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Folio Article: Embrace Content

A nice pickup here from Folio magazine on American Business Media's Content Marketing Seminar held in NY in January.

What I thought was very interesting about the discussion of eMedia content vehicles is the intense focus on the content itself. The new eMedia concepts coming out today are great...wiki's, podcasts, eBooks...even second life. All of it is just flash without content. Content is what brings you back. It's that way with print and will continue to be that way with every new eMedia vehicle. With more marketers and publishers getting that idea, we are starting to see better eMedia content acrossed the board.

Labels: American Business Media, content marketing, Folio

Content Consistency is Getting More Challenging

New media is definitely making an impact on corporations. New positions are being created, such as "Director of New Media," "VP of SEO," "Chief Integration Officer" and so on.

Obviously, the opportunities are tremendous for new companies to market their services in new, exciting and targeted ways.

The problem...corporations are creating more and more buckets. The more buckets, the harder it becomes to create a consistent and ongoing message to customers and prospects. Obviously the Director of New Media is more about new media and less about integration...hey, that's the Chief Integration Officer's problem.

The Solution: CCO - Chief Content Officer - everything reports to the CCO (even customer service, thank you very much). Why isn't this so far fetched? Content is all about the customer. Content is how you create and cultivate a relationship with your customer. None of the other titles say customer to me. What ever happened to customer first? Must not have shown up on the first page of organic search results...

Labels: content marketing, new media

CMA Conference focuses on B2B Content Marketing

The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) is hosting a day-long session around the future of B2B Marketing. The event will be March 1st in Toronto, and will cover topics such as "integration of sales and marketing" - "best practices in creative" - and "creating a global brand," in addition to content marketing. I'll be presenting the morning keynote on "content marketing's role in B2B."

This is a first-rate seminar focusing on core issues marketers are dealing with in business-to-business. Hope you can make it!

For information on the seminar and to sign up, click here.

Labels: branded content, Canadian Marketing Association, content marketing

ABM Custom Media PowerPoint Presentation Available

American Business Media's presentation on "Next Generation Content Marketing" is now available on ABM's Custom Media Microsite. Click to download it in the lower left corner. Also available is a white paper and handbook on Custom Media success stories. Enjoy!

Labels: American Business Media, content marketing, custom media

Unique Content the Best Way to Build Community

Just read through John Gartner's Marketing Shift post today. Couple of interesting thoughts here:

- Nissan's Versa is sponsoring unique content around NBC's Heroes to target a younger audience. Another example of a large company leveraging the use of relevant content to influence and build a relationship.
- Gartner's comments on content marketing couldn't be more true..."for people to spend six figures on a purchase, marketers need to cultivate that relationship and tell a story, and what better way to do that then online?"

We've been talking a lot about making your brand relevant to your target...to tell the story. This is just the start. More and more companies are beginning to learn that relevant content, directed at the right person in the right context, is one of the strongest influencers marketers have at their disposal.

Labels: content marketing, unique content, web marketing

The Switch from Branded Entertainment to Entertainment Marketing

I read recently that the 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) announced that they were changing the name of their Branded Entertainment Committee to the more relevant, Entertainment Marketing committee.

After reading this news, it made perfect sense. Branded Entertainment could be anything that associates your brand with something entertaining. Entertainment Marketing suggests a behavioral change or action (since the word marketing itself suggests that you are selling something and looking for a transaction to take place) through an entertaining medium.

Take that example and let's look at branded content. If we use the same mentality, we should then take branded content and rename it content marketing.

My prediction...two years from now, branded content, custom content, custom publishing, custom media, etc...will be known better as content marketing.

See you then!

Labels: branded content, branded entertainment, content marketing, custom content, custom media, custom publishing, entertainment marketing

Content Marketing Catching On

Had the opportunity to present yesterday at an American Business Media breakfast entitled "Next Generation Content Marketing."

I've done quite a few presentations over the years about custom publishing and/or media, but I believe this is the first time I've seen real excitement from the audience about the topic. Content Marketing is truly starting to catch on. For more information about the event, go to ABM's blog.

The powerpoint will be up soon. I'll send out a note when it is ready.

Labels: content marketing, custom media, custom publishing

Shameless Promotion - But a Worthy One

I will be speaking with a number of content marketing leaders on January 10th in New York. Worthwhile for any marketer considering growing their content-based communications with their internal or external customers. Here is more information...

At ABM’s Thought Leadership Breakfast “The Identity Game: Custom Media Builds Brands,” executives from Penton Custom Media, Hanley Wood, Imagination Publishing, Idearc Media, and about.com will:

<>Show you how cut through the clutter, maximize your resources, and raise your brand's profile using targeted, brand-driven content.

<>Feature best practices and case studies on content marketing, discussing how client goals were met with effective targeting and usage of the correct platform for their campaign.

<>Takeaways from business and consumer-based models that can be easily adapted into your plan, elevating your marketing message and growing your business.

Member fee - $75 per person for ABM, ASBPE, BMA, CPC, SIIA & SIPA members

Non-member fee - $95 per person

For more information on this program, please contact Michele Langer at 212-661-6360 x3337 or m.langer@abmmail.com. To register online, please visit http://www.abmevents.com/.

This program takes place at:

Scholastic, Inc. headquarters, 557 Broadway, New York City

January 10, 2007 from 8:30 am – 10:30 am

Labels: content marketing

What's in a Name?

I have the privilege of being involved in a number of trade associations, including the Custom Publishing Council, American Business Media, and the Society of National Association Publications. For the past year and a half or so, the same conversation comes up with those in the industry - "What is the name of our industry?"

Strange question, huh? The industry I'm talking about is custom publishing - otherwise known as sponsored media, customer media, custom media, branded content, branded editorial content, member media, corporate media, content marketing, customer publishing, and yes, custom publishing.

Most involved in the industry believe that custom publishing is too print-centric...and they may be right. For example, when you think of custom publishing, do you think of a webcast, or eBooks. Probably not. Well, let's try branded content. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. Branded content is a buzz term for everything from gaming sponsorships to mobile tie-ins. Try doing a keyword search for branded content on Google and you'll see what I mean. I personally like branded content, but I have to admit the term is very broad.

So what will it be? Custom publishing out? Branded content in? Content marketing on the rise? Only time will tell. The interesting part of all this...five years ago no one cared what the definition was, they pretty much ignored it. Now, whatever it's called, is a force in corporate marketing budgets across the globe. Well, at least it makes conversations with my parents over what I actually do a little more interesting.

Labels: branded content, content marketing, custom publishing, ebooks, webcasts

How do you define Custom Publishing?

We recently did a survey for our publication, B2B Marketing Trends, about how marketers define custom, branded communications. There were four choices, custom publishing, custom media, branded content, and branded editorial content. I was interested to see the results, since the industry itself is struggling at what the words or phrases used will ultimately be.

How's this for results...there was a three-way tie...do you believe it? Custom Publishing, Custom Media and Branded Content all finished with exactly the same number.

My take - marketers don't know how to define this industry either. It's going to be an interesting ride over the next few years to see how this growing industry begins to define itself.

Labels: branded content, content marketing, custom media, custom publishing

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