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Another day at Content Marketing World Sydney and we've moved straight into the nitty gritty. The focus has shifted from the bigger picture 'what is content marketing and why does my business need it' to a deeper examination of the first essential for content marketing success: strategy.
And while any strategy has a number of key elements (keep watching our blog space for more in coming weeks) what attendees today have heard loud and clear is that there can be no success without an audience.
And to attract audiences, you have to know who they are, what they like, what they need, where they work and play - and when. You also need to do something that many traditional marketers and advertisers find incredibly difficult: put your audience first.
Putting your audience first is a precept that, for journalists and other professional communicators, is second nature. Delivering value, offering relevant actionable information (yes, 'helping people') is part and parcel of what we do - and for many is also a lot of the 'why' we do it.
So when we hear people with an extraordinary record of content marketing success such as Julie Fleischer, director of media & consumer engagement at Kraft Foods, asserting that the prime imperative in content marketing is to deliver value, it really resonates.
When we hear author, blogger and marketing consultant Jonathan Crossfield talking about making sure we're giving our audience what they want to hear rather than what we want to say, it really is music to our ears.
This is something that we've been trying to persuade our clients, editors, advertising directors, marketing heads, CEOs ... basically, anyone who pays the bills - for years.
Because if you want to be a leader in your field, if you want to be the go-to person for that next investment, big mandate, major fund launch - or whatever, you need to show that you can deliver serious value to your audience. That means showing that you understand what it is they want, what their situation is, their knowledge gaps, their uncertainties, pain points - and what makes them sing. It means showing your audience that it really is 'all about you' - the audience, that is. In short, you must appreciate your audience before it can appreciate you.
There's a piece of advice we often give our clients, especially when they're struggling with the complex messaging and rigorous layers of compliance that they, as financial services companies, wrestle with daily basis.
And that is: show, don't tell. Which is what a lot of content marketing is all about.
BlueChip Communication are at the upcoming Content Marketing World Sydney conference, run by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) in Sydney on 4, 5 and 6 March, and are blogging and tweeting from the event.
We’ll also be hosting a couple of our own content-related events especially for the financial services industry featuring guest speakers from the conference.
At our 7 March breakfast for financial services marketing heads, Todd Wheatland is our special guest. Author and sought-after speaker, Todd is the Vice-President of Marketing at Kelly Services, a global leader in HR and recruitment. Kelly Services has led the way in content marketing for the professional services sector, showing how to tell engaging stories through multiple channels.
Speaking at our 8 March CEO breakfast will be Joe Pulizzi, a content marketing evangelist and co-author of ‘Get Content, Get Customers’. Through his think tank, the Content Marketing Institute, he has taught marketers and brands how to develop and deliver compelling content to increase customer loyalty and engagement. Tweeting as @juntajoe he is definitely one to watch when it comes to content trends.
