engaging digital by david tokheim

Becoming a brand publisher with great content - Brito

Michael Brito does a great job driving urgency around the need for brands to start taking content creation seriously. A must read for every CMO and individual who is tasked with engaging current / prospective customers.

An Analytics-Driven Approach to Becoming a Brand Publisher - White paper (CaaS) from Michael Brito

Engaging People Engaging Content - Ad Tech 2012 Presentation

Engaging People Engaging Content

View more presentations from David Tokheim.

Optimizing Paid, Owned and Earned

Nice article on content marketing.  Lots of real time learnings going on as marketers are starting to invest in "thinking like a publisher."

Thanks to Jessica Richards for her tips:

1. What are consumers already telling me? Social behavior, social trends, and search queries represent some of the best data for determining content needs and optimizations across all channels. It's easily accessible to advertisers and beneficial when tied to syndicated and longer term research.
   
   Example: Use data from Twitter, Facebook, or Google. The consumer is already being vocal, and as an advertiser you have access, so mine this data to improve content development and inform optimizations for existing content.
2. Is my content relevant to the experience? What is your consumer seeking? Take the research from step one and apply it to their experience, get a basic understanding of the consumer's needs in a specific environment, and make sure your content answers their question.
   
   Example: Mobile is very different than a desktop experience; the user is looking for different things tied often to their location. Luckily, because you have access to this data, you can customize content while bringing value and improving consumer experience.
3. Will the content be readable? This is harder than it seems because there are many formats, devices, and experiences where content lives - disaggregation of delivery systems is rampant across web browsers, mobile browsers, video formats, and social sharing - so ensure everything renders appropriately.
   
   Example: Mobile again, in small screens. Content needs to be simple and easily maneuvered; patience runs thin with consumers when they are looking for specific content and it's hard to navigate, so make sure the experience is optimized for mobile search.
4. Is the content being distributed searchable? The consumer has to be able to find relevant content; they don't care how a search algorithm works. Advertisers should know the technical requirements for all major platforms and make sure your content includes plain text so that it can be scanned and, in turn, ranked in all search environments.
   
   Example: Streaming video is increasingly more accessible in consumer search, whether on your website or across social environments. A brand's video must have text and relevant titles assigned to make sure it populates in queries.
5. Can I use what consumers are already giving me? Consumers are developing their own content daily. For most brands there will be instances where a consumer is doing the work for you. User-generated content can be positive if you find ways to highlight it within your marketing materials.
   
   Example: It's likely content about your brand already exists, but a brand can also solicit or utilize blogger outreach to acquire videos or content. This can be a low-cost opportunity to do consumer research and fill a gap in content needs.

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