Ep 115: Content marketing for agencies... How to make it work

Subtitle:

In part two of our “content marketing - is it worth it?” discussion, we niche down to some things that agencies can do to help their content become more effective and easier to produce. We talk about corn hole leagues, organic rankings, consistency, Southwest Airlines, and more on this week’s sequel episode!

 

Summary:

On today’s episode, we discuss some tactics and methods that increase the effectiveness of agencies’ content marketing. We look at what makes agencies successful in this area. Consistency is the key ingredient. Instead of solely focusing on the leads that you want your content marketing to bring in, consider the online foundation it’s building for you and how it can help consumers understand who you are and what your brand is all about. While having a spokesperson isn’t always necessary in content marketing, it definitely helps to have a personality. Whether it’s portrayed company wide or through one person, having some kind of personality will help build a connection with your audience, especially if your personality lines up with the beliefs behind your brand. One final tip that works no matter what field or type of content you’re doing, is to figure out what you want to say, why you want to say it, and your opinion on the topic. Create a unique narrative that draws your audience in. Use your content marketing to express your company’s brand, personality, and beliefs. Content marketing can seem hard, but it’s something that can build a long lasting foundation for your brand over time. 

 

Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode: 

 

• Consistency is key. No matter what your content marketing strategy, personality, or brand are, consistency is the key to success in your content marketing. Instead of thinking of your content marketing as a way to get leads or sales, think of it as a way to build a profile, reputation, and online foundation for your business. In any and all forms of content marketing, consistency is key. “The key to everything is consistency.”

• Personality builds genuine connection. All humans strive for relationship and connection, but this can be challenging for businesses to do through marketing. One way to make a positive impression is through personality. Evaluate your core values as a company and find a genuine and human way to communicate those to your customers through your content marketing.  “People don't connect, and trust just entities, they have to have some sort of connection in order to do that.”

• Find a unique perspective that people want to listen to. When your business gets to the point where its content marketing seems to be ineffective or bland, it’s important to get back to the personality and values of your brand. Rediscover the unique narrative that makes people want to hear what you have to say. Find something that you want to talk about that pertains to your business. “I think you have to have a polarizing perspective and a strong conviction around it to make it connect with people.”

 

For more tips, discussion, and behind the scenes:

• Follow us on Instagram @AgencyPodcast
• Join our closed Facebook community for agency leaders

 

About The Guys: 

Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob: 

• Bob on LinkedIn
• twitter.com/BobHutchins
• instagram.com/bwhutchins
• Bob on Facebook

Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:

• Brad on LinkedIn
• Anthem Republic
• twitter.com/bradayres
• instagram.com/therealbradayres
• facebook.com/Bradayres

Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken: 

• Ken on LinkedIn
• Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team
• Growth Rebel TV
• twitter.com/iamKenOtt
• instagram.com/iamKenOtt
• facebook.com/iamKenOtt

 

Show Notes:

[1:28] Ken opens this week’s episode by chatting about creating moats for his business and Brad’s cornhole league.

[4:51] Bob talks about last week’s episode on content marketing and introduces this week’s topic, content marketing part two. 

[5:26] Ken elaborates on the topic and says, “At the end of the day, how can you generate business? A lot of agencies have said that content is a big part of how you do that. It's thought leadership, it's organic traffic. But is that true? Is content for agencies really effective? What do you guys do?”

[8:33] Brad talks about the value of case studies and how his agency has used them to help land clients and propose business opportunities.

[11:18] Bob discusses the importance of being prepared to play the long game when it comes to content marketing. He also talks about three different personalities and their content marketing strategies. “The one thing they all have in common is that the consistent long game pays off.”

[16:43] Ken asks the guys, “Is it worth doing any content as a brand name?”, launching a discussion about the importance of having a personality and a spokesperson.

[18:04] Brad talks about Apple and Tesla and how people follow them because of their great products.

[18:22] Bob tells a story about an interaction with Southwest and how they’ve developed an online personality as a brand. “People don't connect, and trust just entities, they have to have some sort of connection in order to do that.”

[21:15] Ken discusses the importance of having a profound hook in your content marketing. “A really good strategy is a profound hook. Brands, sometimes are devoid of that, when they're just doing content. And I guess my question is, is it effective?”

[23:59] Bob talks about how, “personality is a shortcut to niching.” 

[28:28] Ken discusses a practical way to find your personal core values and brand and how that can help guide your content marketing. “If you were to take what you do, put that to the side for a second,and then write down your personal slogan in context of what you do . It's interesting, because if you do that exercise of writing down your personal slogan, and then you layer it on top of what your business does, that might give you really good guardrails to start producing some content.”

[29:34] Bob talks about another method to doing excellent content marketing, “understanding, the technical side of SEO and organic rankings.” 

[31:44] Bob reiterates that, “The key to everything is consistency.”

[33:36] Brad talks about how, “most of our businesses come from relationships,” and the role that content marketing plays.

[34:47] Brad dives deeper into how content marketing impacts the relationships you form with clients and how you’re perceived by the internet. “I think your character is really kind of your initial brand.” 

[37:49] Bob advises Brad, and anyone else who doesn’t want to use social media for content marketing, to find a platform where you can be yourself. “Pick a platform and make it an extension of who you are and your personality.” 

[43:41] Ken closes by saying that differentiating yourself is key, and it can be hard to differentiate yourself through a website alone, so it’s important to invest in something that will set you apart.