Category: Content Strategy

Drink This, Eat That, Buy Me Now: The Stories That Convince

7/31/2018

By Maureen Jann and Paula Kiger

Dear readers: take a look around at your environment (then come back to this post, please!). I’m guessing that for many of you, there’s a bottle of water not too far away. You may be drinking it as you read. Maybe you're in a restaurant or coffee shop, where purchasing a bottle of water is an option, or in a home where the fridge has at least one bottle (or even a case) of the stuff.

Bottles of water are everywhere, the fact remains. Many of us reflexively grab one on the way out the door, despite environmental ramifications (buy a reusable one, they're great!). Have you ever wondered: what story was told about bottled water that made it so ubiquitous?

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Customer Personas: Turning Data Into Personas

6/19/2018

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Back in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat about customer personas, and since then I’ve been sharing the highlights of the conversation in a series of blogs. Part 1 was about what you need to know before you start the process of persona development. Part 2 focused on getting to know your customers. In this, the final installment, I’m talking about pulling together all of that work you did to finally create your customer personas. Enjoy!

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Buyer Personas: Getting to Know Your Customers

6/5/2018

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Early in May, I was the expert on Erika Heald’s tweetchat #ContentChat. The topic was a deep dive on personas: why they’re important, what (and who) who you need to create them, and how to put them into a format that’s usable and helpful. The conversation was so rich I felt compelled to share some of the highlights — and there were a lot! In Part 1 of the blog series, I covered what you need to know before you start the process of persona development. Now, in Part 2, we’ll dig in and focus on getting to know your customers! And if you're interested in skipping ahead, read Part 3 .

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What's the Point of a Content Strategy?

7/24/2017

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I’m sure you’ve been pressured by various people to blog, do social media, yadda, yadda, yadda. You might even be doing some of that. But when resources are tight and you’re down to the wire, you might be asking yourself…

Why should you have a content strategy at all?

As with anything, a directed and cohesive plan will help you be more successful. Sometimes the road is longer and bumpier with gold at the end of the rainbow and sometimes you’ll see swift results like an eagle, or some junk. No matter what, you can’t go wrong with having a strong content and measurement strategy. If you choose to invest and effectively measure your content efforts over the haul, you’ll get results.

So, let’s get to the nitty gritty: how can a content strategy help you win more business?

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Should You Write About Your Products on Your Blog?

7/17/2017

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It can seem questionable to write about your products or services on your blog. And sometimes it is. If you do it wrong, it can go south pretty quickly. If you keep one rule of thumb in mind when you're creating blog articles, no matter what the topic is, you'll be fine:

What would help the customer?

Blogging about products the wrong way.

There are a few things that happen when companies get a little too lackadaisical about this rule of thumb. Here's the most common mistakes:

There's no compelling reason to talk about their products. They're just selling. It's boring and, honestly, no one cares.
The blog sounds like marketing gibberish. As soon as your blogging doesn't sound like a human, you've lost your audience.
The blog doesn't illustrate the value of the product in a way that's interesting to the reader.

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Building a Content Strategy: Three-Layer Cake-Style

7/5/2017

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Content strategies can feel hard. Especially if you’re too close to it. I could make a case that this is the perfect reason to involve someone who can help you with it, but it feels too salesy, so forget I said that. What I would like to encourage you to do is think about your content in context of something more fun and light hearted. Something delicious and that draws you back to a time where big wheels, swings and birthday presents were at the forefront of your mind. I’m talking about cake.

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Why is Content Strategy Important?

7/4/2017

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You’re excited about your new business or campaign. You’re ready to shout it from the rooftops. But wait (I really want a sound effect here of a car screeching to a halt, so, imagine that here)! You need to ensure that you’re creating a foundation for success. I’m not talking about a 3-month study or a 3 weeks of strategy meetings, but I am talking about doing some initial planning to ensure that the content you’re producing actually supports the goals of your program.

What’s the deal with content strategy?

The good news is, taking time to do a content strategy now means a lot less work later. Creating a cohesive content strategy will be the foundation of the SEO, blog, and social media strategy for your efforts. Planning ahead means that you will literally get the most out of your investment.

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Top Shelf Marketing

Drink This, Eat That, Buy Me Now: The Stories That Convince

Customer Personas: Turning Data Into Personas

Buyer Personas: Getting to Know Your Customers

What's the Point of a Content Strategy?

Why should you have a content strategy at all?

Should You Write About Your Products on Your Blog?

Blogging about products the wrong way.

Building a Content Strategy: Three-Layer Cake-Style

Why is Content Strategy Important?

What’s the deal with content strategy?

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Maureen Jann

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