Content Marketing - A Campaign Template

I wrote this a couple of months ago to try to explain the concept of 'content marketing' to someone who was new managing a marketing team and didn't understand the concept.  I don't think they read it as they never once mentioned it, but I thought I would put it here, for you all.

Hope it helps.

What is Content Marketing?

Marketing on social media is extremely different to all traditional marketing methods, excluding guerrilla marketing.  A traditional three month campaign means you have your product, you come up with an advert (TV, magazine, cinema, billboards), and you bombard the public with it in the hope that it will permeate their consciousness and then purchase the product.

Social Media requires a different approach as the traditional methods mean the more you push message the less impact it has, even pushing people away.

Content Marketing is the approach used on social media so that your product has a general awareness, almost subliminal and using as many different approaches as possible.  A simple organic content marketing campaign over three months might include;

3 videos

Three purpose made videos that entertain and inform your audience about the product or service you are promoting.  These can be beautifully shot with great cinematography, or as a more natural looking video (it will still have high production values, just look more natural), or even something you asked one of your advocates to make for you.

50 individual postings using videos, photos and text

Each of these need to be different.  The videos you use no longer need to be beautiful, they just need to be quick and entertaining explaining different advantages of your product or service. How to videos are extremely popular, so you should create them showing how the product can be used.  

All content posted here should promote the product but not in a pushy way, they are quite simply there to support your overall message.  This requires that not all posts are blatantly about the product, but about it in some way.  You are not trying to preach to the converted, you are hoping the converted will become a messenger for you by engaging and sharing the message. 

User generated content

This is when the public are posting about your product and you share, RT, take screenshots or ask them directly if you can use it and post it.  This has more value than anything you can post.  The best adverts are ones showing real people, giving peer to peer reviews, from similar people to your target audience.  People will always trust their friends over an advert or anything you say.

Curated content

This is real life web links as they happen.  If you are promoting a product that gives clearer skin and someone posts a blog about it, you can use this link to help promote your product.  You have to be on the lookout for these and use them as a target of opportunity.  Any curated content you share must be reviewed to be sure they are not negative about your product or more glowing for your competitors.  Although sometimes this can be of an advantage, it shows you are honest, and you can either draw attention to the negativity by saying you’re listening to the audience.

Influencers

Influencers are a lot like curated content and user generated content combined, except these are people. An influencer could be a celebrity you approach to promote your product, an internet celebrity (someone who has a lot of followers made up of your target audience), or even just someone who likes your product and has reviewed it positively.  

They might be someone you are paying to do this who now has to declare they are promoting you, or someone who is doing it because they really care about your product or service.  Again, these are peer to peer recommendations.

Advocates

These are the people who are sharing and liking your posts, the people who follow you and engage with you.  If they like the posts you are creating, they will share.  You have to know what they want to see, in the community you have created.  They will share in the communities they are in and it’s your advocates who are your most valuable assets.  You do not need to ask them to share or engage; if you have done your research by asking your community manager what they like, you can make your campaign fit into this and they will become your brand ambassadors. 

Campaigns

Finally, you should have at least three of these running at any one time, designed to overlap with new content marketing campaigns so that there is a constant variation in the content you are posting.  If you are only running one of these you must have a wide selection of general content you can publish to ensure there is a constant change to avoid people getting bored and then leaving or ignoring your product.  If you are only running one then the 50 individual postings should be reduced to around 25.

Killing your babies – don’t destroy employee advocacy

Who speaks for you?

As a marketer, especially in social media, your biggest and best asset will always be the people who work for you.  And if they are volunteers, it’s harder to get better advocates for your brand.  So how do you tap into that and encourage them to promote you? 

The right tools for the right job

It’s easy really; you encourage them, you nurture them, advise them and give them the tools to do it.  These days everyone has easy access to social media in their pockets, so the tech is already in place.  They already have their own accounts, some of them will even be empowered to have a corporate one, but the tool they really need is support.  They need to know that if they post something about your brand, they are supported.  As soon as they know they are trusted, have someone they can turn to for advice, have a clear and simple set of rules to avoid the common pitfalls, they will tell everyone how good your brand is.  They will tell people because they are proud of doing what they do.

Going rogue

What happens if there’s no support?  Well, the first thing is all of your advocates stop talking, and suddenly your brand is swallowed into a black hole.  We all know that social media has both a short and long memory; short for the good stuff, long for the bad.  And by cutting your advocates off you instantly create bad feeling, and your advocates are now going back to the most trusted, and oldest form of communication, word of mouth.  And everyone knows that word of mouth can make or break a brand. 

"My, what big teeth you've got."

Don’t kill your babies, nurture them, let them grow and go into the world telling everyone what a great parent you are.  Otherwise they’ll turn against you with that piece of tech in their pockets.

Social Media Is Rocket Science

Knowing where you want to be isn’t enough

Knowing what you want to achieve with social media is easy; you have a target, you aim at it, and often miss.  Why is this?  Well it’s a lot like rocket science.  If you aim at Mars you’ll miss, because the Earth is moving and so is Mars, which obviously means Mars won’t be in the place you’re aiming at.  And if your rocket doesn’t work there’s no point in aiming at it anyway.

You need specialists

So you’ve picked your target, but what do you need to get there?  First off you need to get a team, you need someone who knows how planetary physics work, and you need an engineer who can build you a rocket.  The first part is easy, Isaac Newton worked it out for you a long time ago.  So you need someone who can use those numbers and turn them into something you can use.  Now you need your engineer who can then put them into a real thing.   You can then load it with whatever you want to get to your target, and get it there at the right time.  Sounds easy in those terms.

Using rocket science for social media

Whoever sets the target, needs to listen to the specialists, because picking targets is easy, hitting them is hard.  To hit your target you need to listen to your specialist who tells you that you’re aiming is off, and the rocket isn’t powerful enough to hit your target.   Social media is a science and an art in one.  You need to understand the limitations and strengths of the medium, and each platform within it.  If you don’t, then your rockets will miss Mars, and any time and money you spend will be wasted.

Social Media – Use the Force (to tell your story)

Star Wars - it's everywhere

Even if you haven’t seen the original Star Wars film, you’re aware of the story, it’s become part of our culture, seeping into to so many parts of our lives.  The reason for that is The Heroes’ Journey, identified by Professor Joseph Campbell (and used in every Disney film), a story archetype that stretches back to the verbal tradition and there’s no reason why you can’t use it to tell the story of your brand.

Because social media is a never ending story you can’t follow the heroes’ journey all the way to a clear and happy ending, you have to mix it up a bit.  To explain what I mean, I’m going to use some of the characters from Star Wars.

Dramatis Personae

Darth Vader – The serious part of your story

Han Solo – The plucky individual who finds a new purpose

Luke Skywalker – The hopeful dreamer who follows a higher cause

Princess Leia – The idealist

Ben Kenobi – The sage who gives advice

Chewbacca – Loyal and always there to support

The Droids – The comedic relief

Telling Stories

So how does this fit in with your brand?  Vader and Leia are the boring press release one hopeful, one less so.  Han is your standalone piece of content that doesn’t quite fit in, but is there to push the story forward in a positive way.  Luke is the story of your brand, hopeful and always there.  Chewbacca is your loyal user generated content, there to give you a hand in times of need.  And the Droids, well, they’re there to remind you that social media should be fun and is about entertaining people.

And don’t forget, it was the Droids who told the story to the Ewoks, and are in each film, so their importance cannot be underplayed. People go to social media to be entertained, not lectured.

Change It Up

There’s no reason why you can’t mix up the characters in your story, Luke with Leia can be dramatic or idealist. The Droids and Chewie can be funny.  Even Ben can give advice to Vader.

Know what you’re trying to say and say it with a passion because if you don’t believe in it, no will care about your story.  You have to believe.

And never, ever forget; Han shot first.