For example, how often do you find yourself referring to the marketing personas you built several years ago — personas that were based on assumptions you once made about your audience and its buying habits? Now think about whether your company has the same goals, challenges, and position in the industry as you did then? The answer is most likely no.

Whether your content marketing program is targeted to B2B or B2C audiences, one thing will ring true when it comes to old assumptions: Your audience, like your strategy, could be undergoing its own continual shifts, evolutions, and transformations, as well.

As one of the most vital elements in CMI’s Content Marketing Framework, developing both your internal and external audience personas is critical to determining:

• What kind of content you need to create
• What tone, style, and delivery strategies (and more) you need to develop
• What topics and targets you should focus on to help continually grow your business
• Who needs to be “in the know” on your projects (both now, and in the future)

As discussed in the Framework, it’s important to regularly update your personas to reflect shifting audience trends, as well as to account for adjustments you are making to your overall business goals and strategies. So what are some things you can do to keep your profiles fresh, accurate and, for lack of a better term, “alive”?

1. Move your personas from the strategy bin to the drawing board

One temptation marketers face is to immortalize their audience personas as the “end all, be all” of their current stage along the content marketing journey. However, as with anything you file away at the bottom of your to-do list, you run the risk that your personas may grow stagnant and stale while you are busy tending to more “high-priority” tasks.

The goal here should be to make persona development a part of everything you do, day-in and day-out. As a recent article by Mark Evertz stated, it’s time to “put the person back in personas.”

Make it clear to your team that, while your audience personas can be mapped to different stages in your sales cycle, or to various types of content you are producing, they are serving little valuable purpose if they are static, inflexible, or automatically applied to every piece of content you create. And with this in mind, before you start your next content project, try going back to the drawing board with your personas, looking closely at whether each one still accurately reflects your target audience’s current life situation and purchasing needs.

For example, over the past 12 months, residents of certain Northeast regions of the U.S. have seen their fair share of weather-induced trauma. Though hurricanes and blizzards may be more common in other parts of the country, these regions were faced with natural disasters — and their itinerant dangers — that they’d never experienced before. As a result, many individuals — and businesses — were left with damaged property, long periods of power outages, and other unexpected situations to deal with.

Now, say you have created a B2B buyer persona for a small business owner. They are likely to have limited time and resources available to start with, but if they operate in the Northeast, they may now be faced with new worries about how to prepare financially, and physically, to rebuild, as well as to prepare their business for the possibility of future storms. Their current concerns may include looking for new insurance policies, implementing new employee safety procedures, storm preparation proceedings, and more.

That buyer persona’s stressors not only increased, but have shifted as well — perhaps closer to (or further away from) the services you provide. Unexpectedly, your well-crafted persona may no longer apply, and now needs to be updated to reflect these shifting priorities.

To do this, start by carefully considering how this persona’s needs have changed, and how you may want to adjust your messaging, content formats, and content delivery strategies, as a result. Ask yourself questions, like:

• What content do I have that could help quell their growing concerns?
• Is now really the right time to send that white paper, or is another form of outreach more appropriate?
• Should I shift my content plan to include messaging that addresses those new stressors?
• Considering all that has likely been added to their plates, would my audience members appreciate it if I were to provide shorter pieces of content that take up less of their time?

2. Prioritize direct conversations

Whether your target audience is internal or external will impact how often you should “check in” on their needs (e.g., internal changes of leadership, or external shifts in consumer buying behaviors). Regardless, it’s always important to take the time to talk to actual consumers — just as you probably did while creating the personas in the first place! Let those people know that you’re just as interested in learning what they may need now as you were when you last spoke with them.

I like to be very scheduled (so this might not work for everyone), so I typically create a calendar reminder every few months to “check in” with a representative of each of my personas — whether it be via a quick chat or email, or by browsing through community comments and sentiment. This process generally takes me 15 to 30 minutes, tops.

You may want to compile the data you gather into a dynamic document (like a Google Drive spreadsheet) to keep track of these conversations and note any shifts you observe, as I have done in the sample chart, below:

You may also want to “check in” on your listening posts to characterize current community sentiment surrounding your business — and the factors that may be affecting that sentiment. For example, I recently noticed that a normally active, engaged member of one of my social communities hadn’t posted in a while. I asked myself why? Did her job situation change? Was she no longer using Facebook? Had she become disgruntled with the company that the community focused on? Was this an isolated incident, or were other community members also dropping out of the conversation?

Executing a quick community poll is one way you can gain insight into the reasons for shifts that you observe, and there are many other tactics you can use, as well. Regardless of your chosen method, be sure to craft your inquiry to gather the data that will be most essential to your persona development efforts. Ask simple questions, such as “What kind of information are you looking for from us here?” or “How often are you likely to check in on our page?” or “What are your top concerns right now as a buyer?” If you do this regularly enough, you’ll likely notice that the answers have shifted over time, and it’s these shifts that should be informing your persona updates.

3. Visualize your audience (and keep those mental pictures updated!)

A while back, Barbra Gago wrote a post for CMI — 4 Questions Answered about Buyer Personas — in which she shared an excellent tip for adding a human touch to your personas:

“To help people relate to your personas, add images, and give names to your buyer profiles. Assigning a name to the persona helps everyone on the team think of this buyer as a real person, not just a piece of business.”

Image credit: Bigstock

Her ideas for putting a “face” to your personas — and for keeping those faces top-of-mind throughout your day-to-day operations — really struck a chord with me. Try to find a way to visually display photos of members of your audience, so that you can look at them as you develop your content. For example, consider posting pictures on a shared office corkboard or a cubicle wall in your workspace; or place them in a photo gallery that can be used as a screensaver on your computer. Seeing these faces as you work will remind you that not all of your audience members are alike; and that each one can be affected by changes that will impact the content you should deliver to them.

Another tip? Use photos of actual audience members, if possible. Take snapshots or screenshots of your community members, or of existing buyers (first asking for their permission, of course) and post them in a prominent place in your workspace. These can, and will, serve as a constant reminder that your personas aren’t just fictional composites — they represent real people for whom you are creating your content.

So how about you? What are you doing to ensure your audience personas are kept up to date? And what ideas do you have for making them a living, breathing part of your content processes? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments below.

For more guidance on keeping your content strategies as fresh, accurate and updated as possible, check out “Managing Content Marketing” by Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi.

Cover image via Bigstock

Here are some highlights from the study:

Keep your eye on the “device”

Do you know how your consumers are interacting with your content? According to this report, 90 percent of the time it’s via a “screen-based” device (smartphones, computers, tablets, or television). (Don’t fret you print-lovers! 10 percent of media interactions are through the traditional methods many of us still love, such as newspapers or magazines.)

What’s interesting is how much time people are spending on each of these devices (on average):

• 17 minutes on smartphones
• 30 minutes on tablets
• 39 minutes on computers
• 43 minutes on TV

This means that, when designing your content strategy, you may want to take into account how much time you actually have to grab and hold a readers’ attention (especially for smartphone users, who may be more apt to scan rather than read through an entire article). To do this, try some of these tips:

• Use more engaging (and brief) email subject lines or article titles.
• Have a quick summary or lightweight blurb at the start of a research report.
• Post engaging, mobile-friendly photos that people can easily “scroll through.”

Different devices are used for different objectives

If you learn what the motivations are behind your consumers’ content consumption, it can greatly impact your content strategy. Not only are consumers spending varying amounts of time on different devices, but they are using them in different ways, as well. Understanding what they are looking for when using these various devices will help you write, package, and distribute your content across different channels.

For example:

• Computers are used mainly to find information (and are typically used at home).
• Smartphones are used for more lightweight content consumption — and to keep people connected.
• Tablet use is motivated more by entertainment purposes than anything else (browsing the net, playing games) and is viewed as a more “leisurely” activity.

This great quote from a research participant sums up how many consumers feel about their various devices:

“My phone is… my go-to device. When I need to be more in depth, that’s when I start using my tablet… and then moving to the laptop, well, for me that’s business. That’s work.”

Multi-screening: Blessing or curse?

In the Google report, multi-screening takes on two forms: sequential usage (moving from one device to another sequentially) or simultaneous usage (using multiple devices at the same time — which is probably what many of you are doing right now). This means people are not only using different devices for different activities, but sometimes using several devices at once. This can be a golden nugget for content marketers, if your strategy involves being prepared to keep your consumers engaged at all times, no matter what they need, what device is being used, or what else is “on.”

Let’s first cover sequential usage, as 90 percent of people use multiple screens sequentially in order to accomplish a specific task. The top activities performed when moving between devices are:

• Browsing the internet
• Social networking
• Shopping online
• Searching for information
• Managing finances
• Planning a trip
• Watching an online video

The most common “starting point” for most of these activities is with… surprise, surprise… a smartphone. From the smartphone, most consumers continue the activity on a PC, with fewer people continuing the activity from there onto a tablet.

For more complex activities, such as planning a trip or managing finances, a computer is the more common place that people start from.

Raise your hand if you’re using multiple screens right now!

Distractions, anyone? According to the report, people use an average of three different screen combinations every day.

When planning your content distribution, think about when your consumers might be most “open” to the various types of content you’re delivering.

For example, when is “down time”? This report found that 77 percent of the time we’re using a TV, we’re using another device, as well. What are the key times when your consumers are most likely to engage with your content, and on which device are they most likely to do so? Determining this information for your target audience could result in a significant lift in your content’s reach.

The most common simultaneous multi-screen activity is browsing the internet.

Whether consumers are watching TV, using a computer or tablet, or just flicking through their smartphones, the study finds that most people are doing a few activities fairly consistently:

• Searching the internet
• Using social media sites
• Emailing

However, this doesn’t always mean their attentions are limited (although this is often the case). Some of this activity can be complementary — meaning that people may be watching a TV show while exploring the show’s app on their tablets. Thus, having your content appear at the right time, contextually, can make all the difference to consumers who may be triggered to search for, plan, or buy something during their regular browsing activities.

The Google report calls these spurts of information-gathering “micro moments.” Consumers are constantly online, and switching among different devices depending on what they need, where they are, and what’s most convenient. This gives content marketers even more opportunities to engage with consumers all day long. Making your content “front and center” during this spontaneous information-gathering is key to driving people to your information — but the experience must be consistent. With many people starting a search in one place and finishing the activity on another device, it means that your message, design, and overall content experience should be as seamless and consistent as possible.

Finally, with all this sequential usage and multitasking, the report further emphasizes the importance of making your content very easy to find, share, store, email, and save for later use. If your consumers find an article that they don’t have time to read just then (say, while browsing their smartphones waiting for a train), ensure that there’s an easy way for them to save it or share it for future use (i.e., when they are home at their laptops during their “down time”). This also means your content should be tailored based on the different screens your consumers may be using (very visual for Pinterest, short and compelling for social media, and more robust on a blog).

For a full exploration of the information discovered during this research project, read the full report here.

Want more content marketing inspiration? Download our ultimate eBook with 100 content marketing examples.

In a recent report by the Altimeter Group, “The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Must Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media,” there was a strong rallying cry for what many companies know they should be doing, but very few know how or where to start: media convergence.

Source: Altimeter Group: The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media (July 19, 2012).

In order to meet changing “multiscreen” consumer behaviors (i.e., the people who read on their tablet, watch TV, have one eye on their laptop and check their mobile phones constantly… sound familiar?) companies must find a new way to be in the right place at the right time, with the right kinds of media. New combinations of paid, earned, and owned strategies must be uncovered; ones that blend the perfect combination of these methods to meet your company, and consumer, needs.

How can this be achieved? This report reviewed more than 70 case studies and conducted interviews with industry experts and corporate practitioners to share insights, best practices, data, and inspirations for starting this challenging — yet necessary — initiative.

Your journey begins in the “Converged Media Lab.”

Source: Altimeter Group: The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media (July 19, 2012).

The Converged Media Lab is the Altimeter Group’s explanation of the “baseline needs that brands and their ecosystem partners must have in order to succeed with converged media.” In the report are 11 “steps” a company must conduct within this “lab” before even embarking on their journey. A few steps of note are:

• Strategy: In the strategy stage, you should gain an enhanced awareness of how changing consumer behaviors impact your media strategy, and ensure that the various media types are given balanced attention and consideration within your company.
• Organization: Interviewees Reggie Bradford (CEO, Vitrue) and Michael Chin (VP Marketing & Business Development, SocialFlow) emphasize the importance of achieving a level of earned media (via social media initiatives), while others indicate that organization of your team members is a key step prior to embarking on a convergence strategy. This means bringing all stakeholders (internal across departments, and vendors and agencies) of each type of media to the table to work collaboratively towards a common goal.
• Production: While your team must be aligned, so too must your content across all your channels: online, print, paid, owned, earned — you name it. Allowing for a flexible strategy is also key, as it is likely your strategy must evolve with time and experience. Finally, don’t forget influencers at this stage, and make sure you have a strong grasp of their capabilities, strengths, and contributions to your earned media.
• Analysis: A system for listening and monitoring — not only social media mentions but your overall convergence performance — is something to be established and solidified before going too far down your path. This, along with your flexibility, will ensure you are always adjusting to create the best media programs for your company.

Once these “checklist” items have been crossed off your list, you are ready to begin the “Converged Media Workflow,” which provides a framework for how your content will be deployed across all your channels in an engaging way, while allowing room for strategic measurement and restructuring along the way.

Source: Altimeter Group: The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media (July 19, 2012).

Who’s doing it well?

The report shares a few fascinating case studies of companies that have successfully deployed (or are currently deploying) strong converged media strategies (using two or more media types). One example using all three media types at once is from a Fortune 100 technology company. Here’s how their convergence strategy rolled out:

1. Influencers are identified and paid to create engaging, high-quality content and share it on their owned channels.
2. This paid content was amplified as it was shared across social networks, driving readers back to the company’s social properties through links.
3. As a result, the company saw over 1.1 million social interactions around its content (or 9,314 per piece of content).

3 recommendations for making convergence happen at your company

Based on 35 interviews, the report summarizes a few key recommendations that companies should follow in order to achieve this converged media balance:

• Make convergence a priority: CMOs need to “lead the charge” by bringing the right people to the table and establishing a mandate that convergence is a key aspect of the company’s marketing strategy. This means establishing and reinforcing clear goals and ensuring you are creating the right content to support your strategy across all channels.
• Find strong partners who will let you take the lead: Spending your budget in the right places, with the right people, was a top recommendation from interviewees. Agencies, vendors and creative partners should not drive your campaigns, but rather work collaboratively with you to meet the goals you establish. This means they will bring you tools and data that are meaningful for your specific needs.
• Make sure you have the right software system in place: With a plethora of software systems available to help you produce, publish, and measure your content initiatives (particularly on your earned media), companies should be careful not to invest too heavily in one vendor over another — without very close analysis of their capabilities. As the marketplace is heavily shifting and merging, be sure not to commit to any company that might ultimately limit your potential or restrict your desired strategy.

Converged media is happening everywhere we look, from social campaigns being promoted on billboards, to TV spots pushing content created by consumers. This integration can be powerful and enable your company to share stories in ways that were unknown before these digital times. Are you armed and ready for this change?

Read the full report here.

What examples of Converged Media programs have you found to be successful? Share in the comments below.

Want more content marketing inspiration? Download our ultimate eBook with 100 content marketing examples.

It’s no surprise that content tops the list. But what was most revealing in this year’s study was how much content is being absorbed, the channels through which the content is being consumed, and the consumption behaviors of the different generations of consumers.

While the assumption may be that social media is climbing to the top of preferred content consumption channels, think again. What we’ll uncover in this research is how social media usage has actually dipped this year, but why we don’t think it will be for long.

The findings

Buyers are seeking out content more and more regularly. You spend a lot of time every week creating content, so this should bring you some comfort: According to this year’s research, the “sheer amount of content sought by buyers” has increased significantly.

We’ll investigate the noticeable dip in social media later on, but first, let’s take a look at the types of content buyers are engaging with, and which ones they find most influential when making a purchase decision.

Word of mouth and websites dominate as information channels

This year’s report shares that “87 percent of buyers go out and look for advice before choosing.” So, we know there’s a user for your stellar content, but where are people finding it?

According to the report, web searches top the charts as the key way to find useful information, followed closely by word of mouth:

Interestingly, only 21 percent of B2B buyers are using social media during the buying process; meaning that your SEO strategy and your efforts to publish content on blogs, industry press sites, and online communities are all still integral parts of your content marketing strategy.

It’s worth noting that word of mouth dominates all information channels in terms of usefulness, ranking at a level 8 out of 10 — a top way to find information and advice that helps in the decision-making process (click to enlarge):

Not only are these channels sought out, but they are ranked as most influential in a buyer’s decision-making process, as well (click to enlarge):

Never neglect your website

In line with the findings from CMI’s B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends report, buyers are seeking content that’s relevant, educational, and informative. However, what this year’s Buyersphere report also found is that they aren’t just looking to receive content in a static place — they are looking for a more interactive experience, which points to why respondents found LinkedIn and other online communities to be so pertinent in their purchase processes.

But before you rush to update your LinkedIn profile or build a community, first ask yourself, “Is my website tidy?” It should be, because most buyers will look there — 75 percent, in fact.

Tip: The report indicates that buyers who are either newer in their role or looking to make a significant purchase are more likely to download and interact with more pieces of your content (like white papers). So, if you experience higher downloads from particular people, they may be more open to additional content from you, and so you should be sure to target them in your lead analysis.

The social media dip… and what it doesn’t mean to you

If you were to read this research out of context, you may be tempted to shut down your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media activities and focus solely on publishing articles, running events and webinars, and sending emails.

According to the report, buyers’ use of Facebook has dropped from 15 percent to 5 percent, and Twitter usage has gone from 10 percent to 3 percent. But don’t freak out. There could be a number of factors contributing to this change:

1. People are starting to streamline their social activity, focusing on a few select sites or online communities rather than spending time on many.

2. “Digital natives” really have yet to take the stage: While overall use of social media has dipped, almost 50 percent of respondents use social media to find information and advice — a stark comparison to the over 50 crowd, which is at 13 percent.

What does this all mean? It means, as younger generations become key B2B buyers and decision makers in their organizations, they will be looking to social media for education and insights more so than the current generation of buyers, which relies mainly on traditional word of mouth (verbal communication, recommendations from colleagues, etc.).

This marks an incredible shift in buying behavior — for the 30-something buyer, social media is word of mouth. This means that the time you spend sharing your content on social channels and tapping into influencers and industry experts is not for naught: It’s pertinent for the up and coming audiences that will be eager to receive your information.

Virtual… print: Anything goes

We always preach that print isn’t dead, and this year’s report affirms this yet again. With most respondents using a laptop or PC (as opposed to a mobile phone or smartphone) to access content, information is most commonly being shared by word-of-mouth, emailing, or by printing information for others. So, if you want your information to be shared, keep in mind that not everyone has hopped on the mobile train; there are still many buyers (a majority, in fact) that are looking to make purchase decisions and share information with other key stakeholders.

Again, as the next generation of buyers takes the stage, information is likely to be shared more on social networks, and tablet/smartphone usage will likely rise. But for now, don’t alienate one group over another, and be sure you’re reaching your buyers wherever and however they’re seeking content.

Your hidden content resource: your buyers

Buyers creating content? Why not? We’re all publishers, right? According to the report, survey participants under age 40 were more likely to create and publish their own content — which aligns greatly with their avid social media usage. As the shift turns from company to consumer, companies must be armed and ready to engage in, and receive, educational information from the next generation of enthusiastic publishers willing to jump into the content marketing game. So, make them guest bloggers; engage with them on popular sites like LinkedIn and other communities; and make them as integral to your content marketing strategy as that white paper you have planned for next month.

What are your reactions to these findings? Are they aligned with what you’ve been experiencing with your current buyer personas?

To read the full 2012 Buyersphere report, find it here.

Want more content marketing inspiration? Download our ultimate eBook with 100 content marketing examples.

What makes content needs unique for companies in the travel or tourism industry, especially those who cater to those who travel for pleasure? A couple of things:

• People don’t travel every day (or week, or month). Companies need to find ways to keep their audience aware of what their services are year-round, so when vacationers are ready to go, they’re top-of-mind.
• There are many different steps along a traveler’s journey. This means there are a large variety of content needs: from finding destination ideas to booking travel to knowing what to do when you get there. If you want to support your audience along any of these steps, you need to get the right information in their hands, at the right time.
• Traveling is usually (but not always) stressful for people. Whether it’s a recurring vacation every year, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, there is always some level of planning, financial burden, and organization that’s required by your audience members, which may not always come naturally for them. It’s your job to keep them sane, calm and equipped with content that helps them every step of the way.

Since there are so many different phases of a traveler’s content journey, here are a few examples of companies who are doing it right.

Phase 1: Trip planning

To start, we’ll share a great example from a company known for being the “go-to source” for planning vacations: RCI (originally featured by Jon Thomas in: Must-See Content Marketing Examples from 2011).

RCI is known as the largest timeshare vacation network in the world. It helps connect people with affordable timeshares they can rent around the world. This requires RCI to achieve a few important goals with its target audience:

• Be a knowledge resource.
• Build a community of trustworthy information (reputation means everything!).
• Provide such a great experience that people will come back to you year after year for new, exciting experiences.

As a company, RCI has embraced these challenges and the future of content marketing by creating amazing content that readers want. As a result, they truly own the travel industry.

One of the things they had published was a custom magazine, and it was only available in print. Then, RCI decided to build their content into an app; a brilliant move since many people “on-the-go” are now relying on their tablets more than ever.

The Endless Vacation app allowed RCI to move beyond the boundaries of glossy paper and onto the iPad. The application allows readers to delve deeper into their inquiries with interactive articles, photo galleries, alternate covers (just shake it!), panoramas, and more. See for yourself.

Best practice tips from RCI:

• Focus on providing the kind of content your consumers really need. Making the decision of where to spend a vacation isn’t always an easy one, and RCI embraces that with educational resources, discounts, travel planning assistance, and more. In short, they help people make the right choice.
• Tailor your content for the platform you’re delivering it on. While glossy magazines are great, don’t just reproduce that pretty content on your apps or websites. Apps and websites are built for interaction and people will be expecting those kinds of engaging experiences when they find your content through those mediums.
• Keep-up with changing consumer behaviors. Back in the day, people could read RCI publications, give them a call, make arrangements, and be done. Now, people embrace being their own travel agents, and Endless Vacation makes it easy for people to be the masters of their own vacation destinies. Understanding what your audience wants — rather than what you want from them — will be key in giving them the right content and support season after season.

Phase 2: Travelers enroute

Remember what we said earlier about vacations being stressful? Yeah, planning is just the half of it. Getting on the road, in a new environment, with possibly many different stops can be daunting for even the most experienced traveler, which is why it’s crucial for transportation providers to offer stellar content — and fast — for their consumers who are on the go.

This is where Twitter comes in pretty handy. Twitter is a great way to reach your customers at light speed, helping you join conversations, respond to complaints, and share deals and discounts with the click of your mouse.

At 140 characters, the limitations on content are severe, but the speed and reach of your messages allow for real-time content creation and conversations with your followers (i.e., people who are on the road). Plus, with awesome search tools, Twitter can be a great way to gauge what’s going on with your travelers — and fast (such as flight delays, power outages, traffic jams, and more).

One company that’s using Twitter in some cool ways is JetBlue. JetBlue has taken flight with a Twitter presence that addresses customer needs and gives the company important insights on its customers’ concerns (see the tweets).

Best practice tips from JetBlue

• Talk and listen: Your customers are already talking about you on Twitter- so jump into the conversation and really listen to what they have to say, using that to inform the content that you share with them.
• Be open and honest with your content: If customers are complaining about you online and you don’t have an update/resolution for them, don’t ignore them. State that you’re looking into the issue, and keep communicating regularly. They’ll understand, and be grateful for your honesty.
• Tap into what your audience is doing while engaging with you through a certain medium: For JetBlue, they’re traveling; for other companies, it might be laying on a beach chair. Tie those experiences into how you communicate with them, and the types of bite-sized information you provide.

Phase 3: Keeping travelers engaged during — and after – the vacation

People love to talk about the amazing places they’ve visited: That’s simply human nature. What isn’t as intuitive is finding the right places to connect with other people who also love to share their stories and experiences.

Here are a couple more obvious tidbits: People like to go on vacation to have fun. They like to talk about their fun vacations with other people. So why not create content that’s, well… fun?!

TravelPod is great at helping people share their own travel experiences with a community of explorers just like them. The site lets people create travel blogs to document their awesome experiences, but also provides its own unique experiences that travelers can’t get through just any travel-related community or website — like the Traveler IQ Challenge (originally featured in: The 2011 Content Marketing Playbook).

Traveler IQ Challenges reinforces the blog’s position as the smart web destination for savvy globetrotters. As an online game, this branded content piece works great without burdensome software downloads, allowing you to show your prospects a good time, easily, while exposing them to valuable, relevant and compelling content.

Here’s a link to play the Travel IQ Challenge

(I did… and it delayed me from finishing this article a bit…)

Best practice tips from TravelPod:

• If you’re going to build a unique piece of content – do it right. Games are unique and fun pieces of content, but they should work without burdensome software downloads and run across multiple browser types and OS platforms.
• Build content that reinforces a favorable experience of your brand. If you want to be known for a certain industry or topic, then your content should reinforce that throughout every fiber. The Traveler IQ Challenge is a great example of that: it strives to attract a community of serious travelers, and therefore builds questions that are pretty tough to really test people’s knowledge.

• Deliver valuable, relevant, compelling content AND show your customers and prospects a good time. Games, interactive apps, tabs, polls and anything else light-weight and fun is a great way to give your audience a much needed break.

The travel/tourism industry has a great opportunity to help the most experienced or novice travelers by delivering content that meets every phase of their vacation’s journey. So, as a company, you need to figure out what matters most to them, and when (i.e., what’s their biggest need and how can you meet it?). Identifying this early — and reevaluating it often — will help you deliver content that will move them from stress to excitement to sharing their awesome experiences (with their vacation and your company).

What travel/tourism industry companies do you feel really “gets” content marketing? We’d love to hear your success stories in the comments below.

Want more content marketing inspiration? Download our ultimate eBook with 100 content marketing examples.

One of the fastest ways to become the “go-to” food spot for your local community is by creating meaningful, tailored, and unique content. If you service your local communities 24/7, here are a few content marketing best practices just for you.

The key is in that defining word: community. By developing content that directly engages with (not just speaks to) your community, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a lot of street cred, and – even better – loyalty. You need laser-focused messages tailored specifically for your community that are meaningful, different, and fun, that will make your local community feel, well, special. And who doesn’t want to feel special?

Start with content that’s meaningful

Meaningful content – or content that conveys more than just what you have on the menu – will immediately stick out for your local consumers. Take The Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh, for example (originally shared by Andrew Davis). This local joint joins the hordes of other take-out joints in the area. But wait, what kind of food do they serve again? The beauty is, it’s always changing, and it’s always a meaningful change at that.

The Conflict Kitchen has a clearly defined and meaningful purpose: educate the local community around the details of a particular conflict happening around the world. Every four months, it will change everything – from menu, to awning, to food wrappers – hitting consumers from every angle with the messages they’re trying to convey. To stay organized, they use a smart editorial calendar and use every aspect of the consumer’s experience with their content to help them understand the world a little bit better. For the consumers, this is a win-win. They get a different experience than they would get anywhere else, and can feel like, even if for a few moments, that they’re part of something more meaningful.

Best Practice Tip: Though you may not have the desire or capacity to change your entire restaurant around every few months, there are a few simple things you can do to produce meaningful content that will spark engagement and excitement in your local community:

• Find out what people are rallying around in your community: Whether it’s an MS walk, food drive or trash cleanup, there are usually dedicated groups focused on enhancing their community’s “do good” nature.
• Highlight those local events in your place of business with an attractive calendar, or on your company website. Ask them for signage to put in your widows, or give them a feature in your regular newsletter.
• Give props where props are due by highlighting a local successful initiative on your website, or via email, thanking all who were involved for helping contribute to your community.

A little personal touch can go a long way with your locals, and the more you can communicate through your content that you’re about more than just making money, the better.

Take it to the streets

Other types of content that perform extremely well in local communities are ones in which the community can see themselves reflected. The Waffle Shop in Pittsburgh (originally shared by Andrew Davis) is a great example of this.

The Waffle Shop broadcasts a live-streaming talk show with customers. You heard that right. Customers come in. They chat. They see themselves “on air” – and boom: an insta-community of super loyal customers is born.

Their editorial calendar includes “Open Talk,” a show called “CookSpeak” and a program called “Waffle Wopp.” Each show has its own format. “Waffle Wopp” is a teen magazine talk show hosted and produced by local teenagers. Their eclectic guest list, live music and fun interviews make the show one of the Waffle Shop’s most popular shows.

Best Practice Tip: Explore your local neighborhood or rove an upcoming in-person event and take video interviews with your customers. The insights you gather could provide great fodder for humorous YouTube vignettes, customer testimonials/case studies, or an ongoing content series (like “customer of the week”).

Consider educational print pieces: The “Whole” picture

Whole Foods isn’t a local business by definition, but is extremely focused on having a strong presence in the communities where its stores are located. Each location has its own online presence, promotions and other initiatives and, if you live in a neighborhood with a Whole Foods, it is often “the place” to go for specialty foods. One way Whole Foods engages with its local community is through informative print brochures, like the Thanksgiving recipe booklet Claire McDermott recalls:

“I was shopping there one week before Thanksgiving and I picked up a booklet about preparing the bird, unusual stuffing, why free-range tastes better, etc. The content was fun, totally useful (it was my companion on Thanksgiving) and perfectly tied to their offerings.”

Best Practice Tip: Don’t discount print as a powerful content tool to engage your local community. You have the unique opportunity to directly and personally engage with each and every person who crosses your threshold, so why not offer them something valuable and physical that they can take with them? An educational print piece will:

• Serve as a useful and helpful resource (seasonally-focused content is a great idea)
• Position your business as a place that cares about making your customer’s lives easier
• Promote your products (of course)
• Give customers a reason to come back again for future informative content or brochures

Finally, know your audience members. You know they like (or definitely need) food, but also have options about where to buy it. Take that option away by giving them something valuable that no one else does.

Take in-store engagement further

Print pieces are a great way to give your customers a little something extra, but how about for the more digitally-savvy customers? At Kendall Jackson Wines, they too (like Whole Foods) sell a product that customers can really get anywhere, and have also decided that content that helps their customers learn something new is a great way to keep people coming back for more. Though they don’t have their own stand-alone stores, like Whole Foods, they are implementing a very similar practice for engaging the local community around them with their QR-coded tags and labels (as shared by Nate Riggs).

Here’s how it works: Kendall Jackson Wines knows that people have a lot of choices, and oftentimes aren’t highly knowledgeable wine connoisseurs. So, it features QR codes on some of its tags and labels to help people with their decision making while they’re “in the moment” (similar to Whole Foods providing a Thanksgiving brochure right before the holiday). They’re giving people meaningful, targeted content that’s not only relevant to them, but relevant to them right now.

Through the QR codes, consumers can immediately learn about the wine, any discounts, and other content without having to do an extensive internet search (like “what wine goes best with Branzino?”).

Best Practice Tip: This very local execution of a broader content initiative for the company really hones in on what works well when it comes to content: don’t isolate one audience group. Create content for the people who are shopping in stores, not online; who have a million options to choose from every day and who are very likely to share their positive experiences with their friends, neighbors and colleagues.

To sum up: It’s critical that you don’t ignore the power of engaging your local community. A community is an extremely powerful force, and with the right kinds of engagement and educational content, you have the chance to forge connections that many big brands simply can’t make. Sponsor their soccer games, interview them after a big meal, and make their voices and needs front and center of your content strategy.

What great examples of local content from your neighborhood food/beverage providers have you seen work well? Share your own examples and tips in the comments below.

While this is a great practice for marketers who may struggle to find the time, resources, or budget to create the volume of content they need, it’s a challenging undertaking, to say the least. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to distributing content, as different groups will choose to engage with your assets in different ways, often depending on which social platform they are using. This means you must be constantly tweaking your approach, and messages, to meet your audience’s changing needs without compromising your style or integrity.

As an example, take a look at how my team recently marketed a webinar across four different social channels.

Background

For a period of eight weeks, we promoted an educational webinar about the latest best practices for online lead generation. The promotions began with a targeted email campaign, a press release, and various announcements on social sites. As the event drew closer, and in the time immediately after the event, we wanted to keep audiences engaged (especially those unable to attend) by socially sharing information and real-time updates, as demonstrated below: 

LinkedIn

The LinkedIn community is a goldmine of influencers and other audiences craving educational content, particularly for B2B marketers. It’s also a place for people to gather and share ideas, best practices, and challenges with others in their industries or job roles. In general, marketers tend to do more content sharing and less self-promotion on this platform, so as not to jeopardize their reputation or deter their audience.

In addition to announcing the event on two groups I am an active member of, we also communicated how members of our own LinkedIn group could get involved, such as by submitting questions prior to the event or by following the event hashtag on Twitter. We also posted poll questions, so group members who would not be able to join the webinar could still provide their feedback, and shared the output from the webinar after it had ended.

Here are a few of our sample messages:

How to follow the event in real time:

Extending the webinar’s poll to LinkedIn group members:

Sharing the webinar output with LinkedIn group members:

Twitter

Twitter is a great tool for promoting content because you can broadcast messages quickly to a very broad audience. We used Twitter to promote the webinar event, announce speakers, and encourage people to submit their questions prior to the event.

Because the Twitter community is so vast, messages can be a bit more brief and informal than on LinkedIn groups. You can also leverage the “live Tweet” concept to share information, in real time, by using a well-communicated hashtag, which we found to be quite valuable. Using a hashtag, you can provide snippets of information, or “teasers”, to engage your community and encourage those outside your group to tune in and hear what they might be missing. Check out a few examples below:

Facebook

Our audience is not as active on Facebook as it is on Twitter or LinkedIn, but we still use this platform to share photos and articles and have discussions. The tone we use is similar to what we use for our LinkedIn group, but with a conversational style that fits in with conversations throughout the Facebook community.

Our Facebook posts ended up being somewhat of a blend of the Twitter and LinkedIn posts, as you can see from the examples below:

Blog Posts

Blogs are an incredible and, some would argue, essential content marketing tool (to learn more about why, check out this post by Joe Pulizzi, called 6 Steps to Successful Blogging).

Instead of providing a recap of the entire webinar on our blog, we chose to focus on the Q&A portion of the event. Why? People can go and view the webinar at any time; but what we wanted to demonstrate was how valuable the thoughts and opinions of our viewers were. By addressing their specific questions, rather than just highlighting our own webinar content, we were able to communicate how valuable we felt the audience’s contributions were:

What are some ways you’ve distributed content across multiple social sites? In what ways have you altered your messages to suit those different groups? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Image courtesy of opportplanet via Flickr

The latest change is actually designed to reward, not punish content writers (or at least the ones who are doing their jobs well). In a recent press release, Google states, “Search results, like warm cookies right out of the oven… are best when they’re fresh.” This time around, the algorithm change is designed to place relevance on the quantity of new content a site contains (remember, the focus of the Panda update earlier this year penalized low-quality content, and content farms). It’s been projected that these latest changes will impact 35 percent of all search queries.

For marketers who are constantly updating their blog, social media sites or website content, this is great news. For those marketers who know they should have consistent content but have been unable to produce enough, this change may seem daunting.

To help alleviate some concerns you may have, here are some ideas on how to meet the quality and quantity requirements Google has made mandatory for online marketers:

1. Organize your inspiration

High search engine ranking is driven by having content that’s current and relevant. This means you need to be equipped at all times to blog, tweet, post, and join discussions related to your products, services, and industry. Here are a few ways to stay organized and up-to-date so your content pieces can be as well.

• Sign up to receive Google News Alerts. I receive daily emails from Google containing the latest updates from the topics that interest me: Content marketing, online communities, search engine marketing, and social media marketing. From that email, I skim the article listings for something interesting and add it to an “articles” folder I set up in my inbox.
• Keep an inventory. I keep track of articles that I find interesting whether from Google Alerts, Twitter, Facebook, or other means as a potential blog post or social media discussion topic. To keep my inspiration organized, I keep a running list of relevant links and ideas in my “Marketing Planner” excel workbook (the “Ideas” tab). On a regular basis, and especially when I’m in need of inspiration, I go back to that tab, pull a link, and just start writing my thoughts, reactions, or ideas. This tab is also a great resource to help me organize ideas around white papers or other major projects I have planned because I know what the hot topics of the moment are.

SEO Tip: Whenever you reference an article, post, Tweet, or blog, you give the author a shout-out. This will build your following,  get your content shared more frequently, and add SEO value.

2. Add spontaneity to your strategy

Having an editorial calendar is one of the best ways for you to stay on track with weekly writing responsibilities. However, don’t let the plan get in the way of having a little fun! Since search engines love fresh, unique, and interesting content, let your inspirations get the best of you.

If you feel the desire to write a blog post off-schedule, or update your website with a breaking research report, go right ahead. Want to tweet a cool infographic you just saw, or write an article about a webinar you attended on a whim? Do it. Though calendars are amazingly useful tools, any project manager knows this familiar mantra: “Don’t let the plan prohibit progress.” Sometimes (OK, a lot of times) we can’t foresee when a great idea will strike us. It will only benefit your SEO if you take an idea and run with it before it (and your website) gets too stale.

3. Make your content meaningful, likeable, and link-able

Since you’re likely writing on a number of online channels (an online community, social media sites, company website, etc.), be sure your pieces follow three simple rules:

• Tie your messages together
• Use proper linking tactics
• Keep a consistent style and tone (powered by your keywords).

Here are some ways to do this:

Create, distribute and follow a message matrix. Decide early on within your organization what your main messages will be, and use them as a starting-point for all your content. A message matrix is a document that breaks down your target audiences and includes:

• 5-6 key themes you want to communicate to each group.
• Words that should (and should not) be used in communications
• A list of your keywords to ensure that you’re optimizing the SEO of each and every content piece.

The message matrix helps your style remain consistent because no matter who is writing content or when  they will all be following the same guidelines. Consistency will help you establish credibility with your readers, and the more credible your content the more likely it will be shared and rewarded on search engines with a high ranking.

A sample message matrix

Link less, post often. You want to include links to your content in all your pieces; however, make your linking meaningful. By cluttering your article with hyperlinks, you will only distract your readers and decrease the piece’s relevance. Let your original thoughts shine through, and gently direct readers to other stories that are related perhaps 2-3 at the most (fewer if they are brief blog posts). Since you will be posting content more frequently from now on, you will have plenty of opportunities to give link-love to your other assets on a regular basis.

Again, don’t forget to share the love. Not every link has to direct a reader back to your content; the more you link to another writer’s content, the more compelled they will be to return the favor in the future.

4. Use (but don’t abuse) your keywords

Any SEO-focused writer knows that keywords help you get ranked on search engines and are a great way to get your content in the hands of your target audience. However, keyword usage, like linking, requires a balance if it’s going to be reader and search engine-friendly. Readers may be deterred from reading your content if it’s blatantly riddled with keywords — an annoying distraction that devalues the credibility of your work.

SEO Tip: Do a quick search of your articles to see how many times a certain keyword or phrase appears. How balanced is it in comparison with the length of the piece? If it feels crammed back off a bit. Every content piece you write is part of a bigger marketing strategy, so be sure to look at how the piece fits in the bigger picture and supports that strategy. You may also want to read Jay Baer’s post on the ways SEO optimization tools can help with this process.

5. Proofread

Before you post any content piece, check your links, spelling and grammar. These things matter when your piece is being “graded” on its SEO friendliness. Even better, hire a professional proofreader to review all of your content (here are five reasons you need this).

There are many rules for making your content SEO-friendly, and this entry touches on just a few.  David Reich also has a recent post on when and why your keywords really matter for content marketing and SEO. What are some SEO-factors you feel are most important? Which do you struggle with the most? Post your questions and ideas in the comments section below.

It’s also a crucial time of year for marketers to roll their sleeves up and make some tough decisions for 2012. They will be crunching numbers, and asking critical questions like “what’s worth our continued investment in 2012? What needs to be cut? How successful were we in 2011?” and “what can we be doing better?” It’s also a time that, if you have a successful online community, you’ll be patting yourself on the back. Here are a few reasons you’ll be thankful you built the site:

1.      Your online community gives you a place to consolidate your incredible content marketing pieces into one stellar resource center.

Content marketing, along with social media, were the two big “buzz words” for 2011. Due to recent Google algorithm changes, the need for high-quality content is clear: Not only must marketers change their approach from keyword-driven to more meaningful, original content, but must also publish new content frequently in order to make the enviable high ranks of Google search results. So, white papers were written. Blog posts were published. Webinars held, Tweets sent, Case Studies researched and eBooks rolled out. Whew, that’s a lot of content. Now, where do you put it?

Your online community is the best place to integrate your multiple content marketing initiatives. Content can be categorized, organized, and tailored for different audiences. Plus, as opposed to dumping it all in your company website, by housing it on an industry or topic-specific community site, your content is viewed as more credible and educational rather than promotional, or a sales pitch.

2.      You have a place to integrate all those social media initiatives your company “had to do” in 2011 in order to stay competitive.

Let me guess: You created at least one new social media account this year. Oh wow, 4? Well, aren’t you glad you have an online community to bring together all your fans in one easy-to digest platform? Content can be cross-shared, discussions can be open to all your fans, and you can distribute content across all your sites with ease, because it all resides in one integrated repository. With an online community at the “hub” of all your social activity, you own the conversations occurring about your company, and industry. And, you’re easily able to establish a consistent voice across the various sites, something that’s quite difficult to achieve with scattered sites across the web.

3.      Your online community gives you a place to communicate with and build trust with your target audience- something that’s tough to achieve on your company website.

This year was truly the year of the consumer. People don’t want to hear from you – they want to find you. Inbound marketing efforts sky rocketed, and traditional outbound methods decreased. With an online community, you’re able to engage in direct conversations with your target audience. By posting content and resources they are interested in, and talking about, you’re able to jump into the conversation, offering real-time insight and establishing yourself as a credible thought leader. Plus, if there are questions or concerns about your products, you’re able to react to them immediately, which is an incredible customer retention skill. The more quality content you provide and open, honest dialogue you engage in with your audience, the more trustworthy you’ll become. And the more people trust you, the more likely they’ll be to buy from you.

Remember, though, that these conversations are tough to have on your company website. The automatic reaction from your audience may be to avoid interactions with you, to avoid a potential sales pitch before they’ve even gathered the information they seek. On an industry-specific online community, however, there’s less pressure: It’s just a couple of experts sharing ideas, answering questions and providing educational resources to help guide your customers along their decision-making process.

4.      You have a lead capture and nurture center right at your fingertips

Lead generation and nurturing can take an extremely large amount of effort from your sales and marketing team. But, with your online community, you have links to high-quality resources for any stage of the sales life cycle. Passive site visitors? You’ll capture their information with the quality gated content on your community (however, make sure you balance what you offer for free, and what you gate). New prospects? Send them to your white papers to learn more about the current state of your industry. For more serious prospects, you have volumes of case studies to send them to demonstrate best practices and lessons learned.  Regardless of what stage of interest your community visitor is at, there’s a content piece on your community that speaks to them .There’s a forum they can join, or poll they can take. There’s someone they can talk to if they have further questions. This is a powerful portal you have at your fingertips, and one your sales team should be leveraging just as much as your marketing team.  Because your best customers, the ones who renew with you year after year, are the ones who’ve had the chance to make educated decisions and build a strong relationship with you at their own pace.

5.      You’re beating your competitors- literally and figuratively.

Though extremely beneficial for businesses – for more reasons than I’ve even listed here – online communities are still a newer tool for marketers, especially in B2B. But, when done well, they are able to boost your company’s reputation and drive you up in organic search engine ranking. This places you ahead of your competitors who don’t have an online community in many ways: You’re educating their target audience, positioning yourself as the industry leader, owning top real estate on Google, and more.

What aspect of your online community are you most thankful for this week?

The most common way for companies to reach this enviable position is with a concrete content marketing strategy that’s designed to build trust with your target audience.

How daunting and elusive does that feel, though? Build trust? How do you even start?

Trust is something that can be built through education, engagement, and content. One way I’ve seen companies succeed at this is by building a content-driven online community packed with the valuable information your audience seeks in the ways they want to consume it. Here are some content steps a community-manager can take to host a site that builds trust and establishes thought leadership:

1. Don’t be a show-off (it’s all about them)

The challenge with managing an online community isn’t necessarily getting people to your site, but keeping them there (and getting them to return). If someone visits your site and is immediately bombarded by your branding, ads, or marketing promos, they’ll be gone before you can say “community bust.”

Think about your online community and where it’s positioned in your 3-pillar marketing strategy: It’s part of the structure but not the core. The core should be quality content. If people want to learn all about “you you you”, they’ll visit your company website. To get them engaged on your online community, it needs to be relevant and interesting — and all about them.

A great way to show your visitors just how much you appreciate them is with surveys and polls: Use their opinions to drive the continuous evolution of the community. Ask your audience, “If you could add one element to this online community, what it would be?” Or  give them a rating scale to rank certain content pieces or discussion topics. The more you engage your audience’s input, the more they will want to return to your site to see their ideas and suggestions brought to life.

Adding incentives or promotions is another way to get your audience engaged: Offer a reward to the “top blogger of the month” or “best video submission” as a way to not only get content ideas from your audience, but also to show them how valuable they are thus building their trust in you. But don’t be too aggressive with your promotions as if you’re trying to buy their relationship. Centering promotions on content makes it a trustworthy exercise around community building rather than just a numbers game.

2. Educate openly and honestly

Each online community has a different objective, and many managers have taken to “gating,” or adding a sign-up form before certain content assets can be viewed. Though I understand the need for protecting intellectual capital, I think there’s a balance that needs to be reached when cultivating an online community.

In order to build trust, some content must be given willingly and freely. For example, case studies, videos, eBooks, data sheets, articles, and discussions are all things that are available openly and freely on the web; if a community visitor is looking for information that you won’t give openly, chances are they’ll look somewhere else for it. For your research reports or white papers, provide enough information that’s valuable (Marketing Sherpa does this pretty well), such as graphs, full chapter excerpts, or a summary of findings. This way you’re giving your visitors some information and establishing your credibility before asking anything from them.

Educating openly and honestly also means being the go-to-resource for industry information. This means (gulp) talking about your competitors on your community and keeping any feedback — bad or good — about your own services “on the table.” The more you have this information available on your site the more you’ll be perceived as  a confident and secure company to communicate honestly with your audience.

3. Be a nurturer

Using content to nurture your audience is a powerful way to build their trust in you. For example, a regular newsletter is a great way to collect and distribute your community content and keep visitors educated during the time they aren’t able to engage directly within your community.

A newsletter is also a way to provide community updates, welcome new members, or highlight popular discussions or contributions. By being a nurturer, you’re making the community all about the visitors, helping them view you as a company that truly values their input.

4. Go beyond education into socialization

Anyone can go online and find an interesting article or press release. But can they easily find all the conversations happening around the latest industry news? Integrating social media into your online community is a great way to establish a strong relationship with site visitors and break down the “company–customer” barrier. Aside from the incredible content your community provides, your customers will appreciate the open and honest conversations, the ability to comment, and the opportunity to interact with other site visitors.

In addition to including your Twitter feed and mentions, use a widget to show how many people “like” your company on Facebook and stream the latest comments. You can also use popular LinkedIn discussions as fodder for online community blog articles, and always be sure to give shout-outs to top contributors. Though this takes time and effort from you, the community manager, it’s worth it. By giving people props for contributing to your site, they will be more likely to share your content amongst their social networks.

At the end of the day, it’s all about openness. The Internet isn’t a secret abyss anymore, and along with all the content out there comes more opportunities for people to talk about you, good or bad. If you own the conversation, nurture your community, and give them the information they seek in an easy-to-digest manner, you’ll be well on your way to achieving that thought leader status.

What content practices have you seen work on an online community? What hasn’t been very successful? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

We ‘Google’.

Which is exactly why Google+ is worth our attention. As the go-to search engine for a majority of internet users, Google has the power to petrify marketers with each new algorithm update: We scramble to improve our content, optimize our SEO and check the quality of our links and site design. So when Google creates a social network, we should take note: Our site ranking could be dependent on how often content is shared on the Google + page, or how many fans we have.

So I create a page.

Here are 7 immediate reactions I had to setting it up, and from exploring other company’s Google + pages. Keep in mind, this was yesterday.  Like most companies, I think we’re all still learning the ropes, here.

1.      I really like the layout.  I checked out the Muppets fan page, and Pepsi fan page and immediately I was drawn to the bright, big colorful layout Google + offers. It felt less “narrow” than Facebook, and I didn’t have to scroll down so much to see previous conversations.  This makes photos a lot easier to view, also, with an easy-to-spot conversation bubble to notify which photos had comments attached to them.  There’s just something about that clean design that is a breath of fresh air from the ad-and-content-cluttered Twitter and Facebook.

2.      It’s really hard to upload a good logo. Now, I’m not a graphic designer, but I found the interface really difficult. It took our team several tries to upload a picture that was the right size, and resolution, required for the page.

3.      Segmentation is easy, and helps target messages. Keeping up with new lists, hashtags and trends is tiring on Twitter, and Facebook doesn’t really let you target messages to specific groups at all. So even though we don’t have followers to our Google+ page yet, I think the ability to segment certain communications by ‘groups’ is going to be awesome. Think about it, putting all our ‘current customers’ in one bucket for lead nurturing content and pictures, our prospects in another to receive case studies and promotional pieces, and our conference attendees in yet another bucket to participate in hangouts (see #5), now that’s every marketers dream. I’m interested to see how it’s going to work…

4.      It’s “App” light: OK, so Facebook has some really cool apps that I don’t think Google+ has yet. But I’m a patient person (sort of).  Plus I like the integration with YouTube with the handy slide-out bar at the top-right corner, so that’s keeping me occupied for now.

5.      Interaction abilities are pretty cool: Hangouts = awesome. I can’t wait to eliminate the need for a 3^rd party vendor or conference facility and just hang out with our clients and prospects online, at any time.

6.      I’m trying to balance where it fits in our greater social media “plan”: I use Hootsuite for all my Facebook and Twitter updates, so right now I’m trying to sort out how I’m going to find the time to add yet another website to update with new content. I’m thinking an integration platform will be out sooner rather than later to streamline this for frazzled marketers (please!)

7.      Ripples! This is perhaps my favorite feature of Google+- and reflective of the site’s very visual, clean style. You can actually see, in a web diagram, how a content piece has been shared, who your main influencers are, and other fascinating statistics that you just can’t find anywhere else.  I’m going to have a lot of fun with this.

Finally, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, check out this article by Frank Reed about how companies rushing to Google+ is a bit silly; and remember “Google+ brand pages are going to change….Slow down folks. It’ll be OK.”

Because who knows what tomorrow will bring…..

Are you creating a Google+ page for your company? What has your experience been like?

It’s a scary web out there, there all right, which makes it difficult for marketers to break through the spammy clutter and get their audience to trust them and their content. Here’s where having an online community can be beneficial for educating and engaging with your target audience; nurturing them with your credible content and, over time, positioning your company as an industry leader. But, this only works if the online community is set up correctly, because first impressions mean everything. If a visitor immediately likes your site, they will come back again and again and forward your useful information to their friends, prompting even more visitors. But if you scare them away at first glance, you will never reap the benefits an online community can offer. Here are some spooky online community practices, and how to avoid frightening your precious prospects.

1.      Terrifying Teaser Trickery

Teasers are great promotional tools. Ramp up excitement about a new product, maybe, or give a snippet from your latest research report to entice people to purchase the entire piece. But empty teasers are terrifying, and game changers in your community-visitor relationship. If you trick your customers into clicking on a teaser that immediately takes them to something other than what you’ve communicated, like a form, or a promotional ad, trust may be shattered (especially if the relationship with your prospects is just starting to develop). Slow and steady wins the sales race these days, and if you try to trick, instead of treat, your site visitors, it’s likely they’ll never view you as a credible source of information. Use the teasers to treat them with the latest, hard-to-find information, or a special discount code that will incent them to return to your online community again and again.

2.      Spooky Self Promotion

You know those freaky rooms full of mirrors, like the ones they have in carnivals or in Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon” fight scene? Where everywhere you look there are dozens of reflected images? Now, think about how many times your company branding appears on your online community. Is every page your visitor goes to littered with “You you you”? Are you eerily present at every turn, suffocating them with your imagery and messages every where they look?

If and when your prospects what to learn about what your company has to offer, they will go to your company website. But if they want an online community to go to, to learn the latest industry news, read product reviews, and join discussions with others that have similar interests, then give them that. Don’t bombard them with your branding, because you’ve done enough by simply creating the space for this education and interaction to occur. By building the room, you’ve done enough. Leave the mirrors out of it.

3.      Deadly Design

We know, we know; these days it’s all about the content, right? But as a community sponsor, you have the burden of providing that content in an easy-to-navigate, visually appealing place. If your online community looks like a disaster zone, you might just scare away your site visitors for good.

Making sure your online community design matches the quality of your content is crucial to building trust with your target audience. The more organized, clean and fresh your community looks, the more professional and reliable you will appear. A hard to navigate or just plain messy site will, no matter how awesome your content is, scare away a lot of interested, eager visitors.

4.      Frightening Forms

Ever go to fill out a form online, and then click out of it, unsure as to how your personal information would be used? You may have even left behind something you really wanted to watch, or read, but just didn’t trust the website enough to disclose your details.  Forms can be scary, but online communities can still use them, if they follow a few rules. For one, make sure there’s enough information on your site that isn’t gated (or blocked by a form). You want people to come to the site, browse, look around and begin to trust you. Some of these people may be valuable prospects. Others, not so much. By capturing each visitor’s information and pushing them through your internal sales process, you may be wasting precious time and resources following up on unqualified leads.

Instead, make your most valuable, robust and insightful pieces gated, but develop a fair amount of “free” content to surround it. On the download page, display some charts or research from the piece. Provide quotes from people who read it (or watched it) and liked it. Let people post comments and questions about it, and do the right amount of teasing that will make people crave the asset. But, be clear on the form just what people are getting in exchange for their information. Reassure them their information won’t be sold, and allow them to opt-into your newsletter or updates if they want. The people that opt-in, and download your information, will be truly interested and qualified leads worthy of your time and attention.

How have you been scared away from a company website or online community? Any spooky practices you want companies to avoid? Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

Q:  “Do you draw distinction between B2B and B2C marketing?”

A:  Yes, absolutely. There’s a big difference in how the two types of brands manifest. For B2C, you can be very aspirational, whereas B2B is more focused on risk reduction, which is demonstrated by content and thought leadership.

Additionally, the kind of marketing you do for each type of sale is quite different. For B2C you typically have a shorter sales cycle, so you can be punchy, fun, and to-the-point. In B2B there’s usually longer sales cycles and very large, extensive decision-making processes to boot, so marketing must roll up their sleeves and be “in it for the long haul.” This means more lead nurturing, more resources, more content, and education and more patience.

In fact, lead management is overall a different beast for B2B marketing. It’s more important, for example, to properly score your leads to ensure you’re spending the right amount of time and effort on the right prospects.  It also means that your sales team be equipped with the right resources to take those leads, nurture them, and build strong relationships with them; all marketing and sales challenges many B2C companies don’t need to worry about.

In short, for B2B sometimes the risks are greater, but so are the rewards. Miller states that B2B sales numbers are generally far higher than B2C, and can make or break a company’s survival. It can also be a huge investment for companies who may only look to spend in that area every few years or so. That’s why positioning your brand as an industry leader, year after year, is so crucial.

Q: “What Content Works Best for B2B vs. B2C Marketing?”

A: We mention how thought leadership, education and content are so important in B2B marketing efforts earlier in the presentation. Why? Because it’s harder to get someone passionate about a printer or router versus a consumer brand. It’s a different type of brand, which needs altered messages. Companies often see some of the fun things B2C companies are doing online, and want to replicate that in their B2B marketing efforts, with limited success. What your audience is really look for isn’t pizzazz or spunk (although having a little of that never hurts, right?) but stellar content. This means white papers that are written with your audience, not your bottom line, in mind. It means hosting educational webinars, and investing in long-term content efforts. Other successful content vehicles are company blogs, which have seen a significant rise in the past few years in popularity, and links to sales. By focusing on content quality, and in large numbers, your B2B company will be better positioned to meet those sales goals, nurture leads, and position yourself as an industry leader.

Connect with us and join the conversation: What are your experiences with differences between B2B and B2C marketing? Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

Wait- before you shut down your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, just listen to the rest of the findings. Though perceived as a ‘silver bullet’ for online marketers who, let’s face it, love to experiment in the latest social spaces, this survey urges marketers not to ignore the #1 source of sales – your company website.  Why? Because the company website is the “hub.”

Still, just as a wheel needs its spokes, so too does your company website need a variety of ways for visitors to get there (i.e. your social sites and online community).

Think back to the 3 pillars of online marketing: Your online community, social media sites and company website. Their voices need to all be in sync and have consistent messages in order to build trust with your target audience. What I think this survey shows is that not enough companies are finding that harmony between their multiple online sites, so when a visitor ultimately gets to the company website they are still uncertain as to what, if any, value you can provide to them.

Here’s some ways to make the most of your company website and ensure you’re maximizing on your lead potential WITHOUT ignoring your social sites.

1.      Keep your social media sites and online community going. Yup. Don’t you dare shut them down. These are critical elements of your marketing mix, but are you using them effectively as a driver to your company website? Consider persuading your social friends and community followers to your company site is through promotions, free demos and trials, and other prominent calls to action to download a new educational resource. Make them prominent, engaging and unique, and make it clear to your visitors exactly what they’ll find when they make the transition from social site to company website.

Also, reach out to your social communities when you’ve added something new to your company website, like “check out our new ‘News’ page and tell us what you think!” or “Vote for Our New Company Website Color Scheme!.” By making the lines between your different sites blurry means that your customers won’t feel like they are entering a sales pitch or needing to commit to you when visiting your company site: It will just be a natural extension of their interactions with you online.

2.      Make your company website social. Add a “Community” page to your company website that houses all your social information, like who’s sharing what content, who’s answering discussions, and who’s liking what.  Allow your network to contribute to discussions, or post their own experiences with your products and services in an open forum. Again, social media isn’t the “end all be all” for your marketing, but it is certainly a medium many people are comfortable engaging with. So, bring those social interactions to your company website- the place where the most lead potential is, and surround it with your great content (see #3) or Calls to Action (see #1).

3.      Grab your visitors’ attention (and information) with content. Any marketer knows that content is the key to building brand awareness, getting quality leads and high organic search engine ranking. Use your social sites to promote or provide “teasers” to your online content, but then ultimately drive those conversations and content pieces back to your company website.  Start a forum for your most recent white paper, and post statistics from the piece directly on your social sites. This way, you’re giving site visitors exactly what they want; valuable information and answers to their questions with the ability to provide their own insights as well.

Also consider reaching out to your community for content ideas. Take a poll on what your next webinar topic should be, or invite others to be featured guest contributors. Make the content something that really matters to them and give them ‘skin in the game’, all huge engagement drivers.

4.      Move from static to dynamic –and know what works: 80% of survey respondents indicated that their website wasn’t living up to its potential. By applying some of the same rules you impart on your social media sites to your company website, you may be able to avoid this problem. Social sites and online communities should not be static, and in this day and age, neither should your company website. Though it’s a “hub” it’s not and shouldn’t be unchanging: Make it compelling, interesting and dynamic; refreshing content, ads, calls to action and information frequently to keep visitors engaged and interested. Making your site more social and content-focused, and less about “you” is a great way to establish trust with your prospects, increasing their propensity to invest with you when they’re ready. 

5.      What you don’t know may kill you (ok, maybe not kill you- but limit your sales potential). The most important thing to focus on with your company website is making sure you’re measuring all these activities: Implement a way to capture visitor information and metrics (including how they got to your site, how long they stayed, and where they abandoned it) as a way to optimize your investments and know what you should put the most effort into. And remember, it’s not just a numbers game anymore. While the survey shows that 34% of respondents wanting quality versus high quantities of leads, consider what your company is really driving towards with these efforts. Are you looking for lots of traffic? Or maybe a smaller number of highly engaged individuals? Do you want people coming in from LinkedIn groups, or Google?

All roads lead to your company website, but there are many ways of getting there. Make the path easy for your target audience, make it interesting and scenic, and make it fun.

Connect with us and join the conversation: Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

What are some ways you’re integrating your multiple online channels? Are you struggling with the effectiveness of your company website, consider its potential value as a lead-generating machine?

Chances are this check-up might be happening with your leadership, who are also looking to see what the results of their investments are. Here are some ideas for mapping out this meeting and what prep-work you can do to make it a meaningful and productive undertaking for you and your bosses.

Preparing For Your Check Up

Before you enter a room with leadership, dig up all your documentation from the start of the online community development process. Why did you create one? What overall objectives did you set for the program, and what deadlines did you give yourself for certain activities? Arm yourself with this documentation to provide at the start of the meeting, and show your leadership in detail where you stand on specific accomplishments.

Examples:

Goal 1: Improve brand awareness: Compare your presence on major search engines from 6 months ago and today. Have you climbed in search engines? Are you showing up in News Alerts? Have you been mentioned in any blogs, industry sites, LinkedIn Groups or conferences? Bring in any and all documentation that shows how your brand name has been growing in the market place. Also, track the number of site visitors your online community has received. If it’s growing month-to-month, then more and more people are being exposed to your community (and your branding) as well.

Goal 2: Build a content portal to position our company as a thought leader: Here’s where numbers also count. Develop a matrix of all your online community articles by specific topics, and track how many readers viewed each piece. Then, compare this with how many people were viewing your press releases or other articles/content on your company website or anywhere else it was housed before the community. Also, again you can see the results of your activities with Google: Track your presence in search engines, type in your keywords and see how many of your pieces show up, and monitor your presence in News Alerts. These are all indicators of your status as a thought leader, and remember- the more content you develop, the more likely the status is to increase. By tracking which topics ‘trend’ over others, you’re also ensuring that you are creating and delivering the content that your audience seeks the most.

Goal 3: Generate Leads: This is trickier to monitor, but there are some ways you can bring some data to the table for this meeting. For one, on how many people downloaded your assets? How many site visitors have you had, and how many “converted” (tip: clarify internally what a conversion means and get consensus- for some companies it means downloaded a form for a trial, for others it means a signed contract). How many people signed-up to receive your eNewsletter, or participated in a discussion or survey/poll on your site? These prospects are all valuable and potential leads for your business because they’ve actively chosen to interact with you. Be sure you’re realistic with your lead generation expectations, too. After 6 months, if you have a long sales-cycle or are a B2B brand you may not have closed any leads yet directly from the community, and that’s OK. You’re building your brand and repository of content that will continue to nurture prospects, eventually getting them to enter their information for a free trial, Webinar, white paper or other gated piece.

In short, you’ll need the numbers to do the talking, which we’ll talk more about further along in this piece.

Now it’s meeting time: Here’s what your check-up should include:

•  Check Your Voice & Design: Are your messages consistent across all your online sites? This means your online community, social media sites and company website. Your marketing materials should be in sync, and a quick audit will be able to confirm whether or not you’ve been using a consistent tone in your online channels. Check for casual versus formal tones, your tagline, how you describe your company, and even your writing style.  This extends to your site design as well. Color schemes, logos, font treatment and advertisements all matter to the experience of site visitors, who will be looking for consistency as they move across your online sites, following your stellar content and social activity. If you seem scattered, disorganized, or “unmatched” there’s no way a prospect will view you as trustworthy or credible.

Finally, where are things appearing on your page? Are you rotating this? Testing out which content and design placement works best for certain content pieces is an important part of your preventative care as you can avoid potentially detrimental activities that may weaken your SEO or your site visitor’s experience.

•  Check Your Pulse: How much dynamic versus static content do you have on your site? Do your ads rotate? Do you have a video playing, or audio capabilities? What about discussions? Have you gotten stale with your postings and comments, or are you consistently engaging in and encouraging interactions with site visitors? These are really important vitals to check, because the more interesting, different and fresh your online community appears at any given time, the more likely site visitors will be to bookmark the site for future visits, or pass it along to your friends.

•  Check Your Levels: Go back to your reports and see how many clicks, site visitors, click-throughs and anything else you measure have been performing. What lulls do you see? What spikes? Then, match that up with certain activities you conducted. Did you release a new video, and see a spike in activity? Did a white paper have little effect on your number of lead-captures? See what has been resonating with your audience and keep focusing on that, and start testing some new activities as well. The more you test, the more you’ll hone in on what your audience really wants, and be able to  deliver it to them.

•  Prioritize Improvements: Now that you’ve brainstormed what’s working well, and what activities you should stop, start and continue in terms of high, medium and low priority action-items: Really map out the next 6-12 months of your online community’s development. Remember, you can’t do everything at once. Pace yourself, and pick a few objectives you will focus on first, with clearly defined action steps and how you’ll measure success (this is great prep for your next check-up).

5)      Report-Out Regularly: Don’t wait another 6 months to tell your leadership how the community is performing. Share a content piece that generated a lot of hits, or provide monthly reports on lead captures or conversions.  Give a summary of the most popular discussions on the site, and even ask your leadership to participate! Make your community something the whole company is invested in, and working together to make succeed.

Finally, Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Make managing your online community a part of your daily routine. Though it doesn’t need to take up too much time, those valuable 20-30 minutes a day can make or break your site, if spent wisely. Look at your articles and see if there’s anything that needs to be covered for the week. See who’s talking about you, and conversed back with them. Post a picture, a video, or swap out an advertisement. By staying involved with your community you’ll be the first to know what’s working, or what needs to be changed.

Do you perform a community “Check Up”? What do you look to measure during these meetings? Connect with us and Join the conversation on any of our social sites. Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

So the biggest ticket item for marketers is also the biggest challenge. No surprise here. As marketers struggle to navigate the new world of online lead gen and advertising, more and more are turning to social media and online communities to help them not only build brand awareness, but nurture and capture those prospects who visit their sites.

Content is out there, and being created by the second. So now, more than ever, it’s important that your company be viewed as a thought leader, which can be established through multiple online content and branding activities. But, this is a delicate practice that requires a balance of your company voice with that of your audience and the broader industry –and requires more educational messages than promotional ones. Without this balance it’s impossible to build trust with potential customers who will find your company while seeking educational information, not a sales pitch.

Here are 5 ways to achieve this balance on your social media and online community sites. Here are 5 ways to achieve this balance on your social media and online community sites. For more ideas and best practices, join the upcoming free webinar happening October 17, 2012. The webinar will cover how companies are using specific lead gen and branding initiatives online to achieve success and be viewed as a thought leader; no small feat, for sure.

1. Open your content ‘gates’: If you’re new to the social media or online community-game, you need to build trust with your audience before asking them for ANYTHING. This means free white papers, videos, case studies. A free consultation, perhaps, or incentive. Build that relationship before you ask for anything from them, because this will be the key to them offering up their personal information to you in the future.

2. Answer questions and establish a personality: Just as you need to establish your content “voice”- you need to have personality shine through your sites so your audience feels connected with you.  Use your online community as a place to become “real”. Implement a live chat feature, or show some cool things your company is doing unrelated to your products or services. Finally, take the time to respond to customer inquiries on your social sites. These connections points will be crucial, and top-of-mind, when ready to buy.

3. Provide content as a nurture technique, tailored for different audiences. This is a great way to reach all your different audiences. For example, have a section on your site or content pieces that are tailored for different job functions. Or, provide industry analysis and reports for each of your verticals. Finally, allow your audience to sign up for updates that are relevant to them by developing targeted eNewsletters. By giving your audience exactly what they want, and listening to their needs, you’ll be better equipped to establish yourself as a trustworthy and educational resource (as opposed to a sales center).

4. Use surveys to see what your audience wants to know from you. Plain and simple, nothing’s clearer than a poll. You may need to provide incentives for people to complete them, but the direct input from your audience is invaluable.

5. Give industry news for free, but offer an eNews for consolidation of the ‘latest and greatest’ for your audience. This allows you to build your database of people who have requested to hear from you on an ongoing basis (i.e., marketing gold).

How do you balance lead gen with online advertising on your social media sites or online community? Join the conversation. Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

That’s why marketers are focusing on integration as a main priority for 2012- and are looking to marry the 3 pillars of their online marketing (website, online community and social) activities by making sure messages are consistent and the sites are all “speaking” with each other.  Now, how the heck do you even do this?

The first thing you do is put a Twitter button on your company website. Good, you can check that off the list, right?

Wrong.

You’ve taken the first step to integrating your multiple online sites, but you need to take it even further. Consider what blogger Jeff Bullas writes about the two sins of the stupid blogger and how it applies to any of your online content initiatives:

1)      Failing to include Social Network SHARE buttons

2)      Failing to include Social Network SUBSCRIBE buttons.

If you put a Twitter button on your company website, you are sort of crossing number 2 off the list. But not really. For one, you’re not giving your visitors the opportunity to share information they find on your site. Secondly, the only way people can learn about and subscribe to your social sites is if they are already on your company website.

Here are some tactical ways to get your 3 sites (or more) “talking” to each other in a clear, consistent voice:

1)      Implement an article widget, or a small box that can stream your latest online community or news articles any of your sites. People can easily click on an article that interests them, but make sure they can also “share” it on their social sites before they’re done.

2)      Bring in a Twitter feed box to your community or company website show the activity surrounding your account. People will see real-time content sharing and comments, and watch how you interact with your audience.

3)      Only share the most educational, non-promotional content on your community, and I would recommend even social sites. People know how to find you if they ended you. For now, they just need advice, ideas, and inspiration. They want to hear from you, not your sales team. So give them what they’re looking for.

Now, you might be thinking “oh come on, everyone has social sharing buttons and interlinking between their sites. This is common knowledge.”

Wrong again, my friends.

According to a recent report by BrightEdge Technologies only “53.6% of the 10,000 most popular websites have social links or plugins to Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.” Shocking, right? This report also shared that websites that feature a tweet button “drive almost seven times more link mentions on average than sites that do not.”

Seven times. That’s a huge difference, and will make a real impact on how you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Join the conversation- how are you linking your online community, social sites and company websites? How are you using Twitter to do so? @apritchie

For one, the first and most important part of your online marketing strategy must be brand control. Now, this is really difficult to do with all the sites you probably manage. Even if you are still in the “follower-building” phase of your social media strategy, it’s likely you maintain some combination of a company website, Facebook page, LinkedIn profile and Twitter account (don’t even get me started on Google +…).  Dell addresses this issue by doing two things: 1) Nurture major influencers to your community and 2) Get involvement from in-house experts.

For starters, Dell identifies “major influencers who have their own blog-driven communities or participants in important ones” and brings them to Dell headquarters to speak with founder Michael Dell. This not only gives these influencers a positive perception of the company, but also includes them in important corporate conversations. The result is that their perception and subsequent communications about, the Dell brand will be positive and consistent with that of the company.

Second, as we’ve outlined in past articles, using content contributors from within your company is a great way to build your online community and make more connections with your visitors. Dell not only brings in-house experts (from all levels in the company)  to targeted communities (based on their skills/subject matter expertise) but also makes “employees rock stars” so that they can feel ownership over community engagement and the relationships which result.

By putting ‘skin-in-the-game’ for your employees, they will not only become more involved and empowered, but will feel responsible for the success of the business, helping reach a large audience in relatively shorter periods of time than before.  As a way to maintain company standards via social interactions, Dell holds an “internal social media training program that encourages social participation.”

Now, as you know, every online community has its dark side, and Dell doesn’t shy away from sharing some of the potential ‘dangers’ of social media and community interactions. For starters, it can be harmful to your brand if you build an online community and no one visits. Secondly, if a large amount of “negative” visitors come to the site, or people come who aren’t interested in nurturing the broader community as much as talking poorly about your brand.

To avoid having a site that no-one visits, it’s important to build a site that’s not only educational and nurturing, but SEO-friendly. This means having a clean design, easy-to-navigate sections and relatively little company branding: The online community should be industry-focused, not all about your company, to establish your brand as the true thought leader in that space. It’s also important to keep the design fresh (change ads, banners, images and videos often) with a constant churn of new, relevant and educational content for visitors to want to bookmark the page to return later. Finally, content should always be written in an SEO-friendly way. As long as the content isn’t “all about you” but carries through your keywords, has proper links and no black-hat practices, it will be set up to rank highly, organically, on major search engines – making it easier for your target audience to find you.

To get the “right” visitors to your site, establish clearly on the page (maybe in an “introduction” email) what the purpose of the site is, and how community members are expected to ‘behave’. Dell goes so far as to “Screen community members” and personally engage with unhappy ones to alter their perception of the brand. Regardless of how far you want to go with your site, you should at the least establish some ground rules for discussions and participation for community members to follow.

Do any of these Dell lessons resonate with you? What questions would you have about building successful online communities if you could pose them to the Dell team? Let me know at @apritchie

Connect with Us and Join the Conversation:   Facebook  | LinkedIn | Twitter

Many hats, many voices

Just as marketers wear many hats in their day-to-day activities (publisher, advertiser, PR agent, social guru, analyst, etc.), so too must we adopt different voices to suit the channel, audience, and piece we’re working with.

Think about your online marketing strategy as resting on three pillars:

• Your company website
• Social media sites
• The online community.

Activities that support these pillars can include online promotions and ads, print advertising and content, SEO/ SEM activities, events (online and in-person), and more.

At the core of this strategy is your content, which should be delivered using a voice that is tailored to the specific pillar you’re engaging on (a representative list of content elements is included in the graphic below, although there are certainly many more unlisted items).

While each pillar may need its own voice, it should harmonize with the others without replicating them.

Your company website

This voice should most closely represent your corporate vision: Your mission statement and dedication to your customers should resonate through every page and content piece (white papers, case studies, video, etc.).

Most companies strive for a more professional tone on the company website and in their marketing brochures, product reviews and case studies. These pieces and website content are often written in a persuasive or promotional voice and are designed to tell your audience why they should invest in you.  

Your social media sites and blogs

Your customers’ voices tend to be most prominent on social media sites and your blog, so a more casual tone of voice is typically acceptable. By clouding social media sites with your corporate voice, you may deter your social audience from feeling comfortable that their own voices are welcome or will be heard. Your social sites shouldn’t serve as an extension of your company voice; they should give you the chance to speak “outside the box” and connect with your audience on a more intimate level.

For example, Bluenile.com is an e-commerce site, plain and simple. But the Blue Nile Facebook page takes on an entirely different (and fun) tone, with the customers’ voice dominating. Blue Nile will often ask its audience to share a story, post a picture of an engagement ring, or complete a poll. And I’ve noticed they respond individually to every person who comments on their page — a great way to connect on a deeper level!

Your online community

This is the trickiest voice to master, as it blends the voice of your company with that of your customers to create a “voice of the industry.” Where your company social sites and websites are places to talk about your company or customers, an online community should be a place for your audience to gather and discuss broader industry-related issues and breaking news; ask questions; and share ideas. Here are some ways to achieve this industry voice on an online community:

• Run breaking news stories, industry alerts, and press releases, crediting their sources. This will ensure you’re not putting a spin on outside content, which may detract from your credibility. The fact that you’re housing this content in the first place already demonstrates your industry knowledge; but you will want to pose a question to your readers at the end of these pieces, as a way to insert your community voice.
• Create original content and commentary, but make sure it’s educational only (no sales pitches, here). Here’s an example: Ask your audience to complete a poll or short questionnaire about their top interests. Then, create an eBook or white paper that responds to their needs and provides tactical advice and insight.
• Ask for feedback on all your educational resources, and encourage others to share their own resources to create a one-stop repository of industry information.
• Make it easy for people to find you when they are searching online. This means focusing more on providing high quality content (keyword-driven) and using an SEO-friendly design so that you appear at or near the top of organic search engine results (rather than solely using paid ads). (This isn’t an issue for Facebook and Twitter since many people will proactively search those sites on their own.)
• Represent and reward other community voices by asking for content contributors, hosting blogs, and giving shout-outs to your top contributors. Also, offer rewards and promotions for people who complete your survey or contribute to your content.

In summary, your content should be consistent, even if you are using different voices. In all your communications (content, discussions with your audience, promotional materials, and educational pieces), your voice should convey a consistent message. If you have multiple people working on these initiatives in your company, consider creating a content style guide with some “shoulds” and” shouldn’ts.” This is especially important in social media interactions.  If your company doesn’t like slang, then be sure there are some clear writing guidelines you can easily deliver to content developers. The same goes for an online community.  Consider publishing guidelines about what kinds of content and interactions are acceptable on your site. By allowing different voices to be heard, your pillars and your overall online marketing strategy will strengthen and become an impenetrable force for your competitors to reckon with.

That’s more than a yummy refreshment. That’s marketing magic.

Giving consumers the power to “design their own” drink is a great way to nurture their community by giving them 3 things they really want.

1.      Social interaction

2.      Input into a product and the ability to tailor it to meet their needs

3.      To have FUN

The article further highlights that “Companies that are very responsive to their online community — retailers like Nordstrom and Victoria’s Secret — get more out of the interaction than just online sales. Like Coke’s vending machine, which sends data back to the Atlanta headquarters about taste preferences and shopping activity, a thriving online community can also give retailers a huge amount of market data — a window into what customers want.”

This is, as we’ve discussed before, one of the greatest strengths of an online community: The ability to learn from your customers, ask them questions, give them answers to their questions, and nurture them. Even if you don’t sell something “cool” like a soft drink, you can still find a way to make your online community fun, and meaningful for your audience.

1. Gather Customer Input

Most companies don’t have the ability to tailor their products based on their customer’s preferences, so a solution like the Coca-Cola Freestyle vending machine might not be suitable for everyone. But, what you can do via your online community is ask for product input from your audience. Say you’re planning a product upgrade: Post a poll on your online community asking your audience to vote on which feature should be added next. Or, hold a contest asking your customers for their ideas on a future video, white paper topic or webinar, and reward a winner with a discount (or gift) and notoriety on your site. These activities don’t take too much time, and won’t deter from your bigger business activities, but will likely have a huge impact on your reputation, creating loyal customers who want to stay engaged with you because they know you’re listening to them.

2. Integrate Mobile & Social

These days, most people have Smartphones, and are using them to browse the internet, check emails, and stay connected with their social networks. The smartest thing a company can do is take advantage of this by making it easy for customers to find, and interact with you, by using these devices.

An App is a great way for people to stay up-to-date with your company “on-the-go”. Offer an App as a place for people to have Live Chats with your customer service representatives, or receive ‘alerts’ on product updates and breaking news. You can even offer your customers the ability to pay via an App, or access their account information, for real-time interactions.

Even if an App isn’t the solution for your business, there are still ways to make your online community mobile and social-friendly. Make links to your social sites prominent, post daily stories or “alerts” or offer a case study download for “Following” or “Friending” your site. Finally, work with your design team to ensure your site is visually appealing and easy-to-navigate from all types of devices (i.e. less use of Flash).

3. Make the Transition from Research to Purchase Easy

Your online community shouldn’t be ‘all about you’ but rather your industry as a whole:  It should provide your target audience with education and be a place to learn, discuss, engage and share. But, as a marketer you know that the ultimate goal is to get those community visitors to buy from you.  One method I’ve seen work well is to have a simple call to action on each page, article, educational piece and link with simple wording, like “Click here for a demo” or “Learn more”. By not seeming too “over promotional” but still providing a bridge for your audience to go from your community to company site, you’re feeding your sales cycle without losing credibility. Another method I’ve seen work well is to have a “Sign Up” box for a eNewsletter, or link to social site, so people can actively sign-up to updates from you on their own terms.

So, there are still some sweet options for those of you who crave the cool-factor a personalized soft drink vending machine gives Coca-Cola, and these days the online world is your oyster: The more fun, innovative and unique your online community, the bigger bang you’re going to get.

What are some ways you’re using online communities to keep your consumers engaged?

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In a recent article, every Online Community has a dark side, I outlined some general best practices to employ, with some tips on what to avoid when managing an online community. In addition to these fundamental online community-building principles, there are some design fundamentals that companies can easily implement to prevent their site from looking like a disaster-zone. Because let’s face it, content is great, but appearance is probably equally- if not more- important to site visitors.

1. What a Mess!

First of all, go to your online community and take a good, long look at it. Be honest. Is it a mess? Are there dead links, blank pages, off-centered ads or a hodge-podge of color, content and callouts?

Making sure your site is clean and easy to navigate is a critical and sometimes overlooked aspect of your online community. Why? Because while companies spend a great deal of time and effort making their corporate websites rock, online communities can sometimes be overlooked due to lack of resources or time.

But the fact is, your online community is a more powerful lead nurturing and thought leadership tool than your company website (if built correctly) and deserves your time and attention. If your audience comes to your site and it looks like a war zone, they’ll likely turn away and never look back. My advice? Take time every week to scan your site. Test links, look at the ads that are running, and lists of conversations and articles being shared. If something looks “off”, fix it immediately. These small kinks, if gone un-tended to, will turn into huge cracks in the foundation of your site overtime – and will be much more expensive and time consuming to fix in the future.

2. Do You Have a Billboard Complex?

The most successful online communities are industry-related, because they position your company as a though leader without scaring away prospects with overly-promotional messages. Again, if people want to learn about you, they’ll visit your company website. Audiences flock to online communities to learn about a topic; content you’re fortunate to host on your site. Many companies use sign-ups, promotions and calls to action on online communities to generate leads from the site, which is a great idea. But, do so in a balanced way. If your community looks like a branded micro-site, people will turn away pretty quickly. If you subtly inject your thought leadership and offer opportunities for your audience to learn more in a non-promotional way, you’ll establish trust in them much faster, eventually leading to sales. Remember, the site isn’t a billboard. Billboards are ugly.

3. Information Overload, Anyone?

Your company probably creates some great content: Articles, product demos, white papers, and more. Chances are, it all lives on your company website, so naturally it should all go on your online community –right?

Using your online community as a resource, content and ad repository for everything that’s on your company site isn’t a great idea- though the online community should be an extension of your company website, it shouldn’t be a replica. Think strategically about what you want your online community to achieve, and give your audience, and build your site around that specific purpose (for most companies, it’s education). This is what makes your online community different than your company website.  If people wanted to read all your white papers, they’d go to your website. If they wanted to learn about the latest industry news, or discuss how certain products and services work with others in their industry, they’ll go to your online community (and tell their friends to, as well).

4. Poisonous Conversations

Online communities need a social element to avoid being “all about you” but beware the discussions that can do your company more damage than good.  A disgruntled customer, or misinformed visitor who’s able to “run free” on your site and comment all over the place will result in your site appearing unprofessional, unmanaged and in a state of disarray.

Though your content shouldn’t be “all about you” it should be very clear that you DO manage all site activity to keep it a professional, “safe” place for visitors. Set clear community guidelines from the get-go, and consider having visitors register before they’re able to leave comments. Then, enable alerts on your site so that each time a comment or discussion is posted, you’re the first to know.

This doesn’t mean you should remove all negative comments on your site. You can’t and shouldn’t control that. But what you can do is start conversations that prompt constructive feedback. Start a post like “What is 1 thing you would improve about X” (related to your products or services) and be sure to immediately follow-up directly with customers who express dissatisfaction.

Just like boarding up your house to avoid being pummeled by hurricanes is a great preventive measure, there are certain actions, like the ones listed above, that can help you avoid an online community disaster. What are some of your warning signs or things to avoid on an online community?

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Intrigued by this assumption, I posed this question to some of my LinkedIn comrades in several discussion groups (ps. I’m loving the engagements and discussions happening on LinkedIn these days…)

Here’s what I asked, and what I learned from the fantastic participants:

Just read an article that shows B2C companies leading the way for Social Media- but I’m sure there are strong examples from B2B- have any to share?

• Emersonprocessexperts.com is doing a great job of diving into social marketing (led by Jim Cahill) especially considering their company’s industrial, more conservative environment (as reflected in “Social Marketing to the Business Customer” by Gillin/Schwartzman)
• Cisco is doing a great job (which I already knew, but here’s a great video article by the Social Media Examiner on how Cisco is using Social Media: http://bit.ly/krHcRy including the FB Cisco Support Group for Uber User Internet Addicts http://on.fb.me/lOzD7U)
• One person noted that Kodak is doing a great job and were among the first to embrace social media. I had no idea, so I checked out Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to check it out. Their Graphic Community on LinkedIn is pretty cool, and so is their Facebook page. There are quite a few Kodak Twitter accounts, which can be a pro and challenge, but still –they’re there.
• I got sent a great case study of Philips’ use of LinkedIn to communicate with the medical community, which was pretty incredible.

Finally, one person commented that “the best I have seen is IBM. But the mid-sized guys (let’s say $US500MM – 1BB) are few and far between. With the economic downturn it seems creativity and experimentation were the first victims in this category – in my experience most are trying franticly to do more and faster of what they already knew how to do – direct selling for example.”  Now this, I can believe, especially with Lead Generation topping the charts as the main marketing initiative this year for most companies who don’t have the time, or money, to invest in social media as much as they’d like.

Still, according to a recent Social Media B2B survey, 86% of companies are using social media, with more than half incorporating it into their marketing strategies. The numbers keep growing, too, so I think with examples like the ones above, and the many, many more I’m sure people have to share, we’ll keep seeing improvement in how B2B companies leverage social media, albeit somewhat differently from B2C, for marketing reasons.

Add your own examples to this list- Join the conversation!

1. Think Before You Tweet

Twitter is an excellent content sharing tool, and the more content you share the more likely you are to improve your SEO and reputation in your industry. This is why many businesses jumped on the Twitter train right away, setting up auto feeds to push every press releases, following thousands of people, and adding a “like” button to their entire site. My advice for online community managers is to be a bit more thoughtful with your tweeting. An auto-feed is a great way to push your content, but is exactly that: Automated. This goes against the concept of an online community, which is to be an engaging, interacting community of visitors sharing valuable information and prompting discussions.

What I would recommend is highlighting a few comments, discussions or articles via Twitter every week on your online community, and add a comment about it instead of just a link (something like “Our readers are passionate about their phones, check out the responses to the latest technology review article). Be sure to give your readers props too for contributing their comments or articles with the “@” features (because who doesn’t’ love to see their name in lights?)

2. Use the HashTag, Not a New Account

Companies are often tempted to create a new Twitter account for each of their business units or products. But on an online community, what you’ll want to promote is unity through one core site. Your community should be a one-stop-shop for all your visitor’s interests, and using the hashtag allows you to categorize and choose specific topics to focus on through your online community without moving visitors away from your main site. It’s also a way for people to more easily find your content if they search for it on Twitter. Think about what HBO does for its series. Rather than a site for True Blood, Entourage, and all my other favorite shows, you can just search by #trueblood. It’s more organic, more natural and much easier than managing multiple sites with multiple followers. You have enough on your social plate as it is.

3. Show Your Personality

This ties back to providing automatic feeds of your content – there’s no in plain links. Try showing some style on your online community (check out how to use social media for socializing in this recent article via #cmworld). Give your posts, your tweets, and your discussions some flavor, and people will be much more willing to interact with you and share your content.

4. Be a Giver, Not a Taker

Twitter, Facebook and Linked in can all feel a one way street. You push your content, start discussions, post links and ask people to come to you. But, on an online community it’s important to give AND take.  Give your readers props on your online community. Share someone else’s content, or start a discussion in response to someone’s posted article. The more love you give, the more you’ll get, and people will want to participate in your online community to get some of that attention you’re handing out.

5. Water, But Don’t Drown

Online communities need to be nurtured, but don’t go overboard. If you go to an online community with too much going on, it can actually serve as a deterrent. Choose a balance of content, visuals, discussions and social media on the site every week, and stagger your content based on a pre-determined calendar. Choose a certain topic to cover each month, or plant seeds on your community to help it grow. A community visitor should feel like they have something to contribute to a site, and if the community’s already full, what more will they think they can give?

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But as any writer knows, sometimes “style” is hard to incorporate into your corporate messages.

A good content marketer must always be focused on telling a great story (we all know this — it’s why we visit the CMI blog) to get your company messages out to a broader audience. But let’s face it, some corporate marketing pieces can feel tired or even dull. You get so caught up in what statistics to include, where to distribute the piece, how to make it SEO-friendly, and how best to socialize it that you can end up feeling like a monotonous writing machine rather than a creative thinker. Blog entries can feel like chores, case studies and white papers can feel formulaic, and social discussions soon become stale or robotic.

Still, the best and most successful content is the kind with style and flavor; it has a little piece of your voice and passion in every fiber. So here are some ideas on how to ignite that style even on the darkest, non-inspiring days (yes, even Mondays).

Use a blog to talk about your products and your passions

If you adhere to an editorial calendar, you know it’s important to write something — anything — at least every day. This is why so many of us have blogs. But what do you do when you’ve written about all you can about… say… paper stock for one week? Easy. Take something that you love and incorporate it into your regular blog entries to give your readers a pleasant surprise (and your brain a break).

Take a bite out of this blog for example, by David Byrd of Broadvox: “SIP and Serve by a Foodie.” His latest article, “OMG Crab Cakes and Bing”, is a great example of finding a way to incorporate something you love from your personal life (in this case, cooking) with a discussion of your industry news, or even your company’s products or services.

Take a few minutes to think about what you read, watch, listen to or explore in your spare time, and consider how you can connect it to a weekly blog entry. Your creative side will thank you for it.

Think — and interact — outside “the cube”

I’m fortunate to work with some pretty cool (and smart) people, but some days I barely get up from my desk to even say hello to them in passing. I’m so nose-deep in my writing that I forget there’s an untapped creative resource just beyond my cube.

Here’s an idea: Think of a question and go around interviewing your colleagues to see how they would answer. You’ll find that by exploring different departments, you’ll get some unique insight you may not have considered from your marketing perspective. Jot down the answers, and you’ll have a week of blog entries and tons of discussion starters for your social sites.

Seriously, don’t take yourself too seriously

I loved this article by Heidi Cohen about diving into content marketing, especially Number 5: “Entertain people.” Some of the smartest, most “sticky” campaigns I’ve seen (like the hilarious Old Spice commercials) are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. Now, this is usually more common in a B2C environment than B2B, but regardless of what you sell — from the latest soft drink to the newest call center software — you still need to make a connection with the person you’re selling to so you can build trust.

If you add an element of fun or personality in your white paper, or you start your webinar with a joke, you”ll break down some of the company-to-consumer walls, which will make your company real, personable, and accessible to your audience. And the more at ease your audience feels with you, the more comfortable they’ll be investing in you over time. Plus, no one’s above having a good laugh now and then, right?

Use social media for what it’s good for: Socializing

If you’re using social media, that’s great. If you’re using it to just re-post your content, that’s not-so-great. Why? Because social media isn’t just a place to add link value or re-post your existing content; it’s a place to initiate conversations around your content. Think of your company website as the hub for your content.  It’s where it lives, and it’s a library for the volumes of great content you’ve written. Your social networking sites are where the content pieces really come alive (which includes your blog) and gives your readers a chance to engage with you in a two-way dialogue.

For every piece you re-post on your social site, take a few moments to generate  questions around it that will spark someone’s interest. Then, take another few moments and scour your social connections’ pages and LinkedIn groups and post content that’s relevant to them or respond to one of their posts. This extra step of proactive posting may be just the right thing to get a conversation going and encourage other people to do the same on your site with their content. The next thing you know you’ll be engaged in a healthy, interactive exchange of content that builds not only your linking power but also credibility in a broader community.

What are some ways you find inspiration or bring style to your content marketing initiatives?

And so, although it pains me to write this, here are some of the dark sides of online community-building:

A.      Building an Online Community Before You’re Ready
Doing anything before you’re ready, or fully equipped, is generally a discouraged practice. The opposite of “analysis paralysis” this “rush to act because everyone has an online community” can actually be detrimental to companies looking to build their site. Without a carefully-contrive strategy that’s been vetted by leadership and all relevant internal parties, your community won’t have the foundation or nutrients to grow. Does your leadership love social media? Are they focused on your content marketing efforts? Is it all about the leads? And most importantly, who is going to support this community on an ongoing basis? Without getting these questions answered, a community might be dead in the water before it’s even live, causing you to lose credibility and stalling your progress in the online marketing space (also making you fall behind competitors).

To get ready, a company must be very honest with what its goals are for the community, and what its internal appetite is to invest time and money into the site. There’s a big different between a pilot community effort and full-blown launch, so don’t waste a lot of time or resources if you don’t need to. A “quick win” (i.e. quick rise in rankings, or certain number of leads) might be all you need for your company to determine how and why they should proceed with further online community developments.

B.      “Set-it-and-Forget-it”
Communities don’t build themselves, and they don’t manage themselves. If you build an amazing site and do nothing with it, you could potentially do serious damage to your brand. People will visit the site, see stale content (or no content) or an outdated design, and come to their own conclusions about the validity of your offerings. This ties back into Point A, in that you should know what your goals for the community are (and get alignment on them) before taking time to develop the site. When developing your site, be realistic about how much time and effort you’re going to spend on the site. Do you have an internal design team to keep your site looking fresh and SEO-friendly? Do you have enough content on your community to keep readers engaged? Are you active enough in social media to integrate those capabilities in your site? For these and many additional reasons, many companies choose to outsource their online community building and management activities to an outside firm, or certain elements of them. It’s a lot of work, and it needs to be done right in order to get the desired impact.

C.      Information Overload – and Inconsistency
You spend a lot of time building your company brand and reputation, but what many companies don’t realize is that in a short amount of time, a poorly-built or managed online community can take it all away. For one, your site shouldn’t duplicate your company website (see Point D for reasons why) or a place to just store all your content marketing pieces haphazardly. This is where strategy comes in, and where you need to determine what kinds of content will be best for your community audience and then test which pieces have the highest impact. Giving them what they crave (perhaps a “how-to-manual” or video) rather than your own marketing pieces will build the credibility of your site – and your company – positing you as an industry leader rather than overbearing salesperson.  Although many companies use a community for lead generation, be careful to balance what you “gate” (i.e. require people to sign-up for viewing) with what you offer in good will to your audience. The more valuable information they absorb on their own, first, the more likely they’ll be to trust giving you their information in the future.

It’s also important that your branding and messages be consistent across all your marketing campaigns, including your online community. If your corporate website is serious and stuffy, but online community uses a wildly different color-scheme, tone of voice or style, you might confuse your audience about what your company really is. Be thoughtful in what you want your online community to look like, and include, and follow through with it week in and week out. This extra attention to detail will make a huge difference in how credible and trustworthy your community is perceived to be.

D.      All About You
It’s so tempting to talk about yourself (isn’t’ that what I’ve been doing this entire blog post?) But an online community can’t be all about your company. This is one of the things most companies struggle with when managing their sites. You want it to be a well-branded, promotional site but you know that it needs to be educational, and encourage collaboration. So how do you achieve that?

For one, take a step back and listen to your audience. Visit other sites they’re going to, and join their LinkedIn groups. You’ll see the information that they post and like to share- so focus on that on your online community.

Think of your online community as just one pillar in your online marketing strategy, supplemented by your social media sites and corporate website. Combined, the three create a powerful marketing engine, driving your profitability and brand awareness. But, each piece of the strategy must have different goals and objectives, and when it comes down to it, your corporate website should be the place that’s “all about you.” Other sites, like your Facebook account or online community, should host a healthy balance of company and consumer voices, with more weight on the latter. Again, this is why many companies build a site through a third party or media site- because thought leadership and objectivity is key in getting an audience to trust you – and it takes time.

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