Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Some Valuable Content Gems From The B2B Content Conversions Conference April 2013





The B2B Content Conversions Conference was held recently on 22nd and 23rd April 2013 - Times Center NYC. This conference presented key insights on how to manage the content lifecycle. The reputed speakers http://content2conversion.com/speakers/ shared their thoughts which were shared on Twitter -   #B2BContentEvent .

content2conversion.com


I hope the cut, clarity and the true color of these content gems have been preserved as we share the valuable content gems of the conference as follows:

@TripKucera Trip Kucera, Aberdeen Group
  • 32% of companies have a robust content marketing strategy, up from 16% in 2011
  • We're in the age of data driven marketing
  • Content marketing has got to be about value
  • Marketers need to understand when and where they see content.
  • Lead Management is like scotch: Distillation generates value!
  • Good leads are made through valuable interactions
  • Offers are becoming content-like
  • Marketing leaders save $10k cost per new customer compared to followers. Do it right.
  • leaders say it takes 10 marketing touches to fully engage a qualified buyer
  • top 3 challenges: need skills, content quantity and content relevancy for content marketing success Top challenge for content marketing: lack of talent and resources.
  • Leaders are more likely to have a robust strategy in place
  • Become subject matter experts to offer great content
  • Content marketing is everyone's responsibility
  • Content marketing is primarily managed internally because it is strategic
  • It's content marketing, not content sales
  • Leaders align content with buyer personas & the right stage of the sales funnel. Followers don't.
  • Measure content specifically in the context of the buyer's journey.
  • it is becoming more critical to bring Sales into the content conversation
  • Think about content as marketing offers. Get granular in the way you measure content
  • Content marketing is the alchemy of intent
  • 37% of firms are managing it all in-house
  • Think about the incremental value of content
@juntajoe Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute
  • Content marketing is a business strategy
  • We're not renting the media with content marketing- we're owning it!
  • When you start a content marketing strategy , it can never stop. It goes on forever
  • Content Marketing is creating & curating valuable, compelling & consistent content to change or enhance behaviour
  • Content Marketing is a promise to our customers that we're going to give them something of value
  • Content marketing should change or influence behavior.
  • Content Marketing is a lot like sex. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you're good at it
  • If you do not have a documented Content Marketing strategy, you don't know where you REALLY stand
  • 85% of corporate blogs have 5 or fewer posts
  • Only 36% believe that content marketing is effective.
  • Have a content marketing mission- the ultimate litmus test!
  • 600% increase in leads for indium when Content Marketing  strategy became 'engineers talking to engineers
  • Content Marketing Mission: 1. Core target audience 2. What will be delivered? 3. Outcome for that audience?
  • Think like a Publisher or Journalist, not like a Marketer, when developing your Content Marketing strategy
  • Pull back - more content may not be the answer
  • Develop content marketing mission first
  • marketers are doing much and not seeing  ROI
  • If you're thinking about video, stop thinking of it as an advertising piece. Look at it as a value-add tool
  • The most important thing about video is audio, and keep it short.
  • Think about ROO: Return On Objective,
  • Have someone that owns the content feedback
  • Content marketing is a promise to our customers that we're going to provide true value.
  • Get Found, Get Shared, Get Leads
  • Content Marketing's home has always been in customer retention.
  • The biggest untapped opportunity for B2B content marketers? SlideShare,
@marketingprofs Ann Handley, Author
  • Features of the best content marketing: Utility, Inspiration, Empathy
  • Want to make your content share-worthy? Think about helping your customers. What would they thank you for
  • It's not about a task or channel, it's a mindset. Creating the kind of content that is sustainable
  • Don't think content tactics before you create a content strategy.
  • The best marketing feels like something you WANT to consume
  • My pet peeve: we make Content Marketing  WAY too complicated!
  • Content marketing can be boiled in the 5 Ws of who, what, when, where, why and then how.
  • The best content is packed w/utility, seeded w/inspiration & is honestly empathetic
  • The Content Team graphic  pic.twitter.com/EgBUYDpD4f
  • Newer content channels popping up: Instagram; Tumblr; Slideshare; Pinterest all poised for growth
  • Use social sites as storytelling platforms rather than just sharing platforms
  • A real test of meaningful content marketing: would your network thank you for it
  • If your customer signed your paycheck, what would your marketing look like?
  • The biggest piece of being a publisher is to think of your content in the eyes of your customer.
  • If you're thinking about video, stop thinking of it as an advertising piece. Look at it as a value-add tool
  • If your customers love what you do, they will follow you.
  • 2 things that go into the success of content: the science and the art of it.

@BrennerMichael Michael Brenner, SAP
  • It's not about what we sell- it's about what we do for our customers.
  • Our buyers are bored
  • Our buyers are looking for marketers to feel interested in their needs
  • In Content Marketing, act like a publisher—and publishers need to make money
  • We're bombarding our prospects with too many messages.
  • Our buyers are looking for marketers to feel interested in their needs
  • Deliver what your customers are looking for
  •  Stroytelling should be at the center of your Content Marketing .
  • If buyers ask a question, you must answer - Deliver the answers they are asking for
  • Create an editorial board @ your company if there are multiple people creating content.
  • 50% of SAP's content is coming from external sources, including 100's of authors - Author Curation
  • Author curation: Find authors on selected topics.
  • Content mktg metrics: reach, engagement, conversion.
  • Influencer Marketing is key to amplifying your content (stories)
  • SAP is starting to include calls to action within their Content Marketing articles
  • We exist within a content ecosystem
  • The biggest challenge in marketing is to get people to stop selling.
  • Content Marketing should not focus on talking about what you sell, it should focus on what you do for customers
  • The blog post @BrennerMichael mentioned during his presentation http://bit.ly/15DVgVv 8 Steps To Build A Content Hub That Converts [Slides]
  • Focus on subscribers as your conversion objective.
  • digital attribution is still a huge challenge, with last click metrics still ruling the day

@Tweetsfrompawan Pawan Deshpande, Curata
  • Curation is everywhere, reddit, digg,etc.
  • 32% of marketers share content from blogs, industry pubs or online outlets w/ custrs
  • curation is relevant now b/c consumers have too much content
  • Why is curation relevant? Consumers have too much content. Marketers have too little
  • The content beast has a very high metabolism:
  • think beyond your brand… include your competition
  • 95% of marketers are using OPC( Other people's content) today
  • CMOs care about both creative and metrics
@jasonthibeault Jason Thibeault, Limelight Networks
  • Stories are a container of ideas
  • By 2017 video will take up much of internet traffic
  • You message needs to be connected regardless of device.
  • Narrative arc is what connects us to our audience, gives them a reason to connect with our stories.
  • The digital relationship pyramid  pic.twitter.com/nnBiTQgXzU
  • If it is not connected the audience gets disengaged
@MargaretMolloy Margaret Molloy, Velocidi
  • Content means Brand, trust and relationship builder
  • There is no single attribution. It's a math problem

@lbfeldman Lori Feldman, Cigna International
  • Don't underestimate the importance of listening. Listen before you speak and develop content.
  • Stopping and listening, and seeing what's resonating in a given market is key
  • Listen to your audience and create content accordingly
  • The days of the one-size fits all website text are over
  • Don't forget pictures and graphics in your content. Images can resonate globally
  • Common mistake in Content Marketing : publishing without engaging, not initiating two-way conversation with customers
  • Revenue is important. but don't forget relevance & shareability of content to get audience to come back.
  • If we're not all sharing in this digital world, we're doing ourselves a disservice says
  • To get to the point of revenue, marketers must not forget the point of sharing (targeted/compelling) content
  • Think like a publisher; be an educator. Your audience is looking for insights. -- Tell, don't sell

Mark Wilson, @Avaya
  • Be provocative in content marketing,
  • Content Marketing must be... simple, unexpected, offer credibility, have a motive and told as a story
  • Instead of asking people what keeps them up at night, tell them what should keep them up at night.
  • Marketers are probably the worst people to write content
  • to make your content compelling, be provocative and snarky when writing
  • Marketing needs to look like a Newsroom, not a cubicle farm
  • Come up with a non-standard point of view and defend that view.
  • Content Marketing must be... simple, unexpected, offer credibility, have a motive and told as a story.
  • Serving a niche market is how you get BFFs - become the definitive source for that community
  • great content doesn't distribute itself - split out publishing from editorial. In Content Marketing  separate editorial (is it interesting?) from publishing (medium, frequency)
  • For a quick Content Marketing win, segment, then address audience needs
  • I don't care how many people are tweeting, not tweeting, etc. At the end of the day, we're here to drive revenue
  • Mobile content is a lot more popular
@LeeOdden Lee Odden, TopRank Online Marketing
  • 81% of b2b buyers start with search engines
  • Optimized marketing means your brand is the best answer when and where buyers need it
  • Must integrate SEO and content, but optimize for customer experience
  • Anticipate demand with search and create [I would say satisfy] demand with content
  • Search often validates what users find on social
  • The definition of optimized marketing pic.twitter.com/lJHCYiNtc1
  • Great content isn't great until it gets found, consumed and shared.
  • Not everyone in your audience will be motivated by an infographic
  • Be the best answer for customer needs and that matches your brand value
  • Optimize for engagement AND conversion, then through to purchase and advocacy
  • Optimizing is about making it easy to attract, engage, retain
  • Facts tell, stories sell. Stories are essential for your brand. It's key to amplify
  • Optimization is an ongoing process! If people have a great experience they're more likely to DO something
  • every author at your company should have Google+ account
  • 4 types of content: Evergreen, repurposed, curated, and co-created
  • 16% of daily Google search queries have never been seen before. Keyword research is a goldmine for content ideas
  • There are many content marketing tactics, but are they integrated? Alignment is powerful in the customer journey.
  • Investing in high quality content doesn't mean anything if people cannot consume it, says
  • You want to create anticipation
  • Real influence isn't huge fan & follower counts, it's niche communities that take action.
  • The quality of your content will contribute to shorter sales cycles
@CroweHorwath_US Lee Odden, TopRank Online Marketing
  • You have to be able to understand who you're targeting.
  • Target market segmentation is key in lead nurturing.
  • Talk about the buyer's journey, the buying cycle.
  • In lead scoring, pay attention to digital body language
  • An innovator isn't about new products. It's about someone who wants best practices.
  • 28% of invited executives engage in program after 7 months.
  • Don't underestimate the power of e-Comms and landing pages.

@madisonlogic Thomas Koletas, Madison Logic
  • The average buyer is in the research mode for 4 to 6 days.
  • Leads from content mktg are often not followed up for 2 weeks
  • Wanna be salesy in your copy? You've got to segment your audience
  • Video is most compelling content right now. Segmentation is pretty key too
  • Key question: How do you get intent data
@Robyoegel  Rob Yoegel, Monetate
  • You have to remember that everything you do goes back to the customer
  • The key is getting the right content in front of the right person at the right time
  • start Content Marketing by creating content that the sales team needs
  • Social drives 25% of inbound traffic!!
  • Search isn't dead - it isn't going away.
  • Content development should be someone's job
  • Only those who TALK to their customers know what their customers want
  • Sales people should be educators
  • If you don't have the answer, your competitors will.
  • You can't really have a content calendar without knowing what to write about,
  • Ask your audience what they want to read -- critical tactic.
  • marketers should have content addressing the first questions your buyers ask when researching
  • Only those who TALK to their customers know what their customers want
  • 4 ebooks a year can fill up your content calendar,
  • Nothing gets our hearts pounding more than video
  • More effective lead gen with video by thinking outside the frame
  • Traditional video is based on an old television model
  • Content Telemetry = measuring content use, engagement & impact
  • Engagement: moving visitors from passive to active consumption,
  • If marketing automation is the rocket, then content is the fuel
  • People have more tolerance for longer content with knowledge of where it's going and for how long
  • When content is wired for interactivity, clickstream can be captured
  • Adobe should allow measurement of engagement in PDFs.
  • One can't make Spielberg production with every video. Need a strategy using multiple types of video
  • The key to using video is figuring out how to survive the rest of that video strategy
@JeffFuhriman  Jeff Fuhriman, Adobe
  • Use everything you've got to keep it personal
  • lets its customer tell the story - the Adobe experience.
  • Personalization drives easily 40% more conversion on our website
  • Find your most valued area -- You'll fall fast, learn fast and reiterate fast.
  • Adobe Target + Demandbase IP can ID who you are BEFORE cookies. Skeaky, but nice given how flawed cookies are
  • The odds of winning today: 4 every 650 leads,1 deal closes in 19 months.
@fdonny  Frank Donny, Marseli
  • Sales leadership will not respect you unless you have skin in the game
  • A sales person is concerned about 2 things: time and money
  • On average, 60% of all qualified sales opportunities end up in no decision
  • Clever analogy of sales and marketing as relay race supporting the revenue supply chain: inquiry > nurture > qualification > selling
@jill_rowley Jill Rowley, Eloqua
  • Definition of sales enablement: content, tools & training.
  • Its not quantity of leads, but quality and conversion rates that matter
  • Contacts from a conference are not leads, scoring means getting sales-ready leads
  • People don't buy from those they cannot trust.
  • Sales is only managing 43%  
  • Use social to find, engage and amplify them
  • Read the content your buyers read and share it across your own social platforms
  • Enable your salespeople to tell customer stories
  • Some see prospects, I see future advocates
  • Social selling is different from social stupid
@TRiesterer Tim Riesterer, Corporate Visions, Inc.
  • You have to think of it through the entire spectrum.
  • Sales enablement answers: what are you going to say when you get the meeting
  • Give sales lead with a cheat sheet on what the lead is interested in to facilitate the first conversation

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