Expert panel: How does the "strategic" get into "strategic content marketing"?
Four content experts discuss the most important questions about strategic content marketing
Many companies today understand the need for content. Less pronounced is the understanding of the necessity of strategic content marketing. Yet it is precisely the strategic view of content that could help companies to solve urgent problems: The work of their communications departments is becoming increasingly complex, with more and more formats, channels and structures leading to a sense of being driven, to more actionism and ultimately to inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
We at Scompler have not only coined the term "Strategic Content Marketing" (SCOM is the acronym for Strategic Content Marketing), we have also developed the corresponding frameworks, and with our Content Command Center we also offer a complete solution to not only develop a content strategy, but also to implement it consistently in day-to-day work.
The D2M Summit will discuss how these problems can be tackled and what strategic content marketing has to do with them. We at Scompler are discussing this with the experts here:
- Petra Sammer (Creative Strategist, Ideacoach, Storyteller. petrasammer.com)
- Svenja Teichmann (Managing Director of the Hamburg-based digital agency crowdmedia GmbH) and
- Dr. Stephan Tiersch (Managing Partner at Kresse & Discher).
- Michael Schmitz (Head of Strategic Consulting at Scompler)
Here are the questions
- Does content marketing have a special status or is it just one of many disciplines?
- What are good goals in strategic content marketing?
- What role does the "topic" play in content marketing?
- What does "relevance" mean for strategic content marketing?
- What is more important? The channel or the topic?
- What role do organization and processes play in strategic content marketing?
- 'A fool with a tool ...' - why use tools when Excel exists?
- Content marketing and storytelling - two sides of the same coin
- The bottom line
Is (strategic) content marketing just one of many disciplines?
At first glance, "content marketing" sounds very similar to channel-oriented forms of marketing such as social media marketing, search engine marketing, newsletter marketing, influencer marketing, podcast marketing and so on. Is "content marketing" just another discipline alongside these many others, or does it have a special significance - especially if we are also talking about "strategic content marketing"?
The special feature of content marketing is that we were talking about a strategic approach here - while the other examples describe channels. However, many companies only realize over time that this affects all areas and channels where content is produced. This makes it particularly difficult in today's departmental and channel silo thinking, or let's say that's why it's an exciting challenge.
Content marketing is a stupid term. Basically, our aim should be to structure our communication in a benefit-centered way, then we would have already gained a lot. In order to achieve a specific communication goal, you don't stop at any definitional boundaries.
In my opinion, the opposite of content marketing is product marketing. Either you court the favor of customers by focusing on the benefits of the product or - if everything has already been said about the product - you look for new ways of communicating, such as content marketing. Here, the focus is not on the product (or service), but on other content that relates to the product and target group.
In my opinion, the opposite of content marketing is product marketing. Either you court the favor of customers by focusing on the benefits of the product or - if everything has already been said about the product - you look for new ways of communicating, such as content marketing. Here, the focus is not on the product (or service), but on other content that relates to the product and target group.
Ergo: If there is a connection, a bracket for the term content marketing, most experts agree: The recipient, the user, is at the center of all content marketing. Their needs and wishes determine the content, form and channel and how companies should communicate today, but definitely tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
Does strategic content marketing have different goals than other marketing disciplines?
Put simply, "strategic" means above all "targeted". What are the most important goals of content marketing? Are they different from those of any other form of marketing, i.e. reach, attention, engagement, image, leads and ultimately sales?
The content plan should take a number of factors into account. The most important are What is the goal of this content piece? Which target group/persona do I want to reach? At what stage in the user journey is the persona? Is it push or pull content? To which overarching topic area does the content belong? Which channel should be used?
Strategy is a difficult word. Colloquially, it means "deliberate" - the opposite of "random". Strategic marketing goals, i.e. considered goals, therefore naturally also apply to content marketing.
Basically, however, a "strategy" describes the way in which a goal is to be achieved. And here there are major differences to conventional marketing. One of the most important is that traditional marketing is based on the timing of company processes and procedures, for example the date of a product launch. (...) Content marketing, on the other hand, is based on the information behavior of the target group and the framework conditions of the respective publication channels. Content marketing is usually continuous publishing. A big difference in the strategy and orientation of communication. Another difference: the type of storytelling, especially the main protagonist of the story: traditional marketing is product-centered, the main protagonist is usually the product. Content marketing is story-centered. The product takes a back seat in favor of a hero with whom the audience can identify. This is also a major strategic difference.
This depends on the company's objectives. In principle, anything can be achieved. However, it makes sense to cover and play on the entire funnel. I see great benefits from content marketing, especially at the top of the funnel (attention, awareness), because you can enter thematically and pick up interested parties and users with their problems.
The strategic goals of content marketing are exactly the same as in any other discipline. This must be the case, because strategic goals are always above any form of marketing - and other communication; only the tactics change. Instead of trying to persuade the customer to buy by following them at every turn, imposing yourself on them and "shouting" at them, content marketing tries to accompany them and help them whenever they need information. You could say that advertising is the pushy bully and content marketing is the gentleman. The goals are the same, only the path to the goal is different.
Ergo: Strategic content marketing is just as targeted as other marketing disciplines. Only the goals behind it sometimes differ significantly. In addition to the 'classics' such as reach or number of followers, companies should definitely also include key figures relating to the strategic goals of the organization itself.
What role does the topic play in strategic content marketing?
Media primarily fulfill cognitive needs, i.e. the need for orientation, knowledge, entertainment and confirmation. In principle, this also applies to content marketing; we are therefore very close to the journalistic principle. So how do you turn the corner as a company in the direction of sales, sales or leads? After all, unlike a publisher, you don't just want to sell content. Instead, you want to sell a specific product or service or win someone over to an idea. What role does the topic of content marketing play here, in simple terms "what you talk about"?
The joke with benefit-oriented communication is that I also see my content as a product that the customer has to like. That's basically the same way a publisher thinks.
Content marketing is always about added value for the user. This means that all topics that are thought of from the company and product must be translated: There are users out there and they are rarely looking for products, but they have problems and are looking for solutions. This is where content marketing comes in.
The topic plays a central role in strategic content marketing. I would even say that without topic architecture, there is no "strategic" content marketing at all. This is simply due to the nature of content marketing. If the goals of strategic content marketing were to get "reach" or "engagement", then you could talk about "anything" and only focus on the needs of the channel. After all, the channel is crucial for reach and engagement. In strategic content marketing, however, it is particularly important to create a profile. We call this the "core story". For us, this means that we don't play the music that people want to listen to everywhere, but we first define what music suits us - and then look for the right channel. As hard rockers, we would never say "let's play classical music" just because we want to go to the Philharmonie. We'd go to Wacken. And another important aspect: companies today are organized along channels. That leads to silos. The "topic" is the connecting element. Everyone in the company has to talk about the same thing, otherwise the positioning and "the gentleman" won't work.
Ergo: Companies that strategically align their content marketing have already recognized the role that the 'topic' plays in content marketing. What they talk about is not based on what is currently popular on a particular channel. Nor is it based on what the target group currently wants to hear. Successful content managers work with a topic architecture.
What does "relevance" mean for strategic content marketing?
We always talk about relevance in content marketing - in fact, in all marketing. But how do you create relevance? How do you be or become relevant for users, customers, people? By creating factual and emotional relevance for these very people. To do this, content managers must know the needs of the target groups and act accordingly. This is the real change of perspective in marketing! How does a company create content that sells a product or service?
We should distinguish between two levels: Firstly, the relevance that the basic benefit of a product creates. This is still the most important information for a customer. I can drive from A to B in a car. A tomato sauce turns boring spaghetti into a wonderful meal. We should not forget this level. But in terms of communication, this is often no longer enough. Not to generate attention. Not to stand out from the competition. The focus therefore shifts to an overriding benefit. The product becomes a meaningful brand that offers me more than the basic benefit. A car becomes a climate saver, a tomato sauce a childhood memory. This overarching relevance is a wonderful starting point for successful content marketing, because this is where the really exciting and emotional stories lie.
By focusing on the user perspective. Content that has a benefit for the user (e.g. information, knowledge, entertainment) is relevant. In my opinion, there is no better approach than persona development based on interviews.
Relevance can only be achieved through a deep immersion in customer needs.
Ergo: Your content marketing becomes really good and strategic when your topics can provide answers to the question: "What do we care about?" If you manage to make the connection between topics and company visible in all possible activities, authenticity is created. And a real positioning.
What is more important? The channel or the topic?
Without question, the channel is an indispensable part of marketing because it is the point of contact with the target group. But how important is the topic that I talk about? Do I first look for the channels on which I can find my target group and then talk about the topics that the channel requires of me? Or do I better define the right topics first and then look for the channels where these topics are requested?
The first step is to determine whether I can achieve my communication goals via push or pull distribution. Only then can I select channels and topics.
Theme first. This is what the brand dictates. The channels naturally result from the customers' information behavior. Where the customers are, the channels are.
First the topic, then the channel. In a perfect world, topics are developed first and then you think about which topic is played in which channel. Unfortunately, we don't have the right structures in companies today. But I do see a gradual development.
Ergo: In strategic content marketing, there is a consensus on the question of what comes first. It is very clear: first the topic, then the staging and the channel. Only at the end of the process in strategic content marketing are the questions: What do we say it with? And where, when and how often do we say something?
What role do organization and processes play in strategic content marketing?
To put it bluntly, do organizational topics such as breaking down silos, transparency within the company, newsrooms or integrated communication even play a role in content marketing? Especially in times of rapid change, it is clear that communication departments are particularly challenged. Shouldn't the focus in content marketing therefore be much more on change? On a change process that has an impact on the mindset (topic and needs orientation) as well as on processes and the organization?
Absolutely. In my opinion, this is the most important and most difficult success factor. Change takes place through stakeholder management. It's not easy and somehow a mixture of patience, management persuasion, test balloons for quick results and knowledge building. In the B2B sector, the sooner you get sales involved, the better.
The driver behind the change in the organization is not content marketing, but digitalization. It ensures a multiplication of channels and measurability of behavior. This results in pressure on the effectiveness of professional communication and, at the same time, new solutions for precisely this. Change should not be seen as a project, but as a principle.
Oh dear, this topic is ancient. It used to be called "integrated marketing" or "360-degree communication". It's old hat. But of course, every generation has to discuss it anew and sort it out for itself. And with every additional communication channel, the confusion for companies grows. And there is always material for management consultants to reorganize everything.
Yes, content marketing is a team task and the silos between marketing, PR, sales, HR etc. are not helpful. The more we plan and work together, the better. So get rid of the silos and work together more. But please don't overcomplicate things either.
Ergo: In order to get the strategy into strategic content marketing without continuing the same problems of a communications department and the waste of resources, a radical cut must be made: The working methods, processes, roles and organizational form of the communications department must be rethought and implemented.
A fool with a tool ...' - why use tools when Excel exists?
If you look at the day-to-day work of many companies this year, you will see that Excel, Word and the like are still part of the standard repertoire in communications departments. Which is quite surprising, because mapping your content marketing strategy and the associated processes AND ensuring intuitive, user-friendly operation with real-time data is likely to be quite challenging. Or to put it another way: at what point are Excel & Co. perhaps no longer sufficient? This leads to the next thought: What is the purpose of tools? Simplify work in order to simply create 'more'? Or should they not enable users to do things differently and better?
There's no point in doing more when you can see that you can improve quite easily. I can't imagine working strategically without adequate tools. How is that supposed to work? As a company, I would always look for powerful tools like Scompler . Agencies often manage well with a flexible toolkit.
Step 1 should always be Excel & Co to organize, structure and learn. But the more professionally and holistically you work, the more you reach the limits of these tools and you need professional tools such as Scompler. But I don't think you would understand the added value of Scompler & Co. without the Excel way. Depending on which tools you use and how you use them, they can help you to work more transparently, efficiently and purposefully. And if you do it right, it should lead to more success.
Ergo: For all those who are just starting out with content marketing and want to produce a manageable amount of content in a small team, this is also possible with Excel & Co, no question. However, when it comes to mapping an underlying content strategy, larger teams and more complex content marketing processes, companies cannot avoid dedicated content marketing tools.
Content marketing and storytelling - two sides of the same coin
Whether storytelling is always content marketing or content marketing is always storytelling is no longer debatable. Or is it? A clear story manages to convey authenticity and individual meaning to the target group. This makes stories important, if not central, pillars of content marketing as a whole. If they are communicated consistently across all channels, strategic goals AND the customer's demands and expectations come together to form a harmonious whole. To achieve this, companies must not only reorganize themselves, but also change the way they communicate in the long term.
Everything is now "story". We have fallen in love with the term "storytelling". But this "storyfication" is dangerous. You get the impression that all content is a story these days. But that's not true. The fact is, if you want to do content marketing, you can't avoid good stories, i.e. storytelling. But there are also other means of creating really good content, such as studies or infographics. Storytelling is also not reserved exclusively for content marketing. In conventional marketing, in classic product communication, a really good story can be told about the product. Instead of the term "storytelling", which we use for everything and anything, we would be better off using the term "narrative marketing". This emphasizes that at the heart of marketing is a "narrative", an exemplary story that generates attention due to its protagonist, the conflict and plot of the story and the emotion that arises from it. This is actually "storytelling".
Content marketing is a strategic approach and storytelling is a method of communicating content. Content marketing requires storytelling. But storytelling can also be used effectively in traditional advertising, for example.
Storytelling is a method that is particularly popular in content marketing. There is storytelling without content marketing and there is content marketing without storytelling.
Ergo: "What does something mean to someone?" This question is initially just a description of relevance. This makes it clear that topics in themselves are initially meaningless, without significance for the individual. For strategic content marketing, companies therefore need good stories that illustrate and illustrate their topics as concretely as possible for the target groups. And that create an emotion, a reaction on the part of the recipient.
Conclusion: No matter how you look at it, the main thing is that you have a plan and a goal
Yes, the organizational and technological challenges and solutions for mapping effective and efficient content marketing management are considerable. But they can be solved. Plan, goal, overview, collaboration with others, relevance and controlling are inseparable if you are serious about strategic content marketing. At Scompler , we therefore summarize strategic content marketing in a nutshell: Away from channel orientation, towards topic orientation. And all this in a topic architecture, implemented in a structured way and supported by powerful, future-oriented technology. We call this the Content Command Center. Because only content that is perceived by users, generates interest, sympathy and, if desired, concrete actions, contributes to value creation. All other content is, at best, wasted effort or money thrown away. I wish all participants of the D2M online conference "More communication success through strategic content marketing" an inspiring and insightful day!
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