give them a good time.

To help, I've put together 10 tactics that I believe you need to seriously consider NOW as part of your 2009 content plan (not in any particular order).

  1. Tell the Story Differently through Different Media - It's frustrating to watch the sheer number of marketers tell a great story, but repurpose that story the same way in all their media. Ian Alexander over at Eat Media constantly harps (and rightfully so) on the concept that the story you tell in print versus mobile versus website versus video must be told in a very different manner. Seems obvious, but it's not done. Most commonly, this mistake is made from taking a print custom program and just putting it online. Do you engage with content in the same way in print as you do the web? Most likely, you don't. Do not expect more of your customers than yourself.
  2. Raid Traditional Media Outlets - As traditional media continues to lay off the best journalists in the world and layoffs and bankruptcies abound, your opportunity to acquire talent has never been greater. Of course, I'm biased a bit that I believe most marketers should outsource their content and find great providers through our service, but this opportunity is too good to be true. First, the talent is available now. Second, expert journalists are very open to working with corporations today. Third, you need great content to survive as a marketer. To do this, you need talent that understands how to tell a story. Go get that talent today while there is still time (and before they all start up their own content marketing businesses).
  3. Why Partner with Media Companies, Just Buy Them - Granted, this is for the larger marketers among us, but a great strategy nonetheless. Paul Conley just posted an excellent read on the shape of the media industry, and his #1 prediction was that content marketers may start to buy b-to-b media companies. I've agreed with this strategy ever since I was at Penton (when I thought Penton should be purchased by eBay Business - and still think it's a great idea for both). Remember, a media company is all about connecting buyers and sellers. Corporations need to do that as well, they only want to limit the number of sellers (to one).
  4. Time to Start Using Twitter - I will agree with you...I thought Twitter was stupid when I first tried it. Now, it is an indispensable tool, where I've increased my network, formed partnerships, and led to new business opportunities. To understand the true power you need to use a tool like TweetDeck, which is the ultimately reputation management tool if you can't afford a real reputation management tool. Check out this article by Ann Smarty on using Twitter for Business, as well as Shama Hyder's 101 Ways to Rock Twitter. And finally, if you are distributing relevant content, try sending your RSS feeds through Twitter by using TwitterFeed.
  5. Get Serious about a Content Audit - In all honesty, this is a huge task and very challenging to look for all the pieces of content in an organization from the inside.  If you are serious about performing a content audit, look to an outside expert to execute it.  For example, they will look at all your forms of communication and the information you are sending out in order to make recommendations on how to create and fine tune a consistent and relevant message to your customers and prospects.  This includes all the content you have on the web and what's circulating around your company.  Just think about your website…is it consistent?  Does it communicate your vision? If you are serious, we have a number of providers in the Junta42 Match system.

    The results of the content audit will help define the purpose, context, types, topics, voice and style for your content marketing plan.  With this information, you’ll have a good handle on where you are currently, and where you need to be in relation to your customers. Hat's off to Kristina Halvorson at Brain Traffic for showing me the light on content strategy.
  6. No Reputation Management System? - Work on Your Google Alerts: Of all the listening tools out there, Google Alerts is probably the one I use the most (even more than Twitter).  The way Google Alerts works is that I can monitor keywords and brand names, and whenever anyone mentions them on the Internet, I’ll get a notification.  As a rule, when anyone blogs about me, my company, or my book, I want to know about it and comment to them.  Google Alerts helps me find most of this.

    But where this is really of value is to find out what people are saying around they topics that are important to you and your customers.  For example, by monitoring the term “content marketing” over the past couple years, I’ve really gained insight into how the definition has broadened and how more people are using the term in general. It also introduced me to thought leaders like Chris Brogan, who regularly posts and advocates the use of content marketing.

    We can help shape the conversation through our own content because we know what’s being talked about on other sites.

    So, how do you do it?  Google Alerts is a free tool.  The first thing you need to do is create a Gmail (or Google mail account), which is also free.  Once you have a Gmail account, just type in your keywords into Alerts and set your notifications. To use exact phrases (recommended), try using parentheses like so - "content marketing".
  7. Assign a Chief Conversation Officer - Whatever you call it, make sure someone is in charge of listening to customer conversations through blogs, Google Alerts, and Twitter.  Have that person be the personality for your brand.  Customers want to talk to other people, so it’s very important that you put a human face on this.

    Remember, a successful content marketing strategy is dependent on how well you know the customer's informational needs. Listening is required.

    Here’s an example why you need ownership.  Type in "Kodak" into Twitter Search and you'll find that there are hundreds of people just in the last day that are talking about Kodak in one way or another.  This takes someone’s full time attention to monitor what customers and prospects are saying (which is why Kodak has Jennifer Cisney @KodakCB as their Chief Blogger).  If done right, and with transparency and honesty, there may not be a better way to gain loyal customers than to interact with them in a personal way through social media.  So, I encourage you to take a very serious look at assigning an owner to your social conversation management.
  8. Are you BtoB? If so, choose to "Be the Media": Heck, BtoC can do this as well (it's just more challenging). Most brands don’t look at themselves as publishers or media companies right now.  This is starting to change.  Over the next five to ten years, content marketing – or whatever the phrase is – will be the engine behind most of the marketing that happens around the globe.  That’s because buying behavior has changed, and will never go back to the days of mass marketing.  I believe the early movers in providing best of breed industry and educational content will have a clear advantage and be able to position themselves as trusted content providers – which in the long run – will position them for sales and profit growth.  It’s not easy, and right now it takes work to measure, but, as Seth Godin has said, Content Marketing is the only marketing left.

    Point is, don't wait for your industry's trade publication or online resource to cover an important topic - important to you and your customers. Go out and develop that information yourselves. Become the trusted content provider in your industry. Not only a good thing to do for your customers and industry, but believe me, it will be good for your bottom line.
  9. Find Someone to Be Your Publisher/Media Company - Yes, even though I believe you should grab the journalistic talent when you can, partnering with an organization that focuses on content 24/7 is just a smart move.

    You need someone to own your content process.  Select someone to be your turnkey publisher. In my experience, marcom people are not necessarily the most qualified to create story-driven content.  So, if you are serious about growing your business through content marketing, find the expertise now. 

    Once you select your publisher or journalist as part of your content team, you should expect them to assist you with the following:
    • You can count on this group to help you develop the content plan.  This means that they need to have the best understanding of your customer’s informational needs, and make sure that you have a plan to communicate to each of your customer segments – valuable, relevant and compelling information.  This will involve surveys and discussions with your customers and prospects, and from that you can create a buyer persona for your customer, which is a detailed representation of who your buyer is.
    • Now, Once the content plan is created, you may be asking what types of programs you may need to execute. This will ultimately be dependent on your content plan and the kinds of information that you need them to receive. 

      So, you need case studies, interviews with customers about challenges solved. Industry white papers or ebooks that cover a key topic that your customers need to be educated on.  White papers are generally done quarterly by even smaller organizations. For webcasts, you can produce webcasts for resellers, educating them on what’s going on in the industry so they can sell better, or communicate with webcasts/webinars directly to customers.  Key for webcasts is to do it consistently.  Many brands partner with media companies to use webcasts as lead generators.  When done right, there may not be a better lead generator than webcasts.

      Believe it or not, custom magazines are still growing, and yes, in print.  Most consumers still enjoy reading print magazines, and even with all the Internet hype, readership in magazines hasn’t gone down.  For distributing in depth information and positioning yourself as a true solutions provider, custom magazines or even online digital magazines are a good choice.  With custom magazines, think retention for your very best customers.

      eNewsletters are the most popular content vehicle, and unfortunately most are pretty bad.  You have an opportunity to really position yourself as an expert if you deliver consistently valuable content instead of news release/press release type information. I've always loved what the folks at IMN do with their Pro&Content eNewsletter.

      And finally, social media community sites/blogs and content-focused microsites are all growing in popularity.  The key to any successful blog or social media site is this: If you can’t handle customer comments that may be negative in nature, don't go in this direction.  Some companies mask the openness of a blog but don’t allow comments.  My question to that is, what’s the point?  Also, the content needs to be good, and it needs to be personal.  Ghost writing a blog is possible but tough…to make this successful you really need a company personality…but your content provider/publisher can help you get the direction right.

    Those are just a few…remember, every communication challenge is different, and may require a different content initiative - which is why an expert publisher is so important.  Also, for the most part, none of these initiatives work independently.  For example, there is no such thing as just a custom magazine.  There is always an online component, which may be a microsite, additional web content, white papers and more - and in each of those media channels, the story needs to be told differently for maximum engagement.
  10. All this is Meaningless Unless You Measure: Yes, content marketing is a good idea for any size company, but without measurement, how do you have any idea what is working? My former boss at Penton Media, Bill Donahue, used to preach to me all the time that "Hope is not a strategy". Even hope, without an idea of a preferred end result, may actually be defined as insanity.

    Before you launch any content initiative, create the content strategy around your marketing program, and be very specific with how you will measure success. Use numbers whenever you can to quantify your plan. Then, have your management buy off on those numbers to support your content plan. Although we finish with this strategy as our last, it probably should be the first. Successful content marketing plans need at least six months just to get any traction at all - so plan for a minimum of 12 to 18 months and continually modify your plan as you gain customer intelligence.

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December 01, 2008

Is Your Marketing Like hhgregg?

Hhgregg store I had the opportunity for the third year in a row to escape in the early morning hours of Black Friday to go shopping with my wife.  This year, we woke up at 3:30 am to make the 4am opening at Kohl's. There aren't many things more exciting to my wife than doorbusters at Kohl's the Friday after Thanksgiving (and I truly enjoy seeing her so happy).

Thanksgiving night, after all the eating is done, is time to lay all the Black Friday offers from the newspaper and see which one has the best deals. This year was the usually suspects - Kohl's, Wal-mart and Toys R Us (Best Buy was a little off on deals this year).

Although I've only shopped there once, I pulled out the hhgregg flyer.  Interesting...some good deals.

"How about hhgregg?" I said to my wife.

"Never," she said. "I can't stand the salespeople there".

"What about them specifically?" I followed.

And in a wise and generous manner, my wife stated the following (I'm paraphrasing here, but I'm sure won't do it justice):

"Shopping has to be on my terms. If I'm just browsing, I don't want to be bothered.  If I know what I want, I don't need to be bothered. If I have a question, I can ask someone. At hhgregg, the salespeople watch every move you make. It's uncomfortable and not an enjoyable experience. It would be better if they weren't there at all."

Since Friday, I asked a few more people about hhgregg who had similar thoughts and experiences. Not to single out hhgregg (I checked out their blog, which isn't too bad), but many stores are like this (try buying a car, especially in this economic climate).

There may have been a time for this type of selling and marketing, but I believe that day has gone away.  Unfortunately, many of us market with this "in your face" type of selling, even on the Internet.

Online, you have three seconds to make the right impression or your prospect will leave. Is this happening with your electronic communications?  Here are a couple ways to combat this:

  1. Although I recommend an equal blend of educational/relevant content versus sales messaging, you should have at least one message on your home page that educates and informs. Perform an audit of your website. If you have all sales messaging and are not "giving back" to your customers with valuable information, you are too focused on selling and not focused enough on helping your customers. Focus on content marketing instead of just direct selling.
  2. Do you have an Enewsletter? If the open rates aren't at least 25% (30%+ is better), you've got some problems.  Low open rates either mean your list is not opt-in (specifically requested) or the content is not perceived as valuable enough to open.  If the latter is the case, it most likely means the content is too product-centric and not customer-centric. Enewsletters should be almost exclusively about giving the gift of information, not ongoing sales pitches.

Just like the Thanksgiving flyers, there is nothing wrong with selling, if it's in the right context. Consumers today are expecting valuable information to come from you, from your website, from your communications. Buyer's expectations have changed, and now our marketing must change with it.

If you want to give your customers a gift this holiday season, then focus on giving them some good old-fashioned relevant information instead of the same, tired sales pitches. Once you do, check your stats. The difference will show.

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November 14, 2008

Custom Publishing Council Celebrates 2008 Pearl Award Winners

Pearl_awards 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

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

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September 10, 2008

Journalism + Marketing = Content Success for UPS Compass

I had the pleasure of being at the ABM/FIPP Global Media Conference for the past few days in New York City. One of the panels was on the growth of custom media solutions, featuring Jane Ottenberg (The Magazine Group), Kirk Cheyfitz (Story Worldwide) and Michael Hofelich (Forum Corporate Publishing/Germany).

There were a lot of takeaways, but the key finding from the panel was that the future of marketing is a combination of journalism and marketing.

Kirk Cheyfitz's presentation hit on key points for marketers...

In the advertising age, 2% conversion on any ad is considered a success.  That model is not only deteriorating, it's simply not enough.  Our goal must be 100% engagement in the brand.

To do this, marketers must learn the best practices of journalism and execute that through their marketing programs. Journalism is the key word here.  This means hiring the best journalists in your industry to "tell the story."

Marketers today have two choices when communicating to customers - either give them relevant, compelling information or give them a good time.  Without either one, engagement is impossible.

Ups_compass Kirk used an example from the UPS custom magazine/microsite Compass. Before Story took on the Compass project, they were sending up to four different magazines/newsletters to customers, each of which were disjointed, and were not driven by "true" journalistic principles.

Over the past few years those four communication vehicles transformed into Compass, a quarterly magazine to UPS business customers that include nine different versions specific to each customer segment. Story hired freelance journalists from the leading business publications in North America to help tell the UPS customer story.

The results: Over 90% actively read and benefit from the UPS case studies. But more importantly, 35% have been prompted to try a specific UPS product or service after reading the magazine.  Now that's engagement.

They key: invest in your own content.  Stop renting media...own the media, be the media.

This is not just a trend, this IS the future of marketing. Most business and consumer brands haven't realized this yet. We are still in the first inning of this transformation.  Those that step to the plate now will be ahead of the game.

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