Building a Brand Newsroom: How the Rules of Content Marketing Are Changing for Technology Companies

BUILDING A BRAND NEWSROOM

HOW THE RULES OF CONTENT MARKETINGARE CHANGING FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

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WHO IS STEVE SMITH?

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PARTNER ATTHE STARR CONSPIRACY

FORMERNEWSPAPER JOURNALIST

EXECUTIVE EDITORTSC INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FORMER HR CONSULTANTAND COMMUNICATOR

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

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THE PLACE OF BRANDIN B2B MARKETING

HOW TO FOCUS YOURTIME, EFFORT, ANDBUDGET TO CREATE

CONTENT THAT BUILDSBRAND AND GENERATES

DEMAND

HOW BRAND ANDDEMAND ARE JOINED

AT THE HIP

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WHAT ISBRAND JOURNALISM,ANYWAY?

FIRST, SOME GOOD NEWS

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HR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIESHAVE BEEN LEADERS

IN CONTENT MARKETINGFOR YEARS.

NOW, THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS

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HR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIESHAVE A LOT OF ROOMFOR IMPROVEMENT

IN THEIR USE OF BRAND.

WHAT IS BRAND JOURNALISM?

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“Brand journalism is when any organization creates valuable

information and shares it with the world. Brand journalism is not a

product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an egotistical spewing

of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel. Instead, brand journalism is

the creation of Web content — videos, blog posts, photos, charts,

graphs, essays, e-books, white papers — that deliver value to your

marketplace and serve to position your organization as one

worthy of doing business with.”

DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, 2010

WHAT IS BRAND JOURNALISM?

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“Brands will resemble publishers and assemble newsrooms and

hire or train journalists who can tell stories and contribute to

major publications.”

MICHAEL BRENNER, SAP

EXAMPLE: CISCO’S “MY NETWORKED LIFE”

#INFLUENCEHRhttp://newsroom.cisco.com/mynetworkedlife

EXAMPLE: SAP GOES BIG ON NATIVE ADS

#INFLUENCEHRhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/

DOES BRAND JOURNALISM EQUALCONTENT MARKETING?

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No … but they both can be usedin similar ways.

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BRANDJOURNALISM

CONTENTMARKETING

BRAND JOURNALISM IS TELLING STORIES

FOR BRAND AWARENESS.

BOTH ARE ABOUT BUILDING TRUST AND CREDIBILITY.

CONTENT MARKETING IS DEVELOPING

AND DISTRIBUTING VALUABLE CONTENT

FOR DEMAND GENERATION.

BOTH SHOULD COMMUNICATE PERSONAL VALUE/BENEFIT.

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No matter what you call it,you have to do it.

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WHAT IS THE ROLEOF BRAND INB2B MARKETING?

WHAT IS BRAND?

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It’s what differentiates you from

your competitors.

It’s also the first step in building a

relationship with the buyer.

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FACT OR MYTH?

B2C BRANDS > B2B BRANDS

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MYTH

Some B2B brandscan connectbetter thanB2C ones.

THE ROLE OF BRAND IN B2B

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CATEGORY IDENTIFICATION(WHICH TOOLBOX)

FEATURES AND BENEFITS(HOW YOU DO IT AND

WHAT YOUR CUSTOMER GETS)

FUNCTIONAL ASSOCIATION(WHICH TOOL IN THE BOX)

DIFFERENTIATION(WHY YOU ARE THE BEST TOOL)

#1

COMMUNICATION OF VALUES(MAKING AN EMOTIONAL

CONNECTION)

RECALL AND RECOGNITION(UNASSISTED AND ASSISTED)

3 TRUTHS ABOUT B2B BRAND

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THE PRACTICE OF BRAND INB2B TECHNOLOGY CATEGORIES

IS TOO OFTEN ABOUTTHE TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY IS ALWAYSA TEMPORARY ADVANTAGE

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THE PRACTICE OF BRANDIN B2B LAGS ANDNEEDS GREATERSOPHISTICATION

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THE GREAT B2B BRAND DILEMMA

COMMUNICATIONOF YOUR BUSINESSVALUE

COMMUNICATIONOF PERSONALVALUE

ALL ABOUT YOU:AWARDS, EXPERIENCE, NUMBEROF CUSTOMERS

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?STRATEGIC INSIGHT, BUSINESSAGILITY, EFFICIENCY, COST SAVINGS

WE HAVE A WINNER!

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n=3,000.Source: CEB/Motista Survey; CEB analysis.

Familiarity, consideration, preference, purchase, repeat purchase, premium payment, internal advocacy, external advocacy.

a

Perc

enta

ge L

ift 50%

25%

0%BUSINESS VALUE PERSONAL VALUE

Commercial Impact of Perceived Brand Benefitsa

Professional benefits (e.g., promotion)Social benefits (e.g., popularity)Emotional benefits (e.g., confidence)

Functional benefits Business outcomes

21.4%

42.6%

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

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n=3,000.Source: CEB/Motista Survey; CEB analysis.

Perc

enta

ge L

ift 100%

50%

0%WILL PURCHASE WILL PAY A HIGHER PRICE

Likely Purchase OutcomesBuyers Who Do vs. Don’t See Personal Value

See personal valueDon’t see personal value

71%

22.6%

68.8%

8.5%

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VALUESVALUE

ALIGNMENT BASED ONATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS,AND BELIEFS

HOW THE BUYERPERSONALLY BENEFITS

VALUE — AN EXAMPLE

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Performance tools based on social technologies are more familiar and intuitive to employees. Employees adopt these tools easily and give more frequent feedback to peers and managers —leading to a more productive, engaged workforce.

VALUES — AN EXAMPLE

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Traditional performance management takes a top-down approach that is incompatible with today’s workplace. Social performance is better aligned with the grassroots collaboration style oftoday’s knowledge workers.

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BRAND VALUES = PROSPECT’S VALUES

VALUE + VALUES = EMOTION

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HR technology brands must make anemotional connection with the buyer.

IT’S TOUGH OUT THERE

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BUYERS ARE BOMBARDEDWITH MESSAGES.MORE CHANNELS,

MORE DISTRACTIONS.IT’S HARDER TO RISEABOVE THE NOISE.

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1How many more emailsdo you get todaythan you didfive years ago?

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BUYERS ARE TAKING ONMORE OF THE RESEARCH

BEFORE THEY ENGAGEWITH YOU.

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Forrester: “Today’s buyersmight be anywhere from2/3 to 90% of the waythrough their journeybefore they reach outto the vendor.”“Use Behavioral Marketing to

Up the Ante in the Age of the Customer.” 2013.

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CONVERSION RATES AREGOING DOWN,

COST OF CUSTOMERACQUISITION IS GOING UP.

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Email: .5% wasthe new 1%.

Now, .3% isthe new .5%.



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THIS ISTHE MAIN POINTEmotional connectionsto your brandincrease demand.

WHAT’S GETTING IN THE WAY?

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Too many B2B marketers are still risk-averseand don’t differentiate enough.

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9 ESSENTIALS FORUSING CONTENT TOBUILD YOUR BRAND

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AUTHENTICITY

9 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

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YOU MUST KNOWYOUR DIFFERENTIATION.

FIND BUYERS WHO ALIGNWITH YOUR VALUES.

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YOU MUST KNOWYOUR AUDIENCE.

EMPATHY IS THE GOAL. 2

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

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HEATHER: VP OF HRThis buyer is primarily within HR — either a CHRO, EVP/SVP/VP, or Director. The buyer is 95% white, 60%+ female, mid- to late 40s, college-educated, usually with some kind of advanced degree. The buyer is fairly tech-savvy and believes she canevaluate solutions on her own.

“I arrived an hour and a half early this morning to get ready for the board meet-ing, where I’ll be presenting on the workforce management reports. It’s round three of tweaking the budget to meet my CFO’s ‘cut 6%’ order, so I’m meeting with my team to prioritize our activities. Because benefits enrollment is only a few weeks away, I’ve got to finish the employee dependent audit sooner rather than later. Preferably before the OFCP charge deposition next week. To top it off, I’ve just been pinged to support the cross-functional planning committee in charge of the company holiday party, and the twelfth person today just knocked on my door asking if I ‘had a minute.’ Hopefully, it doesn’t run too long because my youngest has a basketball game tonight.”

49 YEARS OLD

WHITE FEMALE

MARRIED WITH2 CHILDREN

HOMEOWNER

17 YRS. OF HREXPERIENCE

5 YRS. WITHCURRENT EMPLOYER

COLLEGE-EDUCATED

HOLDS ADVANCEDDEGREE


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YOU MUST THINK LIKEAN EVANGELIST.

YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVEIN SOMETHING PASSIONATELY

AND TELL EVERYBODY.

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YOU NEED ONE CHAMPIONWHO GETS IT.

YOU CAN’T OUTSOURCE IT.4

Know your brand's goals,message, products,and audiences

Tell stories

Get the right tools andpartners to produce anddistribute content effectively


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YOU MUST COMMITTO PRODUCING GREAT,

HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT.5


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YOU MUST COMMITTO CONSISTENCY.THAT’S CODE FOR

EDITORIAL CALENDAR. 6


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YOU MUST BE AGILE. YOU MUST NOT BEA SLAVE TO YOUR

EDITORIAL CALENDAR. 7


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YOU MUST COMMITTO CONTEXT. DELIVERTHE RIGHT MESSAGE

TO THE RIGHT PERSONAT THE RIGHT TIME.

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DELIVER MESSAGES WITH CONTEXT

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EXPLORER SUSPECT PROSPECT OPPORTUNITY CUSTOMER

Any potential customersometime in the future

Anyone in market foryour solution

Any suspect who hasbecome a qualified lead

(MQL)

Any prospect who is amarketing-generated

opportunity (MGO)

A potential renewal orupsell opportunity

WHAT THEY ARE ASKING YOU

STAGE OF THE BUYING CYCLE

“Interest me.”

PRE-SALE:NOT IN THE FUNNEL

EARLY STAGE:TOP OF THE FUNNEL

MIDDLE STAGE:MID-FUNNEL

LATE STAGE:LOW IN THE FUNNEL

POST-SALE:SUPPORT/UPSELL

“Show me.” “Tell me.” “Convince me.” “Support me.”

Individual is one of the following:

Individual is: Individual is: Individual is: Individual is:

Unaware of need

Unsure of need, uncommitted to change

Sure of need, uncommitted to change

Determining criteria

Committed to change and exploringpossible solutions

Initial inquiry, first level of engagement

Determining level of urgency

Scoping at a high level

Exploring possible solutions

Evaluating options

Committing to asolution

Committing to a vendor

Scoping at a detailed level

Making the business case

Justifying decision

Resolving issues

Finalizing selection

Closing the deal

Implementing solution

Engaging employees to adopt solution

Considering additional purchases

Deciding whether to renew or look for a new vendor


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YOU MUST COMMITTO REAL, MEASURABLEREVENUE AND QUALITY

GOALS, NOT FALSE ONES. 9

GUT-CHECK TIME

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IT’S NOT ALLABOUT YOU

YOU’VE GOTTA GIVE AWAYMORE OF THE SECRET

SAUCE THAN YOU’D LIKE

YOU’VE GOTTA GIVE STUFFAWAY (THAT MEANS

NON-GATED CONTENT)

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PARTING WORDS:STUFF TO REMEMBER

IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER ONE THING

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THINK LIKE A JOURNALIST

How will your work benefit

the reader? Tell people something

they didn’t think to ask.

HIRING JOURNALISTS

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HIRE THE ONES WHO GET IT. THERE ARELOTS OF DINOSAURS OUT THERE.

LOTS OF PEOPLE GOT INTO JOURNALISMBECAUSE THEY CAN’T DO MATH.

JOURNALISTS CAN BE CHALLENGING TO MANAGE.

LAST WORDS

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Make it clear who owns what

Define your strategy, design content to fit

Remember that you can’t separate media from message

FINALLY, SOMETHING FOR YOU

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EMAIL: STEVE�THESTARRCONSPIRACY.COM“The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” “Newsjacking”

David Meerman Scott

“The Thank You Economy”

Gary Vaynerchuk

“Ignore Everybody,” “How to Be Creative”

Hugh MacLeod (Gaping Void)

Anything on Copyblogger.com

Brian Clark

TSC e-book: “11 Tips for Building a Brand Newsroom”

http://ar.gy/TSCbrandnewsroom

TSC white paper: “Brand Journalism”

http://ar.gy/TSCbrandjournalism