Content marketing guide

Puncturing The Hype and
Getting Practical

The reality of
content marketing

T

I

t’s becoming clear that simply trying to sell your product
or service isn’t working anymore.

Our attention spans are shorter. The internet has changed
the way we receive news. Social media has given us a new
way to share useful and interesting stuff while connecting
with our friends. We now expect to interact with brands and
for them to listen to us. TV is catching up to the curve too,
with time-shifted on-demand programming, apps and web
browsing. All this means straightforward sales messages need
to be very special – or very lucky – to cut through the noise.
To get your customers interested, content marketing offers
a way to engage your audiences and prove your business’s
worth as a trusted source of information. As such, it has
had a transformative effect on the way brands reach and
retain their customers, but with so many voices on the
matter, getting to grips with content marketing best practice
is not easy.

T

To help cut through the hype, Waggener Edstrom has spoken
to more than 150 marketers across Europe, the Middle East
and Africa and asked them for their content marketing
experiences and opinions. In this booklet you’ll find a
summary of the results of this in-depth survey, as well as
contributions from some big-name advocates of content
marketing, including Microsoft and AVG.

FIND OUT MORE

I hope you enjoy our content!

Tweet us @WE_UK using #contentmarketing.

Chris Talago,

Or if you’re interested in attending future events focused
on content marketing, please email us at:
emeaevents@WaggenerEdstrom.com

Executive vice president and general manager EMEA
at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Visit www.waggeneredstrom.com/content-marketing
to view videos, blogs and case studies.

DATA TACTICS BUDGET ENGAGING MARKETING TECHNOLOGY MESSAGING STRATEGY B
CONTENT CAMPAIGNS RESOURCES DECISION-MAKING EDITORIAL IMPLEMENTATION RE
ONLINE CONSISTENCY EFFECTIVELY INTERACTION VIDEO EXPERTISE OFFLINE ARTICLE C
INFOGRAPHICSENGINEERING PROMINENCE QUALITY SPENDING CHANNELS CUSTOMER
OPPORTUNITY BLOGGING SALES STORYTELLING MULTI-PLATFORM PRODUCTION CONVER
CONSUMER SOCIAL COMMENTS AUDIENCE BUZZWORDS COPYWRITING MICROSITE CO
LOYALTY DIGITAL INFLUENCIAL PUBLICATION HIGH-IMPACT KPI REPUTATION CONTENT
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LINKS BUYERS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION CONVERSATIONS INNOVATION VALUE S
TUMBLR ANALYTICS SERVICES DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION VISITORS NETWORKING ID
INSTAGRAMORGANIZATION STRATEGIC PROMOTION RESEARCH CONNECT MANPOWER
YOUTUBE LEADERSHIP IDEAS SOURCES THOUGHT LEADERSHIP OBJECTIVES KEYWORD
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DIGG ANNUAL REPORTS VIRTUAL CONFERENCES PERSONALIZING USEFUL GUIDES AUD
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NEWSLETTER INFLUENCERS CONFERENCES BLOGGER OUTREACH EVENTS VIRAL EVENT
To many, content marketing just a new name for
PHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIPisTRAFFIC INSIGHT ECOM
old tricks, something they’ve been VIDEO AGGREGATIO
PODCAST WHITEPAPERS WORD OF MOUTH INCREASED VISIBILITYdoing for years.
To others, it’s a useful label that describes a new way
to reach customers – an ever-changing approach to
marketing. For some it’s nothing more than an
empty buzzword.
Whatever your view, COPYWRITING MICROSITE CO
CONSUMER SOCIAL COMMENTS AUDIENCE BUZZWORDS it’s true that ‘implementing content
marketing’ and ‘implementing content marketing that works’
are REAL-TIME CREDIBILITY ALIGNMENT E
INSIGHT ROI BRANDING ECOMMERCE VISIBILITY two entirely different things. To help clarify the difference,
LINKS BUYERS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATIONWaggener Edstrom carried out an online survey in early 2013. VALUE S
CONVERSATIONS INNOVATION
We polled 150 EMEA marketing and communications
professionals, all with decision-making responsibilities (79 per
cent communicate with business OBJECTIVES
YOUTUBE LEADERSHIP IDEAS SOURCES THOUGHT LEADERSHIP audiences, 36 per cent KEYWORD
consumer and 31 per cent the public sector).
The results in brief
• Content marketing produces results: 61 per cent of
respondents reported an increase in sales after
PHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIP TRAFFIC INSIGHT MARK
implementing content marketing
PODCAST WHITEPAPERS WORD OF MOUTH INCREASED aVISIBILITYstrategy.
VIDEO AGGREGATIO
• There’s a gap betweenAPPS PAID COLLATERAL M
TWITTER ENEWSLETTER CASE STUDIES WEBINARS MOBILE understanding and
implementation: 70 per cent of marketers believe
content marketing will help them drive sales, only
38 per cent think it delivers measurable ROI.
• Over half of marketers expect TRAFFIC INSIGHT HIGHPHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIP to increase the use of
external creative resources to help produce content.
PODCAST WHITEPAPERS WORD OF MOUTH INCREASED VISIBILITY VIDEO AGGREGATIO
• TECHNOLOGY MESSAGING STRATEGY B
requirement for the right
DATA TACTICS BUDGET ENGAGING MARKETING There’s aengaging content, with 46mix of skills to
produce
per cent feeling
an increased need for editorial/journalistic skills to tell
authentic
SPENDING
INFOGRAPHICSENGINEERING PROMINENCE QUALITY and relevant stories. }CHANNELS CUSTOMER

WHAT IT MEANS
TO YOU

CONSUMER SOCIALmarketing heaven? AUDIENCE BUZZWORDS COPYWRITING MICROSITE CO
A match made in COMMENTS
in five (18 per cent) are not currently implementing a content
LOYALTYWe wanted to takeINFLUENCIAL PUBLICATION HIGH-IMPACT stoppingREPUTATION CONTENT
DIGITAL stock of the content creation landscape as it
marketing strategy. So what’s KPI them? The usual suspects
INSIGHT stands today – and we uncovered some telling results. What’s
ROI BRANDING ECOMMERCE VISIBILITY REAL-TIMEsenior management buy-in.ALIGNMENT E
of budget, available skills and CREDIBILITY To add
certain is that marketers’ love affair with content is far from a
to the mix, many are of the opinion that content marketing is
TUMBLR fleeting romance: over half of respondents have implemented,
ANALYTICS SERVICES DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION VISITORS NETWORKING ID
nothing new; that there is ‘difficulty in proving ROI’ and ‘too
or are currently implementing, a content marketing strategy,
much hype’ (something we are trying to address with this survey).
and almost one-third plan to implement ‘in the near future’.
What’s more, the challenges APPS the content marketing
TWITTER ENEWSLETTER CASE STUDIES WEBINARS MOBILE identified byPAID COLLATERAL M
But what defines content marketing? While at times proving
sceptics PERSONALIZING USEFUL GUIDES AUD
DIGG ANNUAL REPORTS VIRTUAL CONFERENCESare shared by respondents who have already
implemented content marketing strategies (budget TRENDS RESEAR
GOOGLEdifficult to pin down, there is consistency in how it is interpreted.
PLUS INTERVIEWS ANALYSIS AUDIENCE METRICS INDUSTRY and
It is characterised by a drive to engage with customers and
content expertise).
prospects beyond traditional marketing collateral, which naturally
PHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIP TRAFFIC INSIGHT ECOM
– WHITEPAPERS measurable OF interactive
Horses for resources
PODCASTcombined with its potential for WORDROI and MOUTH INCREASED VISIBILITY VIDEO AGGREGATIO
capabilities – makes it a hot ENGAGING
Rising to the content challenge seems to call for improved
DATA TACTICS BUDGETtopic for marketers. MARKETING TECHNOLOGY MESSAGING STRATEGY B
resources to handle EDITORIAL IMPLEMENTATION RE
CONTENT CAMPAIGNS RESOURCES DECISION-MAKING the forecast production duties. Over half
Waggener Edstrom, as an integrated communications and
(52 per cent) expect this additional content creation will require
content marketing agency, views content PROMINENCE QUALITY SPENDING CHANNELS CUSTOMER
increased agency and freelance resources, and more than
INFOGRAPHICSENGINEERINGmarketing as a
process of BLOGGING audience-centric material
two-thirds (69 per cent) expect greater use of internal resources.
OPPORTUNITYcreating and deployingSALES STORYTELLING MULTI-PLATFORM PRODUCTION CONVER
that is SOCIAL COMMENTS of this
Additionally, editorial, journalism and media production
CONSUMER interesting or useful (or both). Crucially, allAUDIENCE BUZZWORDS COPYWRITING MICROSITE CO
backgrounds are a focus when hiring REPUTATION CONTENT
LOYALTYcontent needs to be governed and guided by the brand
DIGITAL INFLUENCIAL PUBLICATION HIGH-IMPACT KPI new staff.
INSIGHT story and overarching objectives.
ROI BRANDING ECOMMERCE VISIBILITY REAL-TIME CREDIBILITY ALIGNMENT E
Effective content marketing requires dedication and commitment,
a DISTRIBUTION VISITORS NETWORKING ID
TUMBLR Clearly the onus is on results, and this is where insight and
ANALYTICS SERVICES DISTRIBUTIONseasoned combination of resources (replete with editorial
analytics take centre stage. Greater interaction with customers,
arsenal), available budget and management buy-in. With these
brand awareness, sales lead IDEAS increased website
in place and a sturdy understanding OBJECTIVES
YOUTUBE LEADERSHIP generation andSOURCES THOUGHT LEADERSHIPof your objectives, brand KEYWORD
narrative, and a clear strategy, your business will be COLLATERAL M
TWITTERtraffic were highlighted as the most important KPIs for content
ENEWSLETTER CASE STUDIES WEBINARS MOBILE APPS PAID well placed
marketing. REPORTS being realised: 81 per cent saw
to see tangible results from content marketing.
DIGG ANNUALAnd these results are VIRTUAL CONFERENCES PERSONALIZING USEFUL GUIDES AUD
GOOGLEan improvement in their website traffic, and 61 per cent saw AUDIENCE METRICS INDUSTRY TRENDS RESEAR
PLUS INTERVIEWS ANALYSIS an
increase sales leads.
The infographic OUTREACH at-a-glance view
NEWSLETTERinINFLUENCERS CONFERENCES BLOGGER opposite provides an EVENTS VIRAL EVENT
of the results. Have the results had you nodding INSIGHT MARK
PHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIP TRAFFIC in
Despite a significant number of respondents praising the
agreement or shaking your head in despair?
business-enhancing capabilities of content creation, nearly one
Let us know at EMEAevents@WaggenerEdstrom.com
PHOTOGRAPHY CUSTOMER RETENTION THOUGHT LEADERSHIP TRAFFIC INSIGHT HIGHPODCAST WHITEPAPERS WORD OF MOUTH INCREASED VISIBILITY VIDEO AGGREGATIO

BUDGET
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DOES IT PRODUCE RESULTS?

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WHERE MARKETERS

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SEE RESULTS

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WHAT KIND OF CONTENT

WILL BE REQUIRED?

A shot in the arm for
your marketing campaign
Ricardo Adame, corporate vice president of global communications at AVG Technologies,
gives us an insight into the content strategy and tactics his team uses to get results

T

here’s currently a lot of hype surrounding the term ‘content
marketing’, but cut away the frenzy and there is a valuable
marketing technique at its core. That’s why it has become
an increasingly important part of our communications strategy
at AVG. Content marketing holds enormous potential, particularly
when combined with the ever-increasing reach and variety of
digital channels, it offers a fantastic opportunity to engage more
directly with the relevant audience.
But for content to fulfil its true potential, the traditional ‘tell’
approach – a one-way communication tactic – has to give way
to an interactive conversation. This is understandably unsettling
for some brands, especially those that have always held tight
control of their identity, but it is absolutely integral to today’s
socially enabled internet era. This transparent, two-way
conversation is something AVG now does on a daily basis through
social channels such as Twitter and via our 2.2 million-strong
Facebook community. While listening to thousands of comments
and responding to many of them takes commitment and
investment, we find this social conversation extremely positive
overall, giving us far greater audience insight and valuable instant
feedback on our products.
Establishing an authentic conversation and building an engaged
audience via social media gives you a fantastic channel through
which to deliver content and push out your marketing messages.
And in today’s connected, social landscape, if you continue to
produce content that fails to reflect what your audience is
thinking about, or show that you’ve paid no attention to your
customers’ concerns, it will not be successful.

The greatest opportunity that content marketing presents is
innovation. As technology evolves, it presents exciting new ways
to engage with your customers and prospects. At AVG, we’ve
been experimenting with video with the help of Waggener Edstrom.
Despite initial concerns that producing broadcast-quality video
was beyond our reach, the team has shown that’s not the case.
Advances in technology have made first-rate production
equipment more accessible, and we’ve been able to tap into a
talented team of media professionals that have the skills to deliver
the highest quality content. However, access to production talent
and technology is not enough on its own – successful video must
be underlined by good communications: great storytelling.

Building an engaged audience via
social media gives you a fantastic
channel through which to deliver
content and marketing messages
Another opportunity for change brought about by content
marketing is in the activation process. The traditional channels
are still available, but when looking to maximise the impact of
your content, your approach must integrate online and offline.
For example, when we produce a video we ensure our social
media team is promoting it across appropriate channels. More
importantly, we plan how to make our content work harder, both
in analysing the conversations our key audiences are involved in
and ensuring that content reflects our SEO keywords to maximise

Make ‘em laugh,
make ‘em cry,
make ‘em watch
There is little doubt that over the years the
power of the moving image has motivated and
engaged millions of people to experience the whole
gamut of emotions. Whether it is scenes of Olympic
glory, protests in Tiananmen Square, or Neil
Armstrong walking on the moon, video is able
to harness, engage, and motivate an audience in
ways that no other medium can.
But it isn’t easy. Iconic news images are based on
real events. Constructing a narrative from scratch
and filming it in such a way that the audience will be
compelled to watch isn’t easy. Technical production
and storytelling should move seamlessly to deliver
video that the audience understands and is prepared
to invest valuable time in. Visual trickery will only
take you so far.
its effectiveness in ranking terms. Naturally, measurement
has always been key to demonstrating the success of
communications and marketing programmes, but I would
argue that today – particularly with content marketing – there
is an opportunity to be even more accurate.
By defining our metrics carefully, and building in additional
measures to provide context and diagnosis, a detailed picture
is created, highlighting the way each element of the activity
is working. This gives us the insight to not only measure the
ROI after a campaign has completed, but to also adjust our
approach during its lifespan and extend its impact.
It’s important we recognise content marketing for what it is
– a fantastic opportunity for communications professionals to
implement innovative, integrated campaigns that build authentic
conversations with our audiences. What’s really exciting is the
way a brand can now combine so many techniques to drive
impact across multiple platforms on a global scale. 

When creating one minute of video, every word and
every shot counts. It’s always worth employing the
best script writers and production team you can
afford – because if you fail to engage your audience,
you might as well go and spend your hard-earned
budget on a day at the races.
And that will definitely make you cry.
Nick Lawrence
Waggener Edstrom’s vice-president of broadcast
and editorial strategies
nlawrence@WaggenerEdstrom.com

Lead generation? You
can put your money on it
Barbara Borrel, senior manager of EMEA field marketing at finance software
firm Kyriba, reveals why content marketing is a crucial tool for lead generation

A

t Kyriba, content marketing is now well established
and a key component of our marketing strategy.
Each time we launch a new integrated marketing
programme, we develop campaigns around content – this is
our foundation. Most of the time, we therefore find ourselves
behaving as authors and publishers. But while content has
become a really big part of B2B marketing, it remains
something the rest of the company finds a little difficult
to understand, and so education and training is required
to explain its value.
In the past, there was no real marketing activity at all at Kyriba,
so when I joined the business, some of my colleagues didn’t
fully understand why the team and I were so focused on
writing whitepapers, or putting out articles through different
online and offline channels. It was also a challenge finding the
necessary time and the right in-house skills to develop our
content marketing activities. Now, to ensure we’re able to
produce enough engaging, relevant content on a regular basis,
and that it’s seen by the right people, our internal team is
supported by an external team.
As well as skilled resources, storytelling is crucial for getting
content marketing right. This is because each piece of content
looks at a different topic – it’s inconsistent, so we use effective
storytelling to ensure we’re comprehensive and logical about
the way we deliver content and that there is some commonality.
Ultimately, we want to produce smart, high-quality content
that engages prospects and customers, because often this is
the first contact we have with them.

To capture these prospects, targeting and segmenting your
audience is critical. Sending the same content to everyone
doesn’t make sense. For instance, CFOs have very specific
concerns, so when we target them we have to create
dedicated and highly focused content. When we target
treasurers this requires another message, and then for
CIOs the content is much more technical. We have to be
sure that we’ve got the right story for the right audience.

Sending the same content to
everyone doesn’t make sense. We
have to be sure that we’ve got the
right story for the right audience
Then, of course, you need to align the right content with
the right channel. While nowadays social media is crucial,
it’s important to use a good mix of different platforms: this
might involve some information on the website or blogs, and
in some cases delivering webcasts and video content. We try
to be very logical and ensure we are using the right tactics
and platforms for the specific campaign. This is all part of
the storytelling process.
As an example of tailoring content to specific audiences, this
summer we’ve worked on tactics for our Payment Factory
solution. Working with our product marketing team in France,
we have delivered a whitepaper on the topic in French, English,
Spanish and Italian. Then in September, we used different

why all content
must be social
Ten years ago, you could write a whitepaper,
interview a customer for a case study, or commission
a survey to find out what people think of your
widget – and get away with just publishing something
about it on your website, perhaps accompanied by a
press release. Things have changed. Today, marketing
communication and public relations needs to focus on
content you create, curate and distribute that your
customers will value, want, discuss and share.

platforms depending upon the country. In France we held
a webcast through which we distributed the whitepaper,
and then pushed it out via social media. For Italy and
Spain, our approach was quite different. Because we are
not yet very well known in these countries, we have
focused on our LinkedIn group members and used LinkedIn
advertising to improve brand awareness.
Chiefly, there are three reasons we use content marketing:
brand awareness, customer retention and lead generation.
So for each campaign we deliver, we’ve got an internal
tracking process. This means we are able to say we’ve
generated ‘x’ leads, and at the end can see how content
marketing contributed to the sales pipeline and revenue.
For example, when we decided to create a new dedicated
French website, many thought it unnecessary as we already
had a corporate site. But since we launched – and we are
pushing out content through it almost every week – we’ve
achieved a 30 per cent conversion rate on incoming
requests through the website. This, to me, is proof that
content marketing drives real business results. 

Research from eConsultancy shows that effective
content marketing relies on its promotion to the largest
possible qualified audience in ways that match their
preferences for discovering and consuming content,
and sharing their experiences. Therefore, any content
strategy must include a methodology for ensuring your
content is discoverable in the places your target audiences
will readily find it – and there is no better method to
do this than social media. As such, all content should:

•
•
•
•

Be available on and via multiple social channels
that make it pivotal in driving more traffic to your
website or other presence on the social web.
Help create a better experience that customers
value and talk about, and derive more value from
existing customers.
Generate leads that enable you to identify and
engage with future new customers.
Be tailored to suit individual social platforms.

Content marketing and social media should be joined
at the hip – they now represent key components of the
modern sales funnel. Making the most of them only
requires that you see things from a different angle.
Neville Hobson
Independent communications consultant

maximising impact with
an always-on audience
Dora Mbuyi, integrated marketing communications lead at Microsoft
South Africa, talks real-time momentum and the value of audience insight

C

ontent marketing is critical to reaching our customers.
It enables us to establish Microsoft as a trusted, relevant
source of information. Through the centralisation of our
marketing strategies, we can funnel our content efforts in the
same direction across the different African subsidiaries we service
– and at the same time ensure they are locally tailored.
This type of audience reach proves essential, especially as there’s
too much information available to today’s customer, spread
across so many channels. No longer is marketing about pushing
information out to our customers. This is why we’ve introduced
the always-on momentum: customers have matured to such an
extent that they now decide when and where they want to find
information, and we need to cater to that.
We use content marketing to build customer loyalty. We want
our customers to find relevance in the content we provide them,
so that the next time they’re
hunting down information,
they’ll come to us.
Because the marketing space
changes day by day, we find it
very important to put the onus
on an up-to-date web portal.
This acts as the backbone for all
our various content channels,
where we update information
that will then feed through to

the various platforms people use to access our brand. Social
media content and blogs are all sourced from this same web
portal for consistency and to ensure they’re always accessible to
the customer. What’s more, because on Twitter, for example, you
are character-limited, you need to create content that will intrigue
the target audience and eventually land them somewhere they
can find all relevant information – in our case, our website.

We want customers to find relevance
in the content we provide, so that
the next time they’re hunting down
information, they’ll come to us
In the past we’ve been very product-driven, but now we aim to
better incorporate the customers’ perspective, so we’re more
customer-centric. We do that
through listening to them, and
understanding them. Customer
research, data and insight are
crucial to the effectiveness of
content marketing. This listening
piece is now really important in
the rhythm of our business.

4Afrika: one of Microsoft’s
key African web portals

The biggest challenge of content
marketing is its ever-evolving
nature. There is always some

Better blogging
and the need for
authentic authors
A corporate blog is often a company’s first experience
of content marketing, and it’s also where many make
their first mistake. People expect two things from a blog:
for it to be interesting, and for it to be authentic. The first
should be obvious; the second less so.

level of resistance because everyone wants to stick to things
they are used to – the traditional modes of marketing. But the
maturity of our customers means our Microsoft teams realise
we have to move fast and adapt strategies as we go.
We’re achieving a good level of listening, and this constantly
gives us greater audience insight. In turn, this allows us to be
cleverer about how we plan, create and deliver our content.
Together with the implementation of our always-on momentum,
this encourages us to develop content that can be made locally
relevant. While this process is something the team is slowly
getting to grips with, what’s certain is that we need to invest
time, money and skills to ensure we remain a market leader.
Getting the most from content marketing requires three
stages. Firstly, you need to acquire customer insight into your
target audience to establish what is relevant to them, and this
includes continuous listening. Then, establish a content plan
that keeps customer insight in mind: creating a short- to
long-term plan ensures content will click with customers.
The third and final strand is the process of continually
learning, strategising and tweaking this plan. Experiment,
test, refine – and repeat that process all over again.
In my opinion, this always-on momentum is the future of
content marketing. When you look at the younger generation,
they don’t want to wait to receive information; they actively
seek what they need and what is relevant. So if you’re not in
that space – and easy to find – you will definitely lose out. 

Authenticity is what compels us to interact with a brand
beyond our initial interest in a topic. It’s what inspires us to
continue reading, to click on a link and revisit the blog for
another day. Without a narrator we trust, a blog is nothing
more than yet another anodyne corporate monologue.
So how do you ensure authenticity? The most effective
blogs are delivered in the first person, mixing professional
opinions with personal insights. This enables the audience
to relate to the author, demonstrating shared challenges
and motivations.
The more senior the exec the more time-pressured they are,
but it is possible to write on behalf of an author
in his or her voice and still be authentic. Here’s how:
• Do ask the right questions – why is this important to
your audience? How will they benefit? What action do
you want them to take as a result of reading the post?
• Don’t hide behind faceless corporate speak.
• Do adhere to the principles of good storytelling.
Russell Simmons
Waggener Edstrom’s head of content
rsimmons@WaggenerEdstrom.com

Why content marketing is
only just reaching top gear
Avanade’s global sponsor programme manager, Katy Shrimpton, explains
the role of content marketing at a major B2B technology company

I

’ve been working at Avanade – a global business technology
solutions provider employing over 18,000 professionals – since
early 2011, and even within that relatively short time I’ve seen
a new emphasis on content-focused marketing. Over the past six
months, the phrase ‘content marketing’ has been used more
and more around Avanade’s offices, and not just by the
marketing team.
The catalyst has been greater recognition of how content
marketing dovetails into our customers’ decision-making process,
and how it can help us influence their choices. Avanade is a B2B
tech company, and large IT transformation projects are our bread
and butter: amongst other things, we are Microsoft experts who
specialise in building line-of-business applications like ERP, CRM
and collaboration tools. As such, our customers are looking to
find the right partner for these projects, which often have
major business impact and take many months or even years
to complete.

influence into the growing trends in the IT market. Content is a
valuable way of doing this – showing thought-leadership and
helping our customers through the decision-making process.
Most importantly, content marketing helps us show our

The value is there and has been proven.
There’s definitely more to come from
content marketing.
customers that they are working with the right partner; one
that understands their needs and is actively thinking about the
problems facing CIOs today. Avanade is still developing and
fine-tuning the way it tackles content marketing, but taking a
content-led approach has helped us ask more questions of our
own assumptions: do we really need to produce whitepapers in
the format we do? Is a downloadable PDF the best way? Are
there other options that suit our customers – our audience –
better than what we do right now?

For Avanade, content marketing is a buzzword, yes, but it is
also a viable way of talking to our
customers. It’s both a natural
progression for us, and fits with
the way our customers seek
out and buy our services.
Because our customers aren’t
so much buying a product but
a solution to their challenges,
we need to show insight and

I really believe content marketing
yields results, and we’ve started
to see that over the past year.
There’s a long way to go, but the
value is there and has been
proven. There’s definitely more to
come from content marketing.

Smart Banking: The Future
Today animated video

The next step in the content
marketing evolution is to

SEO and content
marketing: best
of friends

understand audiences in more depth – primarily how, when
and where content is consumed. This really is vital, and it’s
something in which we’re investing time and resources to
gain even more insight.
One of the products of this is a greater appreciation of
targeting the right channels at the right time with the right
message. Most B2B firms would immediately ignore Facebook
as an option as it is seen as a B2C channel, but are our
customers definitely not on Facebook? Again, content
marketing provokes interesting questions.
Avanade has recently begun a sponsorship and systems
integration contract with Lotus F1® Team, with Avanade’s
logo appearing on the car and Avanade helping the
Oxford-based team with its managed services and numbercrunching. The deal is giving us a wealth of new opportunities
to create engaging content. Ultimately, everyone responds to
topics they are interested in, and working with Lotus F1® Team
gives us even more angles to grab our customers’ attention
while still being IT-related.
Content marketing spans a huge number of tactics and
techniques, but three things you have to get right are:
1. Making sure the message fits with your clients and services.
2. Ensuring your content supports the buying process.
3. Making intelligent strategic decisions – don’t over-saturate
with a deluge of untargeted content. 

With regular search engine algorithm updates,
such as Google’s Penguin 2.0, placing content at
the heart of your search marketing strategy has never
been so important. Your content and SEO strategies
should work hand-in-hand: good content on your site
will help it rank higher, and optimisation of your
content when it appears on third-party sites will help
fuel your wider marketing strategy while taking up
valuable search engine result page (SERP) real-estate.
The continuous algorithm updates are the nemesis
of so-called ‘black-hat’ SEO techniques. A developed,
engaging and useful content strategy is a much
better way to grow long-term organic traffic. A good
way of looking at content is thinking of it as the glue
that joins search and social together.
Link building isn’t dead, but it is no longer SEO’s
primary weapon. Search engine algorithms aren’t
just about the number of ‘backlinks’ (the number
websites that link back to your site), but also the
overall quality of the websites the links appear on,
as well as the buzz around your brand online and
through social interaction.
When considering how SEO affects your content
strategy, you first need to think about keyphrases
and audience. Getting your content shared on other
sites, with brand mentions and, crucially, backlinks
to your site, complement the cycle. Remember this
content will rank on its own too, taking up valuable
SERP space for your target keyphrases, and not only
text results but also video and images too.
Tom Telford
CEO of Waggener Edstrom’s SEO partner, 3 White Hats

Turn Your Content Up To 11.
You’ve read the survey results and learnt how other marketers are embracing content, but you’re busy
and it’s a lot to take in, so here’s a quick recap:
1.

Ignore the hype: to be successful, content marketing should be an integral and strategic part of the
wider marketing mix, with measurable KPIs and buy-in from senior management.

2. Research your audience: you need to know who they are, what matters to them, what they’re talking
about, and which services and channels they use. Then tailor your content to them.

3. Tell great stories: think like a journalist and sniff out stories your audience will care about, while always
bearing in mind the three principles of great storytelling: people, plot and place.

4. .…But don’t broadcast: content marketing should be interactive and stimulate conversation with your
audience, especially through social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

5. Think quality not quantity: content is often a person’s first experience of a brand, so it must reflect
the brand’s values – but remember short and snappy is as powerful as big and brash.

6. Be authentic: kill the corporate speak and be ready to engage in open, honest dialogue with customers
and prospects. They’re people too, so treat them with respect and go easy on the sell.

7. Work the right way: develop your campaigns around content, not the other way around, and
remember that content marketing is a medium- to long-term strategy, not a fast, easy fix.

8. Keep it fresh: always ask (and be honest) ‘Is this new? Will my audience be interested in this?’, and
experiment with a variety of channels – it’s vital your methods evolve with your audience.

9. Plan ahead: think like an editor and plan your content as far in advance as possible. Then ensure you
have the right internal and external resources in place to stick to your editorial calendar.

10. Maximise everything: creating quality content is resource-intensive, so ensure everything you create
is amplified across all the most relevant channels, all of the time.

11. Don’t forget the SEO: search algorithm updates put the emphasis on quality content, but to grow
long-term organic traffic it’s vital you still keep up with the latest developments in SEO.

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Content marketing can make a positive difference to your
sales leads, search engine ranking and brand awareness.
If you’d like to maximise the impact of your content and
ensure delivers tangible business results, please...
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Or Tweet us: @WaggenerEdstrom
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