Marissa Gbenro: Howdy and welcome to the Win-Win podcast by Highspot. Be part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and focus on tips on how to navigate them efficiently. I’m your host, Marissa Gbenro.

As we speak, we’ll focus on how COVID-19 and digital work have modified the advertising and marketing panorama. I’ve invited my buddy, Robert Rose from The Content material Advisory, to assist us discover these challenges and alternatives. Welcome, Robert, and thanks for becoming a member of us. Are you able to introduce your self and your position to our viewers?

Robert Rose: Oh, I actually can Marissa. Properly, to begin with, thanks for having me. I’m so excited to be a visitor in your present, which is absolutely, actually splendidly unbelievable.

My title is Robert Rose and I’m at present — nicely, I’ve two roles, actually: the chief technique advisor for a company known as the Content material Advertising Institute, which is a media firm the place we evangelize the strategy of content material advertising and marketing by occasions and blogs and webinars and all these sorts of issues, after which my position as a advisor, the place I work with plenty of manufacturers all around the world, principally by Zoom, and assist them operationalize their content material. I work with these manufacturers to determine the individuals, the method, and the expertise of how content material could be made right into a practical technique of their enterprise.

In between all of that, I, as you already know, host a podcast or two and I’ve written a few books and maintain myself busy on this splendidly locked-down world that we discover ourselves in.

MG: Thanks a lot, Robert. I’ve been an enormous fan even earlier than I used to be in a position to be part of your podcast. Thanks for letting me be part of the superb content material that you just’re creating on the Content material Advertising Institute as nicely.

So, Robert, just lately at Highspot we carried out a survey throughout completely different advertising and marketing capabilities and the objective was to uncover advertising and marketing challenges which have emerged on account of the worldwide pandemic and digital work. Each, I feel, deliver comparable however completely different challenges to entrepreneurs internationally and the outcomes of the survey felt very relatable. Nothing actually shocked me as a result of I’m a content material marketer and skilled the identical issues. However I believed it was actually fascinating that although they’re comparable challenges that we’ve seen ceaselessly with advertising and marketing, it appears these challenges have turn out to be much more heightened.

The three greatest challenges that we discovered by the survey had been understanding tips on how to higher have interaction prospects, uncovering what content material is only, and understanding what content material sellers discover most precious. Once more, this has all the time been a difficulty for entrepreneurs — I feel everybody has these targets that they’re making an attempt to resolve — however plainly they’ve been exquisitely heightened by working just about and never having sellers subsequent door to you. Everyone seems to be vying for the eyes of consumers which can be additionally working just about and each marketer solely has digital methods to now have interaction with these consumers. Robert, would you say that these are the most important challenges that you just’re seeing as nicely with the entrepreneurs and organizations that you just work with?

RR: I feel you stated it nicely. These are usually not essentially new challenges, however I feel they’ve a brand new wrinkle added to them which is one thing that we’ve been calling “the de-commodification of bodily house.” Type of the overarching new wrinkle to these three challenges is the thought of tips on how to have interaction prospects and tips on how to create content material that has an affect. All the issues that we had been challenged to do with content material had been all the time in a world the place the digital expertise or the content material expertise we had been creating was an adjunct to the bodily house. In different phrases, it was the place you went and downloaded the convention presentation after you attended the convention, or it was the place you went to get the expertise after you had the salesperson go to you in your workplace, or it was the web site that you just did the analysis on earlier than you invited individuals into your group. It was type of sitting alongside it. Now the thought of the digital content material expertise isn’t just sitting subsequent to — it’s a alternative. It has to really act as a proxy of that bodily, intimate relationship constructing that we might do in-person at a convention, at a consumer, wherever it’s.

What I see after I see the identical challenges that we’ve seen ceaselessly is that this wrinkle is absolutely simply additional emphasis on the necessity to get nice with digital content material and the digital experiences we’re creating as a result of they’re simply that rather more environment friendly.

MG: I completely love that time period “digital expertise” as a result of I feel what additionally has turn out to be profoundly clear by the final 12 months is that buyer expertise is extra vital now than ever earlier than. It’s all the time been actually vital, actually guiding your consumers, potential prospects, or current prospects by a digital expertise that truly convinces them that you’re the fitting vendor or companion.

I really feel like entrepreneurs have turn out to be a lot extra vital to the funnel for organizations as a result of that is actually the one option to get consumers within the door earlier than sellers are in a position to wow them with the product and gross sales pitches. What’s your tackle tips on how to elevate these digital experiences for patrons to make sure that entrepreneurs are actually getting that foot within the door and in a position to assist fill the funnel and persuade these consumers to maneuver ahead?

RR: Definitely, all of that’s true and I feel the one factor we’re seeing firms do which can be main this cost is similar issues that make up the wrinkles and the challenges that aren’t completely different. It’s the identical solutions, however they’re extra accelerated now; in different phrases, the solutions to the challenges are the identical, which is to get higher at it.

What I imply by that’s — as a result of that’s an unsatisfying reply for positive — what we’re seeing is the necessity to join these digital experiences. What has occurred as we’ve gotten more adept with digital content material and the creation of digital experiences is we’ve additionally turn out to be simply as siloed. We’ve turn out to be siloed in advertising and marketing, gross sales, buyer expertise, and buyer loyalty. All of these digital experiences that we create had been form of off on their very own island. In lots of circumstances, and whereas that was okay, everyone type of realized that’s an issue and we actually ought to attempt to remedy it.

It’s actually troublesome and it’s not okay anymore. It must be the strain to get these issues linked. We regularly take a look at our web site and the one perception that we have now into bettering it or personalizing it or making it extra related is the perception we get from the advert tech, principally no matter report that claims how guests had been collected there. We don’t have information going forwards and backwards between the experiences to assist enhance them and to attach them in a approach that makes them extra private and extra related and extra helpful for patrons. The reply to that, or the place we’re seeing it get elevated, is the place you’ll be able to really begin to join issues to your weblog, the web site, the e-commerce channel, the e-mail channel, the textual content expertise, all of these issues that they learn about one another. They usually’re utilizing the information in a sensible, clear, and clever option to ship a greater expertise, as a substitute of the siloed factor that we’ve been coping with for thus lengthy.

MG: I like that reply a lot, and it makes me pause to consider ways in which we are able to higher present a cohesive expertise from web site to electronic mail advertising and marketing from demand gen to content material. A couple of different challenges that we discovered within the surveys, as we stated earlier: uncovering content material that’s only, higher understanding what content material resonates most along with your sellers, in addition to understanding what consumers are in search of. whether or not it’s topical, what subjects are they most engaged with in addition to what sort of content material. Is it a webinar? Is it a podcast? Is it an infographic? Is it an e book?

What are your greatest practices that you could provide or have seen work for a few of the organizations and entrepreneurs that you just work with to essentially higher perceive your content material panorama in addition to what subjects and sorts of content material are consumers partaking with now to essentially assist transfer that needle?

RR: Yeah, it’s troublesome. There’s little doubt about it. These new wrinkles actually haven’t made it any simpler. The one factor that we are saying that’s useful to consider when beginning is that in lots of organizations and particularly those who have separate subject gross sales, subject advertising and marketing, enterprise gross sales, enterprise advertising and marketing, demand era, there are siloed groups engaged on numerous components of the shopper journey.

For a second, don’t take into consideration de-siloing the group. That’s sometimes above our pay grade. However what we are able to do is begin fascinated by how we decipher the shopper’s expertise, even when we begin with one bridge. Simply one thing so simple as, “Hey, if I subscribed to the weblog, I shouldn’t must put in my electronic mail tackle if I need to subscribe to the useful resource middle on the identical web site.” These varieties of easy, simple modifications that I do know are usually not so easy and never really easy since you want good expertise as a way to do all of these issues. However actually discovering the small, simple wins the place we are able to begin to join these experiences in a approach that one, offers us a greater singular view into the shopper journey themselves, and two, begins to affix the content material journey for them in order that they’re not pissed off, that decreases the friction on the issues that they’re making an attempt to do as they undergo our numerous digital content material and simply begin small after which do the subsequent one. If you can begin to decipher the journey, what occurs is you begin de-siloing the group in consequence. Perhaps that may be a useful 2021 tip. Don’t take into consideration making an attempt to de-silo everyone. What you are able to do is begin trying on the buyer’s journey and begin seeing how one can de-silo that, one step at a time.

MG: You bought me fascinated by a few of the organizations and distributors that I comply with very carefully and also you’re proper; I downloaded an e book and clicked a button that stated sure, ship me newsletters and weblog posts and so forth and so forth. That’s how I’ve turn out to be so consumed by these manufacturers with out even realizing it. They swindled me the way in which that you just’re recommending.

I fully agree that it’s all about — coming again to your level — conserving consumers inside this digital expertise. It’s about ensuring that they’ve a cohesive expertise from begin to end along with your model, no matter what activation you’re placing forth on the time, whether or not it’s a weblog submit, a brand new e book, podcast, or webinar, it turns into quite a bit simpler to devour that content material whenever you’ve made it simple for me and it’s not taking lots of my time or power. I’m going to be extra susceptible to say sure and see what you must say and point out it to a boss or a colleague as I transfer additional down the funnel and say, “I really listened to a podcast episode just lately that talks about this precise factor.”

This matter has sparked one other query for you. What are some predictions that you’ve that content material, product, or subject advertising and marketing might even see change over the subsequent 12 months?

RR: I feel it’s a associated factor. I imply, there are many great predictions and I feel a lot of them you and former company can have spoken to the thought of the rise of audio as a format — not this podcast withstanding, proper? However then there’s additionally video and multimedia and the supply of that, the resurgence or renaissance, if you’ll, of electronic mail advertising and marketing. I feel there are lots of tendencies for 2021 that may proceed and, actually, we’re going to nonetheless see the extra direct-to-consumer varieties of efforts each in B2B and B2C due to all the pieces we simply spent the final 20 minutes speaking about.

However the one prediction that I’ll point out as a result of I feel it’s actually vital for digital entrepreneurs is to affix up the talent units wanted for what we’d generally name “content material” within the enterprise. It was once ok for content material entrepreneurs to have the ability to write nicely, create some good content material, possibly do some design, possibly have some model journalism of their background, however now we’re seeing companies say, “You recognize what, issues like taxonomies, workflow, CMS, measurement, website positioning, and content material construction and all of these issues are extremely vital too.” The place we’re seeing content material entrepreneurs actually succeed is once they begin to add a bit to their T-shaped abilities. So, along with being nice storytellers, they need to even be nice content material strategists as nicely. Those that we’re seeing actually succeed are these that may broaden out their talent units to a few of these extra technical varieties of approaches.

MG: With the intention to achieve success with the modifications which have occurred over the past 12 months, and we’re nonetheless ready to see how way more issues will proceed to vary, you must put on many hats and you must have completely different units of abilities and abilities as a way to suppose outdoors of the field. You possibly can’t simply be a content material strategist with out placing collectively what you see this purchaser’s journey trying like, or a marketing campaign trying like. I feel that, as a content material marketer myself, that has been an space that I’ve been pressured to develop in over the past 12 months. No extra is it nearly phrases, however after I meet up with our design crew or our digital crew, what’s the expertise that I need our consumers to have? What does it appear like? What’s it going to really feel like? What sort of feelings are we hoping to tug at to get them to have an interest within the issues that we’re saying, the story we’re making an attempt to inform? I feel that’s onerous to do whenever you’re so siloed in a single operate of the enterprise, it’s onerous so that you can come outdoors of your self to say “Hey, though I’m a content material marketer, that is how I see it weaving right into a marketing campaign for product advertising and marketing, buyer advertising and marketing, or demand gen. Listed here are ways in which we are able to thread the needle by a number of completely different capabilities to ensure that the viewers, our consumers, our prospects, current prospects, are getting the most effective expertise potential as a result of it’s not only one approach of viewing this interplay and expertise.”

One different query I did have for you — just like the earlier one about predictions for the 12 months — are there tendencies that you’ve taken notice of that you just suppose are a good suggestion to observe for or soar on board? Are there any insider insights to share from what you’ve seen working with completely different organizations and entrepreneurs?

RR: Properly, we simply spoke about two, which had been the thought of audio and video for positive. We’ve all seen the rise of Clubhouse and a few of the acquisitions that Twitter has made within the audio house. We are able to see podcasts actually as a brand new pattern with firms like Amazon and Spotify making acquisitions very, in a short time on this house. So, as a content material marketer, as a marketer, it actually simply perks up my ears to begin to consider issues like audio. How do I begin to actually make the most of the audio and video that goes together with it?

My pondering today has actually been round this concept of linear experiences. So, each audio and video — though you edit them in a non-linear approach, they turn out to be linear experiences to your shopper. It’s not the form of factor that folks simply type of skip round and flick thru, proper? Both you’re in otherwise you’re not, proper? You’re both listening otherwise you’re not, otherwise you’re watching otherwise you’re not. It’s an enormous problem for us to get actually good at this, the place we take a look at nice tv, films, radio, and podcasts and go, “Wow. They actually know tips on how to create a robust set of narratives there in that linear expertise.”

I feel that’s the place we have now essentially the most progress and, fairly frankly, an enormous alternative this 12 months with so many individuals being caught in entrance of their screens. Properly, we can provide them one thing to have a look at. We simply really want to push ourselves and push the medium and push our creativity.

So, for me, it’s all about audio and video this 12 months and the way can we as manufacturers and entrepreneurs get actually good at it.

MG: I completely love that and fully agree that audio and video is the form of content material that I’m consuming and the form of content material that I need to create for different individuals. I respect the advice. Is there a advice that you’ve for a way to consider that technique and tips on how to begin to deploy that inside your group?

RR: You recognize — and right here’s the humorous factor — this can go proper again to the place we began the present, which is experiences that sit in parallel to those you’ve already created. We talked about this as a problem that we have now, and that is actually the place we are able to begin to increase our brains with regards to how can we develop content material. Simply easy issues. In case you’ve bought a weblog, one of many issues that I’m engaged on is making all my weblog posts obtainable as an audio stream. In case you would like to take heed to it relatively than learn it, there’s that chance. In case you’re taking a stroll or no matter, and also you need to have a five-minute pay attention as a substitute of a five-minute learn, that’s one factor. Webinars, the thought of on-line content material delivered by video reveals. Then, after all, there’s the basic launching a podcast, launching a videocast, getting your YouTube channel all arrange. All of these items I feel are going to play into one aspect of the spectrum, launching precise reveals that we would like individuals to subscribe to. All the way in which to actually simply providing up alternative ways to devour the identical content material we’ve been creating. That interview with our CEO? Sure, it’s good that we have now it in an exquisite 1,200 phrase weblog submit, however let’s get the audio of that up or let’s get the video or each, the place we are able to begin providing methods to devour the content material primarily based on the ways in which individuals actually need to.

MG: I feel that’s such a fantastic advice as a result of typically I’ll have time and power to take heed to one thing, but when it’s a video, it feels for some purpose extra consuming for me to observe a video, though I can avert my eyes and proceed to pay attention. It’s the concept that it’s in video format that makes me really feel like I don’t have the time for it. You say that, “Oh, it’s an audio file,” or, “It’s a podcast,” and in some way I’ve time for that.

I actually respect the thought of taking a weblog submit and placing it into an audio format or taking a video and decoupling it and placing it into audio and video. So, no matter your choice is, giving your viewers a number of ways in which they’ll devour the identical precise factor.

RR: From what I’ve heard from colleagues who’ve completed it, they are saying it has elevated engagement quite a bit, they’re getting way more elevated engagement on the content material that they’d created. Quite a lot of that, I feel, is as a result of it’s that linear expertise. So you consider a weblog submit and also you go learn it and, let’s be trustworthy, we stretch that time period “learn” quite a bit. We learn it, however actually we learn the headlines and possibly we learn one of many little blocks of textual content in there and bought the primary message of it and went, “OK, I’m completed.”

But when it’s a linear expertise, like audio, you’re going to take heed to it. And to your level, you may take heed to it whilst you’re multitasking or doing different issues, however you listened to the entire thing, proper? You take heed to all 5 minutes of it or eight minutes of it, or nevertheless lengthy it’s. In order that elevated engagement is one thing I’m listening to that’s actually precious. It actually makes for — going again to our authentic dialogue — a greater buyer expertise.

MG: I’m taking so many notes primarily based on this dialog for issues that I’m planning to stroll away with and new concepts for our content material technique right here at Highspot. So, Robert, thanks a lot. This was simply as informative and academic for me as I feel anybody who could also be listening to this, thanks to your time and for becoming a member of us on the Win-Win podcast. It’s all the time a pleasure.

RR: Completely. My pleasure, thanks a lot for having me on the present. I actually respect it.