Context First By Matt Naffah

Matt Naffah is the Director of Digital Strategy

at Boston Interactive, an award-winning Boston-based

digital marketing agency. Matt is no stranger to digital,

spending his full career leading strategy and execution

for brands including Bank of America, P&G, Kraft, and

DuPont. At Boston Interactive Matt is responsible for

driving the concept of “Context First,” which is the

belief that the most successful digital programs are

derived by understanding whom we are selling to and

how consumers are buying today.

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MATT NAFFAH Director of Digital Strategy

AGE: 32

LOCATION: New England

EDUCATION: Franklin Pierce

MARITAL STATUS: Married

1.  Educate marketers on context’s role in our digital world

2.  Help marketers activate a context-first strategy

3.  Get people to share this presentation on social

GOALS

1.  10+ years as a digital strategist

2.  Account Management

3.  Advertising/Marketing

SKILLS

ABOUT

FACTS

Content CONTEXT Is King

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Content Marketing

By now, most marketers understand the importance of content marketing and the benefits

content brings to potential customers:

BRAND

AWARENESS

THOUGHT

LEADERSHIP

UNIQUE

PERSPECTIVES EDUCATION

But content cannot stand alone.

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To create content tailored for

your consumers, the right

context makes all the difference.

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Matt is the proud

owner of a Sleek & Single two-door car.

Meet Matt

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Meet Matt

Matt loves his Sleek & Single car.

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Meet Matt

It drives fast, looks nice, and fulfills his need

as a single, twenty-something business

associate.

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But things change.

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Matt met a girl.

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They had a baby.

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Meet Matt’s Family

Now his Sleek & Single car no longer

works. He needs to explore new options.

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What pathway does a new family man

take before purchasing his car?

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He doesn’t just show up

at the dealership and pick

up the keys.

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The path to purchase has

many turns, backtracks,

and hurdles.

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In short, to truly understand the

buyer’s journey of Matt, we have to

understand the context of that

journey.

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In short, to truly understand the

buyer’s journey of Matt, we have to

understand the context of that

journey. CONTEXT IS KING!

Buying Has Changed.

Buying Has Changed. FOREVER.

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Buying has changed, and this means

the old model where the seller

would control the process is dead.

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Now, the buyer is the one in control, navigating

across multiple touchpoints as they self-educate,

building confidence before making a decision.

Buying has changed, and this means

the old model where the seller

would control the process is dead.

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But there is still hope

for marketers.

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“As customers face an ever-more

dizzying array of choices, they are

turning increasingly to technology

to help make decisions.”

- DANIEL KEHRER, Forbes

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As digital marketers, we can shape

how technology communicates with our prospects.

Context First

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To adapt to the changing

market, we at Boston Interactive

follow the context-first

approach to marketing.

?

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Every project begins with the context.

To adapt to the changing

market, we at Boston Interactive

follow the context-first

approach to marketing.

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How do you do this?

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PERSONA JOURNEY OPPORTUNITIES The true emotions that

drive need, spark interest, seed doubt, and influence

decisions

The framework to develop touchpoints where your audience engages with

your brand

The insights that influence how your users engage with

your brand across the journey

CONTEXT FIRST

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To create an advantage, brands must begin to understand these

buyers beyond demographics and job titles. They must invest the

time to dig deep and uncover insights that will make a brand’s

strategy radically relevant.

Good personas inquire into the

characteristics, attributes, and interests of

the target segments who play a role in

deciding whether or not to do business

with a brand. This includes decision makers

and influencers.

PERSONAS

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THINGS TO INCLUDE ON YOUR PERSONAS:

1.  What are his goals? 2.  What are his challenges? 3.  What life events influence his buying decisions? 4.  What does he think about himself? 5.  What are his hobbies? 6.  What brands does he most identify with? 7.  How does he view technology? 8.  How does he view dealerships? 9.  Who are his influencers?

Who is new family man MATT?

Go beyond basic demographics. Demographics are just statistics. And

statistics will never give you a full picture of your persona.

PERSONAS

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Dig deep. Uncover what

makes New Family Man

Matt tick.

Already, you can start to see how this information plays into

your content strategy and development. Am I right?

PERSONAS Who is new family man MATT?

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Today’s consumers are active buyers, participating in the shopping

process more than ever. They expect—no, they require brands to provide

the information they need at the most relevant times in their journey.

Use the buyer's journey framework to develop the touchpoints where

your audience engages with your brand. To put it another way, these

touchpoints should influence your media channels, your content, your

tactics, your design…everything.

JOURNEY

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1.  AWARENESS: Your buyer is not yet aware of a need but susceptible to triggers.

2.  INTEREST: He collects information and creates criteria to determine the best solution.

3.  CONSIDERATION: He begins to discover the right brands that can deliver a solution based on his new criteria.

4.  DECISION: He narrows down brand options and prepares to make a confident decision.

Break the Journey into Four Phases

JOURNEY

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Layer On Your Touchpoints

JOURNEY

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Once you know your personas and journeys, you can utilize

data from both your own web properties and third-party

services.

Opportunities

For the first two stages we’ve already

discussed, you’re focusing on how your

consumers travel along their individual

paths to purchase. With the data you

uncover, you are now able to find

opportunities to influence how they

engage with your brand across the

journey.

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Opportunities

1.  Past history across your web properties

2.  Engagement with your digital ecosystem (e.g., media buying, social, etc.)

3.  Location/device

4.  Industry trends & insights

4 Types of Data that Lead to Opportunities

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Opportunities

Screenshot of HubSpot’s website visitor history.

See CONTEXT FIRST in Action

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Get Our Buyer’s Journey Infographic Love this presentation? Take it with you anywhere! http://bstn.fyi/1MZg9uZ

About Boston Interactive Boston Interactive is a digital marketing agency that combines custom online strategies with emerging technologies. With success stories in higher education, legal, financial services, and more, Boston Interactive delivers measurable user experiences and increases lead generation through web, mobile, social, SEO, and paid search campaigns.

For more information or to schedule a FREE consultation Call (617) 241-7977 or visit bostoninteractive.com

529 Main Street, Suite 212 | Charlestown, MA 02129 | BostonInteractive.com

Thank You