4. Page 4
Though We Create Fun Content,
Data Created a Pivot and Evolve
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5. Page 5
Substantive Content Worked Better: So We Built
Our Solar Eclipse Lesson Marketing Plan
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6. Page 6
Solar Eclipse Content Developed Included
Public field trip to the solar
eclipse for Cobb County Schools
Lesson plan
Two free public games
Secondary content curated
resources, suggested resources
from an ambassador
Four additional gated games
PR and paid social ads
www.LegendsofLearning.com
7. Page 7
How the Students Reacted
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8. Page 8
How the Teachers Reacted
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9. Page 9
How the Teachers Really Reacted
Two public video games became
our top-played games ever
Eclipse day was our greatest day
in terms of student games played
Uptick in teacher acquisition that
has remained strong
Most trafficked learning objective
Top two blogs to date
CPA: Estimate $15 per teacher
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11. Page 11
Some Thoughts on What the Trend Represents
Content
Social
Search
Fueled by Internet publishing
ecosystem
The new marcom (say goodbye
to brochures, sort of)
For many it became a new term
for blog articles and videos
Focuses on infotainment and
utility
12. Page 12
Content Marketing Is a Big Bucket
This is why content marketing is
really a trend buzzword for marcom
in my book
Most marketers already engage in
content marketing
The trend focuses on mastering the
social web/Internet aspects
However, I believe it is as simple as
a medium and a message.
Even a worn cape sends a message.
13. Page 13
Throw Out the Rules: Content Shock Has Arisen
This decline is shown across media properties that promote the
content marketing trend.
This is my real beef with best content myth and the overall great creative meme. You can write the Eiffel Tower of blog posts, but it will fail if no one sees it. Increasingly, less people share content. Half of all posts get shared eight times or less, 75% get shared less than 40 times.
That’s because there’s more and more content. This decline is affecting everybody, even top content creators as evidenced by the above chart from Buzzsumo.
Mary Meeker’s annual Internet trends report shows a 20+% increase in Internet traffic year-over-year. It also shows a 75% year-over-year increase in consumer generated shares. ALl of these increases equal more noise year-over-year.
Yet, while the average amount of content dramatically increases every year, the actual time people spend online is not increasing that much. We are talking about single digit growth. You can only spread the peanut butter so far. This is the very embodiment of content shock.
Consumers bounce between search, conventional web browsing, social, and email. No single channel works anymore. Marketing success and closed sales rest upon a multi-channel approach.
Google’s “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase” is one of our favorite tools. Here, you can see how different channels affect people’s purchasing decisions.
Winning is much more about the mechanics than the great content chefs would lead you to believe.
I remember speaking with my friends at Navy Federal last fall about their content. They saw a 14% jump in inquiries based on a content campaign via social media. Because of the increase in volume, they moved to enterprise grade social media management solutions and analytics tools to monitor conversations, log service interactions, and measure the impact of these conversations. They ended up optimizing their efforts and focusing on the channels and tactics that were driving the most customer interactions. The financial results justified further investment. The content was very good. The optimization and tailoring was even better.
Successfully measuring efforts begins with determining objectives. Objectives are where we want to end up and what we want consumers to do. Every strategy and tactic should move us closer to them.
Objectives or goals don’t only determine marketing activities. They’re also the bedrock of digital analytics.
Virtuous cycles are everywhere. We find them at work and even at home. They’re a constant feedback loop designed to improve some function of our lives, be it marketing initiatives or interpersonal communication.
Digital analytics also is cyclical. It involves five steps:
Measure
Report
Analyze
Test
Repeat
Choose a day, say, the first Tuesday of each month, to review data. Make a note in your calendar so that you don’t miss the appointment.
Understanding which click did what is known as “attribution.” It’s the idea of assigning credit for a conversion.
Isn’t the model comparison tool pretty? Now you know which clicks are doing what. The report is found in the conversions tab.
Like processes, plans keep things on track. A measurement plan begins with defining what is to be measured. Four, other steps follow it:
Document your technical infrastructure.
Create an implementation plan.
Implement tracking.
Maintain and refine.
Developing a measurement plan takes time and effort, but it’s better to invest now rather than later.