Some Valuable Content Gems From The B2B Content Conversions Conference April 2013

The B2B Content Conversions Conference was held recently on 22nd and 23rd April 2013 - Times Center NYC. This conference presented key insights on how to manage the content lifecycle. The reputed speakers http://content2conversion.com/speakers/ shared their thoughts which were shared on Twitter -   #B2BContentEvent .

• 32% of companies have a robust content marketing strategy, up from 16% in 2011
• We're in the age of data driven marketing
• Content marketing has got to be about value
• Marketers need to understand when and where they see content.
• Lead Management is like scotch: Distillation generates value!
• Good leads are made through valuable interactions
• Offers are becoming content-like
• Marketing leaders save $10k cost per new customer compared to followers. Do it right.
• leaders say it takes 10 marketing touches to fully engage a qualified buyer
• top 3 challenges: need skills, content quantity and content relevancy for content marketing success Top challenge for content marketing: lack of talent and resources.
• Leaders are more likely to have a robust strategy in place
• Become subject matter experts to offer great content
• Content marketing is everyone's responsibility
• Content marketing is primarily managed internally because it is strategic
• It's content marketing, not content sales
• Leaders align content with buyer personas & the right stage of the sales funnel. Followers don't.
• Measure content specifically in the context of the buyer's journey.
• it is becoming more critical to bring Sales into the content conversation
• Think about content as marketing offers. Get granular in the way you measure content
• Content marketing is the alchemy of intent
• 37% of firms are managing it all in-house
• Think about the incremental value of content

• Content marketing is a business strategy
• We're not renting the media with content marketing- we're owning it!
• When you start a content marketing strategy , it can never stop. It goes on forever
• Content Marketing is creating & curating valuable, compelling & consistent content to change or enhance behaviour
• Content Marketing is a promise to our customers that we're going to give them something of value
• Content marketing should change or influence behavior.
• Content Marketing is a lot like sex. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you're good at it
• If you do not have a documented Content Marketing strategy, you don't know where you REALLY stand
• 85% of corporate blogs have 5 or fewer posts
• Only 36% believe that content marketing is effective.
• Have a content marketing mission- the ultimate litmus test!
• 600% increase in leads for indium when Content Marketing  strategy became 'engineers talking to engineers
• Content Marketing Mission: 1. Core target audience 2. What will be delivered? 3. Outcome for that audience?
• Think like a Publisher or Journalist, not like a Marketer, when developing your Content Marketing strategy
• Pull back - more content may not be the answer
• Develop content marketing mission first
• marketers are doing much and not seeing  ROI
• If you're thinking about video, stop thinking of it as an advertising piece. Look at it as a value-add tool
• The most important thing about video is audio, and keep it short.
• Think about ROO: Return On Objective,
• Have someone that owns the content feedback
• Content marketing is a promise to our customers that we're going to provide true value.
• Get Found, Get Shared, Get Leads
• Content Marketing's home has always been in customer retention.
• The biggest untapped opportunity for B2B content marketers? SlideShare,

• Features of the best content marketing: Utility, Inspiration, Empathy
• Want to make your content share-worthy? Think about helping your customers. What would they thank you for
• It's not about a task or channel, it's a mindset. Creating the kind of content that is sustainable
• Don't think content tactics before you create a content strategy.
• The best marketing feels like something you WANT to consume
• My pet peeve: we make Content Marketing  WAY too complicated!
• Content marketing can be boiled in the 5 Ws of who, what, when, where, why and then how.
• The best content is packed w/utility, seeded w/inspiration & is honestly empathetic
• The Content Team graphic  pic.twitter.com/EgBUYDpD4f
• Newer content channels popping up: Instagram; Tumblr; Slideshare; Pinterest all poised for growth
• Use social sites as storytelling platforms rather than just sharing platforms
• A real test of meaningful content marketing: would your network thank you for it
• If your customer signed your paycheck, what would your marketing look like?
• The biggest piece of being a publisher is to think of your content in the eyes of your customer.
• If you're thinking about video, stop thinking of it as an advertising piece. Look at it as a value-add tool
• If your customers love what you do, they will follow you.
• 2 things that go into the success of content: the science and the art of it.

• It's not about what we sell- it's about what we do for our customers.
• Our buyers are bored
• Our buyers are looking for marketers to feel interested in their needs
• In Content Marketing, act like a publisher—and publishers need to make money
• We're bombarding our prospects with too many messages.
• Our buyers are looking for marketers to feel interested in their needs
• Deliver what your customers are looking for
•  Stroytelling should be at the center of your Content Marketing .
• If buyers ask a question, you must answer - Deliver the answers they are asking for
• Create an editorial board @ your company if there are multiple people creating content.
• 50% of SAP's content is coming from external sources, including 100's of authors - Author Curation
• Author curation: Find authors on selected topics.
• Content mktg metrics: reach, engagement, conversion.
• Influencer Marketing is key to amplifying your content (stories)
• SAP is starting to include calls to action within their Content Marketing articles
• We exist within a content ecosystem
• The biggest challenge in marketing is to get people to stop selling.
• Content Marketing should not focus on talking about what you sell, it should focus on what you do for customers
• The blog post @BrennerMichael mentioned during his presentation http://bit.ly/15DVgVv 8 Steps To Build A Content Hub That Converts [Slides]
• Focus on subscribers as your conversion objective.
• digital attribution is still a huge challenge, with last click metrics still ruling the day

• Curation is everywhere, reddit, digg,etc.
• 32% of marketers share content from blogs, industry pubs or online outlets w/ custrs
• curation is relevant now b/c consumers have too much content
• Why is curation relevant? Consumers have too much content. Marketers have too little
• The content beast has a very high metabolism:
• think beyond your brand… include your competition
• 95% of marketers are using OPC( Other people's content) today
• CMOs care about both creative and metrics

@jasonthibeault Jason Thibeault, Limelight Networks

• Stories are a container of ideas
• By 2017 video will take up much of internet traffic
• You message needs to be connected regardless of device.
• Narrative arc is what connects us to our audience, gives them a reason to connect with our stories.
• The digital relationship pyramid  pic.twitter.com/nnBiTQgXzU
• If it is not connected the audience gets disengaged

• Content means Brand, trust and relationship builder
• There is no single attribution. It's a math problem

• Don't underestimate the importance of listening. Listen before you speak and develop content.
• Stopping and listening, and seeing what's resonating in a given market is key
• Listen to your audience and create content accordingly
• The days of the one-size fits all website text are over
• Don't forget pictures and graphics in your content. Images can resonate globally
• Common mistake in Content Marketing : publishing without engaging, not initiating two-way conversation with customers
• Revenue is important. but don't forget relevance & shareability of content to get audience to come back.
• If we're not all sharing in this digital world, we're doing ourselves a disservice says
• To get to the point of revenue, marketers must not forget the point of sharing (targeted/compelling) content
• Think like a publisher; be an educator. Your audience is looking for insights. -- Tell, don't sell

• Be provocative in content marketing,
• Content Marketing must be... simple, unexpected, offer credibility, have a motive and told as a story
• Instead of asking people what keeps them up at night, tell them what should keep them up at night.
• Marketers are probably the worst people to write content
• to make your content compelling, be provocative and snarky when writing
• Marketing needs to look like a Newsroom, not a cubicle farm
• Come up with a non-standard point of view and defend that view.
• Content Marketing must be... simple, unexpected, offer credibility, have a motive and told as a story.
• Serving a niche market is how you get BFFs - become the definitive source for that community
• great content doesn't distribute itself - split out publishing from editorial. In Content Marketing  separate editorial (is it interesting?) from publishing (medium, frequency)
• For a quick Content Marketing win, segment, then address audience needs
• I don't care how many people are tweeting, not tweeting, etc. At the end of the day, we're here to drive revenue
• Mobile content is a lot more popular

• 81% of b2b buyers start with search engines
• Optimized marketing means your brand is the best answer when and where buyers need it
• Must integrate SEO and content, but optimize for customer experience
• Anticipate demand with search and create [I would say satisfy] demand with content
• Search often validates what users find on social
• The definition of optimized marketing pic.twitter.com/lJHCYiNtc1
• Great content isn't great until it gets found, consumed and shared.
• Not everyone in your audience will be motivated by an infographic
• Be the best answer for customer needs and that matches your brand value
• Optimize for engagement AND conversion, then through to purchase and advocacy
• Optimizing is about making it easy to attract, engage, retain
• Facts tell, stories sell. Stories are essential for your brand. It's key to amplify
• Optimization is an ongoing process! If people have a great experience they're more likely to DO something
• every author at your company should have Google+ account
• 4 types of content: Evergreen, repurposed, curated, and co-created
• 16% of daily Google search queries have never been seen before. Keyword research is a goldmine for content ideas
• There are many content marketing tactics, but are they integrated? Alignment is powerful in the customer journey.
• Investing in high quality content doesn't mean anything if people cannot consume it, says
• You want to create anticipation
• Real influence isn't huge fan & follower counts, it's niche communities that take action.
• The quality of your content will contribute to shorter sales cycles

• You have to be able to understand who you're targeting.
• Target market segmentation is key in lead nurturing.
• Talk about the buyer's journey, the buying cycle.
• In lead scoring, pay attention to digital body language
• An innovator isn't about new products. It's about someone who wants best practices.
• 28% of invited executives engage in program after 7 months.
• Don't underestimate the power of e-Comms and landing pages.

• The average buyer is in the research mode for 4 to 6 days.
• Leads from content mktg are often not followed up for 2 weeks
• Wanna be salesy in your copy? You've got to segment your audience
• Video is most compelling content right now. Segmentation is pretty key too
• Key question: How do you get intent data

• You have to remember that everything you do goes back to the customer
• The key is getting the right content in front of the right person at the right time
• start Content Marketing by creating content that the sales team needs
• Social drives 25% of inbound traffic!!
• Search isn't dead - it isn't going away.

• Content development should be someone's job
• Only those who TALK to their customers know what their customers want
• Sales people should be educators
• If you don't have the answer, your competitors will.
• You can't really have a content calendar without knowing what to write about,
• Ask your audience what they want to read -- critical tactic.
• marketers should have content addressing the first questions your buyers ask when researching
• Only those who TALK to their customers know what their customers want
• 4 ebooks a year can fill up your content calendar,

• Nothing gets our hearts pounding more than video
• More effective lead gen with video by thinking outside the frame
• Traditional video is based on an old television model
• Content Telemetry = measuring content use, engagement & impact
• Engagement: moving visitors from passive to active consumption,
• If marketing automation is the rocket, then content is the fuel
• People have more tolerance for longer content with knowledge of where it's going and for how long
• When content is wired for interactivity, clickstream can be captured
• Adobe should allow measurement of engagement in PDFs.
• One can't make Spielberg production with every video. Need a strategy using multiple types of video
• The key to using video is figuring out how to survive the rest of that video strategy

• Use everything you've got to keep it personal
• lets its customer tell the story - the Adobe experience.
• Personalization drives easily 40% more conversion on our website
• Find your most valued area -- You'll fall fast, learn fast and reiterate fast.
• Adobe Target + Demandbase IP can ID who you are BEFORE cookies. Skeaky, but nice given how flawed cookies are

• The odds of winning today: 4 every 650 leads,1 deal closes in 19 months.

• Sales leadership will not respect you unless you have skin in the game
• A sales person is concerned about 2 things: time and money
• On average, 60% of all qualified sales opportunities end up in no decision
• Clever analogy of sales and marketing as relay race supporting the revenue supply chain: inquiry > nurture > qualification > selling

• Definition of sales enablement: content, tools & training.
• Its not quantity of leads, but quality and conversion rates that matter
• Contacts from a conference are not leads, scoring means getting sales-ready leads
• People don't buy from those they cannot trust.
• Sales is only managing 43%
• Use social to find, engage and amplify them
• Read the content your buyers read and share it across your own social platforms
• Enable your salespeople to tell customer stories
• Some see prospects, I see future advocates
• Social selling is different from social stupid

• You have to think of it through the entire spectrum.
• Sales enablement answers: what are you going to say when you get the meeting
• Give sales lead with a cheat sheet on what the lead is interested in to facilitate the first conversation