The idea of slowing down and getting organized is one we can all use when it come to our marketing, and our business as a whole.

It’s easy to get caught up in putting out fires and let’s face it–answering emails. However, it’s like the saying goes: we have to put on our own oxygen mask first so we are able to help others.

Here’s a concept we’re trying, and I urge you to give it a try as well: set aside one day a week for self reflection. Make it Monday, if you can, because research shows that if you wait until the end of the week, you are likely to be “too busy” and it will never happen. Spend this one day shaping your work week. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business, marketing team of two or flat-out just need it, you might try shutting down external distractions to focus.  Look at your marketing plan and use the time to set goals for the week, complete action items and engage in continuing education.

By putting your company first, you’ll begin the week rejuvenated and ready to give your customers the very best you and your company has to offer.

Monday has become our “RootedELM day” for discussion, research, evaluation and planning. With just a few people in less than two weeks, our team has accomplished the following and we have so much more planned:

1. Attended and shared content from Content Marketing World 2016.
2. Removed the posting date from all blog posts (thank you @crestodina for that advice).
3. Brainstormed on how to make the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time. (Meme’s and Buffer!)
4. Used Canva for Work to share responsibility in creating meme’s to amplify some of our more popular content using Buffer (also a new tool).
5. Evaluated several CRM platforms to enhance our customer journey.
6. Scheduled client interviews to clarify gaps in our messaging and service to become more customer centric.
7. Attended the Litmus Design Conference in San Francisco.
8. Set tasks in Flow, our collaboration tool, to make specific changes to the RootedELM website and blog.

In all actuality – Francis is a pretty fast character. In fact, I lose him quite often when he’s put outside to get a little Vitamin D. The tortoise reference by Ann Handley has been perfect for me because I’ve reduced distractions, taken back control and made time to focus on where I can make the biggest impact with my clients and team. AND not lose my tortoise.

Give it a try and let us know what you think @rootedelm.

Follow these tips to create content from scratch:

Ask Questions. Start by asking: What is the topic at hand? Who is my audience? How can I add value to my customers’ experience? Now write down your answer.

Don’t Think; Just Write. As your ideas begin to flow, don’t worry about making sure they make sense on paper. Whether you use bullet points, fragments or run-on sentences, simply write your thoughts as they come.

Step Away. Once you’ve written down your initial thoughts on the subject, take a break. Let the information sit for awhile and new ideas may form.

Refine. When you come back to your content, you will no longer be staring at a blank space. This is when the real writing begins. I like to think of it as a puzzle, and my job is to assemble all the pieces in the best possible way to form a complete and coherent vision. Another writer I know thinks of it a sculpting. All the rough ideas are written down—you just need to shape them into headlines, sentences, paragraphs and calls to action that add value.

Edit. Finally, when you feel that your content answers your initial question in the best possible way, it’s time to make sure it’s readable. This means checking for grammar, punctuation and making sure any needed links are present. Is the content too long to keep your audience’s attention? Consider breaking it into two pieces of content—two blog posts, two emails, two social posts, etc. It’s also a good idea to have someone else on your team read it to make sure your point has hit home.

Where’s that blank space now? Filled with useful information your customers will appreciate!

The best creative content in the world means nothing if it’s not presented in a way that the reader will read it–that’s why content strategy is vital.

Content strategy means the following:

• identifying goals to meet the needs of your audience
• bringing people on your team together to brainstorm and achieve these goals
• keeping a place to store ideas for future content (we use a system called Flow)
• listening to your audience through behavior metrics and simply asking
• determining where, when and how your audience will consume the content
• ensuring your audience can easily access the content
• portraying a consistent brand and voice – don’t confuse your audience
• giving action to take the next step
• reassessing your strategy by evaluating results with your entire team

However, you can have the best strategy in the world and lead the reader right to your content, but if the creative isn’t good, they won’t stay. That’s why creative content is essential.

Creative content draws the reader in and captivates them. It bonds them to your message and delivers your brand voice consistently, on target. It delivers an enticing CTA, so your customers want to take that next step.

A company we refer to often and see doing this well is Litmus.  They offer relevant content that can be consumed in a variety of ways – blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, webinars and conferences. For email marketers, Litmus makes it easy to search for content for ideas, grow your talents and troubleshoot common issues.

So how can you incorporate a creative content strategy to improve your email marketing program?

Bring a team of people together who are involved with the following:

• any form of content
• sales
• management
• valued customer

Look at your most recent email campaigns

• tracking
• engagement
• goals of email campaign
• conversion
• all marketing material – supporting or other

and talk.

• what percentage reached your goal for the campaign?
• is the email design clean and consistent with your brand?
• is it engaging?
• what about the content?
• could you have done something different to get the message out in a better way?
• what do you want your audience to do next?

It’s work, but it’s important work.

RootedELM can help identify and provide many of the resources and metrics mentioned to get your team talking. For example, by using Flow we’re able to manage tasks, collaborate and keep the lines of communication open. Below is a snapshot of Flow and an example of our team sharing ideas to keep the content flowing.

This week, emails that have given me pause all have one thing in common: word play. Check out these examples from my own inbox:

I admit I’ve always been a sucker for puns, rhyming and play on words. However sometimes this technique can be too much. So how do you know to use word play and when it’s inconsistent with your message? Here are a few tips:

• Word play works best for light-hearted messages. If you’re delivering an email apology about a backed up order, it’s best to stick to straight-forward content.

• Whether your word play is humorous, or just spirited, be sure the design of your email matches the mood. A dark, edgy design will only confuse your audience if the words are purposely whimsical.

• Don’t force it. We all have days when we think we’re hilarious, but if your message is too corny, you’re more likely to get an eye roll and delete from your audience than a smile. Run your subject line by a few peers to be sure the word play is instantly recognizable; you don’t want the audience struggling to understand your meaning. Also consider running an A/B split test on a word play subject line versus a more direct version.

Bottom line: Everyone loves a good play on words. Just be sure the message is relevant.

Effectiveness comes from knowing your audience instinctively. Are you listening to their wants? Answering their questions? Meeting their needs? Just “blasting” content to get something out the door isn’t the answer. Email marketing can be a challenging, unending journey but to be a better marketer, placing our audience first is essential.  

ELIMINATE THE WORDY EMAIL

Here is a collection of tips offered by email and content marketers (referenced below) as well as our own team of experts.

PREPARE

• Set a clear goal.

DRAFT

• Lead with a value proposition.
• Personalize in ways that give insight that you know who they are.
• Write for scanning using the “F” pattern.  People scan left to right then up and down.
• Be brief. Eliminate useless adjectives that take up space instead of adding value.
• Write for a sixth grade reading level.
• Watch including industry jargon – keep it simple.

DESIGN

• Use supporting images.
• Use a clear, strong and friction free call-to-action button.
• Lead readers to a landing page for deeper insight.

REFINE

• Read the content aloud to see how it sounds.
• Segment and send to those that will find the content useful.
• Test. Test not only how the email renders on all devices but test the message, too. Did your content resonate with your audience?  Did they engage or better yet, convert?  Did you accomplish your goal?
• Adjust. If you answered “no” to any of the questions above, then adjust and test again.

RESOURCES

MarketingProfs Take 10: “Three Principles That Will Increase Your Email Marketing Conversions”

Litmus – “The Evolution of Email Spam: Here’s How Your Customers Now Define It”

Litmus – “How to Design Email Landing Pages that Convert”

MarketingProfs University – Marketing Writing Bootcamp, 2015 “Improve your Marketing Content by Writing with Purpose”,  Amy Thibodeau, presenter.*

*Registration to the latest Marketing Writing Bootcamp course is required to access this resource, but the course is well worth it!

]]> https://rootedelm.com/blog/curating-content Wed, 05 Feb 2014 18:54:55 +0000 http://rootedelm.com/dev/dev/?p=1252 All this talk about creating content is terrific, but unless you have a wealth of information stuck inside your head, eventually the question arises: Where does content come from?

There are a few ways you can curate new content and they’re all surprisingly easy:

-Research: find the best information from other sources and annotate/organize it for your customers

-Your own experience: Tell your own story; Lisa does a great job at this on our blog

-Interview your customers: provide a mini-case study on the blog or answer a question/challenge

-Conduct a poll or survey: Then follow up with a blog that gives the results.

-Ask for a guest post: ask someone whose opinion you value to write a post you can share

-Reuse your best old content: Consider revising existing content for a fresh post

-Extend content: break content into several blog posts to create a series

-Take advantage of popular topics: When possible, tie your story to breaking news and hot topics

Using these simple techniques, you can generate content that is both meaningful and valuable to your customers without spending hours and hours searching for a topic on your own.

We love to hear from you: Share with us your own ideas for curating fresh content!

The number one question to ask yourself is:  What will add value to the customers’ experience? What are they seeking? Next, ask yourself where your audience typically goes to find content. Content needs to be written differently depending on where it will be consumed.

Make your content stand out

There’s an overwhelming amount of content already competing for everyone’s attention. You need to make sure your content is engaging, susinct and relevant. How can you do this?

• – Use a conversational tone.
• – Provide links, videos, infographics, etc.
• – Always remember that less is more.
• – Provide valuable information that the reader will want to share.
• – Make it easy for them to share.
• – Base your decision about the type of content to provide on customer data you’ve already collected, including preferences and purchase history.
• – Edit. There’s always room for improvement. Streamline your content for the best possible results.

Using these basic tips, you can create content that will actually get read and hopefully shared. Even better, you’re providing valuable service to your customers!