Digital White Papers

22 WWW.ILTANET.ORG | ILTA WHITE PAPER MARKETING TECHNOLOGY Straight Talk on Data-Driven Content Marketing This article will explore ways to use data to make marketing decisions throughout the process: » Creating campaigns to focus your efforts » Selecting your communications channels » Measuring success Creating a Campaign to Focus Your Efforts What is a content marketing campaign? By definition, a campaign is a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result. A content marketing campaign provides structure for a coordinated approach to the various marketing tactics you'll employ to reach your goals. A campaign has a beginning and an end. The most important indicator of success: selecting the right initiative around which to build a campaign. Be judicious! Consider only proposals that include these critical elements: Target audience – the more focused the beer. This is non- negotiable. Goals – measurable, reasonable, aainable. Commied aorneys – ready, willing and able to create content, share it, and act on leads. Selecting Communications Channels and Setting Frequency With your goals set, you must strategize on how to leverage communications channels and set a schedule for content creation. 1 2 3 Your website will always be the main channel, but which social properties will yield the best results? Your target audience, budget and historical data will guide your decisions. You must design a marketing mix specific to each piece of content created across earned, owned, shared and paid media. Next you will need a scheduling system to plot a consistent stream of content delivery. A content calendar is essential to your planning. Obtain commitments from your aorneys on the content they are willing to contribute and set due dates for each. Ideally, you will have evergreen content available so an unexpected delay or missed deadline does not halt the campaign. What is Content Marketing? The Content Marketing Institute defines it as "a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action." Your website will always be the main channel, but which social properties will yield the best results? Your target audience, budget and historical data will guide your decisions. You must design a marketing mix specific to each piece of content created across earned, owned, shared and paid media.

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