7 deadly sins of content generation

1 GREED

MORE CONTENT DOESN’T NECESSARILY EQUAL BETTER CONTENT

Whether it’s 500, 2000 or more words, don’t make the mistake of undermining the value by simply adding to the volume.

Remember your audience is time poor and message rich, so they need to absorb your salient points as succinctly as possible. Everything you produce should be more engaging, not just longer than what your competitors are currently producing. Give them a reason to connect with you, share your content, and come back for more.

2 GLUTTONY

DON’T OVERINDULGE IN HOT TOPICS

Writing about trending topics can often help with immediate views and shares. The same could be said for time-sensitive content. The problem with that kind of content is that it’s not ‘evergreen’. While it may generate an influx of short-term interest, it doesn’t have lasting value. It soon becomes obsolete.

Don’t overlook the value of less ‘de rigeur’ but more stalwart evergreen content generated from case studies, how-to’s, testimonials, thought-leadership and educational content.

Incorporate both types of into your content marketing strategy so that your audience gets a more appropriate and meaningful mix.

3 SLOTH

STICKING TO THE SAME OLD

One of the areas where content marketing often fall short is in content promotion. If you’re not exploiting new content via new routes, you’re significantly limiting its impact.

Remember that one piece of content can be used in many ways from PR and lead nurturing to social, website and email marketing. The reach of a good piece of content is limitless so don’t forget to try new tactics of engagement. Test new writing styles, imagery, video content, infographics, short films, use influencers or brand ambassadors. See who responds to what then test again.

You should also look for new promotional methods:

  • Engage influencers using the Connector tool from ContentMarketer.io to help you build relationships and get your content shared by those influencers
  • Use a service like Quuu.co to promote your content to others who are looking for content to curate
  • Retarget your audience with your content by using a service like Outbrain or Zemanta

4 ENVY

DON’T COVET YOUR COMPETITORS’ CONTENT

Don’t fall in to the trap of ‘me-too marketing’. While it’s healthy for your brand to keep an eye on competitors, don’t mimic content from companies with different goals.

If you’re not creating unique pieces, ultimately the value of that content is limited.

But equally don’t make the mistake of creating content just for the sake of creating content. Know your audience and pay close attention to what they want from you and adjust accordingly.

5 WRATH

DON’T BE NAMED OR SHUNNED

Regularity and quality of content creation is key. Don’t go quiet on your audience or they will find a new voice to listen to – formulate a content plan and stick to it – then review and enhance it.

When contact quality and frequency drops off, you remove a point of engagement with your audience who may rant and vent their frustrations on social media which can adversely impact on your brand equity.

6 PRIDE

TOO FOCUSED ON “ME”

Without understanding your target audience, the content you create is far less likely to connect. That means less engagement, less interest and less sharing.

Take the time to know your audience as part of your strategy and if necessary segment or even micro-segment them. Know what bothers and excites them and what issues are occupying their thoughts and what trends are driving their behaviours. Then write content that targets those issues and interests for each segment.

Don’t over-focus on what you can get out of it: leads, referral traffic, new business, and social recognition – when you’re too focused on “me”, it’s difficult to provide significant value.

Provide substantial thought provocation and always question the value of the content you produce. Your reader should always have actionable takeaways from everything you produce.

7 LUST

LONGING FOR IMMEDIATE RESULTS

If you think your content marketing efforts are going to instantly convert into sales, social aplomb or lead generation think again. Content marketing isn’t paid search. It doesn’t convert first time.

It’s impossible to say what will work initially. Understanding your audience is a good start, but even then, you’ll have some trial and error. Some content will do really well, and some won’t. KPIs, testing and measurement are important parts of creating your content strategy for this very reason.

4 reasons why good content and PR improves your Google rankings

FACT 1

HIGH QUALITY, FRESH CONTENT = INCREASED ENGAGEMENT = PEOPLE SPENDING LONGER ON YOUR WEBSITE = A HIGHER GOOGLE RANKING

  • High quality and engaging content not only adds credibility and creates better engagement, it also improves SEO by boosting time on site. High quality content = increased engagement = higher dwell time = improved SEO. 
  • Time on site is still a powerful Google ranking factor along with topicality (thank you Google Freshness Algorithm) – so the more up-to-date and stickier your site is and the lower the bounce rates, again the higher up the rankings your site will climb. This is because Google can be confident that it is taking users through to relevant content which keeps their interest.

FACT 2

LINKS BACK FROM QUALITY, OBJECTIVE SITES (SUCH AS ONLINE MEDIA) = GOOGLE THINKS YOU ARE MORE CREDIBLE = A HIGHER GOOGLE RANKING

  • Content is still king for SEO, but links are still very important. Not the link farm links of before; authoritative links from trustworthy, highly relevant sites. 
  • If you are regularly creating good quality content, you can also share it online via guest blogs or PR (feature articles or press stories). This creates valuable embedded backlinks from high authority online media and news sites to your website, helping your site to look more credible and impacting on natural search rankings.

FACT 3

GOOD QUALITY CONTENT THAT ANSWER PEOPLES’ QUESTIONS = GOOGLE THINK YOU’RE AUTHORITATIVE = OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN FEATURED SPOTS AND A #0 RANKING

  • Google’s mission is to organise information and to make it accessible. One of the ways it does this is to publish featured snippets – summarized answers to a search query – and to predict the questions people are asking for all topics, products and services at the top of its search results Using machine learning and AI, it will auto-suggest the latter in a ‘people also ask’ panel.
  • Authoritative website content that answers the questions your customers and prospects may be searching for can help you to be featured in Google’s ‘featured’ automated responses.
  • The opportunities for this increase when the content is structured in an FAQ format and when supporting PR campaigns help to increase the web traffic they receive.

FACT 4

MORE CONTENT MEANS MORE SOCIAL SHARES = MORE LINKS AND WEBSITE TRAFFIC = GOOGLE RECOGNISES YOUR WEBSITE’S POPULARITY = A HIGHER SEARCH RANKING

  • According to Google social media is not a direct SEO ranking factor – but it can certainly have an indirect impact. Sharing links to useful content such as white papers or advice guides on your website via social media channels creates a valuable source of links back to your site. This helps to drive website traffic and boost the popularity of your website in the eyes of Google. In turn, this can lead to a higher search engine ranking.

Marketing with purpose

There’s nothing less meaningful in marketing than jumping on a bandwagon just because you can. Just because it’s passing by and everyone else is on board. It’s always tempting to follow the crowd for #FOMO. That’s why I started watching Game of Thrones – albeit I was very late to the medieval party. So late the finale was final. But I felt like I was the only person on planet earth not tuning into the much tweeted fantasy epic so I boarded the HBO bandwagon in order to have conversation to contribute at the next work night out. Discovering the acting attributes of Nikolaja and Kit was a bonus.

The problem with bandwagons – they often take you down a road where you shouldn’t be. 

In 2018 brands recognised that going green was a golden business opportunity. 2019 is all about going even greener. Green might be still be en vogue, but shouting about going green without meaning it couldn’t be less in fashion. Committing to going green without actually doing it is the most earth – and brand damaging thing you can do this year.

Brands are adopting various shades of green in order to strengthen their brand humanity. Yes that is the phrase of the year marketing and PR folks – putting humanity into branding is what 2019 is all about.

True investment in brand humanity is going beyond saying no to plastic or making a significant donation to a worthy cause once a year. It’s so much more than a tick box on your Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. It requires a genuine belief that by “doing good,” you are doing good business.

This movement towards purpose-led marketing needs to be deep-rooted into business DNA – from boardroom to shopfloor. It can’t just be lip service that forms the creative springboard for a new great advertising campaign or a quick fix to engage with conscious consumers on a deeper level.

Adopting purpose-driven marketing doesn’t mean that making profit is no longer a business driver. It means that “doing good” along the path to profit can be part of that journey.

But brands embarking on this ‘good’ journey must be mindful that consumers are a cynical bunch and any purpose taken up by a brand needs to be an authentic and legitimate reflection of what the brand stands for. Otherwise it will do more harm than good.

Supermarket chain Iceland learnt the hard way after it pledged to remove all palm oil from its own-label products by the end of 2018. The pledge seemed so incongruous with the brand beliefs held by consumers. Iceland had never been green. But customers were prepared to listen and be convinced by the new green brand on the block. However, when it was revealed that they were still selling 28 own-brand products containing palm oil, as well as more than 600 from other brands – its noble promise backfired. A spectacular example of purpose marketing which failed in its purpose. #wetoldyouso #weknewitwastoogoodtobetrue

The allure of purpose marketing is obvious. But brands need to put their budget where their mouth is and ensure they ‘walk the walk’ as well as ‘talk the talk’. Or they risk being named and shamed on social media and a world wide web that never forgets.

Good business in 2019 is more than buying a bandwagon ticket then enjoying the short ride. It’s about being on board for the long-haul.   

That’s why at Cameron Wells we’re doing our bit. Unwanted dogs is our purpose in 2019 and beyond. We will be supporting Manchester and Cheshire Dogs’ Home with their PR and marketing efforts to house more dogs.

One purpose that will never go out of fashion. Fur is back in fashion. Black, brown and white are the new green.

On a personal level I will be disembarking the GOT bandwagon. Westeros just isn’t the destination for me. Next stop Love Island.

Our United Kingdom

It doesn’t take much to get us all together does it? To get us all singing from the same hymn sheet. To feel like we’re all in the same boat. One for all and all for one.

Give us a two week spell of sunshine, a good glitzy wedding and a global football tournament and we will wildly and blindly applaud and chant and sing. Sing like we’re winning. Sing like we’re invincible and anything is possible. Even a happy ever after celeb-royal union and an English football squad with goals galore at their feet.

Royal fanatics and football fanatics are happy right now. Basking in the glow of what if and what next. Another royal baby?  A 52 year long awaited trophy?

We are united in anticipation.

In advertising we are united in anticipation of the frenzy of football focused ad campaigns – from the utterly brilliant to the shoehorn it in and hope for the best.

Sadly the utterly brilliant are few and far between these days. Innovation, creativity and imagination in advertising has been thwarted in recent years. Even the creators themselves aren’t as maverick or notorious as they once were back in the advertising heyday of the 80s.

Brilliant adverts have been side-lined in favour of big data, cost-cutting and simply doing what the research says. Or what Twitter and Facebook allows.

Remember a boy on a bike. A man looking for a book. A mash-making robot. A singing vacuuming housewife. A group of surfers. A drumming gorilla. A gin-drinking grandma.

What have this disparate group got in in common? They are the stars of the UK’s favourite marketing campaigns of the past five decades, the ones that stole the public’s hearts.

Great advertising can elevate the status of a brand to such an extent that it becomes synonymous with culture. And synonymous with huge brand growth. Even if you hate the product. Just ask my mate Marmite.

So come on England. Come on Guinness. Come on Hovis. Give us something to sing about.

You don’t have to be riche to be niche

A 30-second ad during ITV’s breakfast schedule during Good Morning Britain costs around £3,000 to £4,000. At peak rate it can cost up to £30,000. And if you want to be sandwiched in the X Factor final expect to pay £200,000 plus.

Time really is money.

And I’ve just been complaining about the cost of my daughter’s nursery at £48 per day. That’s 28,800 seconds of education, entertainment, cuddles, storytelling, gloop and role play, nursing, feeding and nappy changing. Suddenly it seems very cheap. Very cheap indeed. To do the things that traditionally I should be doing. But I admit that I don’t have the skills to make a paper-mache masterpiece fit for Peppa and George. So I outsource that job to the nursery who do it so much better than I ever could.

A bit like the role of an ad or PR agency. Outsource the things you don’t have time, inclination or skillset to do yourself.

Years ago it was deemed very middle-upper class to send your child to nursery. And the privilege of only top universal brands to use PR and advertising agencies. Now it’s a necessity to allow working mums to well… work. And small brands to grow and big brands to grow even bigger.

Just over 100 years ago, only rich people had cars, then Henry Ford came along and drove down the cost through mass manufacturing and ensured that everybody could have a car. Even us.

Years ago, eating out was what wealthy people did. When I was a child, an annual trip to KFC and the Bernie Inn was the pinnacle of decadence. My children beat that in just one week.

Even low cost airlines have democratised travel so that we can book a flight for the price of a round of drinks.

But the latest thing the rich and time-poor business people want is time, not possessions. Anything that saves time is on the must-have lust list. Today we can already use our smartphones as our virtual PA with the likes of Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. Your smartphone is your camera, torch, ghetto blaster, VHS player, microphone, map and husband finder all rolled into one.

What is unimaginable today will be for the well-heeled and wealthy tomorrow then one day, ubiquitous.

So look out rich, we’re right behind you. Always just right behind you.

The same can be said in PR and marketing. You no longer need a big agency and big brand budgets to reap big brand results. Just ask our clients.

Buy yourself some time. Outsource your PR, social, content and lead generation campaigns to an agency that delivers.

So look out Saatchi and Shandwick, we’re right behind you. Always just right behind you.

Email marketing. The comeback king.

Tried and tested. Been there, done that. Why change a winning formula just because it’s not as sexy as social or dynamic as DRTV?

Like a comfy pair of old slippers, you know what you’re getting and you know what you’re doing with email marketing. And it delivers unquestionable results and ROI. That’s why email marketing has never dropped off our most successful client campaigns.

Our award-winning lead nurturing emailers are the proof in the pudding. Our tactical email campaigns helped open doors to FTSE 250 HR Directors and hard-to-reach professionals generating a 23% meeting arrangement rate for Willis Towers Watson. Get in.

While some predicted its demise a few years ago when social media became the new kid on the block, we stayed faithful to our old friend. Email, we never doubted you for a second.

Thanks to the arrival of new technologies, which are making emailers creatively more engaging and technically more timely and personal, email marketing is basking in glory again. Email is enjoying a revival to rival eighties perms and scrunchies (yes they are making a comeback too) making it cool again. So don’t be ashamed to include it on your next marketing plan.

Given return on investment for email increased from an estimated £30.03 for every £1 spent in 2016 to £32.28 in 2017 (source DMA’s Marketer Email Tracker 2018 report) it’s no wonder 86% of marketers say it is ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their multichannel marketing strategy.

In fact, 73% of marketers rate email as the number one digital channel for ROI, according to a separate study by Marketing Week’s sister brand Econsultancy.

Probably why brands from Virgin Holidays to Cancer Research UK use email at every stage of the customer journey as part of their lead generation and conversion strategies. And why Willis Towers Watson still employ us 10 years on to do their stalwart email campaigns.

We don’t like to gloat or say we told you so. But we told you so. Sometimes the old ones are the best.

Great and united

Great Britain may not look too great right now and the United Kingdom doesn’t feel very united with anywhere or anything. Everything feels a bit wrong. But then something happens to remind you that sometimes we get it right. So very right.

Year after year, Red Nose day is testament to that. So we may be suffocating in political hot air and drowning in Brexit turbulent waters but over £63 million raised shows that we are still pretty great at giving. And very united when it comes to caring. Pretty awesome in fact. Generous, humble and compassionate, that’s us. Just generally good eggs that have got caught up in the chaos of the battery cage.

So Europe don’t judge us on a blip. A temporary moment of madness that has had far reaching repercussions. We’re still the same deep down. We still love to queue and drink tea and make great period dramas. We’re still, on the whole nice, decent people. And still good to do business with.

Now or never, deal or no deal, Brexit will affect us all. That much is certain. The uncertainty is by when and by how much. This uncertainty has triggered much furore across TV and Twitter. You can scarcely tune into the airwaves, open a newspaper or go for a quiet pint in the pub without the B word making an unwelcome entrance – barging in with its long face and interrupting with its voice of doom.

Thanks to the omnipresent B word, Marketing and PR budget planning is a finger in the air. Marketing directors are throwing their hands up in the air. Brand managers may as well roll a dice. Or put everything on red.  A general atmosphere of unease has infiltrated every boardroom. But amongst the upheaval there is always opportunity.

So get off the bandwagon of Brexit doom and get business buzzing again. Put politics aside and march on following these five steps…

  1. Consistency
    Amid the confusion, businesses can help create stability. By communicating that it’s “business as usual” and re-affirming core customer-centric values and commitment to putting the customer’s needs first, brands can become a beacon of light within the bleak world of the uncertain.
  2. Clarity
    Confidence in government is dwindling but this can be transformed into an opportunity for business to reaffirm and retain credibility through confident leadership – something that has gone astray in recent times. Be the safe pair of hands that makes decisions, sticks to them and gets the job done.
  3. Positivity

Build brand equity and reputation by focusing on confident and optimistic messaging to negate the negativity of news headlines. On line, in press, on TV and via social – be the silver lining, not the cloud.  Nobody likes a killjoy.

  1. Solidarity
    The worst thing to do in times of chaos is add to it. While the economy may be stagnating and the government might be startled by the headlights, successful brands remain steadfast in their brand strategy and customer communications. Pre and post Brexit Britain doesn’t need any more headless chickens.
  2. Empathy
    Many people were shocked by the stay/ go result – but could that be because we got complacent? We felt safe and secure in our European bubble. But every bubble has to pop – the tech bubble, the Facebook bubble, the Love Island bubble.

As marketing professionals, we profess to know our audiences but if the vote taught us anything it’s that we don’t know anyone as well as we should. The only thing predictable about people is that people are unpredictable.

Maybe it’s time to reconnect with customers – ask questions rather than assume we have all the answers. Don’t take them for granted. Remember you’re only one swipe or call away from being replaced by the promise of something bigger and better.

Treat them like it’s a first date. Tell them about your best bits. Reveal what makes you different from the rest and why you are the best person to be in partnership with. Find out what their ex partners did right and wrong. Discover what makes them tick. Understand their short term needs and long term dreams. They may fall head over heels all over again. Or they may tell you some home truths.

As with every break up, there may be tough times ahead but remember that with every hurdle comes an opportunity. Blooming businesses and bold brands will grasp these opportunities with both hands. Just remember to be generous, humble and compassionate while you go about your business. It’s what makes us great and united.

Not a job for me

There’s a big bah humbug cloud lurking over our festive skies this year. Threatening to stamp on our Christmas baubles and down all our festive spirit in one gluttonous glug.

The Brexit deal. Or lack of it. Or the uncertainty of it. It is the unwelcome guest at the Christmas dinner table. The unwanted gift under the tree. It’s the Grinch of Christmas 2018.

Love, loathe or indifferent to our PM, it’s the one job I can say I would have thrown my blood, sweat and tears-soaked towel in for by now. I would have waved my soggy surrender flag and limped off to the bliss of a long-haul, open-ticket holiday as far away from Europe as I could possibly get.

Even the flurry of early November Christmas TV ads hasn’t got me dreaming of a white Christmas just yet. So, I for one just want Brexit over and done with so we can get on with over-indulging, over-eating and over-spending just like every other Brexit-less Christmas.

In the meantime, 2019 planning must go on. Whatever the deal or no deal. Marketing budgets have to be allocated and spend on PR planned. We might have to rip it up and start again on 29thMarch but for now, clients still want innovative but cost-effective creative, clever but concise content, startling but significant social media and futureproof but formidable forecasts.

And that’s what we do best. For telematics, insurance, fleet management and employee benefits to name but a few sectors. Our PR campaigns cut through the clutter of Christmas and get coverage where others don’t. Our creative stands out to engage busy, hard to reach target audiences. Our ideas inspire, innovate and excite clients. Even in the run-up and wind-down to Christmas.

We might not love every aspect of our job but no matter what the brief, we never throw the towel in when the going gets tough or when we get asked to deliver the seemingly impossible.

Some of us get excited by writing informed web copy or technical case studies, others excel at Excel – revelling in seeing the results and ROI roll in, while some get their kicks from concepts that can transcend every element of the marketing mix. Some of our account managers relish the rewards of a well-organised contact or status report while another basks in the chaos of multi-tasking on multi projects for multi clients. We all bring something different to the festive table.

Even the Grinch can’t steal Christmas creativity from Cameron Wells.

But please ‘do one’ Brexit, I want to write my Christmas list without your festive-less fingers tapping on my shoulder telling me to cross off the Mulberry handbag. It’s British so I’m allowed it this year. It’s for my Brexited country. Not for me.

Cracking the toughest audience

Once we were housewives, then we became stay-at-home mothers, next we gave up on kids and became filofax flapping yuppies. And then we decided we could have it all. Success on the career ladder and the school run could be ours.  The number of working mums has gone up by a million in two decades in England.

Almost three-quarters of mothers with dependent children are now in full- or part-time work according to the Office for National Statistics.

I am one of them.

After nearly 20 years working long hours in PR across multiple sectors, targeting diverse audiences with carefully crafted messages, managing often challenging client expectations and budgets and continuously reviewing and measuring the success of campaigns, I am now working on my toughest brief.

I am a parent.

My objectives are clear: raise a fine young man who is secure, kind, conscientious and an all-round decent human being.

My budget is a bottomless pit.

My timeframe, a lifetime.

Sounds easy right?

The Return On Investment (ROI) isn’t always evident amidst moaning that he doesn’t have anything to do (ignoring multiple toys), refusal to do homework (three times a week) and a strong willed, entrepreneurial spirit (which isn’t always executed in the best way or easy to manage!).

Now, like all good PRs (Parental Responsibility), I am completely focused on my end goal. My tenacity, while often tested to its limit, will not fail. I remain consistent, committed and target driven.

My approach is often challenged. “X is allowed to play violent video games”, “Y stays up until 10pm”, “Z gets to drink fizzy drinks”.

While taking a ‘me too’ approach could be tempting (and make my life so much easier), I am confident that my tailored tactics will get the right results for my individual audience.

I draw much from my professional career to manage my toughest brief.

I regularly reflect on my campaign; review what is working well and what could work harder; measure my results (often simply a hug) and remain on track with my unique goals and objectives – regardless of the temptation to be a ‘me too’.

As the threat of the dreaded teenage years are not too far in the distant future, I take care to listen to my audience, stay alert to his needs, and craft my messages and methods appropriately to engage, influence and convert.

I am the thought leader in our household.

I’m sometimes guilty of talking at rather than to my audience. I am quick to spot the error of my ways however, in the knowledge that this will not help to build the long-term relationship desired.

The needs, behaviours and expectations of my audience will change over time. Every aspect of my campaign therefore, needs to be continuously monitored, reviewed and adapted accordingly.

Like all good PR campaigns, being a good parent requires clear and consistent messaging, a robust – yet flexible – approach and a long-term commitment.

And a supportive employer.

The good-ish old days

There’s nothing like attending a milestone birthday to get you talking about the good old days. The days when you walked around a shop with a trolley to buy your food, you faxed insurance renewal forms, the closest thing to hummus was Shipham’s paste and you put a needle on a record to listen to your favourite hairbrush-grabbing track.

Like our shopping and social consumption habits, the world of marketing has changed beyond recognition. I doubt if my children (who will probably think that The Yellow Pages are a has-been pop duo) will ever receive a door drop or read a classified ad.

Once upon a time the budget battle was TV versus print. Today it is digital against traditional. Twitter versus LinkedIn. Alexa or Invoke. Hyper-personalisation and localisation battling influencer-isation. Social against the world.

Credit and loyalty cards were once the business-changing technology for monitoring what customers liked and wanted more of. To ascertain which brands were in and which were on their way out – cast aside like a once coveted rah-rah skirt. Now we have appliances in our homes that we talk to while they listen. And then maybe they share our secrets with who knows, out there, somewhere. Our very own in-house spy.

The rules of marketing have changed. The players are unrecognisable. The targets never stay still. The playing field is a mine field. The joy of winning is short lived. And your loyal fan base has become flighty.

However, the fundamental basics of marketing remain the same today as they were in the good old days of pedal pushers and Look-In. The search for differentiation. The need to understand customer behaviour. The battle for brand supremacy.

The need to win. Whether it be sales or conversion, brand recognition or esteem, number of likes or shares. The need for industry–accredited awards. We all still want a pat on the back. Real or virtual. From the company boardroom or the Facebook chatroom.

So they may have been quite good those old days, but back then you couldn’t offer your 40th birthday party guests 178 brands of gin to wash down their vegan chipotle foam hors d’oeuvres could you?  Now that’s what I call progress. Gordon may disagree.

Had Gordon had a secret spy he may have known that London gin was so last year. He would have known that customers need a rare and exotic blend of berries and the name of their local town on the label for a gin to make it onto their drinks trolley. Yes drinks trolleys are back. Ah the good old days…