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The digital marketing agency for the construction industry
Content Marketing for
Product Manufacturers
FAQ’s
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OpinionCollaborations
End User Research
Keyword Research
Case Studies
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Technical Information
Broughton Manor, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9AAT. +44 (0) 1908 671707 | F. +44 (0) 1908 695376 | E. [email protected]
www.pauleycreative.co.uk | www.pauleycreative.co.uk/blog
@pauleycreative /companies/pauley-creative/pauleycreative
Content Marketing for Product ManufacturersBrought to you by Pauley Creative
Pauley Creative is the digital marketing agency for the construction industry.
Producing, publishing and managing content used to be associated with other industries but is fast becoming an essential part of any business. This e-book explains why product manufacturers should be using content marketing and how they can develop and implement an effective, measurable content marketing strategy.
Content marketing is about educating your market or target audience by using non-selling techniques often referred to as ‘non-interruption marketing’. It involves the art of creating, curating and distributing relevant content, combined with the science of measuring its impact on brand awareness and lead generation. Content marketing gives buyers the knowledge to make better-informed decisions so delivering the right content at each stage of the specification and buying process is critical.
This ebook will discuss how you can use content to demonstrate your technical expertise, build trust and provide solutions for common problems experienced by architects and specifiers. The integration with search and social is also explained because it’s vital to share and distribute your content through the right channels to increase visibility in search engines and on various social media platforms.
3
ContentsContents
Introduction page 2
Chapter One page 4What is Content Marketing?
Chapter Two page 8How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Chapter Three page 12What Can You Write About?
Chapter Four page 16How to Distribute Your Content
Chapter Five page 20Measurement
Summary page 22
Chapter O
ne: What is C
ontent Marketing
4
Businesses that succeed in developing timely, relevant and educational content can directly benefit from positive word of mouth from others recommending your products and services.
Quality content, like remarkable products, will initiate conversations and entice sharing, which effectively increases your reach. Therefore, content marketing requires businesses and marketers to think more like publishers.
Content marketing involves providing informative and relevant content to your target segments at the right time in the buying and specification cycle, in the right format and through the right channels.
Chapter One: What is Content Marketing?
1 Define your target audience segments and understand their questions.
2 Determine the best ways to answer these questions and solve their problems.
3 Produce relevant content and become a trusted information source and thought leader.
4 Build your online presence and distribute your content in different formats.
5 Besides learning from you, your content should convert leads into buyers of your products and services.
Chapter O
ne: What is C
ontent Marketing
5
Chapter O
ne: What is C
ontent Marketing?
6
To the right (Fig.1) is the AIDA (action, interest, desire, action) model which illustrates stages that website visitors go through from initial attention right through to the desired action when they are ready to make a purchase. The right content is needed at each of these stages, especially for achieving the desired goal; loyalty. Customer loyalty is essential for any product manufacturer since it’s cheaper and easier to retain existing clients and strengthen relationships than it is to acquire new ones.
Do you have content on your website or digital space which accommodates each of the emotions and motives shown? (See Fig.1)
Do you have the content to reward ‘loyal’ customers?
Any product manufacturer that has a website needs to take content marketing seriously. One of the main reasons architects and specifiers go online is to look for product information. The internet is full of information so there is a lot of competition from those companies who have already embarked on a content marketing strategy. Quality content in combination with search engine optimisation (SEO) is what will get your website to rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs) for keywords associated with your products and services. Can you afford to be losing traffic (and business leads) to your competitors?
Take a look at your website and read the content. Are you aggressively selling your products? Are you only talking about the features and benefits of your product? Or are you educating your audience on how this product solves a problem, deals with industry issues or complies with new regulations and legislation, supported by white papers and online videos? Most websites just display generic copy which is dull and doesn’t provide any value to your audience.
Once a prospect finds your site, you need to convert them into a lead. Getting them to subscribe to your newsletter or enter their details to download your whitepaper is good for data capture which you can later follow up with an email lead nurturing campaign. Some companies employ content managers or copywriters to write articles, blogposts, newsletters, whitepapers and other forms of content whilst other companies assign these tasks to current employees. It is up to you to make this decision but sitting back and doing nothing is dangerous. Several B2B studies have been conducted and all show the importance of content marketing, especially in this digital age. (See Fig.2)
(Fig.1)
“With content marketing you are progressively taking your audience on a journey and building trust, credibility and leadership along the way.”
Chapter O
ne: What is C
ontant Marketing?
7
Source: The Content Marketing Institute
(Fig.2)
B2B Content Marketing Usage
Chapter T
wo: H
ow to D
evelop a Content M
arketing Strategy
8
Magazines and newspapers have always been good at creating new content, re-purposing old content, planning editorial calendars and researching for new topics. But for construction marketers, this has not always been the case.
To turn your content into a valuable business asset that helps achieve business goals you have to develop a content strategy that helps marketers with the creation of useful, interesting, relevant and engaging content on a consistent basis. This content strategy is a plan for how you will create this goal focused content, how you will publish it, how often and how you’ll manage the content after publication. Without planning, companies may be prone to publishing content haphazardly (random acts of marketing).
Chapter Two: How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Chapter T
wo: H
ow to D
evelop a Content M
arketing Strategy
9
You might wonder why content is so important and what proof there is that it actually works. Have you ever looked back at the last few clients you attracted? How did they find out about your products or services? Did they find you online through a search engine, see your profile on Twitter or LinkedIn, receive a recommendation; did they read your blog or subscribe to your newsletter? What made them contact you? It is your content that increases your online visibility and exposes your company to an unaware target audience. When a prospect lands on your website how do you convert them into a lead? Most would say that their goals are for prospects to download a piece of content (ebook, technical guide, whitepaper), sign up to your mailing list (newsletter, blog) or contact you by phone. All of these goals are based around content. It has to be good enough to convince the prospect that you know what you’re talking about. It builds your credibility and makes it easier for prospects and leads to trust that you can deliver on what you promise.
Steps to creating an effective content marketing strategy:
1 Plan: conduct keyword research and see what architects and specifiers are saying on social networks.
2 Create: produce relevant content in different formats that answers their questions and solves common problems.
3 Publish: distribute this content through different mediums such as blogs, online publications, PR activities.
4 Promote: make your audience aware of your content through conversations and sharing links on social media.
5 Manage: assign roles and responsibilities. Who is responsible for the continued production of content?
6 Analyse: measure your activities, what content is popular and what is not. Is it leading to increased conversions?
Chapter T
wo: H
ow to D
evelop a Content M
arketing Strategy
10
Determining how content will help you achieve business objectives is crucial because no matter how good your content is, you have to understand how it fits into the overall business goals. “How often should I blog or publish an article” is a commonly asked question but the answer is different for everyone. If you have something relevant and useful to write about then do it. If not, do some research first and find out what information would be valuable to architects and specifiers when making buying decisions.
Business goals that content marketing can help you to achieve:
1 Increase specifications
2 Increase brand awareness
3 Improve customer satisfaction
4 Increase lead generation
5 Drive quality traffic
Goals and Objectives
To focus your content marketing and make sure it contributes to the bottom line, you have to set measurable goals for your site and your blog.
Chapter T
wo: H
ow to D
evelop a Content M
arketing Strategy
11
Source: The Content Marketing Institute
Define your audience segments and make a list of all the PDF’s, online videos, brochures, technical data sheets and tools which live on your website under each of these audience types. You can then easily identify where you are weak and which audience you have very little content for. For example, a collection of CAD drawings on your site is intended for architects and designers whilst installation videos might be targeted towards site managers. Conduct a content audit to establish what information you already have and what you need to create more of.
As products, specifications, legislations and design guidance change all the time, it is important to keep your website content up to date.
Your prospects and customers will need you to demonstrate leadership when it comes to keeping up with the latest changes within your own sectors or area of expertise. If they see lots of out of date information on your site, they could be gone and an opportunity missed.
Research from The Content Marketing Institute shows that brand awareness and customer acquisition were two of the most important content marketing goals for B2B marketers in 2011. (See Fig.3 below).
(Fig.3)
Organisational Goals for Content Marketing
Chapter T
hree: What C
an You Write A
bout?
12
Know your customer.
Content marketing is most effective when it is written, designed and distributed for a specific target audience. Define the different buyer personas, identify particular challenges that prospects are facing or how you can nurture and convert active leads. By doing this you can create content that educates, entertains or inspires the right customer. Too many companies publish generic content that speaks to a broad audience instead of focusing on specific customer or prospect segments. With a clearly defined audience, everything you create can be focused on what the potential customer needs to know.
A good starting point is getting the sales team to list the top 10 common questions they get asked. Answer these with detailed blog posts, whitepapers or a series of informational videos which will also increase your visibility in search engines for queries about your products or services.
Chapter Three: What Can You Write About?
Chapter T
hree: What C
an You Write A
bout?
13
Producing content on a regular basis can be tough. Many product manufacturers don’t know what to write about and what type of content is required to drive traffic to their websites, build organic links and increase conversions. More and more architects, engineers and specifiers start off their research online using search engines. Without publishing relevant content it’s harder for these prospects to find your content, product information and website. Having a corporate blog in the form of a technical product discussion portal can help increase your online visibility whilst providing a resource hub where you can prove your expertise.
Writing for the web is a notably different skill to writing for print publications. It’s often a technique that is overlooked, but as your website becomes increasingly important as a business tool, it is something that you should address if you’re keen to maintain a strong online presence. Great content is best optimised for the intended reader first and foremost because knowing who you are writing for is crucial. A buyer would want short, straightforward copy highlighting product features and benefits, whereas an engineer may want lengthy, detailed information and even expect to see an insightful, regularly updated blog. You also have to find the right balance between writing for your web visitors and satisfying search engines. Try to keep in mind that you’re writing for two ‘audiences’ and be as accurate and succinct as possible.
“Producing good quality content helps build links to your website, encourages social sharing, increases optimisation, online visibility and most importantly, converts visitors into leads.”
Content Marketing: 10 Things a Building Product Manufacturer Could Write About
Chapter T
hree: What C
an You Write A
bout?
14
Understanding what information or content is required to connect with your target audience and to get them to behave differently is key. Behave differently means to stop, read, absorb and connect. Specifiers are looking for content which will help them specify the right product, buyers are looking for content to help them source at the right price, site managers are looking for content to better educate themselves with the product which is to be stored, installed and carried on-site and
the Branch Manager for a builders merchant is also looking for content on how you as a business can provide them with the support they need to sell your products. So how do you deliver this relevant content which adds value?
Below (Fig.4) is an example of a content audit. Map existing content to your different audience segments to figure out what kind of content you need to produce more of.
Content Audit
The construction supply chain is long and complex with multiple points at which products and specifications can change so it’s important to deliver the right content at the right stage of the specification, buying, tendering or sales process.
(Fig.4)
Chapter T
hree: What C
an You Write A
bout?
15
Curate Content From OthersCollecting content from other sources to add variety and thought leadership into your marketing mix is a good idea. New content is constantly being created and shared online so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t share this with your customers.
Creating Content From SearchB2B buyers discover new services through search engines. They also look for recommendations and discuss what they find via search on social networks, forums, and blogs. To ensure that your content is always relevant to what architects and specifiers are searching for, create your website/blog content from search.
This technique can kick start a content strategy for construction product manufacturers to produce relevant and useful content for their prospects and customers. However, the technique may only apply to websites which have satisfactory levels of search optimisation and are acquiring a good level of traffic from search engines. This is because you will be using search to drive content to drive search. The role of keywords in a content marketing program come into play as a manifestation of knowing what customers are interested in and what their pain points are. What are they searching for? What are they talking about on the social web? By analysing this data it will instantly give you an idea of what content to provide on your blog or website.
First step is to open up the ‘Keyword’ report in Google Analytics and then filter the keyword report to show you search terms that contain how, what, when, why and who. What you should start to see are search terms and questions which can be used to produce the first parts of your content marketing strategy (see Fig.5 above right).
When you view your search terms remember to ask yourself “Does the content on the page they land on after searching for this search term answer their question?” If the answer is ‘no’, then go add value to the content on that landing page.
“Produce a weekly or monthly roundup of interesting articles you have read and that would be useful to your audience.”
Include a mixture of your own content and content that you have found from others online. Be sure to credit the original source which can also help with link building as they become aware of your business and might link to some of your blog posts. By doing so you’ll be keeping your customers up to date on the industry and begin serving as a gatekeeper to the best information for them. You’ll be helping them, while keeping your company top of mind.
If you are still struggling to come up with content ideas why not divide the workload between a few people on your team? Everyone has a unique writing style, different knowledge and varying opinions. Use this to your advantage. Your sales reps and your technical staff both have experiences or advice that they could share with your readers. Develop an editorial calendar with topic suggestions and deadlines so that you can manage what you publish and when.
Advice on how to repair gable and sandstone wall
How can a house be stabilised due to subsidence?
How prefabricated cladding is produced off site
When do you need fire doors in flats?
Why are pvc windows not used in high rise buildings?
What are the advantages of wood windows?
Who stocks chestnut timber?
Who manufactures ebw facing bricks?
When should a gable chimney stack be removed?
(Fig.5)
Search Terms to Help Kick Start Your Construction Product Content Strategy
Chapter Four: H
ow to D
istribute Your Content
16
You have produced a lot of great content but what’s the point if no one can find it?
Content marketing doesn’t just end at creation; it needs to be shared. Marketers have to promote their content as well as distribute it to numerous platforms to ensure that content ranks higher in search engines and gets noticed by prospects searching online. An effective distribution strategy is essential for success because you have to share your content to the right people, through the right channels and at the right time.
The more you create new content, or repurpose existing content for distribution through multiple platforms, the more visibility your brand will have in search engines, increasing opportunities for sharing on social networks.
Chapter Four: How to Distribute Your Content
The difference between promotion and distribution is that promotion is all about generating buzz around your content whilst distribution is a matter of finding a lot of different ways to get your content to appear in search results. To maximize content distribution, repurpose it in different formats so that it can be spread across a variety of channels. Your audience research would have established the types of content architects and specifiers prefer to consume and in which formats. Will you use email to promote your white papers? Will you blog about the upcoming webinar or CPD presentation? Will you engage with those who are at the ‘purchase stage’ with a product demonstration or promote your online product demonstration video?
It’s also important to know at which stage your content is most effective during the construction specification and sales supply chain. Are architects and specifiers most
likely to come across your content on a blog or through your company email? Or would they prefer to download a case study or short podcast? Remember, your content should take people on a journey and allow for trust, credibility and leadership to come through.
Define who your content is targeted towards and at what stage of the construction supply chain it needs to be promoted, then you can think about how to combine this with your existing communications strategy. Below (Fig.6) is a table showing what types of content are suitable for different stages in the buying cycle. Have you covered all these areas? Do your product brochures contain up-to-date information and could some of that content be re-purposed into a short product demonstration and installation video? Does your website have an online product selector to make it easier for specifiers to find the right product? Set out your current assets against your target audience to identify gaps.
Chapter Four: H
ow to D
istribute Your Content
17
Table
(Fig.6)
Chapter Four: H
ow to D
istribute Your Content
18
It’s important to produce content in various formats because different audience segments have different preferences.
Some architects might prefer watching product demonstration videos whilst specifiers might prefer to download technical guides or listen to podcasts. For example, the search term ‘what are the advantages of wood windows’ can be turned into a short video with your Technical Manager explaining the advantages of wood, which can then be uploaded on a corporate YouTube channel and shared on Twitter.
Producing Content in Different Formats
The content you produce doesn’t need to always be text based blog posts; it could be produced in video format or as downloadable PDFs for checklists and guides.
Chapter Four: H
ow to D
istribute Your Content
19
BlogA corporate blog is an information hub for product manufacturers where they can share news, thoughts and opinions on industry issues, company updates and educational content. Blog posts should encourage discussions (via the comments section) and social sharing.
VideoVideo content is highly visible and easily digestible. It’s a great medium for communicating thought leadership, expertise and opens up the possibility for creative, fun content. To increase reach, host them on video sites such as YouTube and Vimeo.
RSS feedReally Simple Syndication (RSS) is an easy way of distributing your content and ensuring that it goes directly to people who want to receive it. It’s delivered to subscribers as well as feed-catchers and applications that are looking for information containing specific keywords.
eNewslettereNewsletters provide a consistent source of useful information. They are a permission-based means of communication as people have to sign up to be put on the mailing list.
WhitepaperA whitepaper is usually a long, detailed document or report that educates prospects about a certain topic. It addresses technical issues or subjects that require intensive explanation and would be too long for a blog post.
eBookThese provide an in depth look at a particular topic of expertise and have become very popular. Complex information is presented in a visually appealing, reader-friendly format and is less technical than a whitepaper. eBooks can be condensed versions of actual books, stand-alone assets created to introduce an unfamiliar subject or useful ‘how to’ guides. When designing an ebook make use of visual elements, such as graphs, callouts and sidebars to highlight important points. Include relevant links throughout the ebook and end with a solid call to action. What should readers do next?
PresentationsShare presentations on sites like Slideshare to showcase your expertise and increase exposure. These platforms are great distribution channels and expose your content to a much wider audience.
Infographic Visual snapshots of research data and an easy way to digest complex information. Quality infographics are based on relevant data and tell a story or share a perspective.
PodcastsAudio content is popular for those people who want to listen to content on the move or away from their computers. Repurpose blog posts or videos into short podcasts that can be downloaded on distribution platforms such as iTunes. Many users go to podcast directories to browse industry relevant podcasts to download so the title has to be descriptive and also include keywords that will get it picked up by them.
Chapter Five: M
easurement
20
As with all marketing activities, you have to set measurable goals for your content. If you don’t, how will you know if your content marketing strategy is working?
Chapter Five: Measurement
Aim to answer these questions:
• Has your content increased awareness of your brand, service or products?
• Can your website (and content) be easily found in search engines?
• Is it driving quality traffic to your website?
• Is your content driving leads?
• Is your content increasing specifications
• Is your content increasing customer satisfaction?
Chapter Five: M
easurement
21
Define what a conversion looks like for your company. Is it a newsletter sign up, a brochure download or a product enquiry? Use data from your analytics to see which keywords and referring sites are bringing people to your site. What pages are of greatest interest to your audience? What content are they reading, sharing or downloading? Set up goals in analytics to find out what channels are driving quality traffic that’s converting into leads. Use theses insights to figure out what type of content is popular amongst your audience and refine the content (or web pages) that aren’t working for you. Remember that measurement is an ongoing process, not a one-off activity done once a year.
Below graph shows the increase in traffic as a result of increasing the volume of content online.
1 Set up goals in analytics to measure conversions
2 Monitor search traffic from search engines
3 Monitor links to website
4 Create content based on search queries
Summ
ary
22
When producing content think about what actions you would like your readers to take. Do you want people to share your posts and articles on social networking sites, comment or subscribe to your blog/newsletter to increase data capture? Make it very clear with strong calls to action. Be careful not to demand too much upfront especially as you are still gaining their trust. Having an editorial list/calendar will make this content production run more smoothly and all team members involved can add their topic suggestions.
Great, compelling content is highly targeted, relevant and will engage visitors thus encouraging them to either interact with your material and converting into a lead opportunity or share your content via social sites therefore creating more exposure for your business.
We all know that price, functionality and other factors play into the final decision making process, but it’s equally important to remember that buyers want to do business with those they know and trust. Creating content that also shows your human side is an ideal way to remind buyers that they are doing business with real people.
Summary
The content you provide to your website visitors is the key to success, not only from a ranking point of view but also a conversion point of view.
Audit your current content and look at what you already have.
Identify what your target audience wants.
Analyse the quality of your content.
Create the plan for how you will broadcast or publish your content.
Is your content ranking higher on search engine results pages and which keywords are driving traffic to your site?
5 Steps to Kick-start Your Content Marketing Strategy:
This e-book has been brought to you by Pauley Creative, the digital marketing agency for the construction industry.
If you would like help developing your content marketing strategy please contact us on +44 (0) 1908 671 707 for a chat or send an email explaining your requirements to [email protected]
Nick PauleyManaging director
Pritesh PatelDigital marketing manager
Ayaan MohamudDigital marketing manager
Helen LawsonSenior PR account manager
Subscribe to our monthly MDI articles for advice on content marketing and digital marketing in the construction industry – www.pauleycreative.co.uk/my-digital-insider
Broughton Manor, Broughton, Milton Keynes MK10 9AAT. +44 (0) 1908 671707 | F. +44 (0) 1908 695376 | E. [email protected]
www.pauleycreative.co.uk | www.pauleycreative.co.uk/blog
@pauleycreative /companies/pauley-creative/pauleycreative
