Are you trying to figure out the difference between
content strategy and content marketing? Maybe you are looking to develop a content marketing plan and are wondering how to get started? CMI’s new Twitter chat series kicked off last week, with CMI’s Joe Pulizzi and SAP’s Vice President of Marketing and Content Strategy, Michael Brenner, answering content marketers’ questions about how to build — and execute on — an effective content strategy.
To see what our experts had to say, you can view the highlights in the SlideShare we’ve included here, or you can read the full transcript below.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the chat, and we look forward to our next Twitter chat today at 12 p.m. EST with Lee Odden (@leeodden). Simply follow #cmworld on Twitter to join the conversation. We will be chatting with a new content marketing expert every Tuesday at 12 p.m. EST from now through August, so be sure to check out the CMI events page for upcoming topics and guests.
Q1: Let’s get started! What is the difference between #contentmarketing and #contentstrategy? #CMWorld
A1: #contentmarketing is the WHAT and WHEN and #ContentStrategy is the WHY, WHO and HOW #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
@CMIContent #contentstrategy is knowing what your audience wants. #contentmarketing is the creation/distribution #CMWorld Jason Ouellette @JayOuellette
A1: #contentstrategy is the plan #contentmarketing is the action #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
A1: #contentmarketing and #contentstrategy are tied at the hip. You should NOT have one without the other. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A1: Unfortunately, most brands do not have a #contentstrategy. They create a LOT of what w/o a WHY WHO and HOW. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
Exactly @JoePulizzi. It has to start with a solid strategy and plan to manage content resources and development #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A1. Just make sure #contentstrategy comes BEFORE #contentmarketing #CMWorld Ardath Albee @ardath421
Content is an asset, like people and buildings and cash flow. #contentstrategy directs those assets to generate a return #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
#CMWorld Popping in! #contentmarketing cannot work without #contentstrategy – the two need each other. Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
A1. You can do #contentmarketing without #contentstrategy – but it will suck 🙂 just like any other marketing w/o strategy. #cmworld David Smith @davidtweets
@joepulizzi A1] #Content must be associated with a #contentstrategy. It must be aligned with company goals! #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
Q2: What is the first step you’d recommend when developing a content strategy? #CMWorld
@CMIContent Q2: Take stock. Most companies already have content assets but they may not be aware of all of them or who owns them. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
A2: Understand that when you develop a content strategy, it’s a conversation, not a sales pitch. You don’t matter… they do. #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
A2: 1st step in content strategy is defining the business objective or the Content marketing mission statement @JoePulizzi calls it #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A2. Develop buyer personas! How else will you know who you’re creating content for? Or what they need? #cmworld Ardath Albee @ardath421
A2 Asking key people in all aspects of the biz — from customer service 2 CEO — what is most imp Q are U asked re your biz/org? #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
#CMWorld A2: First step in creating #contentstrategy is defining personas and the objectives of the campaign Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
A2: #contentstrategy – Who (Personas) and Why (Our Business Objective and the Informational Pain Point We are Solving with Content) #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A2: Define objective and research potential audience. #cmworld Reena Vadehra @ReenaVadehra
#CMWorld A2: Also early in your strategy you need to define how it ties to your brand principles and mission statement Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
Make sure somebody implements the #Contentstrategy. #CMWorld Christoph Trappe @CTrappe
And I think step 2 is selling the #contentstrategy in. Without executive support, tough 2 get the authority and resources required #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
Can’t have #contentstrategy without knowing who’s engaging your content and why. @joepulizzi #cmworld Peter Turner @PeterTurner
A2: Research your community. You could be producing amazing content but if it doesn’t resonate with target aud, it’s moot point. #CMWorld Bright Fox Media @BrightFoxMedia
Q3: What tools, calendars, resources do you use most when developing content strategy? #CMWorld
A3: The most underutilized tool of all time with #contentmarketing — Actually talking to real live customers! #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@joepulizzi Yes! Regular meetings with key stakeholders. If done properly, these flow into post-strategy editorial meetings. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
Q3: My key tool for #contentstrategy is @Topsy — I map an interest graph of people talking about a particular idea or topic. #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
A3: The most important tools for us include lots of keyword research, clear personas and analytics to test and measure #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A3: An editorial/content calendar is a must! #cmworld Reena Vadehra @ReenaVadehra
@CMIContent A3: Spreadsheets and more spreadsheets. Word docs. Dropbox. The strategy phase requires a lot of collaboration. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
I’d be curious to hear what folks use for taxonomy and tagging for #contentmarkekting @CMIContent #CMWorld Peter Turner @PeterTurner
A3: My second favorite tool is Google Trends… data data data. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A3: I am also addicted to The Google Keyword Tool. If you need to find it, google “Google Keyword Tool” 😉 #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
#CMWorld A3: There are so many tools out there – Google Trends is definitely a favourite though, and Content Generators are fun Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
A3. Ask what can we accomplish given the resources we have? I see ambitious #contentstrategy that can never be realized #cmworld Ardath Albee @ardath421
RT agree with @ardath421 good quality content is hard so focus limited resources on best case studies, white papers, more #cmworld David Barry @davidbarry0
@davidbarry0 @ardath421 I think limited resources is too often an excuse. I’ve seen brands with no resources run circles around… #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@joepulizzi Agree–Limited resources didn’t stop people like @TheSalesLion build his pool company during the economic downturn. #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
@heidicohen Resources we already have are the most under-utilized asset. Website Cake @Websitecake
@websitecake Plan your content marketing in advance & include reuse to maximize your budget http://ow.ly/mANQW #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
Q4: What is the best way to determine who in your organization is the best person to connect with your customers? #CMWorld
A4: who should connect with customers? we look for thought leaders in every corner, level and department of the company. #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A4: we have tens of thousands of employees @SAP and they ALL have something to say, special knowledge and skills and experience #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A4: Trick question…all employees are connecting with customers today. So culture is key here. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A4: So are you going to empower your employees to connect through content or try to hide them away? #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A4: Employees are such an undervalued asset when it comes to #contentmarketing. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
#CMWorld A4: Someone who understands that the customer is not just a buying machine there to give you money. But all staff need to know this Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
A4: The role belongs to the shepherds in your company… everyone SHOULD participate #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
To connect in a meaningful way online connect subject matter experts and communications staff. Keep sales involved #cmworld #Contentstrategy Christoph Trappe @CTrappe
#CMWorld A4: At Koozai we all have knowledge and insights to share — it shows we know and enjoy our industry. More businesses should do this Cat Fyson (Koozai) @Koozai_Cat
A4: @SAP is one of the few B2B companies that encourage employees to share freely and frequently. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
I focus a lot of my attention and time trying to activate new employees on social, content and personal branding #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A4: Anyone who has anything to do with development should be getting out of the building and talking to customers #cmworld MyStaffNow @mystaffnow
@joepulizzi @atxcopywriter Diversity is key — because everyone comes from their own Point of View – which is valuable. #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
@joepulizzi A4: Employees can be invaluable brand ambassadors & help humanize the org. It’s about education, training & guidelines. #CMWorld Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle
Q5: Does your organization have a documented content strategy? How did you build your business case for it? #CMWorld
A5: We have nine documented buyer personas, but have chosen to develop #contentstrategies for two of them. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A5: We have a documented #contentstrategy with executive buy-in for segments of our business also #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A5: You don’t have to have a #contentstrategy for every persona. You can make the choice…and should. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A5: selling it in included lots of data about how much of our content is NEVER used by anyone or NEVER reaches a customer #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A5 #CMWorld I believe #journalism schools are a good resource to tap for content marketing needs http://t.co/pYAcwz6LUG Digital Journalism @mututemple
@joepulizzi can’t be all things to all people… something i stress over and over to #creditunions http://t.co/c92KWfzefJ #cmworld James Robert Lay @jrwlay
I’m always amazed at how few content producers follow through to see if their content is ever used. or how much. or how effective? #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
@brennermichael Agree. Incorporating a Call-to-Action makes content trackable. #CMWorld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
@BrennerMichael — and that many content strategies stop at the finished product, and they forget about promotion/distribution. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A5: A big issue in enterprises — one silo has a #contentstrategy, but doesn’t integrate with the other groups (social, cs, email) #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@BrennerMichael Without analytics to add additional insight – you only get half the picture. But human insight to analytics is key! #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
Q6: How does design play into content marketing? #CMWorld
A6: design is huge! It offers the biggest opportunity to differentiate your branded content marketing #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A6: What is the purpose of a magazine cover? — To be opened — Design is often a main motivator to real engagement. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A6: Design is key to shape your content but never mistake lipstick for the pig #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
A6 Design is not just the visual aspect — design thinking guides my #contentstrategy process. 🙂 #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
A6: Design should have equal consideration and budget to content as far as I’m concerned. Attractive content gets noticed. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
@CMIContent A6: There’s a lot of noise out there; good, compelling design will help you stand out from the crowd. #CMWorld Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle
Content design also applies to the words you choose #cmworld Ardath Albee @ardath421
Designers are (or should be ) involved in content strategy from the get-go! #CMWorld Joseph Kalinowski @ringo66
@brennermichael A6] Design must incorporate brand into each element. 94% of decisions made to read w/o seeing 1 word #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
Here is research for 94% of content trust factors (only 1 out of 11 is content!) http://t.co/q0E7Bvozaq #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
@JasonAplin that visual will keep your fans coming back for more!!! #cmworld Sarah K Walters @sarahkwalters
A6] Think dress your content for success when you consider design #cmworld. Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
A7: We use persona-based research to determine initial mix of content types but then test. test. test what works. #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A7: budget plays a factor as well. Blogs are cheaper than videos. Shelf life of the content is another factor #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A7: Monitor consumption and curation of the assets and nurture the appetite with fresh channels (instagram video vs vine) #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
@CMIContent A7: Some combination of the 3 is preferable. Also, the strengths of the staff creating the content has to play a role #CMWorld Kristen Hicks @atxcopywriter
A7: but ALL content production should consider multi-format, multi-channel opportunities. #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A7: What is the content mix that accomplishes your goals? — sales, lower costs, happier customers, etc. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
Q7 I make sure the visual elements I use – video/images — are tagged/described properly. Key for organic search! #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
@BrennerMichael Although now with mobile phones, and a youtube culture — videos can be cheaper. Check out #vloggers @ChrisPirillo #cmworld Greg Chase @GregChase
A7: Depends on objective, audience and budget. A combo of all three would be ideal. #cmworld Reena Vadehra @ReenaVadehra
@CMIContent A7: Understand your audience & know what they react to. Not just about the type of content, but the substance of it. #CMWorld Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle
@GregChase and Vine too. Great point that video can be just as cheap or cheaper. Huge opportunity in video #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael Or Instagram video — depends which religion you belong to. Also don’t forget photos as social objects. #cmworld Greg Chase @GregChase
A7 – All content should be monitored and pages should be heat-mapped. See where people are clicking and holding up! #cmworld Clifford Blodgett @clifford62
A7: Infographics should also be added to that list of content (video, images, text). #CMworld Reena Vadehra @ReenaVadehra
@CMIContent We have 9 platforms under our harness for publishing. IG video is the ice cream truck in the neighborhood for now 😉 #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
@cmicontent A7] Offer your audience a choice of content options. Remember people tend to be visual. Also snackable content. #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
@cmicontent Content should be searchable, snackable & shareable #cmworld #content=> here’s graphic http://t.co/GfEOoGKcM4 #cmworld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
@heidicohen @CMIContent at AMP, we say it should also be like peanut butter – sticky and spreadable (and also delicious!) #cmworld AMP Agency @AMP_Agency
@CMIContent Hey, don’t discount “long-form” content online. It’s making a comeback. See @huffingtonpost #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@BrennerMichael I would say that most web design around content is an afterthought. Marketers often accept what IT gives them. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
Q8: What are some best practices in getting people to share your content? #CMWorld
Authentic. No marketing speak. RT @CMIContent: Q8: What are best practices in getting people to share your content? #CMWorld Ken Ericson @kenericson
A8: How to get people to share your content? Um, try creating good, shareable content! #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A8: Start by building your influencer hit list (at least 10-15 people). Share relevant content. Give A LOT to build your audience #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A8. Sharing great ideas your audience finds useful gets your content shared #cmworld Ardath Albee @ardath421
A8: Yes, shareable content.. but focus on building amazing connections at the same time to reach those outside your network. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@CMIContent #CMWorld. A8 Don’t think about your target buyer, think about your target interest group. ie kids influence moms etc. Anna Sternoff @annasternoff
A8: So many brands are so focused on just the content part…when (perhaps) the ultimate goal is building the audience. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@joepulizzi begs the question if #contentmarketing is about just engagement or action? #CMWorld Anna Sternoff @annasternoff
@CMIContent Sharing plenty of content yourself! Someone whose content you’ve shared with reciprocate if yours is good #CMWorld Kristen Hicks @atxcopywriter
A8: And make sure your content fits the context. #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
A8: Create compelling content! Ask yourself: “would YOU share it?” If you wouldn’t share it, why would someone else? @CMIContent #CMWorld Lucas Miller @lucasmillerwsu
A8: Interact with other org’s content to generate interaction with your own. #Cmworld Reena Vadehra @ReenaVadehra
Q8: Make it useful, memorable, clever, and relevant. #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
#cmworld A8 if it’s not interesting to you, it’s not interesting to them. Ken Ericson @kenericson
A8: I find one of the most effective methods is to ask. Send out an email with pre-crafted tweets, LI and FB updates. Make it easy. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
@CMIContent #CMWorld A8: I work in sports, so tapping into the raw emotion & passion compels people to share. Ex: http://t.co/GfOD4RjK2B Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle
@CMIContent don’t be afraid to promote your content. leverage your community & existing audience. oh and make sure it doesn’t suck #CMWorld Jason Ouellette @JayOuellette
Q9: What are some rules we should consider when deciding if content is off-limits?
If your mother wouldn’t be proud of your piece of #contentmarketing, don’t distribute it. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
Repeat after this tweet: No one cares about your product or service, they care about themselves. Create content people care about. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
@CMIContent shareable content is hard. have to resist the urge to create promotional content no one wants or reads #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
Q10: Our last question: Now that we’ve talked about building a strategy, how do we decide how much content is enough? #CMWorld
@CMIContent A10 more is not better. give #content room to breathe so conversation can build #CMWorld Anna Sternoff @annasternoff
A10: How much content? You can never have enough but has to be quality first. Focus on customer needs. They provide the answer #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A10: There are no silver bullets when it comes to content frequency. Some brands do great things with fewer stories. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A10: I don’t believe any brand can create all the content customers seek. Must mix creation, curation, syndication to reach goals #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
@BrennerMichael @CMIContent a word of caution on syndication: it can get inauthentic. content farms are a serious turn off #CMWorld Anna Sternoff @annasternoff
@annasternoff yes. syndication must come with editorial review and human interaction. #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
A10: The key is consistency of content. Content is a promise to your customers. Do you every see media companies skip a day? #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A10 How much content is enough? As long as there is a question, there is a need 4 an answer – however long or short it needs 2 be. #cmworld Angela Dunn @blogbrevity
A10: I wouldn’t look at it like that. Less is more, so spend the time you have to create quality, not quantity #CMWorld James Perrin @Koozai_James
A10: I wish I knew. I do believe less quality content trumps more mediocre content. I do think quality is better than quantity. #CMWorld Sarah Mitchell @globalcopywrite
A10: too much content and u see numbers rapidly drop. Look at repeat behavior for clue #cmworld Suzanne Carawan @suzannecarawan
A10: Lather, rinse, repeat but never drown them in content #cmworld Jason Aplin @JasonAplin
Yes quality over quantity but you need both. Great point by @JoePulizzi on frequency. Be consistent! #cmworld Michael Brenner @BrennerMichael
@joepulizzi A10: You have to be careful with content overload. Unless it’s amazing every time, too much will turn people off #CMWorld Kristen Hicks @atxcopywriter
A10: Batch and blast is never pretty. Content becomes shrapnel, you want it to be an arrow through their deepest desire. #cmworld Anne Shaneen @annetown
@annetown but too much bad content is a waste of time and resources. I’ve seen this too often. #cmworld Joe Pulizzi @joepulizzi
A10: I dont think the problem is too much content, its not enough good content. If you sustain quality content nobody will complain #cmworld Henry Johnson @TalktoHenryJ
A10: Content has to be responsive/flexible. If you focus on volume, you might miss the opportunites that feedback creates. #cmworld Sara Tambascio @SaraTambascio
@cmicontent Q10 Too much content? Not sure it’s possible-Answer every possible customer question & overcome all objections. #CMWorld Heidi Cohen @heidicohen
Want to learn more about content strategy? Download CMI’s Content Marketing Framework: 7 Building Blocks to Success.
Cover image via Bigstock.
Comments