How brands can act more like publishers

Core skills for non-media companies

Not long ago, everyone was talking about the power of “Like” and nothing seemed easier for a brand than building a tribe of followers; people who declared they liked your company, its brand or product.

This lazy approach to digital marketing led brands into thinking, falsely, that they had found a cheap and easy way to build a network of brand advocates online, the type of people who would enthusiastically follow a brand’s daily posts and pass these on, regardless of how dull or self-centered the updates were, to their friends and followers.

Then came the social break-up

Recent research in a paper entitled “The Social Break-up”, shows that people are more fickle than that. The paper from ExactTarget demonstrates that social marketing with Tweets and updates that resemble press releases or ad copy (broadcast messages) doesn’t build tribes and that lazy, sloppy social media marketing turns people away in droves.

Part of the problem is that brands are using online channels the way they do broadcast channels, when in fact online channels are interactive.

It takes more than a like to build a strong, lasting relationship online.

In my work advising clients on best-practice in social content creation, I work using a detailed process that helps pin-point the needs of the audience, the brand’s differentiation (where it can make a difference) and on defining content that bridges the gap between audience expectations and brand messages. Content then has to be created that is relevant, authoritative, timely and that employs calls to action (CTAs) that shifts interaction up a gear from casual acquaintance or occasional visitor to regular follower and ultimately brand advocate. This approach helps ensure that content meets the needs of audiences and that items are passed on virally. In essence this intricate and detailed process of content creation and distribution ensures fans don’t just “like” a brand, but that they form a true affinity with it and care enough to share it.

Great content is all about great process

If brands are to be successful with content marketing they need to identify, plan, create and schedule the production and distribution of meaningful and relevant content that will engage audiences not once, but again and again, over time and in ways that are different at each stage of their journey: through discover, consideration and decision making.

Just as the ExactTarget research highlights, brands need to move away from posting one way marketing messages and focus their attentions and resources on tooling up properly for media production.

Why is acting like a publisher so key for non-media companies?

Why, I hear you ask, might a company that sells products want to act like a media company? For that matter, why might a customer be attracted to a company that is creating content? These questions are good and they will be debated at a forthcoming conference entitled Like Minds where I will be joining three experts from the technology and media sectors. In a plenary entitled “Is every company a media company?” we will be debating these questions and analysing the sorts of changes non-media companies need to make if they are to create content that attracts, builds and maintains relationships with their customers in social, email, print, in-person and a multitude of other communications channels.

Essential requirements for content marketing

If non-media companies are going to emulate media companies they need to embrace a number of core skills, including

1. Process

To deliver quality content media companies use process. That includes a forward planning process that plans 6-18 months out. This process includes inventory, gap analysis, graphics, layout, photography, outsourcing and the rigorous discipline of budgeting. If you don’t have a tight process, then content won’t get produced. An editorial calendar ensures the content you plan to publish fits with a key objective, matched a tactic (white paper, webinar, blog, newsletter blast, etc.) and gives the task an owner.

2. Skills

Producing content relies on specialist skills. It relies on people and is therefore a serious and disciplined management task, usually for a content manager, who will need to know writing and blogging styles, keyword selection, proofing, correction, tagging and much more. Bringing the skills in-house to project manage the content creation process is essential. Alternatively, agencies need to demonstrate they have seasoned publishing and editorial people.

3. SEO

Content needs to be search friendly or it won’t rank in SERPs. Journalists and editors are trained in SEO these days and they get feedback on the impact their writing has. Brands need to make their agencies have SEO as a goal and they will be judged based on this.

The Pay Off

Marketing has to change if it’s to resonate with today’s consumers. The placement of editorial in marketing is not about adding another layer of content to persuade customers to buy things. The editor exists to help customers find information, get inspired and feel good. I believe that through this process, you help customers with the information they need and they will reward you with their business.

Thanks to Stephen Bateman for sharing his advice and opinions in this post. Stephen is a CIM qualified senior marketing executive, focused on fast changing digital activities. Stephen specialises in media technologies and how they are used to deliver new value to business in the medium and longer term. His blog is Concentric Dots.