Category: Content Strategy

Content Strategy Examples to Build Third Party Credibility

Robert Irvine book signingWhich content type do you think a Nielsen study revealed as being the most effective with buyers?

A.) Branded (owned by the brand)

B.) User reviews (comments, rating systems, online forums)

C.) Expert, news (articles, posts appearing on credible third party sites)

If you chose “C. Expert, news” content you are right. Posting content on sites that hold authority with your audience is a good content strategy to gain third party credibility. It builds trust. It positions you where you want to be with an audience that is receptive to your topic. By creating audience-focused content, not sales or promotional content, you can increase your content credibility through third party experts including publishers, website editors/bloggers, event and organization planners.

Publishers

When Diamond Crystal Salt wanted to reach an audience of professional chefs they talked with Plate Magazine about creating a custom newsletter that would be sent to Plateonline.com opt-in subscribers via email. Plate’s publishing staff hired independent writers to find and interview chefs (credible, third party experts) as sources for newsletter articles. Articles for the Essential Seasonings newsletter focus on salt-related topics of interest to their readers. Chef recipes are shared on their Culinary Recipes From Experts website page.

Another example of working with a publisher is transportation and hospitality security professional Shawn Clark of Clark Consulting Grp, who lends and establishes his credibility by writing articles for trade publications including Security magazine. His experience shows he is a credible source for the magazine and the magazine proves to be a credible source for him.

“The articles have certainly come up during projects; specifically when we are deploying one of the ideas or philosophies I’ve written about in the past,” says Clark. For him, writing articles provides an opportunity to share his experiences, ideas and solutions in a way that resonates with audiences.

Website Editors/Bloggers

A few days before the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, I saw this tweet from Swipely, a technology company serving the restaurant industry. The tweet links to a post in FSR Magazine, a publication that covers the full-service restaurant industry.

10 tips to rock the 2014 @NRAShow from @Swipely via @FSRmag ow.ly/wKfQL + a free tech guide ow.ly/wKWxN

The post in FSR magazine is titled: How to Budget Your Time at One of the Biggest Restaurant Industry Events. It gives ten good tips on how to do this with number six being: Evaluating Technology for Your Restaurant. After seeing some key points to consider about restaurant technology the reader is urged to visit the Swipely site to use their Restaurant technology grader. This post is written by Swipely content marketing manager Nicole Mongillo. Because the article is well researched with good information focused on a topic other than Swipely I think it passes as a valuable piece of content for the magazine’s readership. In this case, the website serves as a credible, third party.

Conference & Event Planners

When Site Prep magazine launched its first Site Prep Tech conference last year they included credible, third party experts such as Jason Anetsberger of Komatsu to talk about industry trends in articles that publicize the conference.

As part of a content strategy companies can also sponsor content as Vitamix does for the NRA Show World Culinary Showcase. Credible, third party experts in this case are celebrity chefs. In addition to events, companies can sponsor email campaigns and webinars to gain third party credibility.

NRA World Culinary Showcase

 

 

 

 

 

Associations

Big data company, Equipment Data Associates (EDA), joined forces with industry association, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), to survey construction equipment dealers on their marketing tactics. The results are published in the AED | EDA Dealer Marketing Report: 2014 Benchmarks and Trends in the Construction Industry, and were featured in an article in Construction Equipment Distribution.Teaming up with a trusted Association to provide valuable information to an audience can be very effective because the results of the survey are often shared, extending audience reach for both the company and the Association.

Finding or being the right expert and meeting the editorial standards established by publishers, website editors, event marketers, and organization planners will bring your content closer to third party credibility. Once you gain trust, buyers are open to your message no matter stage of the buying cycle they are in.

How Content Helps Companies Compete Beyond Price

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Customers are establishing buying criteria before talking to vendors.  To compete beyond price, vendors can create content that moves customers past the obvious checklist. Insight-led content can do this and should be a part of your company’s differentiation strategy.

In recent surveys of B2B buyers less than 15 percent see a big enough difference between suppliers to pay a premium. That’s a lot of companies competing on price alone. One way for your company to stand out is to create content that introduces new ideas that they haven’t thought of before. The ideas connect customer goals and lead to your differentiation value.

For example, Quaker Chemical, a provider of process fluids, recently rebranded the company to emphasize not only their expertise and solutions but also responsibility. One headline on the company website reads: ““Our Fluids Come With A Special Additive. Heart.” And, “Machine’s Quit. People Don’t.”

To get close enough to your customer so that they will pay a premium you need to know and understand a few things about them.

What are their top goals and hoped for outcomes?

What do they believe drive those outcomes?

How will the outcome affect them personally?

You can then connect the dots between their goals and your company’s unique value. Customers can’t or won’t do this on their own. Prominent in your messaging is what you’ve discovered to be the customer’s top concern and your unique ability to address that concern. See the John Deere Construction website page with its emphasis: “Building. Together. “

Good content captures attention. Introduces new ideas. Addresses personal value to drive action.

When a company listens to their customers, content writers can pick up on natural language used and incorporate that language into the content. For example, in the food service industry, a chef might say “slow and low” when talking about how to cook barbeque ribs. It’s relatable phrasing. Much better than “cook ribs for 2 hours at this temperature” because conditions vary for professional chefs and they like to interpret, rather than strictly follow recipes.

Insight on natural language can be accomplished through social listening on forums, Twitter and Facebook or through customer interviews. Vendors may not get the candid, objective information they are looking for during the customer interview so you may want to outsource this part. Connecting with content writers who understand this process will help you compete beyond price.

Is Your Content Marketing Program Ready For 2014?

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Below is a short list of what content marketers will need for 2014.

==> A content strategy that identifies audience, messages, timing, tone and channels. A strategy is designed to meet both project goals and audience interest. How will you use short and long-form content?

==> A schedule in the form of an editorial calendar that includes topic, writer, sales stage, keywords and due dates. The calendar keeps you focused.

==> Distribution channels that extend your content reach. Think about how you will deliver video content and slides, or sponsored content through trade publications.

==> Multimedia format to freshen more than your visual appeal. Go beyond the infographic to include sound, audience interaction and demonstrations.

==> Technical knowledge that leads to measurable results. Use your data to target, segment and personalize your content. Know what’s working and what is not.

If you are having trouble wrapping your arms around this short list, we at Content For Biz provide content writing services that will help you have a fabulous new year. What’s on your short list?

Why Ask Questions in Your Content Writing?

marksSome times it is not the solution you give but the question you ask that engages readers of your content. This is especially true in niche markets. A question can be a good indicator that your content is customer-centric rather than product-centric. Asking a question you are genuinely curious about lets readers know you are a thinker, not just a seller. Voltaire judged a man by his questions and Carl Sagan believed: “We make our world significant by the courage of our questions…” On a practical level, questions provide focus and frame your content. They give the reader a path to what lies ahead. Content that goes deeper than surface level yes-no thought is being rewarded by Google too, so give it a try.

Questions are powerful tools

If you want to create a positive mindset, ask a question. If you want to influence behavior, ask a question. That’s according to Professor Delores Albarracin Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in attitudes and persuasion. Her research shows that when you pose a question the brain begins a search for positive answers and recalls past incidents of success.

Here are several ways to cultivate the art of asking good questions in your content.

Be specific. A specific question helps you avoid the “we are for everyone” content syndrome. It hones your thoughts and those of your readers to one aspect of the subject. For example, “Why did we change the handle design of our most popular product?” Is better than “Why does design matter?”

Anticipate. Write about a subject of interest to you and your audience. Anticipate what question they will ask and pose it for them. In this way questions are a great way to share your expertise. Writing about maintaining advanced machine electronics readers may be wondering: “Will jumpstarting batteries ruin my machine electronics?” The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no (depending on the age and type of the equipment). Explain.

Stay open. Open-ended how and why questions will take your reader deeper into the subject. Do not ask about what’s already known. “Why do families eat out?” can be turned into “How many times a week does the average family eat out?”

Be clear. Keep yourself and your audience intrigued with clear, concise questions. Questions must not ambiguous. Identify which product or service you are writing about and under what conditions or applications.

Don’t assume. Leave assumptions out of your questions. “If everyone is using brand X why add another model?” Rest assured your reader knows that not “everyone” is using that brand.

Add complexity. A good question should have some complexity to it. A simple question such as “Will transportation companies respond to new legislation?” can be replaced with: “What are the common challenges transportation companies will face and how can this new legislation reduce the cost of transporting goods?”

Don’t overdo it. One or two targeted questions are usually adequate. You don’t want to sound as if you are drilling your reader.

A question strategy

Begin by finding a good content topic. Ask yourself an initial targeted question. Then sprinkle one or two questions strategically where you want to create a positive mindset or influence your reader. Of course, you should answer the questions you pose in your content. Credible third party sources, personal expertise, and data can be used effectively. Do your research.

Questions will help you limit your topic and the amount of research required to find adequate answers. If you can’t come up with good questions ask your top sales people. For example, when writing about how a company identifies decision makers avoid the yes-no answer. Here’s one from Rick Tiemann, president at The Executive Group: replace “Are you the decision maker?” with “Whose budget does this come from?”

English writer, director and broadcaster Antony Jay said: “The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions.” Go ahead and share favorite right or wrong questions that you’ve seen posed in content in the comments box below.