High-Impact Content Marketing: Strategies to Make Your Content Intentional, Engaging and Effective

Cover
Contents
Acknowledgments
About the author
01 Why It’s Time To Reinvent and Future-Proof Your Approach to Content Marketing
	Introduction
	Where Did Things Go Awry?
	Five Choices Marketers Often Get Wrong
	Evolve or Perish with the Status Quo
	The Wrong Shortcuts Can Lead to Even More Wrong Choices
	Change is Inevitable, Progress Takes Work
	About This Book
	Notes
02 The Must-Haves for Long-Term Content Marketing Success
	Introduction
	Content Marketing Too Has its Own Essential Elements
	A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing
	The Four Essential Element Pairs
	1. Behavioral Science and Learning Design
	2. Empathy and Inclusion
	3. Copywriting and Selling Skills
	4. Strategy and Measurement
	Notes
03 Needs Analysis: How You’ll Build a Strong Foundation
	Introduction
	The CATNIP Formula for Success
	1. Concept Based on Audience Understanding
	2. Applicability in the Moments That Matter
	3. Timing the Market
	4. Nailing the Execution
	5. Identifying the Correct Positioning
	6. Progressing and Evolving With the Customer
	What Do All the Elements of CATNIP Have in Common?
	What is a Needs Analysis and How Does It Apply to Content Marketing?
	Internal vs. External Needs Analyses
	Notes
04 The GIFTED Way to Figure Out Internal Needs
	Introduction
	Step 1: Get Clear on the Goal
	Step 2: Identify Relevant Interviewees
	Step 3: Finalize Your Interview Methods
	Step 4: Tailor Your Question Sets
	Step 5: Embark on Your Listening Tour
	Step 6: Draw Out and Prioritize Key Learnings
	Make-It-Easy Guide: Top Questions for Internal Needs Analyses
05 How to Conduct a Powerful, Conversion-Driving Customer Needs Analysis
	Introduction
	What is a Customer Needs Analysis?
	What Information You Need to Gather
	How to Gather the Information With COCOA
	Step 1: Customers: Actually Talk With Them
	Step 2: Ones Who Got Away: Talk With Those You Didn’t Convert
	Step 3: Customer-Facing Colleagues: Get the Voice of Your Customers
	Step 4: Online Sources: Scour the Internet for the Voice of Your Customers
	Step 5: Automated Data Collection: Round Out Your Learnings
	The Key to Everything is to Respect Your Customers’ Time
	Make-It-Easy Guide: Document Your Learnings For Easy Reference
	Notes
06 Decode the Competitive Landscape With a Competitor Content Audit
	Introduction
	One Big Caveat: This Isn’t “Simon Says”
	Get Decoding: Optimize Your Approach
	Step 1: Consider Direct, Tangential, and Disruptor Competitors
	Step 2: Figure Out the “What” and the “Where”
	Step 3: Analyze Your Findings and Learnings
	Make-It-Easy Guide: Track Your Learnings With a Start–Stop–Continue Planner
	Notes
07 High-Impact Strategy and Measurement Planning
	Introduction
	What Does a Content Marketing Strategy Plan Cover?
	What If You’ve Never Created or Followed a Strategy Before?
	A Content Marketing Strategy Empowers You to Build Your Own Treasure Map to High Impact
	CLUE
	Step 1: Compile Your Key Information
	Step 2: Lay Out Your Strategy Plan
	Step 3: Use Backward Design to Plan Content
	Step 4: Evaluate Performance With the Right Lens
	Your Plan is Your Treasure Map
	Notes
08 High-Impact Brainstorming: How the Best Ideas Are Born
	Introduction
	Brainstorming: The Origin Story
	How Does the Brain Form New Ideas?
	Those Brainstorms Aren’t the Path to High Impact
	Notes
09 Mine, Combine, Refine: Simple Strategies to Optimize Your Brainstorming
	Introduction
	Mine
	Combine
	Refine
	Notes
10 How to Make Inclusion the Default
	Introduction
	The Reality is You Can’t Afford Not to be Inclusive
	As Content Marketers, We Have a Responsibility Towards Our Audience
	Focus on Accessibility: Getting the Table Stakes Right
	Mind Your Language
	Be Intentional With Creatives: How You Say Things Matters
	Pay Attention to Content That’s Not “Content”
	Inclusion: All For One and One For All
	Notes
11 Time-Proven Copywriting Strategies to Keep People Reading On and On
	Introduction
	Dissecting the Anatomy of a Body of Content
	1. Next Steps: Start With What You’d Like Your Audience to Do Next
	2. Open: Get Clear On What’s Relevant For Your Audience
	3. Main Body: Cover All Relevant Details in an Easy-To-Follow Way
	4. Close: Reinforce, Encourage, and Inspire as You Wrap to Leave a Lasting Impression
	5. Headline: To Write the Perfect Headline, Write it Last
	There’s a Clear Path to Great Content
	Make-It-Easy Guide: How to Know if You’ve Nailed Your Content
	Notes
12 Build With Distribution in Mind: Less Effort, More Impact
	Introduction
	Same Concept, Different Times
	Same Concept, Different Audiences
	Same Concept, Different Funnel Stages
	Same Concept, Different Sources and Angles
	Same Concept, Different Channels and Formats
	Tailoring Your Content For Different Channels
	Find Big Ideas and Work Your Assets Off
	Make-It-Easy Guide: How to Analyze Great Writing to Become a Better Writer
	Notes
Index