Trailblazing Your Content Marketing Strategy - SLCHUG May 24, 2018

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Agenda
• Welcome & Housekeeping w/ Doc

• GDPR & HubSpot w/ Brandon

• Content Workshop w/ Justin

• Q&A & Wrap-up

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For Today
• Download the Keywords Everywhere plugin using this link: https://
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• Download the Keywords Everywhere plugin to your preferred browser.
• Get free API key here: https://keywordseverywhere.com/ﬁrst-install-
addon.html.
• Copy API key in email sent to you and validate it by: 1) clicking plugin found at
the top of your browser, 2) clicking 'Update Settings' in plugin, and 3) pasting
API key in the ﬁeld labeled 'API key' and clicking 'Validate'.

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Decks Will Be Available
Recap Post Coming

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DARIN
BERNTSON
@iGoByDoc
CEO/Founder

Co-Leader SLCHUG

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BRANDON
CARTER
@bscarter
Marketing Automation
Manager

HubSpot Customer

Co-Leader of SLCHUG

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Roll Call
• First Event?

• HubSpot Users?

• HubSpot Partner Agencies?

• Awesome Guests?

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Our Goals For SLCHUG
• Education
– Inbound in general

– Some HubSpot specific

• Who is this for?
– HubSpot Customers, Partners & Prospects

– Anyone who wants to sharpen Inbound skills

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Our Goals For SLCHUG
• Frequency
– Minimum 1 Main Event Per Quarter

– Additional Workshops + Intensives tbd

– These events are for you

– We are not here to sell anyone

– This is a learning environment

– Let’s be “inbound” and be helpful to each other

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Our Next SLCHUG Event
July or August
Topic: TBD
All Event Dates on SLCHUG Home Page
Stay tuned for announcement!

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https://www.hubspot.com/data-privacy/gdpr/hubspot-product-playbook
https://www.hubspot.com/data-privacy/gdpr/product-readiness
The HubSpot GDPR Playbook
HubSpot GDPR Product Readiness

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JUSTIN
CHAMPION
@JustinRChampion
Principal II Inbound
Professor (Content
Marketing)

HubSpot

Trailblazing Your
Content Marketing Strategy
Professor: Justin Champion

“An intention is a directed
impulse of consciousness that
contains the seed form of that which
you aim to create.”
- @DeepakChopra

To outline a long-term content marketing strategy for your
business that both humans and search engines will love.  
TODAY’S INTENTION

Hi, I’m Justin
About me:
• Content Professor for HubSpot
Academy
/JustinRChampion
/WildWeWander

Hi, I’m Justin
About me:
Academy
• Creator of Content Marketing
Certification course
/JustinRChampion
/WildWeWander

Hi, I’m Justin
About me:
Academy
• Author of Content Marketing
Workbook
/JustinRChampion
/WildWeWander

Hi, I’m Justin
About me:
Academy
Workbook
• Author of Inbound Content
/JustinRChampion
/WildWeWander

Hi, I’m Justin
About me:
Academy
Workbook
• Author of Inbound Content
• One half of Wild We Wander
/JustinRChampion
/WildWeWander

TODAY’S AGENDA
Welcome 15 minutes
1. Content Marketing Strategy Overview 20 minutes
BREAK 10 minutes
2. Outlining Your Content Marketing Strategy 65 minutes
3. Wrap Up and Close 10 minutes
TOTAL 2 hours

Please don’t hesitate to raise your hand!  
HAVE A QUESTION?

JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

You’re all equipped
with a workbook.
You’ll be using this to complete
today’s activities.

The slide deck and workbook will be
accessible to you after today’s workshop.
Slide Deck Workbook

Total time: XX minutes
1. When you see this slide, it’s time for an activity!
2. Take advantage of the time you’ve been given.
3. It’s a great opportunity to work with your fellow attendees.
Activity Time

Total time: 3 minutes
If you haven’t already, introduce yourself to a neighbor. This person will
become your training accountabilibuddy, helping you get through
today’s training.
Tell them something interesting about yourself (maybe something you’re
passionate about).
Activity Time

CONTENT MARKETING
IS STORYTELLING.

My wife, Ariele,
and I live on
the road full time.

This year we’re traveling 10,000+ miles in 180 days.
The goal: educate and inspire people to create more effective inbound content.

It all started with
our truck, George.

I love stretching the value out of things.
We decided to convert George into a storage unit, which also doubles as a camper.
Before After
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

We wanted to help
other
like-minded individuals.
We created an in-depth, step-by-step
guide on how to convert a truck
into a functional living space.

I pieced the guide together by creating
a blog calendar of related content.
DIY TRUCK
CAMPER
Creating an
off-grid electrical system
Purchasing
a truck cap
Installing a
reclaimed wood wall
Repurposing a
blanket into curtains
Installing
truck bed carpeting
Creating a
rip-away screen
Weatherizing
your truck cap
Installing a
storage area
Breaking down something large and focusing on the steps makes the process more manageable.

We deconstructed our guide into an ungated
website page and offer it as a packaged resource.
This way visitors can easily navigate the content and take it with them if they choose to do so.
SOURCE: WILD WE WANDER

Since launching the ungated website page our
organic traffic increased 943% in 13 months.

We rank #1 on Google
for the broad term
‘DIY truck camper’.

We rank #3 on Google
for the broad term
‘truck cap camper’.

“The average first page ranking,
will also rank well for about
1,000 other relevant keywords.”
- @ahrefs
SOURCE: https://ahrefs.com/blog/also-rank-for-study#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

• Written a clear content mission statement.
By the end of today’s workshop,
you’ll have:

• Learned a framework for planning, creating, and growing content.
you’ll have:

• Outlined a plan to rank for a high traffic topic on search engines.
you’ll have:

• Outlined a plan to rank for a high traffic topic on search engines.
• A list of resources to help with next steps.
you’ll have:

CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY OVERVIEW1

How have search
engines evolved?

Trailblazing Your Content Marketing Strategy - SLCHUG May 24, 2018

Google now processes more than
5.4 million search requests per minute.
SOURCE: SEARCH ENGINE LAND

#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER SOURCE: HUBSPOT
Search engines like Google have
invested in understanding search query intent.

Search engines aren’t your
customers; humans are.
SOURCE: PIXABAY

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
Think of your content like
a series of pillars, a
stabilizing foundation
for your content
marketing strategy.

CONTENT PILLAR (aka pillar page)
A website page that covers a broad topic in depth and is
linked to a cluster of related content.
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

KEY
Topic Cluster and Pillar Page Overview
CORE TOPIC

ENCRYPTION
KEY
MANAGEMENT
KEY
CORE TOPIC

KEY
ENCRYPTION
KEY
MANAGEMENT
CORE TOPIC
SUBTOPIC

Types of
encryption keys
How
encryption
keys work
Encryption
key lifecycle
Understanding
encryption keys
SQL server
encryption
Need for
encryption
key management
KEY
ENCRYPTION
KEY
MANAGEMENT
CORE TOPIC
SUBTOPIC

KEY
Types of
encryption keys
How
encryption
keys work
Encryption
key lifecycle
Understanding
encryption keys
SQL server
encryption
Need for
encryption
key management
ENCRYPTION
KEY
MANAGEMENT
CORE TOPIC
SUBTOPIC
HYPERLINKS

Featured snippet
#1 Google ranking

Visitors can
easily navigate the
page’s content.
The page offers a relevant
packaged resource, allowing visitors
to take the content with them.
SOURCE: TOWNSEND SECURITY

63%of people who visited the encryption key management
pillar page decided to download it and take it with them.

Non paid, organic search engine traffic
increased 100% in less than 10 months.
Townsend had three record-breaking organic traffic months since May 2017.

Townsend’s CEO stepped up
to create their next pillar page.  
Content is becoming a business-wide initiative, not just a marketing initiative. 

You can learn more about
Townsend Security’s
journey in chapter 11 of
Inbound Content.

How do you
create a pillar page?

THERE ARE TWO TYPES
OF COMMONLY USED
PILLAR PAGES.
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

There are two types
of commonly used
pillar pages.
● Resource pillar page
○ Heavy on internal and/or
external links
○ “Bookmarkable”
reference page
SOURCE: HELP SCOUT

There are two types
of commonly used
pillar pages.
● 10x content pillar page
○ Deep dive on core topic
○ Format is similar to an
ungated ebook
SOURCE: MAILSHAKE

A 10x content pillar page should offer the
ungated content as a packaged resource.
SOURCE: MAILSHAKE

90% OF WEBSITE
VISITORS PREFER TO
READ LENGTHY WEBSITE
CONTENT FROM A PDF.
SOURCE: HUBSPOT#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

Ungating content and offering a relevant packaged
resource solves for the human experience.
People want to try something out before making a decision on its value.
SOURCE: PEXELS

IN ORDER TO CREATE EFFECTIVE CONTENT, YOU
NEED TO DETERMINE WHY YOU’RE CREATING CONTENT.

“People don’t buy what you do,
they buy why you do it.”
- @SimonSinek
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

WHAT IS YOUR CONTENT
MISSION STATEMENT
Be sure you’re aware of what your content really
stands for and how you can make a difference in
your audience's lives. That will set the tone for your
entire content marketing strategy.
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

SALES
QUALIFICATI
ON
Etuma helps businesses transform unstructured
text data into decision-making information.
SOURCE: ETUMA

We sell an application that transforms unstructured text data into decision-
making information. However, when it comes to our content marketing
strategy, it’s not about marketing our text analysis application,
it’s about the idea that everyone should know that there’s an automated
solution to categorize comments and detect emotions in real-time in
multiple languages.
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER
Etuma’s Content Mission Statement

Workbook page: 4 and 5
Write down your content mission statement.
Activity 1: Content
Mission Statement

MARKETERS WITH A DOCUMENTED
CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY ARE MORE
LIKELY TO CONSIDER THEMSELVES EFFECTIVE.

TAKE A QUICK BREAK
(Come back in 10 minutes)

OUTLINING
YOUR CONTENT
MARKETING STRATEGY
2

When climbing any mountain,
focus on the steps not how steep it is.

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA
This is Chess
Grandmaster,
Maurice Ashley.Ashley gave a TED TALK titled, Working Backwards
to Solve Problems.

Retrograde analysis: To look
ahead, it pays to look backwards.

Read This Sentence
The only thing that’s interesting about
this sentence is is that your mind may
have skipped the second ‘is’.

REVERSE
ENGINEERING CONTENTThe process of working backwards to create a valuable
piece of long-form content by recycling a series of
planned content initiatives.

How do you reverse engineer a
long-term content marketing strategy?

Courtney Sembler, Email and Contacts Professor

Goal: Support HubSpot’s free CRM with
contact management-themed content.

Initiative: 23-part blog
series on contact management.

CONTACT
MANAGEMENT
UNDERSTANDING
CONTACTS
SETTING UP
CONTACTS
LEAD
NURTURING
WORKFLOW
BUILDING
LEAD
FLOWS
Courtney identified a plan to make
a bigger impact with her blog series.

UNDERSTANDING
CONTACTS
SETTING UP
CONTACTS
LEAD
NURTURING
WORKFLOW
BUILDING
LEAD
FLOWS
Courtney created each blog post
over the course of six months.
CONTACT
MANAGEMENT

UNDERSTANDING
CONTACTS
SETTING UP
CONTACTS
LEAD
NURTURING
WORKFLOW
BUILDING
LEAD
FLOWS
Courtney repurposed blog series
into 10x content pillar pages.
CONTACT
MANAGEMENT

UNDERSTANDING
CONTACTS
SETTING UP
CONTACTS
LEAD
NURTURING
WORKFLOW
BUILDING
LEAD
FLOWS
Courtney created a resource pillar to link to
all of her like-themed content in one place.
CONTACT
MANAGEMENT

Resource pillar page
10x content pillar page

Colgate offers a resource page
covering gum disease in depth.
SOURCE: COLGATE
Each section on the page links to relevant resources to continue learning.

1. Determine reach term
Six Steps to Reverse
Engineering a Resource Pillar Page

A reach term is a main topic that you want your
company to be known for and build authority around.
Reach terms have high monthly search volume and are generally one to three words in length.

Choose a reach term that supports
your products and/or services.
SOURCE: COLGATE

Perform research on Google
to find potential reach terms.
Use the Keywords Everywhere plugin to determine monthly search volume.

Workbook pages: 6 and 7
PART 1: Determine a reach term that’s relevant to one of your
products and/or services.
Activity 2: Creating Your

2. Identify core topics

Core topics should contextually support your reach term.
Most core topics are generally between three to five words in length.
SOURCE: COLGATE

to find potential core topics.
Review Google’s autocomplete and related searches suggestions.
Autocomplete Related searches

to find potential core topics.
Analyze the first page of the search engine result listings.

Click through top-performing listings
and review the page’s content.
Is it up to date? What’s the searchers intent? How could it be improved?
SOURCE: PERIO

Click the back button to go back to the search engine
results page and you’ll see ‘people also search for’.

Your goal is to rank
for each core topic.

Gum disease prevention
Gum disease

PART 2: Determine core topics in support for your reach term.

3. Source subtopic content

Subtopic
Core topic
Reach term

Your core topics should be
supported with subtopic content assets.
Think of each piece of subtopic content as one more step towards your core topic visibility.
SOURCE: COLGATE

SOURCE: COLGATE
Think of each piece of subtopic content as one more step towards your core topic visibility.
Your core topics should be
supported with subtopic content assets.

Make it a best practice to identify
subtopics in the form of a question.
Each subtopic you identify will be used to influence your subtopic content assets.
“How do I know if I have gingivitis?” “Three signs that you might have gum disease.”
SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC CONTENT ASSET

How to fight
gingivitis in
three easy steps
Gum disease prevention
Gum disease

PART 3: Identify subtopics for one of your core topics. 

3. Source subtopic content to form your topic clusters
4. Build pillar page

On-page
SEO best
practices
Definition
Social media
sharing buttons
Anchor-linked
table of contents
Resource Pillar Page Layout Tips
SOURCE: COLGATE

Descriptive
content for
each core topic
SOURCE: COLGATE
Related
subtopic
content assets
Section for
core topic
Resource Pillar Page Layout Tips

SOURCE: HUBSPOT
HubSpot offers a
variety of free pillar
page templates.
Don’t let design be the obstacle
that keeps you from creating and
publishing remarkable content.

I used HubSpot’s free templates to build
pillar pages on Wild We Wander’s website.
10x content: wildwewander.com/diy-truck-camper Resource: wildwewander.com/digital-nomad
You can use them to create 10x content and resource pillar pages.

5. Link all related content to your pillar page

Make sure all of your subtopics
link to the resource pillar page.
SOURCE: COLGATE

Consider adding links at the
top and bottom of your subtopic content assets.
Text-based link at the top of the page Image call-to-action at the bottom of the page
SOURCE: PROWLY

5. Link all related content to your pillar page
6. Increase website authority via inbound links

More likely than not, you’re not the only
one who will be competing for attention.
SOURCE: CREST

Crest’s gum disease
page ranks on the
ninth page of Google.

Inbound links are a
critical piece of your marketing plan.
Colgate link report Crest link report
The quality and quantity of your inbound links matter greatly.
SOURCE: MAJESTIC

HubSpot Academy offers a track to help
jump-start your SEO and inbound link strategy.

Focus your time and energy on
creating your first topic cluster.
This will help make your climb more manageable and less overwhelming.
CORE TOPIC

SOURCE: HUBSPOT ACADEMY
Courtney’s resource pillar page links to
supplemental 10x content pillar pages.
Resource Pillar Page 10x Content Pillar Page

You can learn a seven-
step process to reverse
engineering a topic
cluster and 10x content
pillar page in chapter 11
of Inbound Content.

Etuma created their first topic cluster and 10x
content pillar page using this seven-step process.
SOURCE: ETUMA

“We are receiving about 4x leads
(if you measure by quality)
compared to before the
text analysis content pillar”
- Matti, Etuma
#UNBOUNDINBOUNDER

There are 52 weeks in a year. Use them wisely.
Reverse engineer packaged content resources by making sense of your weekly content tasks.

Workbook pages: 12
PART 4: Acquaint yourself with continuing education resources. 

TOPIC CLUSTERS AND
PILLAR PAGES PROVIDE
VALUE FOR ANYONE
CREATING EDUCATIONAL,
ENGAGING CONTENT.

Topic Clusters and
Pillar Pages are Widely Used.
• Wild We Wander – DIY truck camper

Topic Clusters and
• Townsend Security – Encryption key management

Topic Clusters and
• HelpScout – Customer acquisition

Topic Clusters and
• Mailshake – Email outreach

Topic Clusters and
• Etuma – Text analysis

Topic Clusters and
• Colgate – Gum disease

Topic Clusters and
• Colgate – Gum disease
• HubSpot Academy – Contact management

• A clear content mission statement.
• Identified a reach term to align your content planning efforts.
• Identified five core topics with which to create content around.
• Identified a list of subtopics for one core topic.
• Understand HubSpot resources to continue learning and receiving support.
Here’s what you
have to start your climb:

CORE TOPIC
Focus on the steps.

REACH
TERM
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
Focus on the steps.

CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
CORE
TOPIC
REACH
TERM
Focus on the steps.

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Trailblazing Your Content Marketing Strategy - SLCHUG May 24, 2018