Content is King Presentation by Paul McGarrity, Octave Online Communications.

Editor's Notes

1. “ Content marketing is the art of understanding exactly what your customers need to know and delivering it to them in a relevant and compelling way.”
2. It’s more than product information. It is best practices, case studies, success stories, thought leadership and more. Content Marketing builds trust between an organisation and its customers, so that customers can make informed choices. Smart companies are becoming significant content providers for current and future customers. “ They’ve realised that they can be publishers and can fill the void left by the faltering media.”
3. We are in the middle of marketing warfare – there has been an irreversible shift from traditional marketing strategies towards a content marketing revolution. There has been a shift in the media company-driven content and toward content created for customers. Organisations are finding that they can deliver tangible benefits to prospects and customers by providing content with answers to the problems they face. Content marketing may be deemed as one of the most effective marketing strategies available to marketers.
4. Miller Welds is a welding equipment supplier with a broad based audience ranging from hobbyist welders to professionals. It is headquartered in Wisconsin and has an expanding presence overseas, including offices in China.
5. Miller’s customers look to them for information on critical welding related issues e.g. reducing welding costs, increasing productivity, operator efficiency and equipment purchase justification.
6. Miller appeals to all of their customers through the use of its website, micro sites, its blog, its e-newsletter and discussion forum.
7. MillerWelds.com Is Anything but a Typical Industrial Website It generates a high level of traffic - 250,000 visitors per month The site is taking on the role that trade and special-interest publications have traditionally played. MillerWelds.com provides customers and prospects with a rich, relevant and fun experience by providing microsites devoted to welding applications and interests such as racing, manufacturing and construction. Many areas on their website are in direct response to what the customer has asked Miller for.
8. Miller sells through distributors and optimises the ‘ready to buy’ page for this process. The customer can select products and then narrow down geographical location to select the distributor. They also have product simulators to help you select the right product.
9. You can sign up to their RSS feed and e-newsletter which are both customer focused. Miller aim to engage their customers and bring them back to the site often. Miller Welds newsletters are even tailored to customer needs with one for DIY, Pros and Instructors.
10. The Miller blog, featured on their homepage attracts many comments.
11. The Miller blog, featured on their homepage attracts many comments.
12. Intense customer focus in the creation of broad-range content marketing underlies strong multiyear, double digit revenue growth. Content marketing enables organisations of every size to attract and retain more customers.
13. Kitchen Studio of Naples is ran by soloprenuer, Ann Porter. Ann is the principal designer of the organisation. She is also a compelling and creative content marketer managing to maintain three separate online channels that connect her to current and future customers. She relies mainly on word of mouth promotion of her kitchen design business.
14. Content marketing has solely replaced traditional marketing. Ann Porter is providing content that makes it easier for her target audience to make a positive buying decision.
15. Ann’s website reflects her style and the type of kitchen she would design.
16. Anne launched her blog, KitchAnn Style , using the content management system inside WordPress. This has become a website in itself.  Her version of WordPress is absolutely free. It requires time and thought but no money. It’s well organized by category, by top posts and by links to external design resources. Traffic to her blog has been steadily increasing over the past years and it is significantly expanding the word-of-mouth that has been so much a part of her in person marketing strategy.  Ann’s blog also gives her instant credibility within the industry.
17. Ann has been an early contributor to the section with her “Ask Ann” weekly blog post. Thanks to a recent NDN redesign, Ann’s blog is linked frequently from the front page. 
18. She has received a tangible return on her marketing investment in a 3-pronged web strategy. Ann Porter has maximized a limited budget, a lot of hard work, plenty of creativity, and a consistent approach in order to establish a steadily improving content marketing strategy. She has global reach, instant credibility, and a 24/7 sales presence. Word-of-mouth marketing is essential.  Taking word-of-mouth to the web is making a measurable difference for Kitchen Studio of Naples .