how to master the content beast
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How To Master The Content BeastWeb/Social/Email:
There's an Easier Way!
Presented at2013 Natural Products AssociationSeatte, WA
Assumptions
You have a website
You have at least one social network that your business participates in
You actively collect email addresses on your site
IF NONE OF THOSE ARE TRUE, GET GOIN'!I recommend Wordpress websites
I recommend Mailchimp (free/paid) or
aWeber (paid) for email
What's the Problem
Time
Noise
Lack of Focus
Sense of Burden
THESE ARE SYMPTOMS OF A LARGER PROBLEM: NO GOALS
How Can We Make This Easier?
The Quick-n-Dirty
Be clear about who you are and who you serve
Link your communications to revenue/actions
Be strategic
Plan it all out
Make it a habit
Batch process
Have Clear Business Goals
Know what problem(s) you're solving
Know your mission and vision
Be passionate
Have clear revenue goals
Know how you're supposed to get there
Develop Customer Personas
What is a persona?
Personas identify customer demographics, motivators, characteristics, and goals
Jennifer is a 38 year old stay at home mom with 2 kids. She wants her family to be healthy. She reads online news sites and parenting "mommy blogs," uses Facebook every day, and is concerned about health threats to her family. She signs petitions to effect change, and shares health information with her social network. While Jennifer shops at big box stores, she buys from our nutrition store because of our personalized advice and knowledgeable staff. She likes to feel appreciated.
Personas Help You Target Content
Personas help you to be clear
Personas help you to be relevant
Personas help you to add value
Focus on LIKELY TARGETS
Resource: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2235164/The-Quick-Guide-to-Developing-Customer-Personas
Think As A Magazine Publisher
Your entire area of business focus is your magazine
Web, social, email - they are the manifestations of your magazine
A magazine has editorial departments - what might yours be?
Which departments drive revenue?
What is your voice? Your passion? Your mission/vision
The Magazine
What Goes Into Your Magazine?
Think in Terms of Departments
Example: Mother Earth NewsLatest News
Green Gazette Sustainability persona
Real Food Food persona
Crop at a Glance Gardener/Grower persona
Homestead Know How - Self-suffciency persona
Ask the Experts - Advice-seeker persona
Readers Tips Community engagement
What Goes Into Your Magazine?
Magazines use editorial calendars to plan more than a year in advance
Use editorial calendars as a marketing toolStart with business objectives
Develop strategies
Develop stories to support the strategies
What Goes Into Your Magazine
Develop an editorial calendar for the magazineOutline: http://kevenelliff.com/sample-social-media-editorial-calendar-template/
Other versions: http://goo.gl/p17zT4
What Goes Into Your Magazine?
Set one major theme per monthBuild out 1-2 (or more) stories/ideas per week for the theme
Always have a desired action in mindex: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Monthreal world: contest, giveaways, fun run
story ideas: stories of survival, primers on breast cancer, stories of support, nutrients to support BC health, foods that support BC health, fitness tips, supplement tips, etc
Remember those personas
What Goes Into Your Magazine?
In general, always orient your magazine towards real world goals,events, objectivesSeasons, holidays, sales
National trends, issues
Events
What problems do your customers have? Solve them!
What Goes Into Your Magazine?
Don't talk about yourself Instead, provide context, utility and value
Showcase your customers - your vendors, your issues, your community
Don't waste people's time
What Goes Into Your Magazine
Need ideas? Ask your customers what they want to learn about
Ask your customers what they want to learn about
Ask your customers what they want to learn about
What are your competitors doing/not doing?
Copy your peers (Really!)
Read the news - build off of those issues
Use seasonality
Plan Ahead
Develop an editorial calendar for the magazineOutline: http://kevenelliff.com/sample-social-media-editorial-calendar-template/
Other versions: http://goo.gl/p17zT4
How To Get It All Done
Take a day, or half a day each month to plan it all outStart with your goals
Look for opportunities
Always try to drive an action
How To Get It All Done
Have a dedicated time EVERY day for marketing - including digitalUse that to write, or engage, or listen
Have a goal each day
Batch processPre-write/schedule your status updates
Pre-write/schedule your blog posts
Empower your staffMake sure they follow the plan
How To Get It All Done
Use 'hub and spokes' to decide which content goes whereYour website is your hub - everything you produce should live there
Count on the fact that anyone at anytime will have some sort of question. Just go ahead and answer all of them on your website.
Yelp
Special Event
YouTube
WEBSITE
How To Get It All Done
Social media and email are spokes that go around and feed the hubLet each of them play to their strengths
Social media: Great for sharing and getting feedback
Email: Great for informing and driving action
Final Thoughts
You're now a media mogul! Break out the champagne
Have fun - if it's not fun, something ELSE is going on that you should evaluate
Be disciplined - don't go down the rabbit hole - spend your time on goal-achieving tasks
Keep emails brief and optimized for mobile
Don't expect miracles - be consistent
Above all, be useful - customers will forgive a LOT if the info you're giving them is really useful
kevenelliff.com360-544-4088