Trends, Innovations, and the Future of Smart Content Marketing

Trends, Innovations, and the Future. That’s what you came here for.

Cool.

But do you understand why Content Marketing is so hot today?

If you don’t need the intro, just skip to slide 20…

Changing Buying BehaviorAd overload Channel overloadSource : Qmee

@tomdebaere

Buyers are using social as filters to cut information out of the noise…

“BUYERS WAIT UNTIL THEY HAVE COMPLETED 60-80% OF THEIR RESEARCH BEFORE REACHING OUT TO VENDORS”.

SiriusDecisions

@tomdebaere

All of this is changing the role of sales and marketing…

THE LONG LIST

Marketing

Sales

Longlist

Shortlist

Sale !

@tomdebaere

This is how you used to get on “the shortlist” of buyers…

That long list is less and less influenced by marketing and sales.

THE LONG LIST

So who is influencing that list?

@tomdebaere

Yep…them again…

@tomdebaere

And these guys…

@tomdebaere

We don’t trust CEO’s or Marketing, but we DO trust our peers!

AND THAT’S WHY ALL EMPLOYEES NEEDS TO BUILD TRUST…

Customers and partners

Marketing Sales Production &

Logistics

Customer Service

>>> TRUST & INTEREST <<<

ALL YOUR EMPLOYEES

@tomdebaere

By answering questions to technical and business issues

and that’s why Content marketing is catching the attention of marketers…

@ Coca Cola…

@ Cisco…

This is what Google is doing…• Secure Organic Search• Google Authorship (dead now)• Panda & Hummingbird

“ Content is key – clear, concise, informative”

“Write for real people”@tomdebaer

e

…and @Google!

© Velocity

Everyone is following the gold rush…

Backboneplatforms

@tomdebaere

Now, something interesting is happening down there…

8 BILLION $ IN MARKETING SOFTWARE ACQUISITIONS

@tomdebaere

When Buyer Seller Value2010 IBM Unica 480 M$2012, 2013

Oracle Eloqua, Compendium, Responsys

1500 + 30 + 871 M$

2012 Microsoft MarketingPilot ?2012, 2013

Adobe Efficient Frontier, Auditude, Day software, Demdex, Neolane

2500 M$

2013 SalesForce ExactTarget/Pardot 2500 M$2014 IBM Silverpop/BlueKai 270 + 400 M$

SAP Still has to buy

They all happen to be strong advocates of content marketing…

CONTENT MAKES SENSE

@tomdebaere

And in todays digital, content and social driven world, it does makes sense…

TRENDS, INNOVATION, AND THE FUTURE

… it’s about time you explain me !

PLANNING CONTENT ALONG THE CUSTOMER LIFE-CYCLE

New Customers Growing Customers

WHATwe solve

HOWwe solve

WHYwe solve

AwarenessConsideratio

nBuying Impress Enthuse Advocate

© HappiFish

Call-to-action Call-to-action Call-to-action Call-to-action Call-to-action

MEANINGFUL

Strangers Visitors Leads Customers Promoters Advocates

@tomdebaere

Companies are more conscious about planning content along the needs of buyers

AUTOMATED CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

I’m digging deeperI’m exploringI’m getting ready

to buy

content

content

content

content

content

content

content

@tomdebaere

Tools provide content at the right time, with buffers of content waiting at each stage

• Conversions, not engagement

• End-to-End tracking

• Agile Marketing techniques

• Google Analytics

• Myri.se

• Marketing automation suites

• Adobe, Oracle, IBM

RUNNING CONTENT MARKETING AS A BUSINESS

User metric

s

Paid

Owned

Earned

Business Objectives

© HappiFish

@tomdebaere

• Context – 1 to 1 via data

• Integrated marketing systems – using CRM and ERP data

• Google Uber Cookie

PERSONALIZED AND AUTHENTIC

@tomdebaere

• Big content • Low effort content• Speed - Newsjacking / Real-

time• Atomization, Re-Use,

Curation

• “Click-baiting” to be avoided

NEW CONTENT TACTICS

@tomdebaere

• In use by Times, Wikipedia, Forbes, Yahoo, AP, …

• Contextual – earning reports vs sports coverage

• Automatic - analysis, conclusions, reports, summaries and graphs

• Hyper-scalable, Real-time and personalized content in natural language

• Automatic social promotion

• Storytelling and though leadership is still a human’s game, for now…

• Wordsmith, Narrative Science

ROBOT WRITERS

@tomdebaere

• CIA, NSA, Israel… are using robot writers today

• Content floods and Social media wars

• Manipulate public opinion or share prices

THE DARK SIDE OF ROBOT WRITING

@tomdebaere

DIFFERENTIATING AND SPECIAL STORYTELLING

• Give yourself the permission to make the story bigger – “McDonalds”

• Take a stand on issues and do it with authority – “Dove Real Beauty Sketches”

• Say no to boring content – “Follow the Frog”

Credit to Velocity Partners (UK) for this insight into storytelling

McDonalds could have responded to this question with a small answer. Instead, they create an authentic 5 minute video

MAKE THE STORY BIGGER

Watch out… here comes the frog !

P.S. You’ll love it.

Say ‘no’ to boring content…

• About content, not products

• Email remains key• Content promotion • Build your community

• Native Advertising for top of funnel content

OUTBOUND IS BACK

Content

© HappiFish

@tomdebaere

• Sounds very 2008

• But soon great content won’t make it on page 3 of Google

• Own the community

BUILD COMMUNITIES AROUND BRANDS

@tomdebaere

• Less focus on SEO• Creativity as competitive advantage• More Visual and/or “Snackable”

• Dynamic Screen Experiences• Motion graphics kinetic text

• Marketing apps• Content tools - “Youtility”

• SnapApp, iOn Interactive, Adobe Voice, Ceros, Scroll Kit, Exposure

CONTENT ITSELF IS CHANGINGCitrix Project Accelerator

@tomdebaere

EXAMPLES OF MARKETING APPS

Online marketing apps are appearing on the market to quickly create interactive content

MOTION GRAPHICS – THE GIRL EFFECT

Motion graphics tell a story, with little or no pictures or video material…

CONDUCTIVE INK – PLAYABLE POSTERS

Printed posters respond to touch, becoming interactive offline content.

‘Youtility’ content truly helping buyers…

WHAT DOES SMART CONTENT MARKETING TAKE?

Vision and Strategy

Technology Culture & organization

Digital marketing excellence

www.happifish.be

We are HappiFish. From Belgium. (You know, the land of chocolate and beer?)

We help companies to create marketing that people actually want.

Because we believe marketing should be relevant to customers.

P.S. We slaved all day over this Powerpoint, for You. If you like this presentation, why not returning the favor by visiting our site and check out what we do?

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