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PROPHET DIGITAL PRACTICE

2016

Is Your Brand Creating Valuable Content?FIVE QUESTIONS COMPANIES SHOULD ASK TO JUMPSTART A STRATEGY TOWARDS VALUABLE CONTENT

Creating Valuable Content 2© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

Many organizations struggle with content

Brands and businesses of all sizes struggle with content—the surprising volume needed, the lack of a central strategy, the huge investment in hours and resources, the inconsistent quality or voice, cross-silo logistics, new channel paralysis, or seeming lack of attributable ROI.

When harnessed correctly, however, and successfully connecting content to both business and brand goals, content can be a valuable working asset to achieve relevance and grow your business.

What we’ve found for many of our clients is that the starting point for tackling content happens too late in the execution, leaving companies to create ad-hoc solutions or settle by optimizing what they already have. The biggest benefits from content can only be achieved by first building a thoughtful content strategy stemming from the brand and consumer lens—much earlier and more broadly.

Creating Valuable Content 3© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

Content has many definitions to different people – here are the definitions we use at Prophet

CONTENT MARKETING

An approach to marketing that focuses on creating and distributing content to attract, convert, and/or retain specific audiences.

CONTENT STRATEGY

The overarching vision for content for an organization that dictates why and how to plan, create, deliver and manage useful and usable content to achieve brand and business goals.

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

The process of researching, writing, gathering, organizing, designing, creating and editing assets and messages for various channels.

CONTENT OPTIMIZATION

The process of improving or enhancing content to better reach and resonate with audiences to meet content strategy goals.

CONTENT MANAGEMENT

The processes, platforms and tools used to collect and store content throughout its lifecycle from creation and archiving to publishing and distribution.

CONTENT PLANNING

A process of governing, evaluating and measuring content that helps to identify content needs for customers and the organization

THE WHY AND

THE HOW

THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE

AND WHEN

Sources: CMI, Various

Creating Valuable Content 4© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

BUSINESS GOALS THAT CONTENT CAN HELP ACHIEVE:

The value of content is the action it can drive for the business

3 Customer Experience Improve your relationship with customers and their experience with your brand.

Marketing Optimization Improve the effectiveness of marketing programs 2

1 Brand Health Enhance the perception, conversation and behavior toward your brand

Revenue Generation Generate revenue directly or indirectly 4

Operational Efficiency Reduce expenses, find new ways to work 5

Innovation Collaborate with customers to drive future products and services6

Source: Altimeter @ Prophet

Five questions companies should ask to jumpstart a strategy to valuable content

Creating Valuable Content 6© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

1. Do we have a culture of content?Content is everywhere, produced by brands and by their employees. The question is if it’s intentionally institutionalized and championed as an asset than a consumable or cost.

Research from Altimeter, a Prophet company, found that “companies that evangelize, reinforce and institutionalize the importance of content are more successful not only across their marketing initiatives, but also with other internal success benchmarks such as sales, employee advocacy, customer service, thought leadership.”

A strategic, systemized culture of content with strong leadership and vision that supports creativity and even risk leads to increases in quality, efficiency and value.

Source: Altimeter, a Prophet Company

INSPIRATION

A strong vision accompanied by a high appetite for risk

PEOPLEInvested leadership, dedicated teams, and a willingness to collaborate with external partners

PROCESSESClear governance structure that enables speed and agility in-market

CONTENT

The integration of paid, owned, and earned media

Creating Valuable Content 7© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

2. How can brand and consumer insights be levers to unlock a better content strategy?Your brand promise and a deep, nuanced understanding of consumer needs and behaviors are levers to help you plan for and design more valuable content. They both need to be applied across every piece of content, whether it’s an article, a product manual, a video, etc. Applying both levers authentically will help you find the right topic, message and format as well as the balance between brand and product. Prioritizing one over the other won’t work.

BRAND PROMISE

CONSUMERINSIGHTS

SHARED INTEREST TO INFORM VALUABLE CONTENT

Key promise, updated and refined to maintain

consumer relevancy

Market / consumer sensing that informs what and how you deliver value

Creating Valuable Content 8© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

3. How can content be a value exchange?Content is not something to be blasted out or just delivered at the right time and place. At Prophet, we think of content as currency that has value to the brand and customer. Think about what (e.g., information, entertainment, utility) you are providing to the customer and what she or he is providing you (e.g., awareness of a solution, consideration for shortlist, loyalty to the brand, data that can help personalize, etc.). Content can be a valuable platform for reciprocal interaction. What is the brand providing? What is the customer providing in return?

InformationEntertainment

Utility

BRANDS CAN OFFER

DataInsightsConversionLoyaltyEngagementReferral

FeedbackParticipationCapabilities Building

CUSTOMERS CAN OFFER

INEXCHANGE

FOR

Creating Valuable Content 9© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

4. How can content create value throughout the journey?Many marketers default their expectations on content to help at the top of the funnel, building inspiration, awareness or purchase consideration. The truth is that content can—and should—build value throughout the entire customer journey. There might be an approach, for example, that provides a checklist to drive a shopper to commerce channels, an info-graphic comparing leading models, a digital magazine to earn sign-ups to a CRM database, and an interactive demo to help a new owner to get more from their new product.

DISCOVERY PURCHASE USESELECTION REPURCHASE

Boost brand awareness

Drive customers to commerce channels

Create purchase consideration

Increase likelihood to join CRM database

Gain user insight through engagement platforms

Increase customer base through advocacy

Drive cross-sell consideration for repeat purchase

5. Where does—and should—content live in the organization?Many people quickly bring up technology or platforms in an execution conversation, but process and people should also shape those decisions. Content is usually created in disparate departments–from marketing and sales to web and product divisions to customer service and human resources. This can result in fragmentation, inconsistent voice, and efficiencies. Altimeter, a Prophet company, has identified the following enterprise models for governing the orchestration of content within organizations to ensure that content is created in harmony:

Editorial Board / Content CouncilContent creators and/or marketing executives who meet frequently to align content

Content LeadLeads content initiatives editorially and/or strategically without departmental authority

Executive Steering CommitteeCross-functional strategic group

Cross-Functional Content ChiefSenior executive with cross department authority

Content center of excellenceConsortium of experts who provide leadership and best practices

Content Department / DivisionIn-house or agency group that creates a high volume of content

Creating Valuable Content 10Prophet Brand Strategy

Source: Altimeter, a Prophet Company

Identifying content needs — where to start

Creating Valuable Content 12© 2016 Prophet Brand Strategy

For many companies, knowing where to begin can be the greatest challenge. If you are looking to build a better content strategy that will engage your customers, here’s where to start:

Sources: Culture of Content, by Altimeter, a Prophet Company; Organizing for Content, by Altimeter, a Prophet Company; Marketing Still Struggling to Get Results from Content Marketing, by AdAge

Your Challenges Where to Start

STRATEGY

No Central Strategy

Lack of content that is strategic for the enterprise. What is created overlaps needs, isn’t aligned to a unified story, and can seem fragmented to the customer.

Design a robust content strategy and marketing approach, translating your brand promise and consumer insights. It should map to your business strategy.

PLANNING

The Right Content You don’t believe (or know) if you have content that can motivate and engage customers.

Create customer need profiles and conduct a content performance assessment. Follow up with a topic and channel strategy that creates value throughout the journey.

Volume Concern you are producing too much content — or not enough.

New Channel ParalysisPressure by new channels; unsure what to publish where, or if to invest in a new channel.

GOVERNANCE

Cross-Silo LogisticsUsing legacy models internally to identify, develop and govern content. Conduct a content capabilities and governance

assessment that results in an enterprise model for content. Make it actionable with resource planning, training, the right tool stack, a playbook and a pilot program.

Inefficient Investment Spending too much money creating and not enough on the content you really need.

Inability to MeasureYou don’t think your content is good enough, or don’t know how it’s performing.

Educate/Inspire

• Executive Workshops

• Speeches/ Webinars

• Trend Watch

Assess

• Audit & Readiness

• Targeted Assessment

• Opportunity Analysis

• Customer Need Profiles

• Making the Case

Plan

• Strategy and Mission Setting

• Identification of Moves and Methods

• Content Topics

• Roadmap

• Channel Charters

• Resource Planning

Support

• Playbooks

• Governance

• Engagement & Learning

• Metrics

• Technology Selection

Execute

• Envision and Prototype

• Pilot and Rollout

• Agency Briefs

PROPHET AND ALTIMETER TOOL KIT

Prophet’s content strategy toolkit is designed around client needs:

Chan SuhSenior Partner, Chief Digital Officercsuh@prophet.com@chansuh

For more information about content strategy at Prophet, please contact:

www.prophet.com

Mat Zucker

Partner, Digitalmzucker@prophet.com @matzucker