Melanie LoBue What is content marketing? Why does it matter? How the heck do I do it? The #1 thing to know about content marketing is that it works to help you grow your business and that its success is measurable. This session will provide a bit of history on what this content buzzword is all about, offer solutions to common pain points in getting content creation off the ground, but mostly it will provide hacks and tools to get you and your team started right away. You will learn: Proven ways to generate content creation ideas that work Which free content tools can save you time & make you a more effective communicator Ways to measure your progress and adjust accordingly

1. Content Marketing 101
Melanie LoBue
March 26, 2016
@melanielobue

2. Take a look… we’ll get back to this later
“We will work in sync to interactively promote
holistic content in order to endeavor to
synergistically build web 3.0 intellectual capital.”

3. What to Expect Today
● Find out who’s speaking with you (me!)
● Understand what the BIG deal is about content.
✮ Learn how to generate your own content ideas that work.
✮ Grab tools to save you time & be a more effective communicator.
● Ask me questions / breakout!
✮ Resources

4. Who’s Talking to Me?
Journalist Web Marketer
High School English Teacher
Melanie LoBue,
Small Business Owner +
Content Manager at a corporate gig

5. I manage a lot of content...
A community for quick ideas, insights, & connections
to grow your business.

6. (No, really, a lot…)

7. (Still even more…!)

8. What is content?
Seriously, what do any of these words even mean?

9. adjective
In a state of peaceful happiness
“She seemed more content, less bitter.”
What is content?
con·tent
kənˈtent/ verb
To satisfy someone
“We contented ourselves with a few
small purchases.”
noun
1. A state of satisfaction.
“The greater part of the century was a time of
content.”
2. A member of the British House of Lords who
votes for a particular motion.

10. What is content?
“Traditional marketing and advertising is telling
the world you’re a rock star. Content Marketing
is showing the word that you are one.”
- Robert Rose,
Chief Strategy Officer
Content Marketing Institute

11. What is content?
Content is a way to…
● Instill trust in your product or service
● Be an industry expert
● Boost customer service
● Get some search engine love
● Link directly to #s (and cash) with Google Analytics (free!)

12. How to Generate Content Ideas
Confessions from a former high school teacher.

13. How to Generate Content Ideas
Know your audience.

14. How to Generate Content Ideas
1. Know your audience.
2. Check an annual calendar. Holidays, sales events
3. Expand “About Us.” Tell us “About Everything”
4. Find the stuff that lasts (Evergreen). FAQ’s, product descriptions,
resources
5. What inspires you?

15. Content Tip #1
Be inspired & write about what you know.
Books, Movies, Podcasts, TED

16. Content Tip #2
Be authentic. Don’t write weird stuff!
“[There’s] a weird little subset of people...Internet marketing people who sell
Internet marketing stuff to Internet marketing people who sell Internet marketing
stuff to Internet marketing people.” - Ray Edwards, Tony Robbins’ Copywriter

17. Content Tip #3
Be smart. Don’t contribute to the junk.

18. Content Tip #4
Create content that satisfies you.
This will in turn satisfy your customers.

19. Helpful Tools
Grammarly
BuzzSumo
Just not
sorry
IFTTT
Content
Marketing
Institute
TED
Be
Limitless

20. Helpful Tools - BuzzSumo

21. Helpful Tools - IFTTT

22. Simplify this.
“We will work in sync to interactively promote holistic
content in order to endeavor to synergistically build web
3.0 intellectual capital.”
Is it something Grandma would understand?
Is it something you’d say to a close friend over a beer or tea?

23. Breakout.
● Brainstorm 10 blog post ideas.
Reminder:
1. Know your audience.
2. Check an annual calendar. Holidays, sales events
3. Expand “About Us.” Tell us “About Everything” + the office cat.
4. Find the stuff that lasts (Evergreen). FAQ’s, product descriptions,
resources.
5. What inspires you?

24. Breakout.
● Choose something you’re currently writing and simplify it.
● Visit www.smallbusinessblogsolutions.com “Sleek Marketing University”
and begin using resources.
● Use Business On Tapp to create a multiple choice poll or question that
tells you more about your audience. Visit: Tapp.com/polls

25. Get in touch.
Melanie LoBue
617.717.8200
melanie.lobue@gmail.com
@melanielobue
Visit: www.smallbusinessblogsolutions.com &
Check the “Sleek Marketing University” page