Content is King: Selling the Story

Shaku SelvakumarWW Digital Marketing Strategist, WebSphere

IBM

It’s personalFor more content from this speaker

Follow @shakusConnect : www.linkedin.com/shakuselvakumar

Or Email: shakus@us.ibm.com

“Content is the fuel of the social web”

Changing landscape in sharing content:• 93% of Internet users used email • 89% used social networks • 82% used blogs

#vue2011@shakus

It’s a loud, loud world

#vue2011@shakus

1. Create the story

Identify your campaign/eventIdentify a social media resourceWhat are the key elements of your campaign Identify and join key communities to

understand trending topicsIdentify the content formats

CCREATE

Create the storyline. Understand the plot and develop a strategy

#vue2011@shakus

Finite time. Finite budget.

#vue2011@shakus

2. Find your characters. Building content takes a village

Break the campaign/event into modules.

SpeakersInfluencersAudiencePartnersAttendees

Find the charactersEngage and develop RELATIONSHIPS

RFIND

F

#vue2011@shakus

Engage the Audience Key Constituents Why

CustomersBuild credibility. Peer to peer endorsement. Building trust.

Business PartnersWin-Win. Leverage networks. Cross promote

External Influencers (Analysts, Press, Speakers, Bloggers)

Credible content. Building trust. Endorsement.

AttendeesPeer to peer endorsement. Energizers. Evangelists.

Subject Matter ExpertsEnergizers. Evangelists. Endorsement.

Internal Energizers. Leverage networks

#vue2011@shakus

3. Build a better story. Break it up

Content atomization. Pull the smaller stories within the campaign/event.

Content planning requires a project plan. Build an editorial calendar

Recruit writers, interviewers, asset makersTalk about sessions, speakers, preview agenda to

increase attendanceProvide micro blog story linesEmbed social media links in all your comms

Build Trust.Develop a strong content

editorial calendar. R

DEVELOP

T

#vue2011@shakus

Trust is a currency that doesn’t fluctuate

#vue2011@shakus

Blogging needs a strategy

Host a Blogger’s call

Publish Speaker interviews

Rich media. Embed vblogs,

podcasts

Live blogging, at Event

Blogosphere

Highlight Subject Matter commentary

Post Event conversations

Leverage Media partners

Source: IBM WebSphere Blog

Integrate your

social widgets

Over 44,500 page views from over

100 countries. 49.5% increase yty visits 33% organic search

Guest bloggers

Credible and Unique Content is King

What makes for effective content? Unique content Useful content Channel relevant content. What is good for Twitter, may not work for

Facebook. #vue2011@shakus

4. Idle content is wasted content

Content repurposingContent distributionContent communications

Engage with the ecosystemShare. Leverage networksR

ENGAGE

E

#vue2011@shakus

Making your content sweat

Content Repurposi

ng

Content Syndicatio

n

Infographics

Adapt Distribute

Visualize

#vue2011@shakus

5. Content on the goCan you hear me now?

Real time is mobile time. Mobile optimization equals relevant

information at your finger tipsR

MOBILITY

M

Mobile strategy should be part of your event strategy. Not an after thought.

Mobile optimized means right content for the right environment

Differentiate mobile for demand generation by providing useful event information prior to the event

Provide mobile support during the event through real time updates

Design a socially integrated “share friendly” app #vue2011@shakus

Not another app story

If you build it they will come. Not true. Build it to serve a customer pain. Not to serve a marketing checklist.

#vue2011@shakus

6. ROI of good content

Prevent event jet lag. Update immediately with post event conversation

Converse about event highlightsCurate content and share immediatelyIdentify hot and warm leads and follow

up with a “thank you” Add social leads to the enurture stream

Refine and reinforce. Continue the conversationR

REINFORCE

R

#vue2011@shakus

Case Study: Award winning Social Media Campaign: Impact 2011 Winner of

the Forrester Groundswell Award 2011 for B2B Talking

Winner of the 2011 Hermes Platinum Award for Social Media

Measure and refine

1. How many people consumed your content, measured as page views, downloads, or views?

2. How often do consumers of your content share it with others?

3. How often do content consumers turn into leads?

4. How often do content consumers turn into customers

*Source: Jay Baer, Convince and Convert

?

#vue2011@shakus

For more content from this speaker, follow/connect:

Shaku SelvakumarTwitter: @shakusLinkedInwww.linkedin.com/shakuselvakumar

Or Contact:Email: shakus@us.ibm.com

Interested in learning more? Join me in the Communication Lounge

now for a scheduled chat

#vue2011@shakus