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Hult International Business School
Action Project Final Report
Hult International Business School
Inna Pashnyak Vivica Pietz Leonardo Piuimi Isha Punjabi
Brett Ruffenach Athi Sheanakul Nicole Wolf
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 1
Hult International Business School
Executive Summary 3
Overview 5
Studio Positioning & Value Proposition 7
Proposed Strategy 9
Benefits from Solution 15
Implementation 17
Key Performance Indicators 19
Closing Recommendation 22
Appendix 23
Bibliography 25
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 2
Hult International Business School
Executive Summary
“Ultimately, thought leadership is one of the outcomes of a
solid content strategy. And content is bigger than
marketing” (Forbes, 2013).
Elefint designs is a strategic design agency for good causes, using the power of visualizations
to drive action and create a better world. In order to tackle the inconsistency in its business
operations, widen the target group (higher awareness with B-Corporations and social
enterprises) and create a more credible and sustainable media identity, Elefint reached out to
Phat Mouse Consulting. The challenge consisted of overcoming and responding to the
outlined issues and goals by developing a content marketing strategy, which would position
Elefint as thought leader in its industry. Outcomes from the client meetings and results from
the secondary research about the agency and good cause sector led Phat Mouse to the
creation of three initial approaches - establish a thought leadership role through a) academic
journals b) emotional storytelling or c) the focus on info - and motion graphics. Further
considerations about the market, competitors and of Elefint´s strengths in addition to deeper
client discussions led to a merge of all three routes resulting into one 360 degree approach:
strategic storytelling. By putting Elefint´s clients in the center and using past and future
projects as main source of content, not only the relationship with stakeholders but also the
outreach and content sustainability will be improved. With the help of theoretical concepts,
such as the Content Marketing Maturity model and Content Strategy Quad a two-sided
strategy was developed, consisting of an emotional and rational communication. The idea
does not only appeal to a diverse target group but but also develops an unique multi-channel
approach. The result is a sustainable content ecosystem, which can be easily created and
maintained with Elefint´s current resources. To provide a flawless and immediate
implementation Phat Mouse in the last step created a five year action plan. Short-term goals
focus on generating as much valuable content as possible for a diverse target group.
Medium-term aspirations consist of increasing the customer base. Lastly, in the long - term
relationships should be maintained and familiarity increased, resulting into a growing
customer base.
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In regard to the opening quote, Phat Mouse’s idea will not only deliver beneficial and credible
but also sustainable (solid) content to Elefint designs. As a result the aimed thought
leadership positioning will naturally be created - outperforming any previous marketing
activities.

Action Project: Elefint Designs	 4
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Overview
Elefint Designs is a studio based in San Francisco that aims to provide strategic design
solutions for companies and organizations working to create a positive impact on society.
Started in 2009, Elefint has expanded its range of services to include brand identity,
infographics, print, web/UX, strategy, and motion graphics. 2014 was a particularly successful
year for Elefint; with the introduction of two products – the Digital Annual Report (DAR) and
Framework Website – the agency increased their revenue by 10% and staff by ~50%. As this
studio grows, it has begun to face some challenges:
• Inconsistent Business Activity – The number of projects Elefint manages at any given
time in the year can fluctuate significantly, resulting in wasted time and resources.
This also limits the studio’s ability to strategically plan ahead.
• Limited client portfolio – While Elefint supports any type of company or organization
that has a positive cause, the vast majority of its current clients are non-profits, which
may hurt the brand and limit the studio’s ability to garner new business outside of the
non-profit space.
• Necessity for Familiarity in Sales Process – Elefint Designs tends to garner new
business solely through direct referral or networking. Limited resources (due to
inconsistent business activity) prevent the studios ability to win RFPs or larger
contracts with advanced spec work.
• Low resources for producing content - Elefint is a small studio and is no doubt limited
in its capacity to produce content on a regular basis. Elefint’s founder, Matt, is
currently the only one producing content. This capacity restriction helped shape our
content strategy to one that is sustainable.
Objective
Elefint recently went through a rebranding in the last year, and with this have improved their
website content considerably. With client work, blog posts, and white papers being
produced, the studio has some compelling work that are well designed on their site.
Considering this, Elefint Designs approached Phat Mouse Consultancy to consider what
would be the best way to integrate a long-term content marketing strategy into their
business development activities.
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Content marketing has grown in popularity as a digital marketing strategy over the last five
years. Based around a strategy that garners interest within a target market based on the
provision of free content relevant to their interests, companies of all shapes and sizes have
begun to use a strategy like this to increase their brand presence. One of the most prominent
thought leaders of content marketing is Joe Pullizzi, CEO of Content Marketing Institute.
Pillizzi describes a strong content marketing strategy based on two factors – one that
emphasizes info-based messaging, communicating that “I [the company] have these things
to say, Listen to me!”, or one that resource-based management that appeals to an audience,
saying “We [the company] understand you have these issues, let us help you solve
them!” (Anne Bailie, 2015).
A content marketing strategy can come in many shapes and sizes. A strategy employed by
companies as big as Salesforce and as small as a company like Elefint Designs, content
marketing can be applied to any type of organization. One marketing firm, Intentional
Designs, created their own framework to gauge a companies “content maturity” – that is,
how strategic their approach is to content marketing.
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(Anne Bailie, 2011)
Hult International Business School
The Content Strategy Maturity Model focuses on gauging the efficacy of a companies
content strategy based on two variables: organizational confidence – the level of maturity
and expertise the entity holds in a specific space – and produces maturity – the level of
ability the organization has to produce and disseminate quality content. We found this to be
a highly effective way to gauge the two most important factors of a content strategy – what
you have to say and how capable you are at saying it.
Based on our research into Elefint’s current content marketing efforts, we placed the studio
at level 2: tactical. It’s clear that Elefint Designs has placed themselves in a unique position in
the design studio space by focusing on non-profit and social benefit corporations, and they
have the expertise to back it up. Additionally Elefint Designs is producing content – white
papers, blog posts, and examples of previous work with clients. This, however, does not have
a consistent and strategic approach. Blog posts can have anywhere between one day and
one month of a gap between them, and web traffic moving from their home page to the
blog is minimal – in last year alone, less than 5% of visitors to their website have visited the
blog.
Considering these factors – we sought to answer three questions:
1. How does Elefint become a thought leader in the field of strategic visual design?
2. What kind of content can Elefint create for their target market?
3. How can this content be created in a consistent and timely manner?
Studio Positioning & Value Proposition
Elefint positions itself as a cutting-edge design and strategy firm that caters to clients with a
mission to create a positive impact. Elefint is built on the foundation that nonprofits shouldn’t
be exempt from good design and that anyone should have access to top-quality work. One
of Elefint’s greatest strengths, as emphasized from past clients, is the firm’s ability to work
and listen to their client’s needs. Elefint’s rapport with clients goes above and beyond the
usual agency-client relationship. Moreover, Elefint’s unique selling proposition (USP) is their
unique approach to design which puts the firm at the nexus of both business strategy and
elegant, innovative design. Based off of this knowledge, Team Phat Mouse worked with
Elefint’s core strengths and USP to develop three possible content marketing schemes on
which to base our core content recommendation.
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As described in the midterm review, these three routes-of-action focus primarily on allowing
Elefint to increase their trust and credibility within the good-cause space. Moreover, these
three strengths were chosen from our group’s hypotheses, backed by secondary research,
which confirmed that the following three propositions were vital to any content marketing
strategy.
Strength #1
Firstly, we determined that Elefint occupies a uniquely positioned role in the social sector.
This position must be reinforced and strengthened through the publication and
dissemination of academic articles through channels such as the Stanford Social Innovation
Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Beth Kanter’s Blog. In terms of thought leadership,
academic journals are a primary avenue for Elefint to establish itself. Elefint is extremely good
at design and strategy work and because of these strengths, academic writing should be at
the forefront of their content marketing strategy. Moreover, based on the Target client list
that was given to us at the beginning of our second meeting, these clients are most likely to
visit academic journals for information on good causes. We included academic content
publication as situation and strength number one as a way for Elefint to continue establishing
themselves in this academic space.
Strength #2
Storytelling is one of the most common themes our team came across in our research on
effective content marketing strategies. Furthermore, storytelling reinforces Elefint’s USP of
listening and keeping up good client relationships. It gives Elefint the ability to balance
strategy with design and thus creates compelling work worth talking about. Phat Mouse
picked a personal storytelling approach as a way for Elefint to continue good relationships
with their existing clients, and increase positive word of mouth awareness about the Elefint
brand. Storytelling is a strategy that benefits both the client side and Elefint’s side, as it gives
the clients exposure and awareness while giving a voice and personality to Elefint that is
lacking in the academic space.
Strength #3
Social media is a key facet of any content marketing strategy. Although difficult to measure in
terms of actual return on investment, social media helps build brand awareness and allows
interaction with brands on a personal level that is largely lacking in more traditional forms of
promotion. This particular strategy focuses currently on Elefint’s greatest strength: data
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visualization. Plain and simple, Elefint is great at making visually appealing work based on
complex information. This is what the firm is best at, and so this is what should be constantly
resurfacing across all social media channels. This type of content is sharable, easy to
comprehend, and has a wide audience reach.
After presenting these three options in our midterm presentation and receiving feedback
from Matt & Nicole, we decided on pursuing strength number two to the fullest extent. In
order to give the best and most comprehensive solution possible we decided on focusing
strongly on one recommendation while letting the other two solutions take complimentary
back-seats to the core storytelling strategy. This decision arose specifically after Matt’s
comments that Elefint currently has a good handle on the academic content distribution, and
that storytelling presents a fresh and interesting new content form that hadn’t been
considered before. With storytelling as our hypothesis, team Phat Mouse set out on an
intensive secondary research journey to determine if this hypothesis had any quantitative
grounding.
Proposed Strategy
People are attracted to stories. Humans are social creatures who naturally relate to our peers.
Throughout the last 20,000 years, humans have communicated through stories. Studies have
been conducted revealing that storytelling evokes a strong neurological response – the
brain releases a variety of different hormones, which not only grab the audience's attention
but also make the listener emotionally connect to it. As a result, storytelling is used nowadays
as strategic method to change attitudes and behaviors. Research has shown that the most
compelling stories simply focus on the communication of one idea and take no longer than
30 seconds (Monarth, 2014) The power of storytelling can be summarized in the following
quote:
“A story can go where quantitative analysis is denied
admission: our hearts. Data can persuade people, but it
doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to wrap your
vision in a story that fires the imagination and stirs the
soul.” (Monarth, 2014)
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 9
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As a result of the secondary research Phat Mouse created a strategic and emotional headline
leading the way for Elefint´s stories: “The project itself gives us the story”. By using Elefint´s
work as the foundation of their content strategy, not only does the relationship with existing
clients improve, but it also creates a unique emotional “behind the scenes” persona. As
outlined in the company background, Elefint generates the majority of new clients through
word of mouth. Elefint’s vision consists of remaining a rather small design agency, which
enjoys a close and personal contact with its clients. As a result, familiarity and “follow-up”
play an essential role. By creating a story around Elefint’s work and the client, not only is the
agency’s USP emphasized, but it also can contribute to Elefint’s long-term strategy of
becoming a thought leader.
To further develop the storytelling” proposal the “Content Strategy Quad” to back up
assumptions with a proven theoretical model. The heart of this model consists of the core
strategy. As outlined in earlier, a successful strategy should consist of one simple idea.
Utilizing Elefint´s previous projects and creating a 360-degree perspective on, the entire
work process and collaboration with the client communicates various subjects in an easy and
understandable way. One of the biggest benefits consists of the fact that the agency already
has all the resources needed. The challenge is reframing existing data and putting it under
the main focus of the strategy on how to make social causes beautiful through visual design.
Due to the fact that Elefint enjoys a diverse client base, different content can be created
outlining the multifaceted sides of their work and, more importantly, visual design. Stories
can be told in different ways and formats, which gives
Elefint the freedom to communicate on different
channels and deliver content in various forms.
To develop a credible and compelling story the
Content Strategy Quad considers four different
dimensions; substance, structure, workflow and
governance. Regarding the action project´s scope
and the general task only the dimensions “substance
and structure” are taken into consideration. The first
component “substance” discusses the question of
what kind of content (subjects, types, sources etc.) and message are needed.
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 10
Core%
Strategy%
Substance%
Structure%
Workflow%
Governance%
Content%Component%
People%Component%
(Rach, 2011)
Hult International Business School
Phat Mouse aims to provide a framework to generate content for Elefint’s target group that is
easily adaptable and differentiates Elefint from its competitors. Developing content about the
previous projects responds to both elements. Firstly, industry-relevant content can be
communicated in a creative way (storytelling). Secondly, by positioning the agency as a
“client’s best friend”, which uses their work to inform about different topics of visual design,
Elefint creates a unique voice in the industry. Due to Elefint´s size and limited internal
resources, the reframing of existing content brings a lot of benefits.
The second dimension “structure” responds to the question how content has to be
prioritized, organized, formatted and delivered. Phat Mouse’s proposal consists of the
separation content in two ways – emotionally and rationally. This two-sided communication
creates a unique ecosystem, in which all relevant stakeholders and media channels are
included. Overall, storytelling will focus heavily on the creation of blog and video content in
order to capture the personal and emotional side of Elefint, its clients, and the power of
visual design. In addition to this, infographics and animations could be created for social
media in order to highlight the variety of Elefint’s skills. Posts on Elefint’s personal blog plus
academic papers and case studies on leading industry websites will achieve a 360-degree
approach that remains within the abilities of Elefint’s resources.
Substance #1: Emotion
This approach aims to enhance familiarity among clients in the sense of brand and
interpersonal experience. Elefint will create not only the content designed to communicate
the true personality and vision of the company itself, but also to appeal to both existing and
potential clients in each stage of customer life cycle. The content will be structured based on
current and past projects, which will be implemented across various channels. The content
theme will be categorized based on these three major concepts as follows:
About Elefint
A space for Elefint Designs to communicate the idea of who they are, what they do, why it’s
important, and for whom. Since the company is driven by a unique group of people with a
unique organization culture, communicating that value will help to clarify the role of Elefint
Designs and the people behind those visions.
Structure
• Homepage video: A short introduction video or motion graphic demonstrating the brand
story. This will provide an overview of what is Elefint Design for the newcomers.
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 11
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• Blog Post: Feeds of short articles about “answering the why” and personal thoughts about
strategic design in social industry.
• Events: An open house seminar with Elefint and the collaboration of speakers and
designers from different sectors, which will encourage a higher level of engagement across
audiences.
About Clients
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The story of client’s experiences and updates of the client’s project and impact. This will
allow clients to amplify their thoughts and feedback to enhance Elefint’s credibility and
reference in the client’s decision-making process.
Structure
• Website: A set of testimonial video of the clients talking about the project and their
experiences working with Elefint Design, which will serve the company as references for
the potential clients.
The story about collaboration
Unlike the case studies, The story about collaboration will be a story behind the scenes
between the clients and Elefint Design on a certain project. Aiming to focus on the
collaboration in the micro level of the workflow, Elefint can emphasize things such as
internal brainstorm sessions, first sketch up, proposal development, pitching preparation etc.
Moreover, this approach will create a shared content that will easily be shared among clients
and leads to the increase of familiarity and word of mouth marketing as well.
Structure
• Documentary Videos: A project ‘s behind the scenes to demonstrate the story
between Client and the company on a mission of creating impact through design.
• Blog Post: Weekly feed about important details of workflow behind the project. This
can be in the form of a short article emphasizing the key process or opinions about the
project.
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• Client’s Blog: Since it is considered to be a shared content between client and Elefint,
The Clients can also be encouraged to promote the project and transparency behind
the design of the project on their channels.
Substance #2: Rational
The rational side of the content approach will consist of academic articles and case studies
that allow Elefint to demonstrate their expertise in the industry based on their learning
experiences. Elefint will generate academic content that appeals to more specific target
audience, such as industry experts, company influencers, managers and people with higher-
level education. The rational content can be divided into different levels of content such as:
Substance
• Insights: The science of data visualization and tips & tricks to tell your stories better in
social world. This can also include the stories from the emotional part, but go more in
depth.
• Opinions: Amplify the voice of Elefint toward any movement in the industry as one of
the key influencers in the nonprofit world.
• Research: Share analytical data or report on the use of data visualization and
storytelling along to any consumer researches that Elefint might came across in a form
of journals, infographic or motion graphic.
Structure:
• Case Studies – Previous work case studies in an analytical format to provide thoughts
and knowledge about data visualization in a non-profit world.
• White Papers - An article to enable potential customers to learn more about the
agency’s products and services.
• PR – Using external channels to gain more exposure to the company like helping out
at third-party conferences or hosting a workshop.
For alternative avenues where the rational/academic content can be distributed, please see
Appendix Figure 1.
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Benefits from Solution
Through the implementation and further development of the strategy about the creation and
publication of content through a closer relationship with clients, many benefits have to be
outlined.
i. Reach a broader audience.
As stated before, this content strategy will have Elefint create content on two different sides:
the emotional side and the academic side.This means that Elefint will be able to reach and
engage a broader audience with the same content, but published in different channels
according to the client and to the stage of the work. Since the content will be adapted to the
individual client stories, the language and content will be optimal for being shared by those
companies themselves.
ii. Increase familiarity
It is important to highlight the fact that the current business for Elefint comes mainly through
word-of-mouth marketing; meaning that current and past clients refer Elefint Designs to
new potential clients. Thus, the relationship with these clients must be maintained as time
wears on. Through our content marketing strategy, we aim to increase familiarity between
the customers and Elefint, and consequently, between Elefint and new customers, referred
by existing clients. We are confident that this strategy will produced the desired effects
because the content will be more shareable than before thanks to its versatility in regards to
client’s tone and story.
iii. Reach potential clients and beyond.
Implementing the content marketing plan based on storytelling won’t just increase brand
awareness and familiarity towards clients, but also towards additional stakeholders. Imagine
the impact that Elefint might have on design-for-good-causes field if their work is
documented week by week and then summed up in a high quality video on blogs, social
media and other platforms used both by Elefint and the related client. This strategy allows
Elefint to grab the attention of those involved in the non-profit and good causes
marketplace, such as influencers, bloggers and specialized magazines. This can be a great
opportunity for Elefint Designs to be discovered by a broader market step by step, and widen
their customer base.
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iv. Stand out through versatile and unique tone.
At the moment, Elefint already has work with previous clients listened in the section called
case studies. However, the tone is largely academic and doesn’t fully highlight the benefits
gained by clients and how Elefint worked with them.
In order to acquire new business, Elefint has to demonstrate their value and ability to
combine their strengths in a unique way. The best way to do so is to clearly illustrate through
various kind of content (such as short videos, images, or short blog posts) how Elefint is
actually working with the client and how much Elefint cares not only about the project, but
also about the client and the impact that the work can have on its business. We see this as a
brilliant opportunity to show clearly Elefint’s competitive advantage and professionalism in
managing client relationships.
v. Establish as thought leader in the industry.
During the development of this project and various meetings with Elefint Design team, we
understood quite clearly the desire of Matt to become a thought leader in the design-
thinking for good causes. Another advantage Elefint can gain from the implementation of this
strategy is the fact that Matthew or whomever else involved in content creation will have
ideas to create content easily because that content will be generated directly from
collaboration with clients. This content will be versatile and multi-tone in order to match
client’s background.
The possibility to use both an academic and a more personal and emotional tone is key to
adapt the tone chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing
articles and speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this
enhanced the brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients as
well. While implementing the content strategy proposed from us, Elefint will still continue to
stand out as thought leader through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid
channels, content regarding the work that is currently going on with the client and
demonstrate Elefint ability to be an unique player in the design-thinking for good causes.
The possibility to use both an academic and a more emotional tone is key to adapt the tone
chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing articles and
speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this enhanced the
brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients. By
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implementing the content strategy proposed from Phat Mouse, Elefint will continue to stand
out through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid channels, content regarding
the work that is currently going on with the client and demonstrate Elefint’s ability to be an
unique player in the design-thinking for good causes.
How we see Elefint content after the implementation
Undoubtedly, the strategy outlined above can be extremely useful for Elefint in respect all
those benefits and advantages that it might reach. However, this strategy has been thought
to help this design-thinking agency to indicate a path to follow in order to succeed from a
content marketing perspective.
While right now we positioned Elefint content strategy on “level 2: tactical” in the graph
(figure 3), the goal is to reach at least “level 4: managed”, where the agency will have a proper
content calendar scheduled with the type of content to use, which tone to be used , where
to publish is and how often.Content will be considered as a proper asset, meaning that it
should be accurately managed during the whole process with the client.
Implementation
Our recommendations on content strategy model can be implemented by Elefint Designs in
3 stages
Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months):
• Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b-
corporations):
• New posts (emotional component) on web site and blog;
• New content (rational component) in specialized publications (Stanford Innovation Review,
Chronicle of Philanthropy (see list of publications above);
• Gallery of video, motiongraphics, infographics; podcasts – interviews with influencers);
• E-mail subscriptions for current and potential clients;
• Sharing and distribution of content via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn,
etc.)
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• Plan webinars and workshops for clients (incl. DesignIt boot camps, etc.)
Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years):
• Engaging and interaction with target audience online and offline, expanding the clients’
base:
• Regularly update content on digital platforms and publications, attract more followers by
compelling and interesting posts and interactive contests (e.g. prize – 20% discount for
motion graphic or video production).
• identify influencers, bloggers in the specific target audience fields, follow them via social
media and increase the number of users;
• Engage bloggers in republishing and sharing content at their blogs;
• Update posts and facilitate conversations in Linkedin groups;
• Update news for E-mail subscriptions;
• Participate in more Conferences to increase brand awareness and familiarity, expand
clientele base;
• Organize and facilitate webinars and workshops at Elefint Designs studio and DesignIt boot
camps.
Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years):
• Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients):
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• Receiving and working on new orders of the clients;
• Expand the network of new clients;
• Organize Happy hours, workshops, webinars for current, perspective and new clients;
Key Performance Indicators
Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months):
• Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b-
corporations):
• Increased number of content posts on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
LinkedIn, etc.)
• Increased number of articles in Stanford Innovation Review and other publications;
• Google Analytics – better results of the following metrics: bounce rate percentage,
average session duration, user flow and conversion rates (increased number of E-mail
subscriptions), increased number of page views, new vs. returning visitors;
• Number of new clients gradually increases;
Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years):
• Partnership with current and new clients. Expanding the clients’ base):
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• Increased number of followers on social media platforms; in-depth discussions on digital
platforms and LinkedIn groups;
• Social media followers continuously mention or share Elefint Designs’ posts on their pages
or tweets;
• Increased number of new clients willing to subscribe for E-mail newsletter publications;
• Increased number of clients willing to attend Elefint Designs workshops, DesignIt boot
camps or participate in webinars;
• Increased number of Elefint Design’s posts/articles republished or shared on their blogs;
Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years):
• Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients):
• Increased number of orders from new and current clients;
• The network of new clients has been expanded;
• New and old clients are interested in cooperation with Elefint Designs’ studio, attend their
events and maintain partnership relationships;
• More people are familiar with Elefint Designs;
Digital Platforms Recommended for Measuring These KPIs:
• Google Analytics: you can measure the following metrics: number of page views, new vs.
returning visitors, bounce rate, average session duration, user flow and conversion rates
(e.g. increased number of E-mail subscriptions; (Cutroni, 2010)
• Facebook Insights: with the help of Facebook Insights you will be able to find out how
many page likes you’ve got, potential post reach and the level of engagement (number of
likes, shares, comments and post clicks.)
• Twitalyzer - measures your influence and success in social media by the number of
followers you have, the number of items that other people in your network “retweet”, your
relative velocity is measured by the number of updates published over the 7-day period.
Twitalyzer can also provide you with an insight on the most active friends and followers
within your network and will show you when your followers are most active within a 7-day
period. (Adweek, 2015)
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• Buzzsumo: finds you the most shared content for any topic or domain. If you are looking
for the most shareable and compelling articles in the specific field (e.g. nonprofit sphere,
business corporations, social goods, data visualization), Buzzsumo will analyze and filter
the most eye-catching articles. This platform also allows to export related articles in excel
format. You are able to slice and dice them and this gives you an insight as to what content
you are creating and if it’s resonating with your audience based on the total shares,
comments on social platforms and channels. You can also analyze your competitors’
content and identify what is working best for them. With the help of Buzzsumo it is easy to
compile a list of influencers in the specific sphere. (Buzzsumo Tutorial, 2015)
Survey
Although no doubt an important part of the project, the survey was ultimately difficult for
team Phat Mouse to conduct and analyze. Since our questions were 25% of the survey, we
took 25% of the clients to call. However, after 3 calls per client, unfortunately none of us ever
got a hold of anyone to ask the questions we deemed necessary. The results from the other
group are summarized below in Appendix Figure 2. The first question asks, “Where do you go
for information on the non-profit sector?”, and the second asks “Is there a specific type of
content you’d like to see more of?”. A few team meetings later, we decided we also needed
to ask whether collaborating with Elefint to create content, and allowing Elefint to document
the journey with the client would be something the client would consider. Unfortunately, it
was too late to ask the other team to ask these questions for us, and since none of our
clients picked up, we never got the answers to these questions. These questions would have
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 21
Hult International Business School
given us an idea whether clients would be open to the storytelling idea, however as outlined
in our risk analysis, there are ways to get around directly sharing their disclosed information.
Closing Recommendation
After considering the analysis of different information, strategies and researches, it is to be
concluding that storytelling marketing will be the ultimate tool to clarify the role of Elefint
towards not only the clients but also the entire design industry. However, the proposed
strategy was designed based on available resources and a current possibility, that integrates
to maximize Elefint’s potential of becoming a true leader of strategic design content and
client relationship. Therefore, timely execution and consistency are considered to be the
crucial factor in success. By given the content structure and timeline, this will allow the
company to be able to implement and monitor step-by-step that will lead the company to
the ultimate goal as a thought leadership in the future.
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 22
Hult International Business School
Appendix
Figure 1 – Academic Platforms
Figure 2 – Survey Results
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 23
Websites' Blogs'
B,Corps'
Non'
Profits'
CSR'
Social'
Entrepreneurship'
Good''
Causes'
Corp!& B(Corp&Blog&
Society&for&nonprofits&
Nonprofit&Magazine&
NonProfit&Performance&
Nonprofit&Hub&
GuideStar&
Techsoup&globe&
Nonprofit&Bmes&
CSRwire.com&
Social&Edge&
Social&venture&network&
Alliance&magazine&
CRO&magazine&
Networkforgood&
Causecapitalism&
CSRwire&
Strand4Magazine&
Good&Magazine&
The&center&for&social&impact&
Armchair&Advocates&
SeeChange&
PioneersPost&
Socialroi&
Hult International Business School
Figure 3 – Content Strategy Maturity Model
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 24
Hult International Business School
Bibliography
Anne Bailie, R. (2015, July 5). Where Content Strategy Meets Content Marketing. Retrieved
August 4, 2015, from http://www.slideshare.net/rahelab/where-content-strategy-meets-
content-marketing
Anne Bailie, R. (2011, November 12). Time for a Maturity Model for Content Strategy.
Retrieved August 11, 2015, from http://intentionaldesign.ca/2011/11/14/time-for-a-maturity-
model-for-content-strategy/
BuzzSumo Tutorial: How to Use BuzzSumo for Content Marketing ... (n.d.). Retrieved August
11, 2015.
Cutroni, J. (2010). Google Analytics. Beijing, China: O'Reilly. - p. 56.
Murthy, D. (n.d.). Twitter: Social communication in the Twitter age. - p. 26.
7 Twitter Tools to Help You Discover Great Content - Adweek. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11,
2015.
Monarth, H. (2014, March 11). The Irresistible Power of Storytelling as a Strategic Business
Tool. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
Scharpnick, M. (2013, September 19). Matthew Scharpnick, Co-founder and Chief Strategy
Officer, Elefint Designs. Retrieved August 11, 2015
Scharpnick, M. (2011, August 2). How Do Good Causes Achieve Great Design? (SSIR).
Retrieved August 11, 2015
Action Project: Elefint Designs	 25

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Content Marketing Strategy Proposal – Elefint Designs

  • 1. Hult International Business School Action Project Final Report Hult International Business School Inna Pashnyak Vivica Pietz Leonardo Piuimi Isha Punjabi Brett Ruffenach Athi Sheanakul Nicole Wolf Action Project: Elefint Designs 1
  • 2. Hult International Business School Executive Summary 3 Overview 5 Studio Positioning & Value Proposition 7 Proposed Strategy 9 Benefits from Solution 15 Implementation 17 Key Performance Indicators 19 Closing Recommendation 22 Appendix 23 Bibliography 25 Action Project: Elefint Designs 2
  • 3. Hult International Business School Executive Summary “Ultimately, thought leadership is one of the outcomes of a solid content strategy. And content is bigger than marketing” (Forbes, 2013). Elefint designs is a strategic design agency for good causes, using the power of visualizations to drive action and create a better world. In order to tackle the inconsistency in its business operations, widen the target group (higher awareness with B-Corporations and social enterprises) and create a more credible and sustainable media identity, Elefint reached out to Phat Mouse Consulting. The challenge consisted of overcoming and responding to the outlined issues and goals by developing a content marketing strategy, which would position Elefint as thought leader in its industry. Outcomes from the client meetings and results from the secondary research about the agency and good cause sector led Phat Mouse to the creation of three initial approaches - establish a thought leadership role through a) academic journals b) emotional storytelling or c) the focus on info - and motion graphics. Further considerations about the market, competitors and of Elefint´s strengths in addition to deeper client discussions led to a merge of all three routes resulting into one 360 degree approach: strategic storytelling. By putting Elefint´s clients in the center and using past and future projects as main source of content, not only the relationship with stakeholders but also the outreach and content sustainability will be improved. With the help of theoretical concepts, such as the Content Marketing Maturity model and Content Strategy Quad a two-sided strategy was developed, consisting of an emotional and rational communication. The idea does not only appeal to a diverse target group but but also develops an unique multi-channel approach. The result is a sustainable content ecosystem, which can be easily created and maintained with Elefint´s current resources. To provide a flawless and immediate implementation Phat Mouse in the last step created a five year action plan. Short-term goals focus on generating as much valuable content as possible for a diverse target group. Medium-term aspirations consist of increasing the customer base. Lastly, in the long - term relationships should be maintained and familiarity increased, resulting into a growing customer base. Action Project: Elefint Designs 3
  • 4. Hult International Business School In regard to the opening quote, Phat Mouse’s idea will not only deliver beneficial and credible but also sustainable (solid) content to Elefint designs. As a result the aimed thought leadership positioning will naturally be created - outperforming any previous marketing activities.
 Action Project: Elefint Designs 4
  • 5. Hult International Business School Overview Elefint Designs is a studio based in San Francisco that aims to provide strategic design solutions for companies and organizations working to create a positive impact on society. Started in 2009, Elefint has expanded its range of services to include brand identity, infographics, print, web/UX, strategy, and motion graphics. 2014 was a particularly successful year for Elefint; with the introduction of two products – the Digital Annual Report (DAR) and Framework Website – the agency increased their revenue by 10% and staff by ~50%. As this studio grows, it has begun to face some challenges: • Inconsistent Business Activity – The number of projects Elefint manages at any given time in the year can fluctuate significantly, resulting in wasted time and resources. This also limits the studio’s ability to strategically plan ahead. • Limited client portfolio – While Elefint supports any type of company or organization that has a positive cause, the vast majority of its current clients are non-profits, which may hurt the brand and limit the studio’s ability to garner new business outside of the non-profit space. • Necessity for Familiarity in Sales Process – Elefint Designs tends to garner new business solely through direct referral or networking. Limited resources (due to inconsistent business activity) prevent the studios ability to win RFPs or larger contracts with advanced spec work. • Low resources for producing content - Elefint is a small studio and is no doubt limited in its capacity to produce content on a regular basis. Elefint’s founder, Matt, is currently the only one producing content. This capacity restriction helped shape our content strategy to one that is sustainable. Objective Elefint recently went through a rebranding in the last year, and with this have improved their website content considerably. With client work, blog posts, and white papers being produced, the studio has some compelling work that are well designed on their site. Considering this, Elefint Designs approached Phat Mouse Consultancy to consider what would be the best way to integrate a long-term content marketing strategy into their business development activities. Action Project: Elefint Designs 5
  • 6. Hult International Business School Content marketing has grown in popularity as a digital marketing strategy over the last five years. Based around a strategy that garners interest within a target market based on the provision of free content relevant to their interests, companies of all shapes and sizes have begun to use a strategy like this to increase their brand presence. One of the most prominent thought leaders of content marketing is Joe Pullizzi, CEO of Content Marketing Institute. Pillizzi describes a strong content marketing strategy based on two factors – one that emphasizes info-based messaging, communicating that “I [the company] have these things to say, Listen to me!”, or one that resource-based management that appeals to an audience, saying “We [the company] understand you have these issues, let us help you solve them!” (Anne Bailie, 2015). A content marketing strategy can come in many shapes and sizes. A strategy employed by companies as big as Salesforce and as small as a company like Elefint Designs, content marketing can be applied to any type of organization. One marketing firm, Intentional Designs, created their own framework to gauge a companies “content maturity” – that is, how strategic their approach is to content marketing. Action Project: Elefint Designs 6 (Anne Bailie, 2011)
  • 7. Hult International Business School The Content Strategy Maturity Model focuses on gauging the efficacy of a companies content strategy based on two variables: organizational confidence – the level of maturity and expertise the entity holds in a specific space – and produces maturity – the level of ability the organization has to produce and disseminate quality content. We found this to be a highly effective way to gauge the two most important factors of a content strategy – what you have to say and how capable you are at saying it. Based on our research into Elefint’s current content marketing efforts, we placed the studio at level 2: tactical. It’s clear that Elefint Designs has placed themselves in a unique position in the design studio space by focusing on non-profit and social benefit corporations, and they have the expertise to back it up. Additionally Elefint Designs is producing content – white papers, blog posts, and examples of previous work with clients. This, however, does not have a consistent and strategic approach. Blog posts can have anywhere between one day and one month of a gap between them, and web traffic moving from their home page to the blog is minimal – in last year alone, less than 5% of visitors to their website have visited the blog. Considering these factors – we sought to answer three questions: 1. How does Elefint become a thought leader in the field of strategic visual design? 2. What kind of content can Elefint create for their target market? 3. How can this content be created in a consistent and timely manner? Studio Positioning & Value Proposition Elefint positions itself as a cutting-edge design and strategy firm that caters to clients with a mission to create a positive impact. Elefint is built on the foundation that nonprofits shouldn’t be exempt from good design and that anyone should have access to top-quality work. One of Elefint’s greatest strengths, as emphasized from past clients, is the firm’s ability to work and listen to their client’s needs. Elefint’s rapport with clients goes above and beyond the usual agency-client relationship. Moreover, Elefint’s unique selling proposition (USP) is their unique approach to design which puts the firm at the nexus of both business strategy and elegant, innovative design. Based off of this knowledge, Team Phat Mouse worked with Elefint’s core strengths and USP to develop three possible content marketing schemes on which to base our core content recommendation. Action Project: Elefint Designs 7
  • 8. Hult International Business School As described in the midterm review, these three routes-of-action focus primarily on allowing Elefint to increase their trust and credibility within the good-cause space. Moreover, these three strengths were chosen from our group’s hypotheses, backed by secondary research, which confirmed that the following three propositions were vital to any content marketing strategy. Strength #1 Firstly, we determined that Elefint occupies a uniquely positioned role in the social sector. This position must be reinforced and strengthened through the publication and dissemination of academic articles through channels such as the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Beth Kanter’s Blog. In terms of thought leadership, academic journals are a primary avenue for Elefint to establish itself. Elefint is extremely good at design and strategy work and because of these strengths, academic writing should be at the forefront of their content marketing strategy. Moreover, based on the Target client list that was given to us at the beginning of our second meeting, these clients are most likely to visit academic journals for information on good causes. We included academic content publication as situation and strength number one as a way for Elefint to continue establishing themselves in this academic space. Strength #2 Storytelling is one of the most common themes our team came across in our research on effective content marketing strategies. Furthermore, storytelling reinforces Elefint’s USP of listening and keeping up good client relationships. It gives Elefint the ability to balance strategy with design and thus creates compelling work worth talking about. Phat Mouse picked a personal storytelling approach as a way for Elefint to continue good relationships with their existing clients, and increase positive word of mouth awareness about the Elefint brand. Storytelling is a strategy that benefits both the client side and Elefint’s side, as it gives the clients exposure and awareness while giving a voice and personality to Elefint that is lacking in the academic space. Strength #3 Social media is a key facet of any content marketing strategy. Although difficult to measure in terms of actual return on investment, social media helps build brand awareness and allows interaction with brands on a personal level that is largely lacking in more traditional forms of promotion. This particular strategy focuses currently on Elefint’s greatest strength: data Action Project: Elefint Designs 8
  • 9. Hult International Business School visualization. Plain and simple, Elefint is great at making visually appealing work based on complex information. This is what the firm is best at, and so this is what should be constantly resurfacing across all social media channels. This type of content is sharable, easy to comprehend, and has a wide audience reach. After presenting these three options in our midterm presentation and receiving feedback from Matt & Nicole, we decided on pursuing strength number two to the fullest extent. In order to give the best and most comprehensive solution possible we decided on focusing strongly on one recommendation while letting the other two solutions take complimentary back-seats to the core storytelling strategy. This decision arose specifically after Matt’s comments that Elefint currently has a good handle on the academic content distribution, and that storytelling presents a fresh and interesting new content form that hadn’t been considered before. With storytelling as our hypothesis, team Phat Mouse set out on an intensive secondary research journey to determine if this hypothesis had any quantitative grounding. Proposed Strategy People are attracted to stories. Humans are social creatures who naturally relate to our peers. Throughout the last 20,000 years, humans have communicated through stories. Studies have been conducted revealing that storytelling evokes a strong neurological response – the brain releases a variety of different hormones, which not only grab the audience's attention but also make the listener emotionally connect to it. As a result, storytelling is used nowadays as strategic method to change attitudes and behaviors. Research has shown that the most compelling stories simply focus on the communication of one idea and take no longer than 30 seconds (Monarth, 2014) The power of storytelling can be summarized in the following quote: “A story can go where quantitative analysis is denied admission: our hearts. Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to wrap your vision in a story that fires the imagination and stirs the soul.” (Monarth, 2014) Action Project: Elefint Designs 9
  • 10. Hult International Business School As a result of the secondary research Phat Mouse created a strategic and emotional headline leading the way for Elefint´s stories: “The project itself gives us the story”. By using Elefint´s work as the foundation of their content strategy, not only does the relationship with existing clients improve, but it also creates a unique emotional “behind the scenes” persona. As outlined in the company background, Elefint generates the majority of new clients through word of mouth. Elefint’s vision consists of remaining a rather small design agency, which enjoys a close and personal contact with its clients. As a result, familiarity and “follow-up” play an essential role. By creating a story around Elefint’s work and the client, not only is the agency’s USP emphasized, but it also can contribute to Elefint’s long-term strategy of becoming a thought leader. To further develop the storytelling” proposal the “Content Strategy Quad” to back up assumptions with a proven theoretical model. The heart of this model consists of the core strategy. As outlined in earlier, a successful strategy should consist of one simple idea. Utilizing Elefint´s previous projects and creating a 360-degree perspective on, the entire work process and collaboration with the client communicates various subjects in an easy and understandable way. One of the biggest benefits consists of the fact that the agency already has all the resources needed. The challenge is reframing existing data and putting it under the main focus of the strategy on how to make social causes beautiful through visual design. Due to the fact that Elefint enjoys a diverse client base, different content can be created outlining the multifaceted sides of their work and, more importantly, visual design. Stories can be told in different ways and formats, which gives Elefint the freedom to communicate on different channels and deliver content in various forms. To develop a credible and compelling story the Content Strategy Quad considers four different dimensions; substance, structure, workflow and governance. Regarding the action project´s scope and the general task only the dimensions “substance and structure” are taken into consideration. The first component “substance” discusses the question of what kind of content (subjects, types, sources etc.) and message are needed. Action Project: Elefint Designs 10 Core% Strategy% Substance% Structure% Workflow% Governance% Content%Component% People%Component% (Rach, 2011)
  • 11. Hult International Business School Phat Mouse aims to provide a framework to generate content for Elefint’s target group that is easily adaptable and differentiates Elefint from its competitors. Developing content about the previous projects responds to both elements. Firstly, industry-relevant content can be communicated in a creative way (storytelling). Secondly, by positioning the agency as a “client’s best friend”, which uses their work to inform about different topics of visual design, Elefint creates a unique voice in the industry. Due to Elefint´s size and limited internal resources, the reframing of existing content brings a lot of benefits. The second dimension “structure” responds to the question how content has to be prioritized, organized, formatted and delivered. Phat Mouse’s proposal consists of the separation content in two ways – emotionally and rationally. This two-sided communication creates a unique ecosystem, in which all relevant stakeholders and media channels are included. Overall, storytelling will focus heavily on the creation of blog and video content in order to capture the personal and emotional side of Elefint, its clients, and the power of visual design. In addition to this, infographics and animations could be created for social media in order to highlight the variety of Elefint’s skills. Posts on Elefint’s personal blog plus academic papers and case studies on leading industry websites will achieve a 360-degree approach that remains within the abilities of Elefint’s resources. Substance #1: Emotion This approach aims to enhance familiarity among clients in the sense of brand and interpersonal experience. Elefint will create not only the content designed to communicate the true personality and vision of the company itself, but also to appeal to both existing and potential clients in each stage of customer life cycle. The content will be structured based on current and past projects, which will be implemented across various channels. The content theme will be categorized based on these three major concepts as follows: About Elefint A space for Elefint Designs to communicate the idea of who they are, what they do, why it’s important, and for whom. Since the company is driven by a unique group of people with a unique organization culture, communicating that value will help to clarify the role of Elefint Designs and the people behind those visions. Structure • Homepage video: A short introduction video or motion graphic demonstrating the brand story. This will provide an overview of what is Elefint Design for the newcomers. Action Project: Elefint Designs 11
  • 12. Hult International Business School • Blog Post: Feeds of short articles about “answering the why” and personal thoughts about strategic design in social industry. • Events: An open house seminar with Elefint and the collaboration of speakers and designers from different sectors, which will encourage a higher level of engagement across audiences. About Clients Action Project: Elefint Designs 12
  • 13. Hult International Business School The story of client’s experiences and updates of the client’s project and impact. This will allow clients to amplify their thoughts and feedback to enhance Elefint’s credibility and reference in the client’s decision-making process. Structure • Website: A set of testimonial video of the clients talking about the project and their experiences working with Elefint Design, which will serve the company as references for the potential clients. The story about collaboration Unlike the case studies, The story about collaboration will be a story behind the scenes between the clients and Elefint Design on a certain project. Aiming to focus on the collaboration in the micro level of the workflow, Elefint can emphasize things such as internal brainstorm sessions, first sketch up, proposal development, pitching preparation etc. Moreover, this approach will create a shared content that will easily be shared among clients and leads to the increase of familiarity and word of mouth marketing as well. Structure • Documentary Videos: A project ‘s behind the scenes to demonstrate the story between Client and the company on a mission of creating impact through design. • Blog Post: Weekly feed about important details of workflow behind the project. This can be in the form of a short article emphasizing the key process or opinions about the project. Action Project: Elefint Designs 13
  • 14. Hult International Business School • Client’s Blog: Since it is considered to be a shared content between client and Elefint, The Clients can also be encouraged to promote the project and transparency behind the design of the project on their channels. Substance #2: Rational The rational side of the content approach will consist of academic articles and case studies that allow Elefint to demonstrate their expertise in the industry based on their learning experiences. Elefint will generate academic content that appeals to more specific target audience, such as industry experts, company influencers, managers and people with higher- level education. The rational content can be divided into different levels of content such as: Substance • Insights: The science of data visualization and tips & tricks to tell your stories better in social world. This can also include the stories from the emotional part, but go more in depth. • Opinions: Amplify the voice of Elefint toward any movement in the industry as one of the key influencers in the nonprofit world. • Research: Share analytical data or report on the use of data visualization and storytelling along to any consumer researches that Elefint might came across in a form of journals, infographic or motion graphic. Structure: • Case Studies – Previous work case studies in an analytical format to provide thoughts and knowledge about data visualization in a non-profit world. • White Papers - An article to enable potential customers to learn more about the agency’s products and services. • PR – Using external channels to gain more exposure to the company like helping out at third-party conferences or hosting a workshop. For alternative avenues where the rational/academic content can be distributed, please see Appendix Figure 1. Action Project: Elefint Designs 14
  • 15. Hult International Business School Benefits from Solution Through the implementation and further development of the strategy about the creation and publication of content through a closer relationship with clients, many benefits have to be outlined. i. Reach a broader audience. As stated before, this content strategy will have Elefint create content on two different sides: the emotional side and the academic side.This means that Elefint will be able to reach and engage a broader audience with the same content, but published in different channels according to the client and to the stage of the work. Since the content will be adapted to the individual client stories, the language and content will be optimal for being shared by those companies themselves. ii. Increase familiarity It is important to highlight the fact that the current business for Elefint comes mainly through word-of-mouth marketing; meaning that current and past clients refer Elefint Designs to new potential clients. Thus, the relationship with these clients must be maintained as time wears on. Through our content marketing strategy, we aim to increase familiarity between the customers and Elefint, and consequently, between Elefint and new customers, referred by existing clients. We are confident that this strategy will produced the desired effects because the content will be more shareable than before thanks to its versatility in regards to client’s tone and story. iii. Reach potential clients and beyond. Implementing the content marketing plan based on storytelling won’t just increase brand awareness and familiarity towards clients, but also towards additional stakeholders. Imagine the impact that Elefint might have on design-for-good-causes field if their work is documented week by week and then summed up in a high quality video on blogs, social media and other platforms used both by Elefint and the related client. This strategy allows Elefint to grab the attention of those involved in the non-profit and good causes marketplace, such as influencers, bloggers and specialized magazines. This can be a great opportunity for Elefint Designs to be discovered by a broader market step by step, and widen their customer base. Action Project: Elefint Designs 15
  • 16. Hult International Business School iv. Stand out through versatile and unique tone. At the moment, Elefint already has work with previous clients listened in the section called case studies. However, the tone is largely academic and doesn’t fully highlight the benefits gained by clients and how Elefint worked with them. In order to acquire new business, Elefint has to demonstrate their value and ability to combine their strengths in a unique way. The best way to do so is to clearly illustrate through various kind of content (such as short videos, images, or short blog posts) how Elefint is actually working with the client and how much Elefint cares not only about the project, but also about the client and the impact that the work can have on its business. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to show clearly Elefint’s competitive advantage and professionalism in managing client relationships. v. Establish as thought leader in the industry. During the development of this project and various meetings with Elefint Design team, we understood quite clearly the desire of Matt to become a thought leader in the design- thinking for good causes. Another advantage Elefint can gain from the implementation of this strategy is the fact that Matthew or whomever else involved in content creation will have ideas to create content easily because that content will be generated directly from collaboration with clients. This content will be versatile and multi-tone in order to match client’s background. The possibility to use both an academic and a more personal and emotional tone is key to adapt the tone chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing articles and speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this enhanced the brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients as well. While implementing the content strategy proposed from us, Elefint will still continue to stand out as thought leader through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid channels, content regarding the work that is currently going on with the client and demonstrate Elefint ability to be an unique player in the design-thinking for good causes. The possibility to use both an academic and a more emotional tone is key to adapt the tone chosen to different channels. Currently, for instance, Matt has been publishing articles and speaking in conferences related to design and good causes companies; this enhanced the brand awareness of Elefint in the industry and worked to acquire new clients. By Action Project: Elefint Designs 16
  • 17. Hult International Business School implementing the content strategy proposed from Phat Mouse, Elefint will continue to stand out through the possibility of publishing on the blog or on paid channels, content regarding the work that is currently going on with the client and demonstrate Elefint’s ability to be an unique player in the design-thinking for good causes. How we see Elefint content after the implementation Undoubtedly, the strategy outlined above can be extremely useful for Elefint in respect all those benefits and advantages that it might reach. However, this strategy has been thought to help this design-thinking agency to indicate a path to follow in order to succeed from a content marketing perspective. While right now we positioned Elefint content strategy on “level 2: tactical” in the graph (figure 3), the goal is to reach at least “level 4: managed”, where the agency will have a proper content calendar scheduled with the type of content to use, which tone to be used , where to publish is and how often.Content will be considered as a proper asset, meaning that it should be accurately managed during the whole process with the client. Implementation Our recommendations on content strategy model can be implemented by Elefint Designs in 3 stages Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months): • Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b- corporations): • New posts (emotional component) on web site and blog; • New content (rational component) in specialized publications (Stanford Innovation Review, Chronicle of Philanthropy (see list of publications above); • Gallery of video, motiongraphics, infographics; podcasts – interviews with influencers); • E-mail subscriptions for current and potential clients; • Sharing and distribution of content via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.) Action Project: Elefint Designs 17
  • 18. Hult International Business School • Plan webinars and workshops for clients (incl. DesignIt boot camps, etc.) Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years): • Engaging and interaction with target audience online and offline, expanding the clients’ base: • Regularly update content on digital platforms and publications, attract more followers by compelling and interesting posts and interactive contests (e.g. prize – 20% discount for motion graphic or video production). • identify influencers, bloggers in the specific target audience fields, follow them via social media and increase the number of users; • Engage bloggers in republishing and sharing content at their blogs; • Update posts and facilitate conversations in Linkedin groups; • Update news for E-mail subscriptions; • Participate in more Conferences to increase brand awareness and familiarity, expand clientele base; • Organize and facilitate webinars and workshops at Elefint Designs studio and DesignIt boot camps. Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years): • Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients): Action Project: Elefint Designs 18
  • 19. Hult International Business School • Receiving and working on new orders of the clients; • Expand the network of new clients; • Organize Happy hours, workshops, webinars for current, perspective and new clients; Key Performance Indicators Step 1 (Short-term: 3-6 months): • Generate content for the target audience (nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, b- corporations): • Increased number of content posts on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.) • Increased number of articles in Stanford Innovation Review and other publications; • Google Analytics – better results of the following metrics: bounce rate percentage, average session duration, user flow and conversion rates (increased number of E-mail subscriptions), increased number of page views, new vs. returning visitors; • Number of new clients gradually increases; Step 2 (Mid-term: 1-2 years): • Partnership with current and new clients. Expanding the clients’ base): Action Project: Elefint Designs 19
  • 20. Hult International Business School • Increased number of followers on social media platforms; in-depth discussions on digital platforms and LinkedIn groups; • Social media followers continuously mention or share Elefint Designs’ posts on their pages or tweets; • Increased number of new clients willing to subscribe for E-mail newsletter publications; • Increased number of clients willing to attend Elefint Designs workshops, DesignIt boot camps or participate in webinars; • Increased number of Elefint Design’s posts/articles republished or shared on their blogs; Step 3 (Long-term: 2-5 years): • Maintaining current clients and creating partnership (cooperation with new clients): • Increased number of orders from new and current clients; • The network of new clients has been expanded; • New and old clients are interested in cooperation with Elefint Designs’ studio, attend their events and maintain partnership relationships; • More people are familiar with Elefint Designs; Digital Platforms Recommended for Measuring These KPIs: • Google Analytics: you can measure the following metrics: number of page views, new vs. returning visitors, bounce rate, average session duration, user flow and conversion rates (e.g. increased number of E-mail subscriptions; (Cutroni, 2010) • Facebook Insights: with the help of Facebook Insights you will be able to find out how many page likes you’ve got, potential post reach and the level of engagement (number of likes, shares, comments and post clicks.) • Twitalyzer - measures your influence and success in social media by the number of followers you have, the number of items that other people in your network “retweet”, your relative velocity is measured by the number of updates published over the 7-day period. Twitalyzer can also provide you with an insight on the most active friends and followers within your network and will show you when your followers are most active within a 7-day period. (Adweek, 2015) Action Project: Elefint Designs 20
  • 21. Hult International Business School • Buzzsumo: finds you the most shared content for any topic or domain. If you are looking for the most shareable and compelling articles in the specific field (e.g. nonprofit sphere, business corporations, social goods, data visualization), Buzzsumo will analyze and filter the most eye-catching articles. This platform also allows to export related articles in excel format. You are able to slice and dice them and this gives you an insight as to what content you are creating and if it’s resonating with your audience based on the total shares, comments on social platforms and channels. You can also analyze your competitors’ content and identify what is working best for them. With the help of Buzzsumo it is easy to compile a list of influencers in the specific sphere. (Buzzsumo Tutorial, 2015) Survey Although no doubt an important part of the project, the survey was ultimately difficult for team Phat Mouse to conduct and analyze. Since our questions were 25% of the survey, we took 25% of the clients to call. However, after 3 calls per client, unfortunately none of us ever got a hold of anyone to ask the questions we deemed necessary. The results from the other group are summarized below in Appendix Figure 2. The first question asks, “Where do you go for information on the non-profit sector?”, and the second asks “Is there a specific type of content you’d like to see more of?”. A few team meetings later, we decided we also needed to ask whether collaborating with Elefint to create content, and allowing Elefint to document the journey with the client would be something the client would consider. Unfortunately, it was too late to ask the other team to ask these questions for us, and since none of our clients picked up, we never got the answers to these questions. These questions would have Action Project: Elefint Designs 21
  • 22. Hult International Business School given us an idea whether clients would be open to the storytelling idea, however as outlined in our risk analysis, there are ways to get around directly sharing their disclosed information. Closing Recommendation After considering the analysis of different information, strategies and researches, it is to be concluding that storytelling marketing will be the ultimate tool to clarify the role of Elefint towards not only the clients but also the entire design industry. However, the proposed strategy was designed based on available resources and a current possibility, that integrates to maximize Elefint’s potential of becoming a true leader of strategic design content and client relationship. Therefore, timely execution and consistency are considered to be the crucial factor in success. By given the content structure and timeline, this will allow the company to be able to implement and monitor step-by-step that will lead the company to the ultimate goal as a thought leadership in the future. Action Project: Elefint Designs 22
  • 23. Hult International Business School Appendix Figure 1 – Academic Platforms Figure 2 – Survey Results Action Project: Elefint Designs 23 Websites' Blogs' B,Corps' Non' Profits' CSR' Social' Entrepreneurship' Good'' Causes' Corp!& B(Corp&Blog& Society&for&nonprofits& Nonprofit&Magazine& NonProfit&Performance& Nonprofit&Hub& GuideStar& Techsoup&globe& Nonprofit&Bmes& CSRwire.com& Social&Edge& Social&venture&network& Alliance&magazine& CRO&magazine& Networkforgood& Causecapitalism& CSRwire& Strand4Magazine& Good&Magazine& The&center&for&social&impact& Armchair&Advocates& SeeChange& PioneersPost& Socialroi&
  • 24. Hult International Business School Figure 3 – Content Strategy Maturity Model Action Project: Elefint Designs 24
  • 25. Hult International Business School Bibliography Anne Bailie, R. (2015, July 5). Where Content Strategy Meets Content Marketing. Retrieved August 4, 2015, from http://www.slideshare.net/rahelab/where-content-strategy-meets- content-marketing Anne Bailie, R. (2011, November 12). Time for a Maturity Model for Content Strategy. Retrieved August 11, 2015, from http://intentionaldesign.ca/2011/11/14/time-for-a-maturity- model-for-content-strategy/ BuzzSumo Tutorial: How to Use BuzzSumo for Content Marketing ... (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2015. Cutroni, J. (2010). Google Analytics. Beijing, China: O'Reilly. - p. 56. Murthy, D. (n.d.). Twitter: Social communication in the Twitter age. - p. 26. 7 Twitter Tools to Help You Discover Great Content - Adweek. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2015. Monarth, H. (2014, March 11). The Irresistible Power of Storytelling as a Strategic Business Tool. Retrieved August 11, 2015. Scharpnick, M. (2013, September 19). Matthew Scharpnick, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Elefint Designs. Retrieved August 11, 2015 Scharpnick, M. (2011, August 2). How Do Good Causes Achieve Great Design? (SSIR). Retrieved August 11, 2015 Action Project: Elefint Designs 25