Freedom: Financial services marketers' great opportunity (and risk)

If just 42% of marketers say their content is effective, what are we doing about it?

Today was a great opportunity to watch 1,700 marketers obediently walk, clap and tweet on demand. Skilfully managed by Joe Pulizzi's Content Marketing World team we showed respect to the world's content mega stars, (over) ate our boxed lunches and kindly cross-promoted each other. 

Some showbiz fairy dust, a bunch of speakers with a lot of self-belief, and some clever clever conference planning have so far delivered a very impressive event in Cleveland, Ohio (who knew?). It's impressive as logistical undertaking, let alone a font of content knowledge like no other.

It's also impressive in it's ability to remind me of this: we are all just people. Whether a content marketing rockstar, real rockstar or humble content marketing neophyte we respond to certain things in certain (often predictable) ways. 

Energy, passion and humour move us.

Next year I think we need to send a plane load of Australian financial services marketers and their agencies.

I'm not saying we lack energy, passion and humour…I'm just saying we could use more of them in the work we serve up to industry and consumer audiences.

Ann Handley (@marketingprofs) said it best when talking about innovation, so here's a snapshot of her session.

Too few of us are focussed on helping versus selling. Our content isn't inspiring, and we're not innovating. If fortune favours the bold, we'd better get bolder. 

That's the nutshell version for our industry, but here's a little more. 

What's innovative? Innovative doesn't equal cool, odd, a billion dollar budget, a global brand, or a situation monitoring room (think Oreo in the SuperBowl blackout).

"Innovation is often the act of taking what worked over there and using it over here", quoted Ann. And her definition of content marketing?

"Content marketing means you consistently create and share information that is...packed with utility, seeded with inspiration, honestly empathetic...to attract customers to you."

Other gems?

"Empathy is not what you do, but what you do for your customers."

"Useful x enjoyable x inspired = innovative content"

"Experiment, especially when looking to build brand momentum"

I can hear the screams of anguish from here - often brand guidelines, senior management and even our audiences don't permit us to be as energetic, innovative or passionate as often as we'd like. 

Sometimes, freedom is in the mind. 

Sometimes the box we put ourselves in is the hardest one to get out of. 

Sometimes the boundaries are of our own making. 

So my enduring question after today is this: are we boxing ourselves into smaller creative and strategic spaces more than we need to? 

OK it's a leading question. Obviously I think the answer is yes. There's a time and place for smart bravery. It's here, and now, is today's CMI take-home.

Power Storytelling in B2B post 1: Content Marketing World 2012

If your content isn't grabbing attention it's not working.

If people aren't talking about it, it's not working.

If it's not shared, it's not working.

So what to do about it?

Brand story telling is the art of sharing your distinct value in ways that resonate with your buyers, compelling them to engage, trust and ultimately buy from you.

Positioning is all about your distinct value as a company. What is that distinct value?

Your distinct value, says Ardath Albee (@ardath421) as a company is the intersection of your company's strengths with your customers' needs.

Ah ha, I thought, the old Venn diagram of "what I do" and where it overlaps with "what you want".

Marketing hasn't changed - just the channels have.

And as Ardath says, how you tell the story, over time, matters. A great example is Volvo.  The story is still, after decades, about safety.

The conference blurb for her session kind of says it all:

"Just as every B2B company stakes a claim to a market position, each of them has a story to share. The challenge is in figuring out how to share that story in a way that aligns with the needs and priorities of prospects and customers. But, it’s not just sharing the story, it’s about making it so compelling that it elevates perceptions of value and urgency resulting in more qualified leads and faster purchasing momentum.

B2B marketers are facing a business environment with an increasingly complex mix of channels and skills needed to create a content and eMarketing strategy that, when executed well, results in quantifiable proof to downstream revenues."

De-jargonised what does that all boil down to? 

Do something of value. Tell a story about it in a way that speaks directly to the needs of your audience. Then share like hell.

I'm attending Content Marketing World 2012 (#cmworld) from 4 to 6 September for BlueChip Communication. I'll be bringing back the primary insights for financial services in Australia, and sharing them with clients and colleagues. Email us to attend one of my (free) highlights presentations in Sydney during September, October this year or February 2013.