HANNAH SMITH
CONTENT STRATEGIST
throwing sh*t against the wall & analysing what sticks
that hasnegative connotations
@hannah_bo_banna
I beg to
differ
present an idea &
test the reaction
@hannah_bo_banna
is the only way to
succeed@hannah_bo_banna
but I’m jumping ahead…
@hannah_bo_banna
what do I
actuallydo?
@hannah_bo_banna
this is my
approach
@hannah_bo_banna
here are some
things we’ve made
@hannah_bo_banna
http://www.concerthotels.com/ipod-visualized-as-vinyl @hannah_bo_banna
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/microsites/googleplus-for-small-businesses/
@hannah_bo_banna
http://www.thetrainline.com/tools/festival-finder/ @hannah_bo_banna
we endeavour to
create content that…
@hannah_bo_banna
will blow
people’s
minds
for a precious heartbeat or two…
create things that are useful
things that will
blow
their
minds
create things people willlove
that sounds
hard@hannah_bo_banna
do you really need to do that?
@hannah_bo_banna
yesI think you do
@hannah_bo_banna
content marketing is
not new
@hannah_bo_banna
but
how we consume
content online
@hannah_bo_banna
has & will continue to
change@hannah_bo_banna
we surface content through
filters…
@hannah_bo_banna
do you actually
see updates from the companies
you follow?
@hannah_bo_banna
facebook protects us from
unwantedcontent
@hannah_bo_banna
& they’re protecting us from content
we do
want@hannah_bo_banna
Mark says you have to
pay to play
but it’s not just facebook
@hannah_bo_banna
our technology protects us
from unwanted content too
@hannah_bo_banna
With four months of steady
decline, it’s apparent that tabs
are affecting opens in Gmail.
After the introduction of the
tabbed inbox in May,
Gmail opens have dropped 20%
Justine Jordan, Litmus
@hannah_bo_bannahttps://litmus.com/blog/48-of-emails-are-opened-on-mobile-gmail-opens-down-20-since-tabs
permission
may no longer be enough…
@hannah_bo_banna
to bypass the filters your content must be shared
by lots of people- not just you
@hannah_bo_banna
people need to love your marketing
todayI bring you
@hannah_bo_banna
the stumbling blocks &
pitfalls @hannah_bo_banna
that I’ve encountered when
creating content
@hannah_bo_banna
& whatI’ve learned
along the way
@hannah_bo_banna
stumbling blocks
@hannah_bo_banna
can’t we just create
something that shows why people should buy
our stuff?
~ The Client
@hannah_bo_banna
me:
the sort of content thatdrives conversion?
@hannah_bo_banna
yeah, do that
& get people to share it
~ The Client
@hannah_bo_banna
me:
you want me to get you free advertising?
@hannah_bo_banna
yeah!
~ The Client
@hannah_bo_banna
content should be
goal-driven
@hannah_bo_banna
what you create depends on what you
want to achieve
@hannah_bo_banna
advertising
isn’t shared unless it also
entertains / educates
@hannah_bo_banna
content to ‘persuade’
isn’t shared unless it also
entertains / educates
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
sometimes itworks
@hannah_bo_banna
sometimes it just ‘appears’ to
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
yay!@hannah_bo_banna
but people see through this…
@hannah_bo_banna
time to start buying food
for Christmas!
(says supermarket chain)
@hannah_bo_banna
you’re getting coverage…
@hannah_bo_banna
it’s even hitting your target audience
@hannah_bo_banna
but@hannah_bo_banna
self-serving messaging can
alienate the people you seek to
engage
@hannah_bo_banna
people need to love your marketing
pitfalls@hannah_bo_banna
limitedcreative scope
@hannah_bo_banna
that’s off-brand
~ The Client
@hannah_bo_banna
sometimes this is true…
@hannah_bo_banna
but@hannah_bo_banna
your brand is not what
you sell@hannah_bo_banna
your brand is how
you sell it
it’s about your
values
@hannah_bo_banna
your content must not
contradict your brand values
@hannah_bo_banna
but@hannah_bo_banna
don’t limit your content
@hannah_bo_banna
don’t limit yourself
@hannah_bo_banna
your content doesn’t have to be
*just* about what you sell
@hannah_bo_banna
sell soft drinks
@hannah_bo_banna
but their content is about
extreme sports
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
because that’s what their target audience
love & share
@hannah_bo_banna
it’s our job to persuade brands to
think beyond their products
@hannah_bo_banna
& think about their
audience
instead
@hannah_bo_banna
http://www.concerthotels.com/ipod-visualized-as-vinyl @hannah_bo_banna
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/microsites/googleplus-for-small-businesses/
@hannah_bo_banna
http://www.thetrainline.com/tools/festival-finder/ @hannah_bo_banna
so@hannah_bo_banna
howdo you figure out what
your audiencelove / need / want?
@hannah_bo_banna
what will blow
people’s
minds?
to succeed you’ll need to…
@hannah_bo_banna
research
your audience
@hannah_bo_banna
surveys & focus groups
@hannah_bo_banna
• what problems do they have?• what do they love? • what do they hate?• what do they share?• what sites do they read?• how do they spend time online?• what about offline?
@hannah_bo_banna
research
what sticks
@hannah_bo_banna
study what works & try to deconstruct why
@hannah_bo_banna
but don’t spend too much time on this!
@hannah_bo_banna
what works for one company may not work for
you
@hannah_bo_banna
frame your content
appropriately
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://www.cordless-phones.uk.com/blog/ligo/news/social-media-bad-phone.htm
there’s some stuff about being bad for your phone…
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
but there’s also some stuff about your well-being…
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
find your
story
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://www.multivu.com/mnr/70425518-tripadvisor-tripindex-reveals-las-vegas-most-expensive-for-room-service
meh
@hannah_bo_banna
not even slightly surprising
@hannah_bo_banna
but it got coverage
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://qz.com/194339/the-inexplicable-prices-in-hotel-minibars-around-the-world/
wait!
@hannah_bo_banna
there’s gold buried in this release
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://www.multivu.com/mnr/70425518-tripadvisor-tripindex-reveals-las-vegas-most-expensive-for-room-service
where vodka is cheaper than water…
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
but remember there are
noguarantees
@hannah_bo_banna
it’s incredibly hard to predict what will resonate
@hannah_bo_banna
at some point, you have to
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
if you don’t launch anything
you can’t learn anything
@hannah_bo_banna
throw
shit against the wall, & analyse what sticks
@hannah_bo_banna
5 tipsto help you succeed
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
pick your
battles@hannah_bo_banna
if there’s no appetite for content to
entertain / educate
@hannah_bo_banna
focus on content to persuade or convert first
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
recognise the pitfalls & stumbling blocks
@hannah_bo_banna
don’t just power on through
@hannah_bo_banna
you risk wasting time & effort
on something which might never be launched
@hannah_bo_banna
acknowledge & address issues
@hannah_bo_banna
be prepared to start over if you have to
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
make your content
go further
@hannah_bo_banna
make sure your content works across all
browsers & devices
@hannah_bo_banna
make sure your social share buttons
work
@hannah_bo_banna
make your headline & social share copy
‘clicky’
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://www.upworthy.com/you-will-not-believe-how-easy-it-is-to-make-something-go-viral
create images for social sharing
@hannah_bo_bannahttp://www.upworthy.com/you-will-not-believe-how-easy-it-is-to-make-something-go-viral
place retargeting pixels on all of your content
@hannah_bo_banna
retarget these audiences with more content
@hannah_bo_banna
test paid promotion
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
be
honest@hannah_bo_banna
talk openly about the risks & why it’s important to try
anyway
@hannah_bo_banna
manage expectations
@hannah_bo_banna
agree what
‘success’ looks like before you launch
@hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
learn from
failure@hannah_bo_banna
deconstruct what did and did not work
@hannah_bo_banna
share your learning with everyone
@hannah_bo_banna
and keep
going@hannah_bo_banna
how we consume
content online
@hannah_bo_banna
has & will continue to
change@hannah_bo_banna
permission
may no longer be enough…
@hannah_bo_banna
people need to love your marketing
@hannah_bo_banna
Caffeine Addict
Moz Associate
Writes on State of Digital, Medium & SEO Chicks
HANNAH SMITH
Content Strategist
Image Credits
• I don’t know what I’m doing - http://www.flickr.com/photos/melinesafaryan/7278677702/• Blow their minds - http://imgur.com/r/wallpapers/rOMaqRf• Heartbeat - http://feelingfertile.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/maternal-low-heartbeat-link-to-miscarriage/• Useful - http://www.thatshouldbemine.com/cool-stuff/stone-age-swiss-army-knife/• And - http://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/681/12-oct-2012-and-now-for-a-graphic-design-students-creative-play-on-words/• Love - http://realtruelove.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/love/• Brave new world - http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/petermullen/100158080/aldous-huxleys-brave-new-world-is-upon-us/• Filter bubbles - http://whathaveweturnedinto.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/eli-pariser-beware-online-filter-bubbles/• Gmail tabs - http://blog.sendblaster.com/2013/07/29/email-marketing-the-potential-dangers-and-benefits-of-the-new-gmail-tabs/• Email - http://www.traceymeagheronline.com/is-the-gmail-promotions-tab-killing-internet-marketing/• Launch - http://www.palantir.net/blog/its-launch-time• 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/204714598/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159394280/• 2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5489483429/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159392957/• 3 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/94877877/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159391763/• 4 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5122443605/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159390514/• 5 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/4322212584/sizes/l/in/set-72157594159389491/
@hannah_bo_banna
