Content Strategy At Work By Margot Bloomstein
It seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to social media, but how about content marketing? Let me tell you, I was in a meeting a few years ago with top-line executives, and they had digital media nailed down. They asked me: “How good of an expert are you? Can we test your knowledge?” So the first few questions were a breeze, and then it came to "content strategy." Believe it or not, I was stumped, and I lost that prospect. Then, I started reading every book I could get my hands on, but out of all the books I read on content strategy, this one had to be the best one.
Why? Margot’s spreadsheet idea is understandable, she provides real-world examples and case studies, and a step-by-step process! She even goes above and beyond and lets you know what to respond to your clients. I recommend anyone who thinks they “know it all” to read this book when it comes to online marketing. I’d be surprised if you don’t learn a new trick or two (or more) from this book.
My favorite example of all time was her Harvard Business Club content strategy. I loved the concept and the index card idea to help you figure how to determine the: messaging, tone, text, and design of your campaign. It is ironic how the most vital elements of a marketing campaign are often simple, overlooked, and not taken into consideration.
Now I am going to highlight a few of my favorite excerpts in her book:
“… consumers visit Adagio.com to engage with content that explains its origins, provides a quantitative rating, offers reviews, which appear with rankings and context.”
“… How do you make smart choices to ensure the content types, tone, and media in an experience support that experience in a way that’s appropriate to the brand and useful to its audience?”
“Content is a story. And content strategy is storytelling.”
“… how to tell the best story: what assets are present, what do they need to prescribe, how should they be arranged, and how should they be updated and maintained?”
In my own businesses, I apply this method not only in my content strategy, but also in my speeches at different organizations. Throughout many of my college years, storytelling was the way to get the audience hooked. Now, all you have to do is use it online to get them to feel the same way about your product.
Here is an example of a content strategy that was mentioned:
“Develop a plan to engage the target audience with content they create, identify and implement techniques to get appropriate and consistent content, determine an approach to governance, and monitor the content over time.”
“Decomposition is important to the overall project plan, because it enables you to estimate the duration of the project, determine the required resources, and schedule the work.”
These excerpts show you how Margot is able to define and demonstrate what she means when she talks about content strategy. She makes it so simple that even a person who is not tech savvy will understand.
“If you care about your client, and care about their users, you must care about their content.”
Many companies out there just seem to utilize SEO because they think that is the only way to get exposure. Others believe SEO is their content strategy. They are wrong in more ways than one! SEO is great for exposure but content is the foundation. I love her valuable content checklist in this book. (page 63) She does a great job of letting you know what type of content you need to keep on your website and what to throw out.
“Get clear on the idea: develop your story first, product second.”
“The key to selling Icebreaker is getting it on people.”
Margot makes a valid point it comes to products and selling. People want to use the product and ensure that they are not taking a risk when they make the purchase. How is your company going to ensure this?
“Evergreen content is timeless content that offers relevance regardless of the date or season. It’s easier to curate because it doesn’t demand you monitor, update or remove it because of internal details like references to current events.”
“Curation entails selecting and filtering content for a specific context so that your audience can take meaning from it.”
These are simple terms that all marketers should know about. If you don’t know them then you must read this book!
“SEO expertise is now being brought into content planning itself. For example, search phrases are being combined with keyword research and being brought into the editorial plan for the site.”
There you have it folks! SEO and the content strategy are both vital parts of your campaign. You can’t have one without the other. This is why this is one of my favorite reads. I have always known SEO to be one of the powerhouses when it comes to marketing, but now content is what sells.
Are you using effective marketing strategies to get your brand out there? Comment below!
P.S. To find out about the secret spreadsheet idea, you will have to read her book!
