More content posted but less engagement

With marketing teams churning out more content a report suggests this has resulted in less engagement.

A problem previously highlighted on this blog is that with the diversity of user contributed content, particularly through social media channels, there is a thirst for more volume of content published and published more frequently. It doesn't necessarily follow that there is more news of interest to the consumers of this information.

Turn the clock back a decade or so and and the PR person usually held regular meetings with the client to tease out news stories.  It was not uncommon in the b-2-b world for the client to start with the statement that 'we haven't got any news'. The role of the PR person was to probe recent projects that had some unusual features, the use of new technology, major contract wins, new appointments, exhibition plans and the rest to draw up a list of potentially interesting stories. Then to research the story and produce a few deemed worthy of a press release. After all the necessary reviews and approvals the final version and accompanying glossy photograph were mailed to the editors of the relevant trade press. And they dropped most of them in the trash. Approximately one in twenty went forward for publication.

Back to the present. The editorial waste bin no longer weeds out the junk news from the genuine stuff - the problem is now finding enough
to fill the growing options for self published news. The thing is the same old issues remain - there is not a lot of exciting content any more than there was before. But now there is nobody to bin the trivial stuff. Instead the consumer becomes the ultimate editor and soon learns to switch most of it to the junk box.

The report by Track Maven discovered that between the start of 2013 and end of 2014 marketers increased content by a whopping 78%, but engagement measured by clicks, likes, comments, retweets, favourites etc fell by 60%.  Even more telling 23% of content received no engagement at all! And 43% received less than 10 interactions.

Five top content topics

Content development has become a bit of a buzz word in recent times. We have looked at five important areas of information content that prospects will usually be looking for when they access your web site.

1. Products and services

Explain clearly what products or services your company is offering. Provide details of the products, their specifications and offer downloads of relevant information.

2. User reference and endorsement

Provide reference to satisfied users of your products using third party endorsements, product reviews and case studies to build confidence in the products.

3. Influencers

Cite the views of recognised opinion leaders and gurus in your field, particularly where their opinion is considered expert and impartial and reflects favourably on your product.

4. Subject guide

Offer an impartial guide to the market in which you operate that provides a useful summary or introduction to the market and helpful information on how to go about selecting the relevant products. A White Paper that outlines the technology, the state of the market and background information also helps present your business as knowledgable and expert.

5. Call to action

 Because there are several stages in the buying process from early research through to closure and order placement, offer means to contact you easily and at all stages. And offer future keep in touch options such as email news and social media. 

Thinking about content marketing

Content marketing. Is that a new buzz word to tempt unsuspecting clients?

However exciting the new web site looks or a glossy new brochure appeals, the real test is does the content  interest the prospect and contribute to moving that person towards a commitment to purchase. The previous two blogs have discussed the changing role of PR from the traditional press release to the ability  the Internet affords of now being your own publisher. But unless the content published is compelling and valuable it won't do the job. So we talk about content marketing.

At different stages in the buying process, or perhaps in the stages that lead to an actual purchase, a prospect may need to be guided through a sequence of events. There will be prospects who may have identified a problem with something within their area of expertise, but at this stage are unaware of the existence of products or services that can deal with their problems. To give an example a company specialising in instrumentation may already have a solution for people who are experts in other fields such as geology or structural engineering, but are unaware of the products and how to use them and the companies that can supply the tools they don't yet know they need. This can also be the case in new markets where content is required to educate people. This can be a two edged sword, as in educating people you also help open the door to a market they didn't know existed and in turn to your competitors. The well written educational piece will not just explain the technology and applications but in doing so position your company as experts, build credibility and trust. Typical examples of useful content at an initial research stage are White Papers, Guides and 'How To' tips.

Creating awareness is often an essential early step for introducing new customers to the products you have and lead to an interest to learn more and to become more specific in their research to discover what particular products from your range are what they need. At the early interest stage offering telephone support can be very helpful in identifying product options that best meet their application needs. Some prospects might be alarmed at actually talking to a vendor so early in the process, particularly if they have only recently discovered the benefits this class of product appears to offer them. So online selection tools can seem less intimidating and anonymous than getting engaged with a sales person before they have researched other options. At any time that help option needs to be accessible. Not everyone wants to take the time to figure it all out first. Having read a white paper and realised where to go, others may prefer to short circuit the rest of the process and press the help button right away. Others need to be nurtured along the route and directed to content appropriate for that stage. At some time products,  price and availability become important in the decision process. How this information is presented will depend on the nature of the product as to whether it is off-the-shelf for next day delivery, or subject to design and proposal. Content should have made sure prospects know what to expect here.

Writing for totally newcomers to the market as well as repeat customers and regular specifiers who need to get straight to the detail and expect it to be up to date and accurate, will call for different styles and different paths through the web site. And what with multiple communications channels, content marketing has an important role to play.

Who is creating content?

As the Internet offers more and more opportunities to self publish - who will create the content?

Many B-2-B companies are now facing the challenge of producing an increasing flow of interesting and quality content to populate online news pages, social media and forum groups. Take a step back to the time when press releases were the only news format. It was typically the case that many  marketing managers of smaller b-2-b companies thought they didn't have any news and stories had to be teased out of them at a monthly meeting with the PR agency. In fact by running through a series of categories to prompt the client  usually a few possible newsworthy stories would emerge. It is worth listing some of the more popular subjects as ideas for the new media too.

New products or services will always attract attention. New research or technology is even better as developments and advances help position the company as a leader in the industry. Business news such as expansion, new facilities or equipment can also be of interest  as can new staff appointments if used to show recruitment of expertise for example. Contract wins and placement of important orders serve to associate the business with success. Third party endorsements by satisfied customers and related case studies are valuable in building confidence amongst prospective customers. Another approach is for a senior company spokesman to comment on industry developments, to be available as an expert in the market or give presentations at conferences. Contributions of articles for special features in relevant publications can act as guides, provide useful advice and  help establish credibility. The PR agency would generally be writing in a style that would catch the editorial eye as being of interest to the publication's readers and the PR specialist would channel stories to the appropriate publications, or repurpose into case studies, white papers or even user guides.

But for social media publication the content is for individuals and not for editors with an experienced eye for a good story. It is more of an opportunity to engage in conversation. Take blogs for example which could be considered the online equivalent of the former company magazine, with the comments feedback similar to the letters page, and these need to be monitored. Blogs offer a good destination page for tweets which are effectively news headlines. YouTube is an entirely different medium but useful for demonstrating how products work, customer endorsements and coverage of events. Pinterest meanwhile offers a vehicle for interesting themed images. Then at the chatty level there is Facebook and LinkedIn and plenty more.

Maintaining interesting news is certainly going to be a challenge and many companies will need help to set up and implement a a news grid.

Let me tell you a story

Content is arguably the most important factor for a web site, or indeed for any form of marketing communication. But what makes good content?

There is typically much discussion and focus on the technical aspects of web sites, often in stark contrast to the effort spent in providing compelling content. For example non-technical people merrily debate the merits of rival content management systems whereas practical observation suggests that marketing people rarely actually use them. And although we provide systems for people to subscribe or unsubscribe from email lists it is surprising how often we are sent emails asking us as administrators to add or remove names. Content rather than technology alone is what can convert a visitor into a prospect and ultimately into a customer.

It is likely people visiting a web site for the first time will be in an early research stage of sourcing a product or service and probably relatively ignorant about the options, or what products they actually need to solve their problem or meet their requirements. For example they might have a need to measure something very accurately, perhaps in a hostile environment and only have a vague idea what devices or systems will help them achieve this. They may have considerable expertise in their own field and need to be in touch with similar experts in another field - in this case precision measurement. We have a client who does just this and for tim we have developed informational content that describes how their transducer products are applied in a whole range of measurement situations. This content does not spell out the detailed technical specification of a product at all. Instead the product is referenced as a means of solving a measurement problem and readers are invited to contact the engineering team for free advice in proposing solutions to their particular challenge. Of course the web site will also need to provide product specifications, but these are for a later stage in the sales cycle, once the prospect knows what equipment they will require. But without telling a story that describes a scenario they can identify with, it is unlikely they will have made the journey to get them looking at product details. They simply will not have known that is what they needed.

Of course telling a compelling story helps establish the company as an authority and expert in the field. By explaining what is needed, how it can be used and most importantly the benefits the product brings to the prospect, the company who has provided the essential education and perhaps demystified the industry jargon has put itself in the pound seats for when that prospect becomes a buyer. Merely talking about the company and setting out the products is not enough. Content that positions the company as a vendor that can benefit the visitor will not only help lead the visitor along the path to become a customer, but will be recognised by search engines to as providing relevant content.

How will content be consumed in future?

In the last few days there have been a number of related announcements from different sources  that in their different ways point to a new future for content  and how it will be read. Who can have failed to notice the UK launch of the Apple iPad splashed across billboards, on TV and in the press - a device designed for online consumption of content from books and news to Internet and e-mail. 

This week Technical Marketing client, print giant Polestar Group plc announced, "Polestar is launching a service to enable its customers to publish their printed publications on the new Apple iPad, iPhone and online. Polestar Digital Editions – powered by award-winning YUDU technology – enables files received by Polestar for print purposes to be converted to online publication simultaneously across all platforms." In the same week, trade journal Automation sent their 'voucher copy' not by post, but by e-mail using this very technology. Meanwhile in Management Today in an article titled 'Yesterday's News, Today's new hope' the whole issue of charging v free content is examined.

Whatever the future - the devices, the software, free or subscription it is content itself that is essential. For b-2-b  enterprises anxious to keep their name in the news then a partner like Technical Marketing Ltd will become even more essential as this new future unfolds.

How to work 10 days more each year

Travelling into London by train it is impossible not to be aware of the current fad for e-mailing via Blackberry mobile devices. There is definitely a category of Blackberry users just as there is a group of iPod addicts identifiable by the the white wires trailing from each ear. At least emailing and facebook communication are silent activities unlike the very loud and public phone calls that invariably start, "I am on the train ..." delivered just before the train plunges into Primrose Hill Tunnel. So it comes as no surprise that recent research from Nectar Business reveals that thanks to mobile communications technology the British are "working on average an extra 10 days a year."

Some of the main findings are:-

• a fifth of people keep work phones on over weekends;
• 79 per cent of workers haven't met half the people with whom they do business;
• one in 20 people get over 100 emails a day;
• twenty-four per cent of people feel stressed by this constant state of being on call;
• 42 per cent of people say they meet colleagues less regularly due to email dependence;
• 60 per cent  now say they prefer to communicate by email than face to face.

In my travels I have also observed how many people seem to be frequently consulting at least two different mobile devices. A lot of time is spent using different communication channels.

 Why mention this at all? Well communication channels are vital to distributing  marketing messages and the suggestion that people are accessible longer and using a range of communication channels and devices implies marketers must consider all options. If 20 years ago train travellers were engrossed in the morning newspaper then that was a prime communication channel. Today the indications are that people may be even greater consumers of content, but want it more personalised and available through channels and at times they chose. Developing great content has become even more important and is an area where we at Technical Marketing Ltd are adding value to our clients' marketing programmes.

Has the Internet changed the traditional sales process?

An article posted on a blog dedicated to demand generation, proposes that the internet has swept away the old way of selling - old being the way we "sold back in the 70's and 80's even 90's". Five 'assumptions' about the way companies sell are lined up to be shot down by 'realities'. The article suggests that "so many things we did in the past — that worked well — no longer work." One reality claim is "7 out of 10 buyers say they start their buying process at vendor sites, not Google." Another "Over 9 out of 10 buyers consumed content on their way to purchase — especially white papers, eBooks, webinars, podcasts, and more and more, video clips." Although not making such specific numeric claims our experience suggests there is truth in both these 'realities'.

Although a review of Google Analytics for various web sites we monitor shows Google as the number 1 source of visitor traffic, there is other evidence from keywords that Google is used as a tool to quickly locate the web site of a company the user already knows. The combination of brand name and product type in the top search terms helps support the notion that visitors arriving at the site already have an idea of the supplier and product they are looking for. What the article suggests is that 70% start at the vendor site rather than a generic search for a product category. In a previous blog we asked, 'do offline channels drive search?' so this could be evidence that old fashioned marketing methods such as display advertising , PR and direct marketing still work to raise brand awareness and associate that with products or services the buyer is seeking. Using Google, or other search engines, to find the company site is often easier than accurately typing in the URL.

That 9 out of 10 consume 'content' on the way to purchase is no surprise as this is what the web site is good at doing - providing essential background and detailed information so that vendors are more often dealing with informed buyers. As an aside, my doctor observed that thanks to the Internet many of his patients had thoroughly researched their symptoms before a consultation. What the Internet offers buyers is the same opportunity to evaluate a vendors product, to see who has bought and recommended that product, to judge how knowledgeable the company is, how they handle after sales service - all without the pressure of a salesman controlling the process. And when they are ready the customer will call up the vendor. In short much of the sales process will have taken place without the company directly engaged. That is why companies should spend more time ensuring their brand is associated in buyer's minds with the products they are seeking to buy and the content is informative and relevant to the buyer. If 7 out of 10 customers start the buying process with the vendors web site, it makes sense to put most effort into content that will drive the sale than technical issues and SEO that will only influence at most 30%. And creating the right content is where Technical Marketing Ltd can help b-2-b companies get it right.  

Content marketing

Many companies will have gone through several iterations of their web site over the years, but how many have really revisited the content? Too often it is the same material in a new wrapper. In the Internet era so much has changed, much of it in the favour of b-2-b companies  and away from traditional media owners. Company information pre-Internet took a number of well established routes to reach customers and prospects - advertising, press releases, exhibitions, mail shots and brochures - and still does. Pretty much all of this can now be done online, although arguably not the face-to-face experience of exhibitions in quite the same way. Companies used advertising in publications to reach their target audience by selecting magazines with the relevant readership profile because this was the only way. The magazines built the readership by providing fresh content each month through a mix of reporting, features and by editing press announcements. Generally both traditional media publishers and company marketing people have been slow to recognise that everyone can be a publisher now. Think about the most common question customers ask when you see them on an exhibition stand or when making a sales call - "tell me what is new."  Showing a new product or service is what salesmen use to get an appointment, it is a door opener. Now think about the company web site. Does this highlight what is new? Many do not. Just as customers are reluctant to see a salesmen without something new to say, so web sites need to be constantly evolving to retain the interest of returning visitors. You may not always have new products, but you can have something new to say about them and visitors need to know this once they reach your site. Little details such as displaying the current date rather than saying last updated 2007 are simple clues that the site is regularly maintained and the product information is likely to be up to date as well. That is why we advocate putting news right there on the entry page. Not only does it show there is content that they have not seen before and is worth looking at, but indicates the site is being kept current. You would not pick up a magazine you had read before would you? So marketing content is essential these days.  A simple answer is to add a Virtual News Office linked to your site with RSS feeds and teleprinter style headlines on the home page.

Instant marketing is not a cheap fix

As the recession deepens and gloom spreads  I have noticed an increase in articles about marketing on the cheap. Typical sub heads such as, "Instant Press Releases", "Cheap business cards", "Free Marketing Plans" and"Free Sales letters" are promoted on one  web site referred to in a marketing newsletter. It all gives the impression that marketing can be applied like a fresh coat of paint to cover up the blemishes and that by using these free tools - and of course buying the book - business success will follow. Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. What do cheap business cards say about a company? That the company has little substance, is amateurish and it just creates a negative early impression. And what about instant press releases? Just because you submit a piece about your company it does not mean it will get published. In fact it is very unlikely to be published in a journal that addresses your target audience. Here is the point of marketing. It is not a short term fix to be applied when sales enquiries slump. Savvy companies will already have their marketing plans in place, will have professionally designed business cards, support literature and web site; have regular editorial coverage in the appropriate trade publications because they had taken the time, given the commitment and made the investment to develop a marketing philosophy throughout the enterprise.  

Now social networking tops e-mail for popularity

 We have been experimenting with social networking and blogging with one of our clients for a while now but it is still too early to draw any conclusions as to the business value. One thing that soon became apparent was that blog content rapidly appeared on Google searches which must be a positive result if relevant in-bound links to the client's site are rewarded with higher ranking. But our adoption of social bookmarking links is even more recent  so far with no tangible results, but due to the adoption of such august organisations as the BBC and the sheer number of users (110 million according to Nielsen) it must be worth a try. I have personal anecdotal evidence from the younger (twenties) ladies in my family that Facebook in particular  is being preferred by them to e-mail as a communication tool with their friends. Recent research from Nielsen reported by Webpronews seems to confirm this through actual research and finds that over two thirds of the online population goes online to visit social networks and blogs. It also confirms that Facebook is the most popular and that more older, but not old,  users are joining. Another  finding is that mobile is "playing an increasingly important role in social networking". Of course there again the young early adopters of Facebook are prolific users of mobile communication too, so it is not perhaps surprising  now that the technology facilitates access to social networking sites from a mobile phone. Of course what is actually communicated is another matter, but unlikely to be very business oriented. Despite the undoubted prominence of Facebook it seems but a short while ago that MySpace was the place to be. An article appearing  on the BBC site posed the question - "Has MySpace lost its cool?" 

This article also points out the importance of the advertising funded business model. Will Facebook similarly lose its shine? For marketers many of these web 2.0 applications are both accessible and plausible but for those of us in B-2-B marketing still difficult to recommend with any confidence especially if they prove to be no more than a passing fad. On the other hand, it was not much more than 10 years ago when we were challenging clients to invest in a web site at all, then suddenly every business had a site. So what about e-mail then? It is  a very cost effective tool for communicating with the target audience but does require a lot of work in building and maintaining a good database and more and more organisations are blocking deliveries of messages. On the other hand, looking at the one or two web sites in the same market sectors as our clients that have a Facebook page, typically they have very few "friends" and fail to actually use or develop it. Back to the old problem then of generating content and this is where a good outsource specialist knowledgeable in the market can bring the experience and expertise to build and maintain the brand whatever channel is used to deliver the message.

Content marketing - a new specialism?

The Internet is probably currently responsible for creating more specialist jobs than any other business sector. Today there are niche specialities – SEO, usability testing, hosting, CMS software, social media consultants and now content marketing specialists. Ten to fifteen years ago our task then was explaining to clients that the Internet could provide a useful addition to their marketing communications programme. Many SMEs countered with the response that none of their competitors had a web site and their customers had never asked for one anyway. Back then there was an education job to do while building a web site was a collaboration between designers and programmers. In fact a typical approach was for a designer to produce the ‘look’ for the home page and how it should be applied to inside pages before the programmer coded, built and tested the site. As an Account Director it was immediately obvious that before these functional aspects could be addressed there was a need to plan the site architecture and most importantly create the content. The first was quite easy – the content however was usually a major challenge. A typical company web site is basically a distillation of what the company is about – what it does, who they are, what they sell, how to buy – but at that time the businesses I dealt with typically only had some sales leaflets and not much else. It often required meetings to identify basic facts about the company and cause them in turn to rethink what they were actually doing. It should have been amazing how little most executives understood about their business when it came to key facts, but experience showed it was commonplace. Even products were a challenge, for example one company marketed a range of floor cleaning machines that used cleaning fluids. In theory a lucrative range of consumables that could easily be sold online, but at the time relied on a storeman simply sending out stock only if asked in whatever container was to hand. There was no real process in place, no part numbers, no pricing and no packaged product so an important business opportunity was largely missed. Of course developing a web site while at the same time creating content that in turn requires creating business structures and systems can be a lengthy process. And of course adding emerging content as it became available was a poor way to deliver web sites on budget and on time. Clients simply do not understand that their lack of information is relevant. Although we tried to create and get signed off all content before starting to build a web site, the theory was always better than the reality as material persistently came through in bits and pieces. Returning to the spawning of web site specialisms the term ‘content marketing’ as noted at the beginning of this piece has now entered the lists of expert consultants. One blog talks about creating ‘remarkable content’.

Brian Halligan, CEO and co-founder of HubSpot says,

“

To be a successful marketer in today's society, you need to be half publisher and half traditional marketer. So your next hire, you might think, could be a writer, or a video producer, or a music producer, something like that, and you need to start creating remarkable content. You look at the people who really win on the internet, and who really win on Google, who rank very high on Google, its sites with lots and lots of pages inside of Google's index. So Google sort of looks at a website as, every page on a website is a unique little website that can rank for different keywords. So the key is, how do you get as much stuff in Google's index that's remarkable, that people are looking into it, that you can move up the rankings. So, we really encourage our customers to start creating remarkable content. And remarkable content spreads wildly on the internet. If you're creating boring content, it doesn't spread at all.

”

It echoes a theme we at Technical Marketing have long been espousing in less florid language, that interesting, relevant and helpful content is an important part of the marketing mix. Most companies simply do not have the time, or skills to produce their own content, so maybe it is the time of the Content Marketing Expert then.