Making Memories: Creating Content People Remember (MozCon 2019)

Editor's Notes

1. I’m so excited to be back on this stage and back at MozCon. I’ve said it before but content really is something I’m passionate about and last year I stood here and talked about how as content marketers, we need to grow up. We need to be more accountable. And I’m really excited to say that a year later…
2. I think we have solved all of those problems….
3. Just kidding. Of course we haven’t solved those problems!
4. We are still creating more content than necessary
5. we still are not clear on our goals
6. And the majority of us still aren’t talking to the people that matter
7. But…that’s ok. Because progress doesn’t happen overnight. And despite those numbers we are seeing things like this
8. 70% prioritize content quality over quantity
9. This right here. This makes me really happy. This is exciting right? These are the things we talked about last year and we are making progress.
10. The thing is, we can always be better. It’s why we are here. Whether you are a content marketer who wants to try something new or an SEO who relies on content to be successful, there are so many things we can do. So this year, instead of lecturing you on why content marketers need to grow up, I thought I’d go the opposite way.
11. This year, I want us to think about the things we did as kids…we read. We read things like the Velveteen Rabbit and Where the Wild things are. We read Dr. Seuss and Cinderella. We read these great stories that captured our imaginations and connected us to these characters for life. We read stories that were memorable. What I want, is I want us to think about how we as marketers can use our words and use our stories to connect people to our brand and to remember our content. How can we use our stories to truly engage our audience?
12. Because there are already people out there doing just that. Unfortunately, when most people of companies who are great at telling stories, we think of big brands like Nike or Apple. We think of these global brands with big budgets. And that can feel a bit out there…right? I’m not a big brand. I don’t have that budget. But the thing is, there are plenty of smaller brands doing cool things too
13. Has anyone here ever heard of Wegmans? Wegmans is a grocery store in the Northeast that originated in Rochester, NY. They have stores in a few states now but if you ever meet anyone who grew up with Wegmans, they will not shut up about how awesome it is. Think I’m kidding?
14. Two years ago one was opening in NJ and the mayor had to tell people not to camp out. It’s a grocery store! But I digress. I love them. But I also adore their content marketing.
15. Their IG doesn’t just show pictures of people or their food, it tells stories. It talks about things that their audience cares about
16. Their emails aren’t just coupons or sales info. They focus on things like quality ingredients, recipes, and ease of cooking. Things that are certainly important to me.
17. They also have a magazine they send out to customers. A real print magazine. In it, they tell the background of their farmers or stories behind recipes. They have created a brand that people love and they continue to build content that keeps people connected to them. They constantly show me they care about the same thing I do
18. And that’s really the key isn’t it? Because what do people care about?
19. The answer? THEMSELVES! They care about their well being, solving their own problems. They care about being important. They want to be seen.
20. So that becomes our jobs. Our jobs as content marketers, as storytellers, is to create something that does just that. To create something they care about, that reflects their interests, and that connects them to us. Tha’s whats going to help them remember you.
21. To do that, we need to make sure we are doing these four things:
22. To start - and this shouldn’t come as a surprise - we have to understand who our audience is and what they want. This should always be our goal as marketers but it needs to be our goal if we are going to create something our audience remembers. We need to find out who they are, what they care about, and what problems they have.
23. We need to think differently about our data and about how we use our tools.
24. Google analytics demographics – be honest, how many people here look at this? Exactly! Look. It doesn’t give us everything we need to know but when we are trying to understand who our audience actually is…what better place than the people who are coming to your site.
25. Email Databases / LinkedIn Audiences – Titles, Locations – We can also use our email database. / LinkedIn Pixel
26. SEMRush Display Research – if you run display ads, if your competitors run display ads. You can get a sense of who they are. The thing is, I know this isn’t perfect but at the end of the day, if you don’t want to pay for a huge piece of software, this stuff can be really valuable.
27. Let’s be honest…we do this all the time as seos and content marketers…
28. Keyword research – look at what people also search for.
29. Keyword suggest tool
30. When we think about what they care about – we also What problems they have? We have these amazing question tools that we’ve been using for content for years!
31. Put in your products. Put in your industry. See what problems people are facing. What they care about.
32. Storybase is a little more powerful than say answer the public. It will also show you the demographics of people searching and
33. At the end of the day, if we don’t understand who our audience is, we’ll never know what content will resonate with them. We have to make sure we understand the who, the what, and the problems.
34. The next piece is to Think Simple. Speak to what your audience cares about.
35. Has anyone heard of this brand? Summersault is a swimwear company that promotes inclusivity, body positivity and environmental awareness. Seems like a lot just to sell suits right? The thing is, they really do tell that story in their marketing. And they do it in a simple way.
36. they have people of all ages, shapes, colors. And they aren’t doing it with words.
37. If you are a woman, buying a bathing suit online can be like trying to throw a dark blindfolded. How do you know what your fit is?
38. They didn’t write this novel.
39. Or give me an unhelpful chart
40. They built a tool that asks you five simple questions and gives you not only a size, but recommended swimsuits. That is brilliant content and they do it based on your story. Now, I know we don’t all sell swimwear or cool things. I work in the B2B space where we work with a lot of software companies. But isn’t this the perfect example of something even a SaaS company could replicate?
41. Think about the tools we use as search marketers and how they are sold. Crawl tools are sold by the number of URLs. Rankings tools by the number of keywords. Other tools are sold by seats, users, etc. When you are trying to make a purchase, wouldn’t it be much easier if you had an tool that took you through what you need and could give you a recommendation.
42. Sometimes we just have to think about things in a simpler way. We need to give our customers something they like and will remember but we don’t make them dig for it. As I was thinking about this, I was thinking about the pieces of content I remember. That I still use.
43. Does anyone remember this? Avalaunche media put this out years ago, with different iterations. What makes it stand out is it’s clever. And it also made it easier to understand what these 20 different networks are.
44. Buffer social media size chart
45. The last one is SEERs guide to SF. these are pieces of content that have stuck with me over the years because they serve a purpose, they connect me to the brand, and they are simple. Which I’ll be honest, keeping content simple is harder than it looks.
46. How can we keep it simple?
47. Get to the point. Has anyone here ever tried to find a recipe online?
48. Well if so, you’ve inevitably encountered this. See the recipe yet? A life story with the recipe at the end. Yes, that story is valuable in connecting with your audience but give users a way to access the recipe right away. Not everyone is there to hear about the first time you ever encountered a strawberry.
49. Screw your word count. Look, I know that we are often fighting the search results. I spend hours analyzing competitor content and SERPs to understand how I can make mine better and that often means making something bigger and better. But it doesn’t mean you have to make everything bigger and better.
50. The same thing goes for the questions we talked about earlier. Answer the question. Whether you are creating a how-to video, a step-by-step guide, or even a comprehensive article, answer the question as soon as possible. I will say it again, every piece of content doesn’t have to be the biggest. Sometimes it just needs to answer a question.
51. Next time you’re writing, throw your content into a summary tool to see what you can get rid of. (http://esummarizer.com/main/summarize / https://www.textcompactor.com/) What are the main points and takeaways?
52. And lastly, Be helpful. Those pieces I shared earlier? They are memorable because they are helpful. That swimsuit fitting tool, it’s simple but it’s also really freaking helpful. Think Simple means giving your audience what they want in a direct manner.
53. All right. We’ve talked about how we can help our audience. How we need think simple. This third one is one I really struggle with. but it’s something we can all be better at.
54. stop with the shitty stock images in your content! Stock images do not equal memorable content.
55. We want images that connect customers to our brand, inspire them to take action, get their attention, and stand out in a sea of junk.
56. A couple months ago I came across this ad on FB. And not only did I stop scrolling but I clicked on the ad. It was colorful, it was fun, and it stood out in my feed. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was in REI and what do I see? This same exact coat! Guess who’s the proud owner of a new windbreaker. Just kidding…they didn’t have my size. BUT…this image caused me to not only stop and look on FB, but stop and look in the store as well. I remembered it.
57. And that’s the impact visuals can have. We remember what we see
58. Now, here’s the challenge. Most of us, including myself, see images or videos and think, I do not have time for this or I’m not a Photoshop expert. The great thing is, you don’t have to be. We now live in a world where technology has made this easy
59. This slide (cotapaxi slide)? Took me under 1 minute to record that ad and turn it into a gif.
60. This silly gif I made for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? Under 3 minutes. I’m not saying it’s the best ever. But what I am saying is I am bad at technology and have still figured out how to make something more interesting than stock photo. We have the ability to go above and beyond. We don’t have to live in stock image hell.
61. Before we get into some of the tools that you can use to create better images (because it’s Mozcon right – we need tools), I want to give you all a few tips on what to consider.
62. Ok…so…tools! There are a ton of things out there but these are my faves and they are all of these are free or have a free version.
63. Photoshop alternative. Great for editing pics.
64. This is one of the coolest tools around. You put in a picture of people, and it’ll remove the background.
65. Create a gif of your screen. Screen recordings can show people things words can’t explain. For example, if users are unsure of where to find things in your software platform, create a quick screen recording showing them where it is in your interface.
66. The list of tools could go on and on but the point is…it is easy for us to create something better. To make something more impactful.
67. Ok…so this is a little off topic but again, it’s Mozcon, we are at a search conference. I have to talk about search right? Start thinking about how you can target images and video in search. Especially as we see more and more images in serps.
68. Using SEMRush, I can see what content I have ranking that has image or video results.
69. I can then look at those results and figure out the type of image I need in my post. Of course…we are going to make ours better.
70. You can also do this the opposite way. Check out your target SERPs to see what types of images or videos are showing up. See what’s there and go create your own.
71. What about video? You can do the same thing with youtube. Throw it in there and see what’s showing up in results. We can be creative and still be search marketers.
72. Pinterest. Find things that resonate with you. Find things you find interesting. Creative. Find things that stand out and you can get some ideas on what to do next.
73. Images play a role in content. In emails. In print. And search. We might as well make them good right?
74. At the end of the day, upping your creative game doesn’t have to be hard and if you really want to make something that your audience remembers, you are going to have to move beyond words.
75. Because when we are talking about creating something that’s memorable…you need a story. And that’s why an image can tell a story better than words can.
76. Because when we are talking about creating something that’s memorable…you need a story. And that can be an image, a video, or just a great story. I’ll prove it.
77. If you are Imagine the story you can tell with this! Imagine if you are the dog bakery. This is amazing!
78. I could go on and on but you get the gist. This is how we get people to remember our brands. To walk into REI and want to buy our coats.
79. So…I want to leave you all with this. As content marketers, as SEOs, as digital marketers in general…we should always be evolving. And that means taking our content beyond the traditional blog post, taking it beyond throwing stock photos in our social updates just so we have an image…create something you are proud of.
80. To do that, we need to make sure we are doing these four things: This stuff isn’t magic. It isn’t brand new. You do this every day, whether you’re doing keyword research or creating a new page…these are things that make us good marketers.
81. So…if I can ask one thing…I want you to leave this session and create one image, one video, one gif…one piece of content that you normally wouldn’t do. Create one thing you are proud of. And if you feel like, tweet it to me and we can celebrate with beers later. Thanks!