The document outlines 10 steps to launch a content marketing strategy: 1) Gain C-level buy-in, 2) Establish priorities, 3) Assess your database, 4) Build buyer insight, 5) Conduct buyer Q&A, 6) Design your content flow, 7) Audit existing content, 8) Evaluate capabilities and resources, 9) Develop an editorial calendar, and 10) Set appropriate expectations. The document provides examples and explanations for each step, emphasizing the importance of understanding buyers, creating relevant content, and planning sustainable execution through an editorial calendar.

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Starting from Scratch:
10 Steps to Launch
A Content Marketing Strategy
Ardath Albee, CEO
Marketing Interactions, Inc.
B B
Conference

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Change

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Progress Software w/ Pew Research Center Stats

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Progress Software w/ Pew Research Center Stats

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The CMO Reality
Marketing departments are finding themselves
under increasing pressure to:
• justify their spending,
• prove the effects of their marketing campaigns
• demonstrate program success…
or risk losing their budgets.”
– Forbes and MarketShare Partners

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Step 1:
GAINING C-LEVEL BUY-IN

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Meet Bob
New CMO at a High Tech Company
that used to be the market leader in
their category.
Bob’s mandate from the CEO: Turn Marketing into a Demand Generation Engine
Why? – Company objective is to double revenue within the next 5 years.
Why Content Marketing? – The only way Bob can see to get that big of a result.
How? – Pilot at a division level. The division’s marketing team had to be convinced.
Executive response: Prove it works…FAST!

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Meet Diane
VP Marketing at Global Event
Company.
She had enough buy-in to
conduct a content marketing
workshop and develop
strategy. Now the CEO wants
proof the investment in
executing the strategy will
payoff.
Mandate from Executive Team: Prove a content strategy deserves budget.
Diane’s strategy: Prepare a brief and presentation that showcases research, statistics
and examples of their competition’s content execution and growth in market share.
Overlay competitors’ results to her company’s KPIs to show clear impact they’re losing.
She’s also working the politics of getting sales on her side.

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Meet Simon
VP of Strategic Marketing at a
Global Services Company.
His company had always been
the obvious choice. Now
competition is making inroads
affecting market share.
Mandate from Executive Team: Expand market opportunities and build awareness.
Simon is process oriented. He needs a plan – a framework for content marketing to
make sense. He is not a “take a flyer” kind of guy.
How to sell content marketing to Simon? Show him how it works in an organized way.
Provide best practices, KPIs and forecast what content marketing will deliver.
Precision and simplicity count when convincing Simon.

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Step 2:
PICK A PRIORITY

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Pick a Project
• What do you want to accomplish?
• Who will benefit?
• How will you execute?
• What can you measure?
• Over what length of time?

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Step 3:
ASSESS YOUR DATABASE

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What do you have/know?
• How…
– Clean is it?
– Old is it?
– Warm is it?
– Can we segment it?
– Many prospects can we reach?

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Step 4:
BUILD BUYER INSIGHT

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Create Personas
Objectives Orientation Obstacles
• What are top • Change agents? • What could
priorities? • Risk averse? derail the deal?
• In their words • Use social • Lack of
related to what media? consensus?
your product • Longtime career • Lack of budget
enables. or stepping or business
stone? case?
• Level of • Shifting
authority? priorities? Such
as…

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Step 5:
REVISIT YOUR CHILDHOOD

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Buyer Q&A
• I need to do X in order to get Y.
– What are the different ways I can do X?
– How much of Y do I need?
– How are our competitors solving X?
– What competitive advantages could we gain if we
solve X?
– Who else will be impacted in the company if we
solve X?
– How will I convince them that Y is worth the effort
to change the status quo?

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• Question • Question • Question
Touch • Answer
Touch • Answer
Touch • Answer
1 • CTA 2 • CTA n • CTA
Step 6:
DESIGN YOUR CONTENT FLOW

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Organize Your Questions

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Web Blog Video
Sales White
Webinars
Collateral Papers
Slideshare Infographics ETC
Step 7:
CONDUCT A CONTENT AUDIT

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What to Learn
For Application For Use
• Question Answered • As-Is
• Buying Stage • Refresh
• Persona • Repurpose
• Product/Solution • Retire
• Marketing Program • Age/Publish Date
(Lead Gen, Nurturing) • Location (URL)

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Step 8:
CAPABILITIES & RESOURCES

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Must Be Sustainable
• Content Development Do the Math:
– In-house 3 Personas X 12 Touches
= 36 Content Assets for an
– Outsourced annual nurturing program…
• Execution Plus 36 to 72 emails, depending
on your program structure
– Marketing Team Add in quarterly
– IT Queue webinars, conferences, white
papers, website updates, blog
– External Vendor posts, etc.

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Step 9:
CREATE AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR

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Editorial Calendar
Dates Assigned Persona Topic Buying Type Execution
To: Stage
5/1/12 Sally P. LOB 3 Ways to Early Article Email + Landing
Manager Get X Page
5/7/12 Tom S. Customer Why your Early Blog Post Email + Blog
Service customers Post + SoMe
want X
5/20/12 Sally P. LOB State of X in Early Report Email + Landing
Manager Financial Page, Form +
Services PDF
An Editorial Calendar is Your Execution Plan.
• Chronological Order
• Include every marketing activity to get an overall view of
frequency, marketing mix and timelines.

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Sales
Momentum
Engagement
Step 10:
SET APPROPRIATE EXPECTATIONS

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10 Steps to Content Marketing Strategy
1. Gain C-Level Buy-in
2. Establish Priorities
3. Assess Your Database
4. Build Buyer Insight
5. Revisit Your Childhood (Buyer Q&A)
6. Design Your Content Flow
7. Audit Existing Content
8. Evaluate Capabilities & Resources
9. Develop an Editorial Calendar
10. Set Expectations

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Thank You!
Ardath Albee, CEO
Marketing Interactions, Inc.
http://www.marketinginteractions.com
ardath@marketinginteractions.com
@ardath421