WHITE PAPER The Power of Custom Content Publishing to Acquire and Retain Customers 1 Why Custom Publishing The Power of Custom Content Publishing to Acquire and Retain Customers White Paper Contents Executive Summary 2 Custom Content Defined 2 Why Companies Invest Heavily In Custom Content Publishing 3 Seven Steps To Creating Effective Custom Content Publications 3 STEP 1: DEVELOP YOUR STRATEGY 4 STEP 2: BUILD A QUALIFIED PROJECT TEAM 4 STEP 3: PLAN EARLY FOR ROI 5 STEP 4: CREATE YOUR CONTENT PLAN 6 STEP 5: THE CREATIVE PROCESS 6 STEP 6: FIND PRODUCTION EXPERTS 7 STEP 7: MAKE SURE YOU’RE REACHING THE RIGHT PEOPLE 7 Leverage An Integrated Approach 8 About DCP 8
Transcript
WHITE PAPER The Power of Custom Content Publishing to Acquire and Retain Customers
1
Why Custom PublishingThe Power of Custom Content Publishing
to Acquire and Retain Customers
White Paper
Contents
Executive Summary 2Custom Content Defined 2Why Companies Invest Heavily In Custom Content Publishing 3Seven Steps To Creating Effective Custom Content Publications 3 STEP 1: DEVELOP YOUR STRATEGY 4 STEP 2: BUILD A QUALIFIED PROJECT TEAM 4 STEP 3: PLAN EARLY FOR ROI 5 STEP 4: CREATE YOUR CONTENT PLAN 6 STEP 5: THE CREATIVE PROCESS 6 STEP 6: FIND PRODUCTION EXPERTS 7 STEP 7: MAKE SURE YOU’RE REACHING THE RIGHT PEOPLE 7Leverage An Integrated Approach 8About DCP 8
WHITE PAPER The Power of Custom Content Publishing to Acquire and Retain Customers
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Executive Summary
Since today’s savvy consumers want to make their own highly-educated deci-sions, marketing organizations need to play a key role in the transfer of knowl-edge and participate in their consumers’ decision-making process. The more valu-able content an organization provides, the more likely they will build and grow a loyal customer base.
Traditionally, marketing departments simply pushed products and brands out to their prospective customers. Today, marketing departments must think and communicate from their customer’s per-spective. To cultivate relationships with customers, marketers serve as consultants who engage in two-way conversations. Successful marketing depends on the continuous development of compelling custom content.
Custom Content Publishing Defined
First, many terms are used interchange-ably to describe this concept. A few in-clude custom publishing, custom content, content marketing, custom media, and branded content.
According to the Custom Content Council (CCC), “Custom media marries the mar-keting ambitions of a company with the information needs of its target audience. This occurs through the delivery of edito-rial content – via print, Internet, and other media – so intrinsically valuable that it moves the recipient’s behavior in a desired direction.”
Basically, custom content publishing is the creative delivery of valuable, relevant content that helps you engage with pros-pects/customers to drive actions and build loyalty. It is the fine art of communicating marketing messages without actually sell-ing. Custom content provides a service—it empowers consumers to make intelligent decisions and ultimately lead them to pur-chase your products and services.
Custom content is communicated across all types of media, including:
Marketing today is not as much about flashy marketing campaigns as it is about constant interaction and thesharing of relevant information with a targeted audience.
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63% say they have bought something •they saw mentioned or advertised in a custom publication.
62% feel that when reading custom pub-•lications it makes them feel better about the company that provided it.
Nothing adds more value to customer rela-tionships than giving them information that will enhance their lives.
Seven Steps to Creating Effective Custom Content Publications
Now that we’ve established that custom con-tent is what your customers respond to and what your competitors are investing in, it’s time to discuss how you can develop an effective custom publication.
First, what does an effective custom publica-tion look like? It is:
On par with professional magazine quality•Predominantly lifestyle-centric•Journalistically-written, objective content•Well designed•High production value•Targeted to individual customer interests•Trustworthy sources of information•
Content marketing is used by small, medium, and large businesses across the world, and its use is on the rise. According to a survey from the Custom Content Council (CCC), U.S. corporations spent a record $47.2 billion on branded content in 2009. Respondents also reported that 32% of their overall marketing, advertising and communications budget were dedicated to content marketing. This is the greatest-ever proportion of funds dedicated to content marketing.
Why Companies Invest Heavily in Custom Content Publishing
If you consistently deliver valuable, relevant information to your target audience, you be-come a trusted resource. And when consum-ers trust you, they are more likely to reward you with their loyalty and business. Customer loyalty translates into ongoing revenue.
According to a 2009 study performed by the Custom Content Council and Roper Public Af-fairs, custom publications influence purchase decisions and strengthen bonds between consumers and companies.
78% feel that custom publications show a •company’s interest in building good rela-tionships with consumers.
75% prefer receiving information about a •company through custom publications.
68% say that companies that provide •information about their products in cus-tom magazines help them to make better purchase decisions.
By applying the best practices of custom content publishing you can connect deeply with consumers in productive and engaging ways.
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Below is the seven-step process that DCP follows when creating a custom content publication.
STEP 1: DEVLOP YOUR STRATEGY
Ready, Aim, Fire
While producing compelling content and stunning design are essential, successful cus-tom content programs are about much more than that. They start with a clear definition of your goals and a deep understanding of your target audience’s behavior. The first steps are to:
Effectively get ready and aim before firing •off a campaign.Develop a strategy that carefully consid-•ers the preferences and interests of your audience.Identify the best ways to reach your •customers—by mail, email, social media, website, etc.Understand what drives their decision •making.
STEP 2: BUILD A QUALIFIED PROJECT TEAM
Keep Your Project on Track
On time, on budget, on target—the three important goals of any custom content pro-gram. To accomplish these goals, you need a dedicated project team committed to the project’s success. These professionals should have expertise in areas as diverse as reader research, art direction, electronic prepress, printing, web production and proofreading.
The core team should consist of:
Strategist: Responsible for developing a stra-tegic brief that captures your goals and objec-tives.
Project manager: Responsible for schedules and budgets, trafficking of materials, facilitat-ing communications between team members.
Managing editor: Defines and hones edito-rial concept, direction, content, and tone of the publication. Assembles and maintains the publication’s style guide. Manages the team of project editors, writers, copy editors, proof-readers, and fact-checkers.
Art director: Conceptualizes and develops de-sign structure and template. Presents design strategy. Manages in-house staff of graphic artists and production designers who assist in design.
Technology director (online projects): Works with the project team to define technology specifications for project and coordinates pro-gramming and IT personnel.
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Potential ROI Metrics
They include:
Transactional Measurements
Visits to a website•Specific actions while visiting website•Email click through rates•Email messages•Phone calls•Business reply mail•Coupon retention•Sweepstake participation•Reader survey responses •Letters or emails to the editor•
Business Measurements
New sales leads •Sales of products and services•Customer retention rates•Anecdotal evidence collection•Media interest generated•
Market Research Methodologies
You can also perform supplementary market research both in-house and in partnership with leading independent research companies through:
Measuring ROI is an important part of any marketing program. If you define specific goals, results can be measured. While calcu-lating revenue growth is self-explanatory, how do you quantify increases in customer loy-alty or brand awareness? By asking the right questions at the right time and tracking vital data, you can determine if your messages are getting through and how your customers are responding to them.
ROI Approach
Pinpoint clear program goals up front.1. Plan early how success will be measured: 2.
Which ROI metrics will be used?•How and when will data be •collected?Will we use control groups?•Who will analyze the data?•How and when will results be •reported?
Collect available benchmark data to clarify 3. starting point for later comparison.Develop a detailed ROI plan that clarifies 4. all of the above.Design custom publishing program to 5. achieve specific ROI goals.Explain how publishing elements support 6. goal attainment.Periodic review of quantitative and qualita-7. tive results.
There are a number of methods to measure a marketing program’s success. Which one(s) you use depends on the nature of your program.
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STEP 4: CREATE YOUR CONTENT PLAN
Make Every Word Count
To create compelling custom content that strengthens the bond between you and your audience you first must understand what is relevant and important information for them—information they can’t easily find elsewhere. Whether you’re planning a pub-lication, direct mail, email campaign, or a website, your custom content should set you apart.
Content Development Process
Plan• : Develop a content strategy opti-mized for diverse media platforms.Captivate• : Communicate objectives by using the editorial advantages of consum-er publishing. Define and hone a direction, voice, and tone.Inform• : Tell readers something they need to know, something they haven’t heard—and want to pass on.Inspire• : Give readers an actionable next step.Interact• : Invite readers to participate and communicate.
STEP 5: THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Strategic Design
Since first impressions really count, a sound design is needed to generate a remarkable initial impact. An experienced graphic designer can translate your objectives into a visual package that captures your customers’ attention. With communication across multiple media, you want to make sure that your branding is consistent.
Creative Process
Plan• : Identify design objectives for diverse media platforms.Captivate• : Communicate objectives by using the design techniques of consumer publishing.Differentiate• : Focus on the distinctions and branding that make your company unique.Inspire• : Develop creative solutions that are dynamic, contextual, and high-impact.Interact• : Motivate readers to take action.
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STEP 6: FIND PRODUCTION EXPERTS
While there are important distinctions be-tween writing and designing for print and the web, production is where these two worlds diverge. Technology for putting ink on paper is relatively unchanged since Gutenberg, while web production, social media, and mobile communications are an entirely new and fluid challenge. You’ll need to make sure you have the necessary expertise either in house or from an outside vendor to implement your strategy across all media.
For print projects:
Take the time up-front to make sure you •acquire the right lists.Segment your lists into groups with similar •information needs.Consider versioning options--Consumers •only engage in publications that immedi-ately appear relevant to them.Include lots of calls-to-action that allow •you to measure results.Make sure your lists are current and seg-•mented.
For online-based projects:
Track online activity to websites, social •media, mobile phones.Explore Search Engine Optimization oppor-•tunities.Measure engagement by time spent with •your online content.Look for ways to drive more traffic to on-•line sites through complementary projects.Customize email campaign for different •audiences to boost results.Track deliverability, open rates, click rates.•Test subject lines to improve open rates.•
66% say they are likely to buy from the same
company that provided them with a custom
publication.
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STEP 7: REACHING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
You can create a brilliant custom content piece with poetic prose and artistic graphics, but its ultimate effectiveness relies heavily on getting the message in front of the right eye-balls. If your target audience doesn’t get to see your message, everything else is irrelevant. That’s why you have to pay close attention to managing your distribution and measuring the results.
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Leverage An Integrated Approach
Traditionally, custom content was commu-nicated primarily through print magazines and newsletters. While these vehicles are still very well received by consumers, there are so many other effective ways to reach people to-day. Once you’ve invested in the development of valuable custom content, it’s wise to make it available to your audience across all media. For example, after you create a 16-page print newsletter that is mailed to a targeted list, you should leverage the campaign with the following actions:
Post the newsletter on your website or •create a newsletter micrositeSend an email to your subscribers inviting •them to view the online publicationCreate an email newsletter with links to •the key storiesBring the print publication to life with •complementary pieces online:
Videos »Podcasts/Audio Productions »Related articles that expand on a topic »Write blog entries about the key articles »in the newsletterTalk about the relevant content on your »social media sites
The more touches you have with your existing and prospective customers, the more they are thinking about your products and services.
About DCP
About Diablo Custom PublishingDCP (www.dcpubs.com), the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading custom publisher, provides complete print and online custom content services to a diverse group of clients, includ-ing the American Cancer Society, Catholic Healthcare West, Comcast, Chevron, the Oakland Athletics, and the San Francisco Gi-ants. With over 30 years experience and an award-winning creative team, DCP develops integrated marketing programs that help companies communicate brand value, deepen customer loyalty, and increase revenue. DCP is part of the Diablo Publications group, one of the country’s largest independent regional publishers.
