Digital content the currency of the web

"Digital Content –
The Currency of the Web"
Content Creation Strategy for SMBs
Blogs, Videos, Slide Decks, Groups
Sponsored by: Waterloo Region Small Business Resource Center
Presented by: Kelly Craft & Gordon Diver

Introduction @krcraft &
@gdiver62
• We are NOT a social media „gurus‟
• We are experienced business strategists who also
know social well
• Lateral, tech-savvy hybrids spanning
strategy, design, implementation & analytics
• Diehard data geeks & Compelling narrative story
engineers
• Committed to holistic approach to business strategy
• Silo-busters and frequent dinosaur-tippers

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Presented by: @krcraft & @gdiver62

Housekeeping / Q&A
Connect with us:
LinkedIn:
Kelly Craft
Twitter:
@krcraft
LinkedIn:
Gordon Diver
Twitter:
@gdiver62
© 2013 Aptisense

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Digital Currency
“Content is the currency of the web.”

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Setting the stage

Success in social media and
organic search is only possible
with an optimized content
strategy.
Figure out what a CONVERSION means to you.

© 2013 Aptisense

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© 2013 Aptisense

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Content Strategy

Thinking about *content
from the earliest stages of
a brand through
maintenance.
* Content = texts, images, documents, videos, tools, etc.

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Content Economy
First there was SEO. Then there was Social.
Now Content is the currency of the web.
• Producers and Consumers

PEOPLE

CONTENT

• Links are the value. How they are shared
and how they contribute to conversions

LINKS

© 2013 Aptisense

• Content are your assets

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Web sites, plus social networks
Web site

SEO

Content

Social

“Optimized content marketing is the art of understanding
Social networks, and prospects need to
exactly what your customers plus web sites
know and deliberately producing optimized content on
keyword phrases that are driving organic search traffic
and conversions. Then delivering that optimized content
to them in a relevant and compelling way to grow your
business by socializing the content through your
organizations social networks.”
Krista LaRiviere – CEO gShift

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Types of Content

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Content Strategy – Moving Parts
Content
Inventory
Audit
Content
Strategy
Document

Publish

Enter in
CMS

Content
Templates

Writing/
Producing

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Content
Calendar


When architected well, it happens
seamlessly.
User-generated
content

Subscriptions

Marketing
content

Engineering
content
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CRM
content

Web Site /
Blog

Tech
content
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RSS feeds

Training
content

Support center
content

Can you fill a user value gap?
Exploit the potential of your content:
• Is it structured?
• Can it be re-used?
• Can it be filtered?
• Can it be searched (more importantly, found)?
• Can it be personalized?
• Can it be integrated?
• Can your content converge?
• Can it be syndicated?
• Can it interoperate with other systems?

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Content Strategy - Evaluate
Evaluate what is known:
• Audience
•

Be sure you got it right

•

Use personas

• Current Content
•

Is it usable, readable, consistent, in need of updating, can
convert to other forms of content?

• Competitor Content
•

Good & bad

•

Copy, or get creative?

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Content Inventory/Audit
• What you already have and what to do with it
• Gives a baseline
• Provides a way forward

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Content Strategy - Plan
Do a short 1-page
summary document
outlining content strategy.
This will help you plan all
events and roll-outs.

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• Recommendations

• Editorial/Content Calendar
• Maintenance
• Future Initiatives


Content Templates
• Create a few
basic templates
for types of
content
• This will help
you put content
together more
quickly, efficientl
y, and
consistently
• Will also help
you keep track
of content to
recycle

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Content Curating
Benefits to Curating:
 Ease the demand to
constantly create
original content
 Generate new ideas
for content to share
 Agility – able to
respond to trends
quickly
 Add other points of
view
 Enable your
audience to share
and contribute

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AGENDA

Sources for inspiration
Have lots of informative and helpful content. Establish
credibility as someone who is knowledgeable in the field.

1
2
3

Follow relevant hash tags and
LinkedIn groups.

Read more than you post. Social updates. Blogs.
Newsletters.

Follow interesting people who are already successful in your industry.

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Content Curation - Sources

Internal

External

Evolving

Blogs

Other Blogs

Tweets

Industry News

Facebook Posts

Community Events

G+ Updates

Community/Industry Reviews

LinkedIn Discussions

Industry Events

Blog Comments

Podcasts, Videos, Images

Hashtags/Trends

Partners/Alliances

News Events

Website
Product/Service Mktg
Testimonials
Customer Support Info
Videos, Images
Company Events
Sales, Contests, Surveys
Press and Media

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Content Calendar
To set up your social
content calendar:
1. Choose a topic or topics
2. Set up a schedule

3. Develop a curation
system
4. Schedule posts (from
within Facebook or with a
third party like Hootsuite)

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Blogging
Blogging is a low-cost alternative to having a web
presence. For small business owners without the time to
learn web html or the money to hire a
designer/developer, blogging offers an inexpensive method
to get your company's name out on the Internet.

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Blogging - What to Write?
Blogs are a good way to drive traffic to your web site, establish you as
leader/expert and share others‟ content (as associating yourself with others helps
your credibility).
Like many marketing methods, if you are going to do it yourself, you really have to
like doing it and want to do it for reasons other than marketing.

Guy Kawasaki Explains How Entrepreneurs Are Getting Social Media All Wrong:
“My recommendation for SEO is very simple:

It‟s Write Good Stuff.
In my mind, Google is in the business of finding good stuff. It has thousands of the
smartest people in the world, spending billions of dollars to find the good stuff. All
you have to do is write the good stuff; you don't need to trick it. Let Google do its
job and you do your job."

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Blogging for Small Business

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Blogging – Tips for Small Business

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So, should all businesses blog
then?

That depends…
If you‟re blogging for the right
reasons, then Yes.

If you‟re blogging for the wrong
reasons, then No.

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The right reasons:
• You‟ve got something
to say

• You will be measuring
• You will be consistent

• You have a dedicated
time to write

• You will be open

• You have a blog
strategy

• You have it aligned to
your brand

• You have a content
calendar

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The wrong reasons:
• Your competitors are, so you should
• “Every business should blog”
• It will Power Ranger your SEO
• You think the words „blog‟ and „blogger‟
are kinda sexy
• You got a good deal on a FlipCam

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Blogging and marketing – goal
#1

• Thought
leadership
• Awareness
• Visibility
• Promotion

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#2
• Product
• Sales
• Leads
• Acquisition

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Best Practice for Goal 2
Solve or Share:
Your blog should either solve your
customers‟ problems or share helpful
resources.
 Write blog posts about what your readers
care about.
 Think about frequently asked questions
as fuel for blog posts.
 Blogging is a chance to connect with your
prospective customers in a real time way.
 Keep in mind that your blog needs to be a
part of your business and a continual part
of your lead generation efforts.
 Your blog won‟t magically build your
business without active and ongoing
promotion and participation.
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#3
• Retention
• Customer
Feedback

• Focus groups
• SCRM

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Examples of Blog Types
 How-To Post – How to do
something
 Lists – Best of ...
 Curated Post – Share others
and comment
 Thought Leadership – Posts
that “make your reader go
Hmmm”
 What/Why – Explain a concept
 Story – Feature a story about
your team, client, situation
 FAQ – Answer the most
common questions you get
(CX)
 Interview – a industry
leader, client or staff
 Other Content – SlideShare
deck, Video etc.
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Blog Post Writing 101 - Template
• Be specific. Pick a
topic for each post
and stay on it.
• Use language that
creates excitement
& interest.
• Use a template for
a standard format
and to organize
your thoughts and
ideas.
• Link to additional
content sources on
your own or
others‟ web sites.

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Core Topic/Theory/Issue
Opening paragraph with summary of topic and key
concept.
(Set some tension here pros & cons of the issue. You
can make slightly controversial statements here.)
Counter Theory/Issue
Discoveries, advantages &/or obstacles.
Elaborate on Theory/Issue
Describe what it means, what your opinions are.
Conclusion/Guidance
End with Insight - Solutions/Suggestion (Bullet points)

ALWAYS end posts with some sort of important
question. You want people to engage, to comment, to
argue, to ask more questions.

Blog Sample – Using Template

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Thinking like a blogger
1.

Periodic hero content

2.

Snappy headlines

3.

Easy to scan

4.

Useful - Remember: WRITE GOOD STUFF!

5.

Promote your content

6.

Validate other content creators

7.

Lateral thoughts

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Headlines
Number + Adverb + Adjective
+ Topic + Focus +
Benefit/Effect

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Video
Have the right equipment:
It is possible to do video on a
budget, the keys are:
 a good script,
 a good camera (iPhone even
works),

 good audio,
 proper lighting and,
 Good editing software,
 A YouTube or other account

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Why video is important
After watching a video, a
prospect will:
 66 percent will continue to
research a product
 46 percent visit a vendor
website or contact the vendor
for more information

Goals for video:
 Increasing conversion rates
 Improving brand awareness
 Giving viewers something
useful
 Creating social engagements
and sharing
 Appearing in Google‟s SERPS

 42 percent purchase a
product
 25 percent add the vendor to
their consideration list
Source: IDG Research Services, B2B video Jan2013

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Starting your Video
To ensure that your video
production effort is efficient
and effective, be sure to
execute these four steps:
1. Prep for the shoot;
2. Create Quality Control;
3. Edit your raw footage;
4. Know how, when and
where your are going to
share it.

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Free vs Paid Channels

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Optimize Video
Optimize:
 Use your keywords
 Explore CTA titles
 Metadata – add a description
of video
 Tag your video
 Give consideration to the
thumbnail
 And finally, ensure your
channel is optimized as well

Resource:
Optimize your YouTube Video

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Images – Pictures Worth a
1000 Words
Promote
•While Instagram and Pinterest both are great tools to assist in the marketing of your products, their purpose can
extend far beyond a catalog for your business. If you manufacture your own goods, consider giving your customers a
peek at the process. This can be anything from the equipment you use to the design and building process. Your
customers will appreciate getting a chance to see your products outside of the standard retail setting.

Share Company News and Updates
•Whether you want to unveil new products or make other business related announcements, everyone knows that a
picture is worth a thousand words. Consider using creative means to convey your news to your customers. They will
more than likely be receptive to news conveyed through non-traditional mediums.

Show
•While it‟s important for any business to put faces behind the company name, this concept is especially vital for
smaller ventures. Your potential customers want to see that you are tied into the community, and giving them a look
at your offices and your staff is a great way to show who you are. If possible, try to capture the mood of your office
through the pictures you post as well.

Connect
•Your customers want to be kept in the loop regarding all aspects of your business, including promotional offers, new
product offerings and any special events you may be attending or sponsoring. Image are a great way to quickly
share this information with them, be it through a promotional flyer or a look-in at the event itself.

Encourage
•Encourage customers to pin sightings of your products on their pages or hold contests for the most creative pictures
taken. Whatever you do, just make sure you give people reasons to keep checking back.

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Pinterest
• Low cost to create and maintain
• Extends your brand catalogue
• Adds personality – share your company
culture
• Community building is easy through
hashtags, commenting, and user account
following.
• Use descriptions with
easy keywords and hashtags, like “quick
#dinners” and “#chicken breast recipes.”
• Run contests that encourage entrants to
get creative with their own pins
• Use Pinterest‟s easy pin tracking feature
for domains by typing into your browser
the following:
http://pinterest.com/source/yourdomainher
e.com.
© 2013 Aptisense

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• We recommend FREE
download – The Small
Business Guide to
Pinterest
• Get a Pinterest Business
Account

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Pinterest
1. When setting up your Pinterest account, add
descriptive, keyword-rich text to your "About" description.
This will help your Pinterest account show up in search
engine results. Include your location as well.
2. To get the most visibility for your pins, connect your
Pinterest account to your other social media
outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to add
your company's home page URL.
3. Name your pin boards after your business
type, products, and services. For instance, if you sell
women's sports attire and equipment, create pin boards
for such topics as women's running shoes or best yoga
mats.
4. Follow other Pinterest users in your local area and/or
field of expertise. Comment on and share their pins;
they'll often return the favor. Endorse the pins others
share by clicking the " Like" button.
5. Develop an infographic related to your area of
expertise and distribute it on Pinterest. Infographics are
highly popular these days and the best ones tend to get
reposted and shared widely.
6. Pay close attention to Pinterest users who get the
most likes and repins. Follow them and learn from what
they do.

7. Unlike Facebook or Google+, there's currently no
distinction between people and brands on Pinterest.
You'll get more traction if you approach the site more as
a person, less as a brand.
8. Don't get too self-referential. Pinterest is about sharing
passions; it's not for talking about yourself (a la
Facebook). Don't get blatantly salesy, either. Just share
interesting, funny, quirky, compelling images; the traffic
to your site (and sales) will likely follow.
9. Post pictures on your own site or blog first, then pin
those pictures on Pinterest. The pinned images will
include a link back to your site, which will help drive
traffic there.
10. Make sure to post a Pinterest follow button on your
site. It's easy to do; just copy a snippet of HTML
code, which you can get from Pinterest's Goodies page.
11. Be creative. Curate the quirky, odd, funny pictures
that have some relevance to your brand, products, or
services, and that appeal to women.
12. Serve as a resource. Share content that other users
will love sharing. For example, a local bakery "could
create boards for cupcake recipes, frosting tips, taste
combinations, decorating ideas, party ideas, personal
favorites, cake disasters, wedding planning and other
topics their followers might be interested in.

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Slide decks
Why Bother?
• Besides the fact that it‟s smart to regularly mix up your content offerings
(people get bored with the same stuff over and over again), slide decks
have several inherent benefits, including:

• Easy to make and view - There are a variety of slide deck creation
programs, and several sites where you can upload and view them.
• Include multiple types of content (audio, written, and visual) – Allows
for better explanations and more points for engagement.
• Downloadable – Viewers can download and reuse your material (nearly
everyone would rather use an awesome slideshow made by someone
else than create their own), which means more brand exposure.
• Shareable – In addition to downloading, people can link to your
presentation and share it via social networks. This helps you reach a
much larger audience and increases backlinks.

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Slide Decks – Tips
• Know your content!!
• Start with the content – not the slides. Create an outline.
• Keep the slides clean.
• Use sans serif font. It is easy to see.
• Make sure everyone can see your text on the slides.
• Balance images and text.
• Use humour.
• The biggest fail in presenting is saying, “I apologize this slide
is hard to read.”
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Slide Decks – Promotion
Upload your presentation to a major slideshow site
Use enticing titles and first slides
Embed on your website too
Invite others to reuse
Publicize it
Post/announce URL before and after show

Shorten URLs
Perform analytics
Put links on the slides
Include narration text below slides

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Slide Decks - Examples
Perception – by Jordan Julien http://www.slideshare.net/thejordanrules/perception-1766948

Social Media for Event Management - Digital Media
Academy –
http://www.slideshare.net/dmediaacademy/social-media-for-event-management

From Likes to Loves in Social Business – Dachis Group http://www.slideshare.net/dachisgroup/from-likes-to-loves-in-social-business

Alarm Product Catalogue – DeWAR Secure –
http://www.slideshare.net/DeWARmaintenance/alarm-products-catalogue

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Groups

Best Practices for LinkedIn Groups:
Invest time and you‟ll see great returns:
Get advise – ask questions of your fellow group members
Provide advise when asked
Generate ideas for your content to share with your audiences
Be open to exploring new tools, thoughts and approaches
Get traffic, bad form to spam, but perfectly legitimate to point
someone to helpful content on your blog/website
 Network to get clients – don‟t just join industry only groups – go
where your prospects are and be helpful
 Be open to opportunities you may not have considered, like
speaking engagements






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Content Circle of Sharing
Publish

Promote

Comment

Contribute

Pay it forward
Pay it back
Cross Comment
Cross Promote
Contribute in industry
Back Link
Ask for Link backs
Build your network

Network

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We consume content like
music: in context.
To create content with context, you‟ll want
to understand these three things about your
customers journey:
 Their motivations, pain points, and role in
the buying process,
 Where along their buyer journey they are
most likely to get stuck (road
blocks, fears),
 How you can get them unstuck and help
them continue their journey to the end.

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Buyer’s Journey – Revisited
ATTRACT

CONVERT

Visitors

Prospects

CLOSE

Leads

DELIGHT

Customers

Promoters

Blog

Forms

Email

Forums

Keywords

Calls-to-Action

Social Media

Social Media

Social Media

Landing Pages

Blog

Video

© 2013 Aptisense

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7 Elements of Context
Relationships.

• Time provides temporal information. Time provides related services that
answer the question ”When”.

Time.
Location.
Business process.

• Placement by geo-spatial coordinates helps with narrowing geographic
relevancy. Location answers the question of “Where”

• Process helps determine flow and work order. Process answers the question
of “How”

• While related to relationships, the role is different because it addresses
eligibility. Individuals can play different roles among a wide variety of
relationships.

Role.
Sentiment.

• Sentiment seeks to understand how an individual feels about an
issue. Sentiment answers one dimension of the question of “Why”.

• Intent anticipates future behavior. Intent answers the second dimension of
the question Why”

Intent.
© 2013 Aptisense

• An individual may serve as an employee, a parent, part of a community
group, or other designation. Understanding the relationships help brands
and organizations understand a broader set of experiences that answer the
question “Who and What”.

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Measurement & Conversions
• Which 20% of our content produces 80% of our results?
• Think and measure „end‟ actions – what are the conversion points?

Downloads

Requests

Joins

Subscribes

Registers

Calls

Comments

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Our Thanks To You
We‟d like to extend our thanks to all of you for
attending the 2nd segment.

Thanks also to the talented team here at the
centre and especially Chris Farrell and Mistie
Brown.
If you learned beneficial skills here today, don‟t forget
to mention that when you complete your feedback
forms at the end of the Summer Company program.
Give lots of kudos to Rob and the rest of the Great
Team at the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre !

© 2013 Aptisense

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Digital content the currency of the web

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