How to Set up a Content Marketing Program with Influence in Mind

How to Set up a Content Marketing Program with Influence in Mind:

Though more and more companies are engaging in content marketing, they still may not be seeing the results they expect. Last week I blogged about Why Content Marketing and Influencer Marketing Go Hand in Hand after participating in a few consulting calls with Joe Pulizzi (OpenView senior advisor) and our portfolio companies.

This week I’d like to offer some steps on getting your content marketing and influencer marketing programs aligned:

1. Set your goals first. As with any strategy, you’ll need a map to get to where you want to be.
2. Think of your audience as readers. What do they need to know to be successful? What are their pain points?
3. Provide relevant content that presents solutions to some of the main problems your target audience is facing. How do you solve industry pain points?
4. Do some research on your influencers. Try to understand the content they’re looking for by reviewing their existing work, beat sheet, editorial calendar, etc. Remember that you may need to reach out to them to get this information.
5. Segment your influencers into influencer personas. Just as you have different buyer and user personas, you will have different influencer personas. Make sure you understand what each persona looks like, what their needs and goals are, what information they are looking for, and how they prefer to receive their information.
6. Determine the appropriate content types for reaching your target influencers and target audience. Different audiences react differently to different types of content. What works with one prospect or influencer may not work for everyone.
7. Determine if you need external sources to help with your content creation initiatives. Prioritize your content creation based on your resource allocation.
8. Track and measure the success of your content against your influencer marketing goals. Think qualitative and quantitative. Is the content helping you build better relationships with your influencers? Are you able to participate in more conversations? Are your conversations meaningful? Has traffic to your site increased? Do you see a boost in participation on social media?

For tips on which content types I have seen resonate well with bloggers and reporters, check out last week’s post! If you are completely new to influencer marketing, check out our series over at OpenViewLabs.com that breaks down the process from A to Z.