Presentation by Andrea Ames (@aames) from Intelligent Content Conference 2017 (#intelcontent): http://www.intelligentcontentconference.com/sessions/setting-up-an-roi-process-around-content/ Are you a Marketer thinking post-sales content has only a niche role to play in marketing? If you’d like to increase post-sales content in the pre-sales phases of the client journey, do you have resources — time, money, or people — to do so? Are you a post-sales content professional who has been told “everybody sells?” Have you been asked to demonstrate how your work contributes to revenue generation and customer loyalty? If this sounds familiar, join Andrea to discuss how a content strategy that is unified across the entire client journey — from discovery to advocacy — and the right ecosystem (team, culture, etc.) can help you address these truths. In this session, you will learn: Key components of a unified content strategy to deliver successful content across the client journey Content ecosystem prerequisites for successfully creating and implementing that unified strategy How people and culture (organization, roles, incentives, performance measures) can drive your strategy — or send it over a cliff!

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Closing the Gap
Without Falling Into It
Creating an Ecosystem to Unify
Content Strategy Across the Client Journey
Andrea L. Ames
Enterprise Content Experience Strategist, IBM
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AGENDA
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AGENDA
① First, a story…
② Truths about content
③ Unified content strategy to the rescue!
④ Q&A
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AGENDA
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1 Once upon a time…
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AGENDA
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EVERYBODY
SELLS.
WHAT IS OUR
IMPACT?
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Response
Determine the impact of tech content on pre-sales
Evaluation Guides
High-value, solution-oriented content

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AGENDA
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2 Truths about content
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Using content encompasses
more than 55%
of sales cycle time (vs. 21% spent
talking to sales people)
Source: Marketing Interactions
…Buyers, influencers and researchers are
not simply consuming content and speeding
to decisions. Rather, they are creating
distinct sharing circles that curate and
circulate content across the decision-
making hierarchy.
Source: CMO Council & Content ROI Center
Using technical content generates
more than 50%
of viable sales leads.
Source: Forbes
Using technical content is the
2nd most important
pre-sales activity for technology buyers.
Source: IDC

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Technical content accounts for
more than 47%
of page views on ibm.com
Source: IBM Digital Analytics
87% of respondents visiting ibm.com indicate
that having high-quality technical content
is a major factor in their purchase
decision.
Source: CIO Digital
32% of new visitors
to ibm.com are looking for technical
content on ibm.com
Source: IBM Digital Analytics
44% of returning
visitors
to ibm.com are looking for technical
content on ibm.com
Source: IBM Digital Analytics

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3 Unified content strategy
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Content strategy is king J
① What is it: Key components
② Ecosystem prerequisites
③ Culture gotchas
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What is it?
Defining and validating the right messages and experience
for delivering those messages, including
• when and where in the experience the content is
delivered
• the form, format, presentation, media, etc., of the content

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What is it?
Based on a deep, validated understanding of the "content ecosystem,”
which includes
• the content consumer (for example, the user of a product)
• the delivery context (product-embedded or not, for example)
• the business context (product strategy and positioning, competitive
situation, business goals, etc.)
• the creation context (stakeholders, tools, technologies)
• growth (the value and effectiveness of the content to meet user and
business needs)

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What is it?
Supported by
• a practical and maintainable content creation and
curation process
• appropriate organizational incentives and professional
content creator career development
• tools and technologies for authoring, management,
analytics, and delivery

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ACROSS
THE
CUSTOMER
JOURNEY
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CREATE
THE
RIGHT
ECOSYSTEM
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ACROSS
CONTENT
CREATION
SILOS
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Who creates content? How are they incented?
Documentation
Technical support
Training
…

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WITH
MANAGED
STAKE-
HOLDERS
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Who are your stakeholders? How are they “incented?”
Customers
Executives
Sales
Other content creation teams
…

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CULTURE
THE GOOD,
THE BAD,
THE UGLY
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Tales from the trenches
Channel woes
Incommunicado across the ”buy gap”
“The documentation sucks”

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The bottom line…
1. Put someone in charge; give them authority
2. Communicate it
3. Write it down; keep it updated
4. Communicate it
5. Validate and measure it constantly; fix it incrementally
6. Communicate it…incessantly

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Q & A
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Andrea L. Ames
Enterprise Content
Experience Strategist
IBM
@ a a m e s • # i n t e l c o n t e n t@aames • #intelcontent