Transcription:

Intro: We know what you want. You want to reach more customers and grow your business.

But the marketing and PR landscape is murky and confusing.

Now, you can gain clarity with straight talk on the latest marketing and fundraising trends and technology from two agency pros.

Bryan Ernest and Rachael Holland from Amperage Marketing and Fundraising.

So, amp up your marketing with the Amp Up Podcast.

Bryan Earnest: Hello and welcome to the Amp Up Podcast. I'm Bryan Earnest here with my co-host, Rachael Holland. Today's Amp Up podcast is all about content marketing strategies. Hey, Rachael.

Rachael Holland: Hey, Bryan. I am super excited about this topic. It's one that's always top of mind for us as marketers, of course, and we're constantly hearing the challenges that our clients are facing. There's always that need for more, right? More content. More content from blogs and vlogs to podcasts and videos, PR, social media, websites. I'm getting winded here, but I think you get the point. There's so many different things that we can do with content, but having content marketing is one thing and a content marketing strategy, which we're talking about today, is another.

Host 1: No doubt. We hear from clients all the time, it's impossible to feed the content beast, right? All of the platforms, all of the needs, it's never-ending. But you make such a great point, Rachael. It's not just as simple as keep creating more content, it's really all about strategy. It's understanding what your audience needs, understanding the platforms, how different they are, how different the content needs to be created and formatted, and what kind of voice to use on what platform, et cetera, et cetera. But you know, we could keep talking about this all day.

Host 2: Let's bring in our expert guest, how about that?

Host 1: That sounds good.

Host 2: All right. Amperage's very own Vice President of Content, Annette Schulte, is joining us. Welcome, Annette.

Rachael Holland: Hi, Rachael. Hi, Bryan. Thank you very much for having me.

Host 1: It's so great to have you, Annette. Now, Rachael and I can stop talking about this and really go to a well versed expert. You certainly are that. You have an incredible experience in marketing, communications and news. We'd love to talk a little bit about how the news world relates to content today. Well, with all the tools available at our fingertips with digital platforms and now AI, we'll talk about that too, what creates memorable content experiences today?

Guest: Well, Bryan, it comes down to something really simple. It's about quality of the content. And what we are finding is that content created just for the rankings on search engines, and now a big part of the discussion is the AI content that has been created from dubious sources will not move the needle. Google's already taking steps to identify that content and rank it lower. So to really get traction with a content marketing strategy, it's got to be high-quality content. It also needs to have a sustainable plan because it's not a one and done approach. You've got to keep it up in order to continue to get Google's and your audience's attention.

I do have an example I'd love to share with you guys today, and this one kind of bucks the trend. Have you guys heard of the John Deere magazine called The Furrow?

Host 2: The Furrow?

Host 1: You know, I can't tell you that I subscribe to that one. That one has not been in my mailbox lately.

Guest: So, this is old school. The magazine was actually started in 1895, and it's incredibly popular with its target audience. Today, it has a very healthy circulation of 570,000 in the United States and 2 million globally. One content strategist refers to it as the agrarian version of The Rolling Stone. I mean, people collect these issues and they fight over them on eBay. So, that's how popular this is.

One of the things that John Deere's doing really smartly with this is they're regularly touching base with their audience. They recognize what's going on, right? There's all this doom and gloom, print is dead or print is dying, and they want to remain relevant. And so, they've surveyed their audience. They've asked them, "Is this working for you? Would you rather have digital?" Eighty percent of their readers, regardless of the demographic, said they would rather have the print version. And what they're doing to make it work is it's become a photo-heavy visual magazine that really focuses on farmers and the rural lifestyle. It's not a heavy sales pitch for John Deere equipment. So, their audience is finding value in this high-quality content because it reflects them and their lifestyle. It's just a great example of how the quality matters.

Host 2: Yeah, that's super interesting. Bryan, I'll try to fight on eBay for you, get you a copy. Now, you touched on a few things that I think are really important to call out with the quality piece, but also the frequency, the relevancy and then making sure that it's sustainable. So, I think those are all spot on. Thank you for sharing. Let's switch gears a little bit. I think that we've all learned that we have to pivot when it comes to current events. I'm sure this never happens. Content plans never get derailed, right? But if that were to happen, or are there other times where organizations should think about adjusting their plan? What do you recommend?

Guest: Oh, absolutely, right? Organizations work hard to earn organic PR and to help set the messaging agenda. But there are times where it's really important to be nimble and flexible, so that they can tap into current news events. And as we know, consumers are very trend happy. And so, this is one way for organizations to connect with that by bringing meaning and context there.

Another really good example of this is Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida. They do content marketing really well with blogging and video, and also really smartly tapping into current events. So for example, if there's a celebrity that is suddenly diagnosed with a condition, Memorial makes one of their physicians available, a specialist in this area to talk about what it means and perhaps the progression of the disease. It's just really smart content marketing that helps to establish that organization's authority on this topic and in the space.

Host 1: Oh, I love that example. And it's a great one, and the idea of just relevancy/ and I think no matter what industry you're in, right, there's certainly things that are relevant in the dailies zeitgeist of just paying attention to what are people talking about? What are they tweeting about? What's believe it or not on the news still and what's in the public consciousness and then how do you find relatable content to that? So, what other great examples do you have of content marketing strategy?

Guest: You know, another one that I would call out for you guys is a really good illustration of the fact that it isn't always words driven, right? Sometimes it's visuals. So take for example Rolex, longtime brand known for their, high-quality watches. They are absolutely rocking social media content and they're doing it with high-quality photos on Instagram and Facebook, and these are numbers that all of us would love to have. They have 10 million followers on Instagram, 7 million on Facebook. And it's because their content isn't just blog posts and sales pages, right? They're curating and creating visual storytelling through gorgeous photography. That also keeps their brand top of mind, right? It's also building brand awareness. So, it's a great example that the strategy can be about so much more than just words.

Host 2: Yeah, that's a really good point. Knowing that a lot of organizations don't necessarily have a content marketing strategy, or maybe they're pushing out content, but again, missing that strategy piece, Annette, where should they think about starting? What's a good first step?

Guest: A really good first step is what are their business goals and how can the content marketing strategy support that, defining the audience and where is the audience? I think, Rachael, you've made the point that they don't have to be on every platform, right? So if they know what story they're trying to tell and how they're going to connect with an audience, then they can figure out how to meet those goals by meeting that audience where they are. Also, it's totally possible to maximize their efforts by repurposing content, so that can contribute to the sustainability of a content marketing strategy.

Host 2: Yeah, that's exactly right. And with content and updating that and making sure that, you know, we're repurposing it, maximizing it, I would also just add to that, Annette, that adding imagery, as you talk about that Rolex example that you mentioned earlier, with those visuals, making sure that.

That's part of the plan as well. So, we're avoiding fatigue, keeping people's attention. we have to constantly pursue content like we've been talking about, whether it's, you know, some of the formal imagery that we have to use on a website. We're using a lot more informal imagery for like organic social posts. I would say we really have to look at it from a holistic point of view, right?

Guest: Absolutely. And video's a part of that as well, right? The needs you might have for your blog on your website for video could be very different from what you need for social media. And so, that just constant planning and accommodating for that is one way to do it really well.

Host 1: You know, Annette, you've talked about great visuals. You've talked about video content. You've talked about having a strategy. A lot of times though, it does come down to the actual message itself and with your experience as a writer. I think you pride yourself in being a writer in many formats. What is it that organizations need to do? What's an approach? What's a tip you can give them as they're thinking about writing and rewriting and rewriting, and rewriting and rewriting copy to feel fresh on all of those different platforms as they're writing new headlines, writing new blocks of copy as they're just putting out new tweets or new posts? What advice would you share?

Guest: I think there's a couple things I would share, Bryan. One is to make sure that voice and your tone fits both your goals for the content piece and the platform where you're delivering it, right? So, a white paper might be written with a more authoritative knowledgeable voice because you're trying to establish thought leadership, whereas your voice on social media may be more casual, more conversational, right? You need to tweak your approach to those.

In addition, I would say as you're repurposing your content, take a look at what things make it dated. Is there data? I mean actual data. If it's two, three years old, can you update that with fresher information? If you're using examples that feel dated, can you update some of those? Are there fresher case statements you can work into some of your content marketing, that sort of thing? Always looking at it really kind of like a reader. What sorts of things would stand out to you as making something feel old or not quite as relevant? And then, dusting that off and giving it a fresh polish.

Host 1: Great advice. That's obviously one more reason to have a good plan when developing content, because there's nothing worse than going out to a website and seeing that a blog post was from 1999 or that photo was taken back in 2019, you know, whatever it might be. And so, absolutely, have a plan for content. Keeping it fresh, keeping it real. Annette, thank you for your time, ensuring your incredible expertise. We appreciate it.

Host 2: Thanks, Annette.

Guest: Oh, thank you. This was great.

Host 1: Well, that is it for today's Amp Up podcast. If you like this content and you like what you heard on our podcast, please share it. Go to amperagemarketing.com. Also, if you get a chance, please rate and review us. We appreciate any feedback. On behalf of all of us at Amperage, thank you. Check in on another podcast and we'll help you move the needle.