IMC 306

CONTENT MARKETING/BRAND STORYTELLING PROJECT PITCHES

Remember:

You are not just doing a promotion — you are creating content that adds to the brand’s story

You should be able to answer the questions: 

—What is the story you’re telling with the content you’re creating?

—How is this substantially different from what the company/brand is already doing? 

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE: https://aloft-hotels.marriott.com/live-at-aloft/

Aloft is known among dog-lovers as a mid-range pet-friendly hotel that doesn’t charge extra fees for your pet. Last week on the way to visit family I stayed in the Aloft Greenville, NC — and found this great example of brand storytelling/content marketing in the lobby:

GOOD EXAMPLES BELOW:

• Sheridan Mark
• Madison Devoss
• Addie Pratt
• David Edwards

Honorable mention: Megan Kopytkiewicz

NEXT WEEK: You will each present the sample elements you’ve produced for your content marketing project. 

Since this is a large class, we’ll do this in two groups:

TUESDAY:

• Emily Reib
• Colby Passman
• Hannah Sloan
• Jakoben Thomas
• Channing Martin
• Kate Legg
• Lane Freeland
• Lauren Drummond
• Lili Fraigun
• Madison Devoss
• Megan Kopytkiewicz
• Millie Conn
• Nadia Robinson
• Sheridan Mark
• Sydney Price
• Tyliaiah Johnson

THURSDAY

• Abigail Sassano
• Addie Pratt
• Alexa Carter
• Amanda Deen
• Annie Miller
• Avery Burks
• Bo Young
• Brooke Patterson
• Carson Harris
• Cearra Moore
• Jodi Hallum
• Emma Williams
• Daniel Deluna
• David Edwards
• Devyn Reynolds
• Drew Brady

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FINAL QUIZ REVIEW

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hello Journalism & IMC Seniors,

SEND US ONE PHOTO OF YOUR HAPPIEST SENIOR MOMENT!!! WE’RE DOING A GRADUATION VIDEO HIGHLIGHTING YOU. Because of Covid-19 restrictions and the modification of a traditional graduation ceremony, we call on all seniors (471 of you) to drop one photo of a moment that is a fond memory of your senior year. Whether it’s tailgating, pledging, selfies, step shows, time with your best friends, or any other memorable time during your last year, we would like to create a 2021 graduation video featuring YOU. It can be a horizontal or vertical picture from your phone or a previously posted social media memory. We will only be using one picture per student. So make it fabulous—no photos of red solo cups or any with alcohol (keep it classy). The firm deadline to participate is Monday, April 10, by 5 pm. This is going to take some time to put together. 

Here’s the link to the folder:    

Senior Moments Class of 2021

CONTENT MARKETING/BRAND STORYTELLING PROJECT PITCHES

Remember:

You are not just doing a promotion — you are creating content that adds to the brand’s story

You should be able to answer the questions: 

—What is the story you’re telling with the content you’re creating?

—How is this substantially different from what the company/brand is already doing? 

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE: https://aloft-hotels.marriott.com/live-at-aloft/

Aloft is known among dog-lovers as a mid-range pet-friendly hotel that doesn’t charge extra fees for your pet. Last week on the way to visit family I stayed in the Aloft Greenville, NC — and found this great example of brand storytelling/content marketing in the lobby:

GOOD EXAMPLES BELOW:

Victoria Menhal

Miss Behavin

Brooke Tucker:

Sea World

Cordelia Chatfield: 

Farmgirl Flowers

Jack Cunningham

Lamar Yard

NEXT WEEK: You will each present the sample elements you’ve produced for your content marketing project. 

Since this is a large class, we’ll do this in two groups:

Group 1:  5:30 – 6:45

• Griffin Weissman
• Hailey Hennessey
• Jacie Unland
• Jack Cunningham
• Jack Whitaker
• Ally MacPherson
• Caroline Mills
• Jessica Flannigan
• Laura Lowe
• Rosemary White
• Tyler Robinson
• Vanessa Clark
• Victoria Menhal

Group 2:  6:45 – 8:00

• Ainsleigh Cunningham
• Alli Pierce
• James Goff
• Austin Clayton
• Ava Dodson
• Baylie Gary
• Brooke Tucker
• Jayci Stewart
• Cordelia Chatfield
• Elizabeth Whisenhunt
• Emma Cooney
• Evan King
• Fredice Walker
• Grace Kish

**

FINAL QUIZ REVIEW

**

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hello Journalism & IMC Seniors,

SEND US ONE PHOTO OF YOUR HAPPIEST SENIOR MOMENT!!! WE’RE DOING A GRADUATION VIDEO HIGHLIGHTING YOU. Because of Covid-19 restrictions and the modification of a traditional graduation ceremony, we call on all seniors (471 of you) to drop one photo of a moment that is a fond memory of your senior year. Whether it’s tailgating, pledging, selfies, step shows, time with your best friends, or any other memorable time during your last year, we would like to create a 2021 graduation video featuring YOU. It can be a horizontal or vertical picture from your phone or a previously posted social media memory. We will only be using one picture per student. So make it fabulous—no photos of red solo cups or any with alcohol (keep it classy). The firm deadline to participate is Monday, April 10, by 5 pm. This is going to take some time to put together. 

Here’s the link to the folder:    

Senior Moments Class of 2021

The final quiz will not be a direct repeat of the questions below, but they represent the main concepts you should know and understand by now:

DIGITAL MARKETING BASICS

The digital sphere — meaning all content available electronically — is almost completely

Transparent
Unregulated
Measureable
Free

When a ‘lead’ — a potential customer — becomes interested in your brand, they start what is sometimes called the ‘buyer’s journey’ through what?

LIVE EXAMPLE: https://analytics.google.com/analytics/web/?authuser=0&pli=1#/report/conversions-goal-funnel/a54516992w87479473p92320289/

Algorithms allow for TARGETED ADS. Platforms that don’t use algorithms to determine what content surfaces first typically default to what order of information? 

How do platforms that do not rely so heavily on algorithms to sell targeted ads make money?

CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE SCORE

True or False: Most big companies use something called a CLV score

True or False: At some wireless companies, a customer’s lower CLV might mean they miss out on free phones and other perks.

A person’s “churn” score at their wireless service measures what?

True or False: Similar to your financial credit score, it is possible to pay a third-party company to find out your CLV score


What kinds of information might factor in to your CLV score?

GOOGLE ANALYTICS and SEO BASICS

The majority of all search queries are performed via this service

Understanding which websites already rank for your keyword gives you:

valuable insight into the competition and how hard it will be to rank for the keyword.
the ability to remove their page from search engine results pages
valuable insight into whether your page should be indexed or not.
all of the above

Choose the best answer: One of the best ways to optimize a page’s rankings is to ensure that the keywords you want to rank for are prominently used in __.

titles and text
email newsletters
the editorial calendar
All of the above

Keyword research allows you to:
remove pages from search engine indexes
redirect your customer’s interests
determine which keywords to target when developing your website content
all of the above

To have a successful SEO campaign, what kind of expectations should you set?
optimizing for both the search engine and for human beings
focusing only on what a search engine will like about your website
optimizing for maximum results returned by a search engine, even if the content is not a good match for the search

You run a rental car company that provides low-cost upgrades to luxury cars. What is the trade-off if you use the Long-Tail Keyword “luxury upgrades”?

extremely relevant at the expense of search volume
high volume at the expense of being highly competitive
strong volume at the expense of being minimally relevant
extremely relevant at the expense of difficulty in ranking

PAID SEARCH
About one-fourth of all website traffic comes from __ search.

More than half of all website traffic comes from __ search.

In developing a search marketing strategy, don’t focus exclusively on the most popular keywords because _ keywords often convert better.

True or False: If you pay to appear in search ads, you don’t need to worry as much about SEO because you’ll always appear at the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

Which of the following, in addition to Google, also use PPC advertising formats?
Google
Facebook
LinkedIn
Amazon

What is PPC?

In Google Paid search, your __ is calculated using your bid amount, your auction-time ad quality (including expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience), the competitiveness of an auction, and the context of the person’s search, among other factors.

CONTENT MARKETING

True or False: Content marketing — brands telling stories to build trust among customers — is a concept that was created after the advent of the internet.

True or False: Effective Content Marketing can boost your SEO.

When Nike launched a content marketing campaign centered around short videos depicting racism and bullying in Japan, there was initially an uproar — including many news media reports discussing the controversy.

Regardless of whether those news reports were positive or negative, for Nike Japan they constituted more _ media.

The Snapchat-sponsored “Taking Gen Z to the Polls” content marketing stories are clearly marked as a PAID POST. What does this mean? (Select all that apply)
Snapchat paid T Brand Studio to produce content that would resonate with NYTimes readers
NYTimes reporters had nothing to do with creating this content and remain editorially independent of its content
(i.e., the series does not obligate the tech reporter to cover Snapchat one way or another)
Snapchat paid NYTimes reporters to write nice things about Snapchat
The New York Times paid Snapchat to be able to use their story

Content marketing can take many forms. Which of the below is NOT an example of content marketing?
Blog posts from company CEOs or guest writers
Infographics that share valuable information (for example, the Cleveland Clinic sharing useful medical information).
Short video documentaries
Banner ads promoting specific products

Content marketing is about ______more so than it is about direct product-selling.
influencer marketing
earned media
SEO
Storytelling

A few reminders about the last few weeks of class:

Keep in mind that 40 percent of your grade is still to be determined — the Content Marketing Campaign is worth 20 percent of your grade, and the Final Exam is also worth 20 percent.

*

Full details for your CONTENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN ASSIGNMENT can be found here:

https://imc306.wordpress.com/2021/03/28/imc-306-final-projects/

Plus I’ve attached the assessment rubric here: imc-306-content-marketing-rubric.docx

Your written pitch, which should be posted to your WordPress blog by MONDAY, APRIL 5 at 5PM, should include the brand you’ve chosen, and the basic story concept. The pitches do not have to be long, but the more detail you include, the more feedback/guidance I can offer you.

On Monday, April 19 (Sec 3) or Tuesday April 20 and Thursday April 22 (Sec 2), you will each give a three-minute presentation of your content marketing project, highlighting just the elements you produced as examples of the campaign. I’ll have students sign up for their preferred presentation date ahead of time.

*

The FINAL EXAM will be based on material covered in the five previous quizzes. You should review those quizzes closely, making sure you understand what you may have missed. ***Please let me know ASAP if for some reason you do NOT have access to all of the quizzes, with your submitted/correct answers accessible.***

We will have a Final Exam review during class on Monday April 12 (Sec 3) /Tuesday April 13 and Thursday April 15 (Sec 2)

*

Starting next week, I will be reviewing your class blogs to update your  WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS/BLOG grade. 
You have until Friday, April 9 to make any last updates.

I’ve posted the full list of blog post assignments here for your reference:

Summary of WordPress assignments

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 5, 5PM: Content Marketing Campaign PITCH due in writing on your WordPress blog.

April 9: Last day to update WordPress blog assignment posts.

April12 (Sec 3) or April 13/15 (Sec 2): Final Quiz Review – IN CLASS

April 19 (Sec 3) or 20/22 (Sec 2): Content Marketing Campaign Presentations
(any revisions based on feedback received during class must be made before final exam time)

Monday class/Section 3 Final Exam on Monday, April 26 at 6:00PM

T/TH class/Section 2 Final Exam on Thursday, April 29 at 9:30 AM

(Note – this is different from the official exam schedule)

https://registrar.olemiss.edu/final-exam-schedule-spring-2021/

QUIZ #5 REVIEW

Is this content marketing? https://vimeo.com/98800121

1. Is there a story being told? YES 
2. Is there a specific product being directly sold? NO
3. Is there a specific audience (can be geographic, demographic) being targeted? YES

*

 

READING DISCUSSION:With Fewer Ads on Streaming, Brands Make More Movies – The New York Times

From the article: 

More [companies] are turning to traditional Hollywood production companies like Imagine to partner on feature films like “The Day Sports StoodStill,” which is infused with Nike’s ethos but carries none of the traditional branding audiences are used to seeing.

Ethos: a Greek word meaning “character” that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. 

On  deck for discussion March 30 (sec 2):

 

**

On deck for discussion March 29 (sec 3): 

• Grace Kish
• Fredice Walker
• Ava Dodson
• Baylie Gary
• Brooke Tucker
• Caroline Mills
• Cordelia Chatfield
• Elizabeth Whisenhunt

**

CONTENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN PITCHES DUE MONDAY APRIL 5 at 5PM.

(REMINDER: We will NOT meet in person the week of April 5. I will be corresponding with each of you via email (or zoom if you prefer) on your final CONTENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN pitches, which you are to post on your class blog by 5pm Monday, April 5.)

CONTENT MARKETING CAMPAIGNS produced by past IMC 306 students:

Triple D Game Recovery

Zyia Active -Make it Happen

Buff City Soap

Kentucky Growers

Uptown is Here

The Growler: Crafting a Community

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WORDPRESS BLOG ASSIGNMENT SUMMARY

By now you should have posted **SEVEN posts to your Class WordPress Blog.

Once your content marketing pitch is posted, that will be EIGHT posts total.

I will be grading these over the next few weeks – FYI.

**

A NOTE ON ATTENDANCE:

This class meets once a week and as such counts for TWO CLASSES  — if you miss one week, you’ve missed the equivalent of two classes. More than one unexcused absence will be reflected in your grade. 
****Some of you have missed more than what warrants an automatic F.***

1. DREAM JOB – mystery keywords defined

2. WHAT WORKS discussion of the reading: (no max word limit, but if you’re under 200 words on this you’re probably not thinking about it hard enough.)

On Hold for 45 Minutes_ It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score – WSJ PDFDownload

social-media-algorithms-rule-how-we-see-the-world.-good-luck-trying-to-stop-them.-wsjDownload

3. WEBSITE CONTENT AUDIT

Choose a website that you regularly visit/use, conduct an audit (in writing as a post on your class blog):

Provide link to the site in your post, and answer the following questions:

1. Is it mobile-friendly
2. Does it load quickly in all browsers – test (browserstack.com)
3. Does it answer questions your users might have (Ex: Does a restaurant site list its HOURS?)
4. Does it reflect your brand
5. Is it up to date? 
6. Are all your products easy to find? 
7. Are your policies easy to find. 
8. How does it compare to competitors? (List at least one, with link)
9. Does it follow standard conventions (search bar, navigation menu, Contact info)
10. Are there any CTAs? Are they likely to be effective? Why or Why Not? 

4. GOOGLE ANALYTICS questions

• 1.You’ve been asked to identify which content on a website gets the most traffic – which Report would I consult for that information?
• 2.If I wanted to see a live view of traffic currently on a website, which Report would I use?
• 3. If I want to know the age and gender breakdown of visitors to my website I would look under which Report?
• 4. If I want to find out which other sites and sources referred traffic to my site, I would look under which Report?
• 5. If, when looking at data about a website, you notice that most of your traffic is coming from mobile devices, what does that mean for managing your website?

5. SEO OPTIMIZATION *(SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE COMPLETED THIS ASSIGNMENT ON YOUR ORIGINAL POST) 

Go back to your original website audit post and OPTIMIZE it for an SEO keyword or phrase. Make sure to employ a minimum of three SEO examples:

• Use the keyword in the URL/Permalink
• Use the Keyword/phrase in TITLES
• Use the keyword/phrase throughout TEXT
• Add relevant LINKS to the keyword/phrase (these can be internal, i.e., on the same site, or external -to another site altogether – as long as it’s a relevant link)

6. DIGITAL COPYWRITING – SAMPLE BLOG POST 

Write a brief blog post for your chosen site, written in the tone of the company’s brand persona, using digital copywriting best practices.

It can be a post about a new product line, a single product description, or any other related content — but be sure the post exhibits at least three of the best practice guidelines:

• Clear and direct meaning
• Clear and concise headings
• Bulleted and numbered lists
• Short paragraphs
• Bold and italics
• Descriptive links.

7. WRITTEN CONTENT ANALYSIS

Revisit the same website you audited earlier, and this time provide a brief analysis of the WRITTEN CONTENT (aka “copy”) based on the above reading. You don’t have to provide a full summary – you can choose one or two specific aspects of the writing that standout to you because they do or don’t work well.

You may want to address some or all of the questions laid out in the DIGITAL WRITING chapter below: 

1. Does your copy convey a creative idea?
2. Does the layout of your copy make it easier to read?
3. Is your meaning clear and direct?
4. Does the copy convey the features and benefits necessary to make your point (if applicable)?
5. Will your readers clearly understand the content of your writing?
6. Is the content of your message structured in a logical manner for desktop and/or mobile reading?

Bonus question: Does the copy use SEO keywords in the URL, titles, headlines, text? What are those keywords?

8. CONTENT MARKETING CAMPAIGN – WRITTEN PITCH (DUE MONDAY APRIL 5 at 5PM)

Your written pitch should include the brand you’ve chosen, and the basic ‘storytelling’ concept you plan to execute.These pitches do not have to be long, but the more detail you include, the more feedback/guidance I can offer you.

Before class time on Thursday March 18 (sec 2)/next Monday, March 22 (sec 3), please read this brief article:
Exploring the history of branded content

 

And post your examples of successful content marketing campaigns (by “successful” I mean “an example you like”) to your WordPress blog.

–Be sure to include links!
–Feel free to embed the content if you wish (if it’s social media/video, etc.)
–You can use more than one example from the same brand

On deck to lead discussion (sec 2) March 18:

• Hannah Sloan
• Addie Pratt
• Annie Miller

On deck to lead discussion (sec 3) March 22: 

• Evan King
• Fredice Walker
• Grace Kish
• Griffin Weissman
• Hailey Hennessey
• Jacie Unland

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JOE PULIZZI/BUSINESS OF CONTENT PODCAST:

–Good content is  good content, no matter where it is coming from: The NYT (media company) and SYSCO (food services supply) have same goal: BUILD A LOYAL AUDIENCE

–If you can tell stories on a regular basis to a targeted audience, that’s the future of entrepreneurship — CONSISTENCY IS KEY

–You’re not going to be successful if you’re not providing value – you need to BUILD TRUST

 

Click to access History-of-Content-Marketing-Infographic-2016-1.pdf

Is it content marketing? 

1. Is there a story being told? YES 
2. Is there a specific product being directly sold? NO
3. Is there a specific audience (can be geographic, demographic) being targeted? YES

 

Take a look at these content marketing examples below. What is the STORY? What is the TENSION/CONFLICT? Who is the AUDIENCE? 

Content marketing – also sometimes called brand marketing, or brand storytelling – differs from traditional advertising in that it is very much about the soft sell. It’s not a banner ad promoting a specific product; it’s not a 30-second truck commercial airing during the Super Bowl.

Instead of a salesy, direct-response style of marketing, many of the better branded content campaigns have a heavier focus on storytelling and brand journalism.

The end goal is engagement. Consumers that invest time in your brand trust you — and if they trust you, they’ll think of you first when they are ready to make a purchase.

Content Marketing may be best defined as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Content Marketing can take many, many forms, most of which are already familiar to you.

Examples of Content Marketing include:

. Blog posts — Remember Dick’s Sporting Goods Pro Tips? Many brands take to Medium to keep their blogs
. Ebooks — Is HubSpot a digital marketing education company? No, make software for managing SEM and CRM. But informing potential customers about digital marketing with their HubSpot guides serves to build their customer base.
. Infographics – Why would Cleveland Clinic want to help people heal themselves and potentially keep people away from the hospital? It’s about providing value to build brand trust.
. Videos — LEGO movie is one long commercial! Miu Miu is leveraging existing personal brands – up and coming women directors – to make artful short films. Are they ads? Does it matter what they’re called?

Podcasts — AARP has the largest circulation of any print magazine – now it’s diversifying into podcasts
. Social media — Almost all of these efforts are somehow integrated with social media – see #GoProHero9, https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoProHERO9?src=hashtag_click

MORE EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CONTENT MARKETING/BRANDED CONTENT CAMPAIGNS:

The New York Times’ T Brand Studio: https://www.tbrandstudio.com/

The Atlantic’s Magazine’s ‘comic strip’ about the real-life story behind the HBO series “WATCHMEN” 

Bank of America’s “That Made all the Difference” podcast on NYTimes Brand Studio

DNB “Girls Invest” video

Unexpected Collaborations: McGill university professors teach online module in personal finance for RBC

Saybrook University’s digital magazine UNBOUND

Thursday, March 25: QUIZ #5: Content Marketing 1

CLASS WILL NOT MEET LIVE APRIL 6 or APRIL 8 — You will be posting written content marketing campaign pitches on your blog and I will be offering feedback via email and/or during one-on-one zoom meetings.