Increasing the Influence of Brands
Last week I wrote a post for Leo Burnett about how brands like IBM, McDonalds and Apple can start doing a better job spreading their content on twitter.
Category: Content Strategy
How to Not Freak Out When the Client Calls About Content
It all starts after the client reads something on Mashable. They come to agency day saying, “We need to get smarter about content. We need a content strategy.”
“Can you guys take a look at our ________________ and come back with a POV?” (Fill in the blank with brand, website, social media presence, and/or paid/owned/earned efforts.
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A small task force is assembled.
But you all have work to do. Stuff with deadlines.
Then the client emails the account guy. They need the POV tomorrow before they go on vacation.
The team scrambles and pulls a deck together. It’s smart, insightful and actionable. It’s also 2 a.m.
But the client’s reaction is _______________. (Fill in the blank with “I just don’t get how it hangs together” or “Someone from our digital knowledge center needs to weigh in on this.”
Now everyone is involved, and this is all anyone on your team can talk about.
A client has a suggestion. “Let’s audit all the content our organization produces.”
All 3,400 pieces of content.
Then they ask you to work with their other “digital” agency who “gets it.”
You’re heading to Starbucks for your fifth cup of coffee when you hear someone say “content strategy.”
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It turns out there are people who spend all day thinking about content.
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In fact, they’ve done what your client is asking for seven other brands.
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They’re convinced by your plea for help.
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A week after the kickoff, the content strategist reappears. You walk into the internal review more nervous than a nerd on prom night.
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But then they show you their excel spreadsheet.
It answers everything.
They not only documented every piece of content, but also interviewed eight key stakeholders and found some surprising insights.
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The team runs with it.
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The client loves the thinking.
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The “digital” agency is speechless in the face of your awesomeness.
The client signs a fat, juicy content marketing scope.
The creatives come up with an award-winning concept that gets people participating with the brand on the spot.
Everyone is happy.
And a project nobody wanted turned into a huge win for the team.
DeVry: Know How for a New Tomorrow
This content marketing effort caused more than a 30% lift in enrollment, compared with prospects who didn’t experience this program.
Project Objective
Establish DeVry’s reputation as a forward-thinking school that helps students get a job after graduation.
Strategy
Fuel and host the conversation around how America needs to get ready for the upcoming job shortage of 20 million college graduates by 2025.
The Work
We set out to showcase how DeVry prepares students for a career in the new economy by creating content about their unique partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, perspectives from DeVry grads working in the field and thought leadership from their best-in-class faculty.
DeVry already had programs and initiatives that were amazing proof that the school “walked the walk” when it came to preparing students for future careers. But no one outside the school knew about them. Our first step was to do a comprehensive audit and conduct stakeholder interviews to break down the silos in their organization.
Out of that, we developed a strategy that incorporated the best stories they had to tell. The school partnered with Fortune 500 companies to make sure their graduates had the skills those companies wanted, so we focused on one major partner per quarter. We found the students working in fields related to those partners, and told their stories to get prospects excited about those future careers. We also tapped into DeVry’s faculty and made them into heroes and thought leaders.
The result was a blend of articles, infographics and videos focused on generating excitement around a career change. After they experienced this content, we matched it up with one of the school’s relevant programs to drive them further down the funnel. The content was shared across paid, owned and earned channels based on a comprehensive media strategy.
Examples:
Results
We reached over a million prospects in just five months and our earned reach exceeded paid reach, demonstrating how we were able to create content that sparked conversations.
Most importantly – it poured qualified leads into their funnel. A prospect that experienced our campaign was more likely to enroll in the school and think favorably of DeVry
Deliverables
Content Audit & Stakeholder Interviews
Content Strategy
Distribution Strategy
Editorial Planning
Content Management