a guide to content marketing - Greenlight Digital

JULY 2016 Content Marketing Brief

A GUIDE TO CONTENT MARKETING

www.greenlightdigital.com

Greenlight is a multiple award-winning digital marketing agency that designs, builds, deploys and measures marketing solutions and campaigns across Search, Content and Engagement, Display, Mobile, eCommerce, and more, with the unwavering objective of achieving dramatic growth for its clients. Greenlight promotes brands and products in 29 languages and 42 territories on behalf of such clients as Hiscox, ghd, Dixons Carphone, Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, Laura Ashley and many more.

Ready to grow? Call us on +44(0)20 7253 7000 or go to www.greenlightdigital.com/get-in-touch 2

www.greenlightdigital.com |  +44 (0)20 7253 7000

CONTENTS 6

4 INTRODUCTION by Andy Way, Head of Content & Engagement

“A great piece of Digital PR, much like traditional PR, should not be immediately obvious. After all, a journalist should have a natural reason to link to content you have created, whether it’s newsworthy, shocking or funny.”

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SEO & DIGITAL PR - BETTER TOGETHER by James Brown, Senior Outreach & Digital PR Specialist

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD EVENT

WHAT DO MILLENNIALS WANT FROM CONTENT?

by Holly Quinn-Kumar, Events Manager

by Kevin O’Connor, Content Marketing Manager

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STRENGTHEN YOUR CONTENT WITH CREATIVE STORYTELLING

TRUE DATA: TELLING A STORY PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE

by Louise McFetridge, Copy Manager

by Daisy Atkinson, Research Copywriter www.greenlightdigital.com |  +44 (0)20 7253 7000

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Introduction

THE BEAUTY OF CONTENT MARKETING IS THAT WHILST ADVERTISING IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO CONSUME - WHETHER IT’S BY STICKING IT IN THE AD BREAK IN GAME OF THRONES OR STICKING A POSTER UP AT YOUR BUS STOP – CONTENT MARKETING IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CHOOSE TO WATCH, READ OR PLAY BASED ON ITS OWN MERIT.

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The thing that makes content marketing such a strong

look at the ways to measure the success of events –

proposition, both creatively and strategically, is that it

something too many brands forget to worry about – as

touches so many areas within the overall marketing

well as how events can achieve the long-term goal of

mix. It’s relevant to brand positioning, tone of voice, PR,

creating brand ambassador communities.

above the line campaigns, social media, partnerships, affiliates, and so on. But, the thing about SEO is that it’s

Thereafter, Kevin O’Connor, Content Marketing

a very difficult and technical discipline and so to have

Manager, takes a look at that frustratingly elusive

real success, it’s imperative that you create content. If

demographic known as ‘Millennials’ and helpfully

the search engine algorithms are looking for

clarifies what this means, since there seems to be as

authoritative sites to rank highly, you need other sites

many definitions of the word as there are people within

linking to you. And what drives links? Content!

the category. Although, as he points out, it’s a rather meaningless term that does little more than define an

In this magazine, we look at some of the elements that

age group.

comprise content marketing and how they can be employed effectively, depending on your brand and

And finally, Copy Manager, Louise McFetridge, lays

your audience. If there’s a common subtext to these

bare the latest trends and techniques within content

articles, it’s that brands should always be clear about

creation across all formats and media, providing the

what their objectives are. If you don’t know why you’re

ideal framework for how you and your teams can

doing something you’re practically guaranteeing that

approach the sometimes intimidatingly vast array of

the result will be unsatisfactory.

options. Additionally, in the age of the infographic, the questionable survey and the headline that starts “A new

Firstly, Senior Outreach & Digital PR Specialist

study suggests…” Research Copywriter, Daisy Atkinson,

(basically a brilliantly geeky publicist), James Brown,

gives the low-down on how to use data responsibly and

gives us the lowdown on that odd twilight zone

effectively in your content.

interaction between publicity, links and Google. That’s to say how to do it well, how to know when you’re doing

So within this guide, you get pretty much everything

it well, and what the future holds for PR.

that you need to run a successful content marketing campaign. Don’t say we never give you anything…

Next up, our Events Manager, Holly Quinn-Kumar, gives a handy bluffer’s guide to what kind of events you can run, which one to choose for your brand or product and what objectives to set. Not only that, she goes on to

Andy Way HEAD OF CONTENT & ENGAGEMENT GREENLIGHT DIGITAL


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SEO & Digital PR

SEO & DIGITAL PR: BETTER TOGETHER BY JAMES BROWN, SENIOR OUTREACH & DIGITAL PR SPECIALIST

It’s fair to say that SEO and Digital PR have been used in the same breath for many years now. SEO is essentially concerned with improving your brand’s visibility online and for many consumers, the internet is the first place to turn when researching, or indeed, carrying out new purchases. Therefore, it’s never been more important to manage your brand’s identity online. Additionally, Digital PR has been widely credited with improving SEO performance1, whilst being a “white hat” (or Google approved) method of doing so. As Greenlight’s SEO Consultant, Jamie Faulkner, puts it:

“Digital PR can have a massive impact on SEO. Given that users can discover brands for the first time via organic search, the SERPs is just one medium through which a brand can

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communicate its marke ting messages and proposition – this should align with the overarching Digital PR strategy.” So, far from being different entities, Digital PR and SEO are inextricably linked, as Jamie continues:

“Digital PR activity is also an extension of, and complement to, content marketing and should ultimately drive awareness and increase the credibility of a brand, to the point that any links needed to improve visibility in search engines occur naturally and regularly.”

FIVE SIGNS YOU’RE DOING GOOD DIGITAL PR A great piece of Digital PR, much like traditional

and the product. It was also highly topical. The

PR, shouldn’t be immediately obvious. After all, a

social media winner of TV shows was, you

journalist should have a natural reason to link to

guessed it, Game of Thrones and the campaign

content you have created, whether it’s

was launched shortly before the new series

newsworthy, shocking or funny.

started.

Ideally, these links should come from high

Not only did the campaign receive coverage from

authority sites, which consequently pass link

high authority sites such as the Wall Street Journal

equity to your target site. However, no-follow

and International Business Times, it was also

links have SEO value too, plus the traffic you

covered by sites reporting on TV (Digital Spy,

create from gaining these offers huge benefits.

Inquisitr), technology (ZDNet) and, of course, fan

Earned media is known to have increased third-

sites (Game of Thrones, Winter is Coming!)

party credibility and ultimately conversion rates.

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Nearly as important, and of increasing value in SEO, is relevance. For example, coverage from a

To summarise, a good digital PR campaign will:

parenting website for your consumer technology brand is great, yet achieving links from gadget

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Give natural reasons to link

2

Be covered by high authority sites

3

Gain great traffic for the target site

shows that had gained the greatest attention on

4

Target highly relevant sites

Twitter. As this was to promote a package

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Be topical

sites is even better. Such an approach can be seen in our recent campaign with Currys PC World. Using social media analysis tools, we identified the television

offering a broadband, television and home phone bundle, the idea was highly relevant to the brand


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SEO & Digital PR

DIGITAL PR: THE FUTURE building campaigns have been planned, developed The digital landscape rarely stays still and

and signed off well in advance, but increasingly

so marketers working in the industry must

there will be opportunities for ‘quick wins’ from

adapt to constant changes in search engine

having a reactive approach in this 24-hour, content-

algorithms and media trends.

hungry world.

I’ve picked out a few ways I think Digital

CHANGING SERPS

PRs must adapt in the coming years: According to our SEO expert, Jamie Faulkner; “We might see a point where Digital PR and SEO converge

NATIVE ADVERTISING & PROMOTED CONTENT

on the SERPs in a more meaningful way. For example, highly shared content about a brand is not only accessible from the listings, but is visible directly via

Earned content is the Holy Grail, but the lines

content knowledge graphs, live tweet feeds from brand

between promotional methods are blurring. If

advocates, videos in the existing knowledge graph, and

you’re looking for corporate content to go viral,

even more interactive elements, such as experiencing

investing in some paid social could help push it into

3D tours of offices or intros to the team.”

consumers’ newsfeeds, and in front of editors and influencers.

These are just some of the ways we could see the industry changing, but at the pace we’re going who

MULTI-PLATFORM

knows whether VR (virtual reality) or the Internet of

Whether it’s via podcasts, video or Snapchat, Digital

Digital PRs?

Things will be the next source of revolution for

PRs will need to fully integrate their campaigns over a number of different media. Put simply, the more

One final note; an anagram of SEO & PR is “prose”,

eyeballs you hit, in a number of different creative

which flags up what will remain important in years

ways, the more likely you’re going to make a big

to come - having great content in whatever form.

impression.

REACTIVE, REAL-TIME PR

1. http://www.mediavisioninteractive.com/blog/digital-

Just as traditional PR is always reacting to the news

2. http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/online-public-

agenda, so should Digital PRs. In the past, link

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pr-2/the-power-of-digital-pr relations/pr-metrics-that-matter/1720

Events

GETTING MORE

FROM YOUR EVENTS

BY HOLLY QUINN - KUMAR, EVENTS MANAGER

Events are becoming an increasingly favoured tactic for delivering key marketing messages, evident by the sharp growth of the events industry in recent years1. But, with increased spend on events comes increased expectations, as marketers are forced to justify their expenditure and demonstrate a positive return on investment.


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Events

1. DETERMINE YOUR OBJECTIVES

2. CHOOSE THE BEST FORMAT

Events, by nature, are show-stopping activities, so

Once you establish a clear understanding of why

it’s easy to jump to the conclusion of wanting to do

you want to run an event and you have clear

one when you have something big you want to tell

objectives in place, you then have to consider how

the world. A large concentration of people in one

you go about doing it. Whatever method you

place, to hear en masse something you have to say

choose, it should always help you meet your

about your product, service or brand is an attractive

objectives and deliver your key message(s).

idea. Nevertheless, they’re costly ventures and require a good deal of planning and resources to

Below are some examples of different types of

execute, so you have to ask yourself:

events for different purposes:

‘What do I really want to achieve from my event?’

PRESS LAUNCH – Do you have a new product you want to tell the world about and generate some buzz around? Inviting trade journalists to a launch event gives them exclusive access to new products

Identifying objectives for any event is key from the

or services ahead of the crowd and an opportunity

outset. Whether they’re measurable or subjective

to share this information with their readers before

indicators, they’ll help you hone in and focus on

anyone else can.

planning and executing an event that delivers something of value for you and your audience.

INFLUENCER EVENT – Bloggers and influencers are publishers who have gained audiences with similar interests across many different social platforms (e.g. blogs, Instagram and Twitter). Working with them gives you the chance to gain exposure with your target audience through an individual they know and trust. According to a recent study, blogs were valued as the most important source of information for 18- 24 year olds when making an online purchase, proving that audiences look towards these influencers when making key purchase decisions2. Creating an event for these influencers not only gets your brand in front of them, but their audience too.

We recently curated an event for Currys PC World at London’s King’s Cross station. The

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP OR SEMINAR – Want to position yourself as a brand

one-day event was designed to promote the

expert in a certain industry or develop relationships

offline and online competitions, as well as a

with new potential clients? A small educational

giant washing machine, dancers and three

seminar or workshop delivered by a brand

Samsung AddWash machines. The King’s

representative is a great way to share your valued

Cross competition generated 1,057 entries

knowledge and expertise to a wider audience whilst

and on social media we engaged a core target

also potentially yielding new leads.

audience. As a result, 1,238 Twitter posts were

EXPERIENTIAL CAMPAIGN – Sometimes

new Samsung AddWash range, involving

tweeted on the day and a total of 2.8M Twitter impressions were generated. Not only that,

events can be all about ‘show and tell’ instead of

the event and Currys PC World were

‘touch and experience’. This is where experiential

mentioned in five high authoritative

marketing comes into play, by creating an immersive

publications, helping to expand awareness of

event that connects the audience and the brand in a

both Currys and Samsung. We also helped to

more powerful way than other traditional event

generate a 33% increase in traffic year-on-

formats. These campaigns are designed to be

year to pages related to Samsung washing

impactful and create a high level of engagement

machines on Currys’ website. Not bad for a

between the general public and the brand.

day’s work!


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Events

3. BENCHMARK AND MEASURE

After setting objectives, you must ensure there are ways in which you can measure the effectiveness of your activity. At the end of the event, you want to determine how successful you were in achieving these aims.

OBJECTIVES CAN BE MEASURED USING THE FOLLOWING TOOLS:

REGISTRATION APPS – to monitor attendees IBEACON TECHNOLOGY – to monitor attendee movements and touch points during the event SOCIAL LISTENING TOOLS – to monitor online engagement during the event POST-EVENT SURVEYS – to monitor attendee satisfaction DISCOUNT CODES GIVEN TO ATTENDEES – which can be applied to product purchases and used to monitor any increase in sales post-event LINK/COVERAGE REPORT – a post-event report of all the online/offline coverage received CIRCULATION AND READERSHIP STATISTICS – a post-event report detailing circulation and readership demographics of the influencers and publications that attended the event, to estimate audience reach.

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4. CREATE A COMMUNITY FINAL CHECKLIST Events are ultimately experiences where people interact, spectate, listen and voice their opinions. They’re made up of

 Consider the core reasons you want to run an event from the outset

lots of human behaviours and interactions, therefore facilitating and encouraging this is crucial.

 Formulate useful objectives and implement a strategy which helps you

Getting social and bridging the gap between online and offline is a great way to build this community to ensure that conversations and engagement are happening around the event (before and after) and not just at the event itself. Using a specific event hashtag keeps all conversations in one place, making it easy for your audience to access and join in whenever they want to get involved.

achieve them  Select an appropriate event format based on objectives  Ensure goals are measurable to determine the true value of your event

Treat this audience as a community that needs to be nurtured before, during and after the event. By extending this relationship, you are giving your audience more value

1. http://www.phrweb.co.uk/news/new-report-values-uk-events-

from the event and as a result, developing a stronger

industry-at-%C2%A339-1bn

rapport with them. This ultimately leads to increased brand

2. http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/11/25/infographic-role-

loyalty, decreased dropout rates and a more engaged,

bloggers-path-purchase

connected audience. Creating a community is a great way to help stretch the message and increase reach beyond the event day itself.


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Case Study

Dixons Carphone

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DIXONS CARPHONE, OWNERS OF

THE RESULTS

CURRYS, PC WORLD AND CARPHONE WAREHOUSE DOMINATES THE UK MARKET FOR WHITE GOODS, COMPUTING AND CONSUMER ELECTRONICS AND IS EUROPE’S LARGEST SPECIALIST ELECTRICAL RETAILING AND SERVICES COMPANY.

RESULTS ON THE DAY: The King’s Cross competition achieved 1,057 entries 1,238 Twitter posts were tweeted on the day The posts generated over 2.8 million Twitter impressions

POST- EVENT RESULTS: Currys PC World was mentioned in five high authority publications, including Retail Week and The Drum

THE OBJECTIVES Raise brand awareness of Currys PC World as a primary white goods retailer, delivering innovation and the latest technology by highlighting the launch of the new Samsung AddWash washing machine.

Mentions from influential Twitter authors, each with very strong Klout scores (ranging as high as 73) Twitter sentiment was high across the UK (particularly in London thanks to positive responses to the activity run on the day)

THE STRATEGY We ran an experiential event at London King’s Cross station using a giant washing

Basic Positive

Basic Neutral

43%

56%

Basic Negative

1%

machine, dancers and three Samsung AddWash machines. Two competitions

We engaged a core target audience throughout the day and

were launched on the day to support the

promoted Currys PC World as a primary retailer in the white goods

event:

arena, whilst also pushing the range of Samsung AddWash machines

A Kings Cross-based campaign where

SEO & direct traffic increased by 33.12% YoY in April 2016

the public returned ‘missing socks’ to

The Currys site ranked in 1st position for the ‘Samsung AddWash’

an AddWash machine to be in with the

search term, placing it in the best possible position to drive

chance of winning £1,500

organic revenue

A social competition where the public were asked to tweet a picture of their socks for the chance to win a £250 gift card.


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Content Strategy

WHAT DO MILLENNIALS WANT FROM CONTENT? BY KEVIN O’CONNOR, CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER

A lot of clients come to us with questions about how they can best target Millennials. Since they are the most active user base online, especially when it comes to social media, it makes sense

However, before brands decide to target Millennials, there are three key questions they need to ask themselves:

that you would want to create content which caters to them. Millennials, depending on who you talk to, can broadly be described as young people who grew up with the internet and identify as ‘digital natives’. This segment includes people aged anywhere from 12 to 35, but generally speaking, brands tend to group

QUESTION 1

SHOULD I EVEN BE TALKING TO. MILLENNIALS?. The answer to this question, of course, depends on what your product or service is and whether it’s suitable for a Millennial audience. An audience which is more

Millennials as anyone born in the 90s or early

easily influenced by online content and improved

millennium who are active online.

search rankings sounds like an easy way to grow your

It’s understandable why any brand would want to target customers in this category; they have more spending power than previous generations, are not as influenced by traditional advertising and are more informed by what they read online when it comes to purchases. They’re also excellent brand ambassadors and freely share content that connects with them, whether it is branded or not.

user base, however the challenge is whether you can grow within that demographic while still remaining relevant to your core audience. Much like the old saying that the British and Americans are two peoples separated by a common language, creating content for Millennials can sometimes leave some key points lost in translation between generations. That’s not to say that content cannot be created for both, but an investment in proper cross-platform content forms and styles should be considered.

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QUESTION 3

WHAT KIND OF CONTENT DO THEY. ACTUALLY WANT?. Recent content innovations such as listicles and short content forms such as Vines and Instagram videos have come to define the current generation of content creators and seem to confirm that Millennials are easily bored and want a constant stream of bitesize, disposable content. The sheer output of these types of QUESTION 2

HOW DO I COMMUNICATE WITH. MILLENNIALS?.

content from sites such as Mashable and Buzzfeed (sites which have come to define current online trends) is overwhelming and seems to confirm this. However, if you look beyond the noise, you will still see that well

There are several rules of thumb that are good advice,

researched, long-form and quality content still has its

but not all encompassing, such as ‘Millennials hate to

place at the table and Millennials are willing to put in

be sold at or talked down to, they are very savvy and

the time to seek out this content if it’s about something

they can tell when they are being advertised to’. While

they’re passionate about, or something that holds

this is true, it’s a good rule for any type of branded

relevance for them. Recent trends such as Facebook

content in general. The biggest mistake is to think there

Live, the continued rise of podcasts and a resurgence in

are hard and fast rules when creating content for

printed content means that just focusing on short-form

Millennials. Millennials are not a solid monolithic group

content can indicate that you’re not forming lasting

who all think and act the same way, some Millennials

relationships with your audience, but a mistake some

can be tarred with the same brush of saying they only

brands make is spreading themselves too thinly across

care about Netflix, Snapchat and emojis, but of course

a lot of channels. Finding the right platform(s) for your

once you drill down into the persona research, you’ll

audience should be the first problem that’s solved

find that this portrait doesn’t hold true for most young

before any content is created.

people today. Post Gen-Y consumers are passionate about social issues and are very considered with their purchases, they’ll do extensive online research and more than anything, they take recommendations from friends, online influencers and crowd-sourced reviews, such as third party ratings and comments on product pages. Giving a good user experience and connecting with customers through social and other channels can not only foster brand ambassadors, but can also be mined for user-generated content and used as research for future campaigns. The line between online and offline is blurring more and more every day, and this experience should be reflected in your communications.

After you’ve hired some Millennials in an effort to create content which speaks to a younger audience, you may find that the rules which apply for creating content for Millennials look very similar to the rules which apply to all content. Make it useful, make it shareable and use it to help answer the needs of your customers, not just search engines. If you follow these rules, the rankings and social interactions will follow, and so will the Millennials.


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Creative Content

STRENGTHEN YOUR CONTENT WITH CREATIVE STORYTELLING BY LOUISE MCFETRIDGE, COPY MANAGER

If you’re reading this, then I know why. You love great content. And you want to know how you can strengthen your content offering. Well, the path for content creators and marketers is clear. Whilst numerous tactics might fail to drive efficacy, content continues to provoke thought and drive conversations. H oweve r, t h e s e a re exc i t i n g , exhausting times as we all compete for engagement with the content we create. It’s exciting because content is the salvation for brands, giving them a voice and truly connecting them with their audience. And as a creator, there’s so much to get stuck into. But it can be exhausting because the very

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definition of what content is, is ever-

Stories must be authentic, creative

changing.

and engaging. The following four states are a great foundation to

With a more sophisticated brand

consider when planning content for

audience, content needs to work

your brand. This simple approach acts

harder. Today, content is much more

as a framework for creating great

than just words and pictures alone. It

content that delivers on its end goal:

needs to be talked about, shared, liked and linked to across multiple platforms for it to have ‘done its job’.

ASPIRATIONAL

If you want to make sure your content marketing efforts are effective then deciding that you’re going to create

INFORMATIONAL

great content that people love isn’t enough. It’s about communicating information in different and exciting

EMOTIONAL

ways. For your content to successfully connect with an audience and gain meaningful interactions, it needs to tell a story.


CONTEXTUAL

So, how do you develop storylines and come up with marketing strategies to disseminate these stories while hitting these touch points? It begins with a robust content marketing strategy, but furthermore, it’s about selecting the right creative approach to content. Whilst there are many layers to effectively tell a story, here are a few ways to do so through content: CREATE A ROYAL FLUSH WITH YOUR CONTENT According to searchmetrics 1, the

When it comes to telling a story

average word count of top-ranking

through written content, be upfront.

content is between 1,140-1,285 words.

Credibility is everything. If you’re not

But, creating a great piece of in-depth

the expert, work with someone who

written content is no mean feat. On

is. Written content may be king, but it

average, users read, at most, 28% of

needs to work a whole lot harder than

the words on a page . Your content

other content formats. Identify gaps;

needs to grab the reader’s attention

content needs to have a hook, so work

and stimulate interest, so your key

out what hasn’t been said and create

message needs to be told in the first

content that’s unique and useful.

2

paragraph. Whether you’re creating blogs, However, when you’re faced with the

research-driven articles, newsletters,

task of creating high quality, link-

whitepapers or web content, it should

worthy, written content where do you

be clear, balanced, factual and original.

begin?


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Creative Content UTILISE VISUAL ASSETS Looking to bring your content to life?

add to your content. But, while I may

There’s nothing more effective than

not be telling you anything new, I’m

visual storytelling in content

hoping that you’ll take heed. If not

marketing. According to a 2016

from me, then from Sproutworth 4

report3, 71% of marketers use visual

who revealed that 20.3% of content

assets as part of their content

marketers found visual content to be

marketing strategy.

three times more effective than text content. Imagery should add a

However, it’s not a case of inserting a

connective, creative thread to your

few stock photos in to your blog post.

story. They say a picture is worth a

It’s about nailing a visual content

thousand words. Get your visual

strategy that utilises compelling

storytelling right, and your content

visual elements and graphics to really

could be worth millions.

INTERACTIVE CONTENT TO INSPIRE In a sea of static visual assets, interactive content can really stand out. It uses layers of information, rich media, animation and beautifully designed creative, along with coding, to create visually engaging content. Interactive content has been the buzzword on every content marketer’s lips and is set for continued growth. For a brand to engage with its target audience, utilising creative storytelling through interactive content is a much more active experience. Whether you opt for the obvious quizzes or infographics, or instead consider whitepapers and data visualisation – interactive content compels an audience to continue scrolling and stay engaged.

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VIDEO: GREAT STORIES BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

Video content marketing is both the present and future of storytelling. According to Cisco5, by 2019, video will account for 80% of all consumer

To leverage storytelling through video content and reach its full potential you’ll need to:

internet traffic. The growth of video over the past year or so has seen many brands embracing this content form. Online video has quickly become enveloped in many content marketing strategies as a way to excite, inform and entertain. More recently, it’s short-form video that’s been making waves. Social media offers an exciting opportunity for video, and the appetite for video consumption is vast. In the same study by Cisco, it was revealed that nearly a million minutes of video will be shared every second. So, if you’re a

Consider your audience, to ensure what you’re creating is of relevance and interest to them Be creative; originality not only starts with the video itself but with the strategy you build around it Amplify with social; video is an inherently social medium so harness this to engage with your audience

newcomer to video then you can see it has the potential. www.greenlightdigital.com |  +44 (0)20 7253 7000

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Creative Content

Experiment with both long and short formats as well as different styles or types of video content: WEBINARS & PODCASTS:

ANIMATION OR MOTION GRAPHICS:

EVENT CONTENT:

Webinars and podcasts are a great

Depending on the size of your

Whether you’re hosting or sponsoring

user-friendly way of sharing helpful,

marketing budget, animations can be

an event, video content is a great way

valuable insights with your audience.

very impactful for storytelling. Whilst

to keep it alive for much longer than

Not only are they high-value, but

they come with some complexities,

the day itself.

they’re also low-cost. They’re great

animations give you vast creative

for hosting Q&As and roundtables

options. Whether it’s whiteboard or

And, I haven’t even touched on the

with thought leaders, so once you’ve

character animation, they enable you

many other possibilities that are

got your attendees and theme sorted,

to capture viewers’ attention and

currently being developed. With VR

there’s no stopping you.

engage their imagination.

and Oculus Rift on the horizon for many content marketers, video content in 2016 is set to be interesting.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DATA VISUALISATION

“Data journalism is 80% perspiration, 10% great ideas, 10% output.” – The Guardian, Datablog

Data is everywhere, and it can be very

So, how do you build trust and interest

powerful for telling stories – as long as

in your data content? Following on

the data is presented in a logical,

from this, take a look at Daisy’s article

easy-to-understand way. That’s

on ‘True data: Telling a story people can

where data visualisation comes in.

believe’ (p. 24) to see how you can

Charts, graphs and design elements

unleash the true potential of data.

can bring to life any puzzling excel spreadsheet. But, it’s important to present them in a meaningful and accurate way.

1. http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors/ 2. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/ 3. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/report/ 4. http://www.sproutworth.com/visual-content-marketing-statistics/?hvid=5bbDNz 5. http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/complete-white-paper-c11-481360.html

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We even include many free tools such as heat mapping, funnel analytics and session recording to allow you make the best decisions around your website. Armed with this information, we can optimise your landing pages, improve your order processes, encourage upselling and reduce basket abandonment, leading to a better understanding of your potential audience and increased sales.

If you are ready to grow then call us on +44 (0)20 7253 7000 or check out www.greenlightdigital.com

Better your traffic spend ROI?


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Data Analysis

TRUE DATA: TELLING A STORY PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE BY DAISY ATKINSON, RESEARCH COPYWRITER

In a world where you can pretty much disregard any statistic you hear – whether it’s based on faulty findings, labyrinthine analyses or groundless promises - how do you build trust and interest in your data content?

CHECK YOUR SOURCES If there’s something that irks me more than stating the obvious, it’s when content lacks credible sources, or any source at all when making a claim. Once you’ve found a credible data source, it’s also worth thinking about what went into creating it. If you’re looking at survey data, for example, you should consider the wording of the questions and the method used

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to gather the information, as these elements can grossly affect the outcome and the claims made. Particularly if it matters to the sway of the argument you intend to make, it’s important to dig deeper into the data source to find out who created it and what their possible influences and biases are.

LAY YOUR METHODS BARE If the thought of letting everyone see your methods of analysis without a stitch on makes you blush, then people are likely to deduce one of three things: 1. You’re very prudish 2. You’ve got a rather untidy spreadsheet, or

It’s difficult to put a number on how many times data sources or their analyses have been hidden to avoid scrutiny and push through dodgy assertions, since, without access behind the scenes, how can you prove they’re dodgy? It’s a canny method, and, unfortunately, a prolific one.

3. You’ve got something to hide.

Opening the robe on your data and showing it, warts and all, is probably one of the most effective ways to convince people your argument is valid. Another effective way is to fully explain your methods. A clear method should also be clear to explain. Going through several co n to r t i o n s i n a n a l ys i s m ay ultimately lead to a convoluted claim.

AS FOR THE STORYTELLERS… Transparency of process is key. Your absolute aim is to show people “I’m not making this up” with the clear demonstration of an analytical process that doesn’t dance around outside the borders of science. Those that go the extra mile to detail in an intriguing, thoughtful and accessible way, how they’ve

interpreted their data and why they’re the ones I’m more inclined to trust. If you gain the trust and intrigue of your audience, you’ll not only convince them of your argument but potentially place yourself as their goto for similar information in the future.

WITH GREAT POWER COMES RESPONSIBILITY A data-led story is very powerful, it can empower decisions. On a large scale it’s what drives (some) people to the polls. But if people are denied ways of accessing or interpreting the data, they’re left with claims that could be influenced by anything from the inaccurate to the ridiculous. That’s not a very nice way to talk

about cer tain national press publications, but it serves as a warning to us all: Whatever data story we tell, the source should be credible, the analysis careful, and the method rigorously explained because it could change the way people think.


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Case Study

Hillarys Blinds

SKYGLOW

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THE CLIENT

THE RESULTS

Hillarys Blinds is the leading interior and window fashion made-to-measure experts in curtains and blinds in the UK.

THE OBJECTIVES We set some ambitious goals to generate conversation and engagement for Hillarys: Create a leading outreach campaign on a current topic through an infographic webpage Increase social media conversions significantly

100 LINKS

High Domain Authority links up to 100 Very high domain authority (DA) followed links from crowdsourcing (kickstarter site which had a DA of 93) and government (.gov.uk website with a DA of 100) sources were generated based on the Skyglow page, which increased the webpage’s average DA to 44.

Generate strong link earning numbers off the back of content engagement Secure new followers of the Hillarys brand

6,500 VISITS

to the page in the first month of launching

THE STRATEGY We were quick to identify a unique opportunity for content and creative development. As the overall aim was to

Three online press placements from top green and economy press publications

promote the quality and impact of good blinds and shutters, we wanted to support Dark Skies Awareness in 2015 as it tied in with the International Year of Light. • To do so, we created an interactive infographic webpage

Excellent Twitter and Facebook paid media click through rate (3.03% and 4.33% respectively) – far higher than the industry average

(www.hillarys.co.uk/skyglow) displaying visual data on how light pollution has affected skyglow over the years in order to bring to light the importance of reducing the glare emitted by homes and street lighting.

Twitter outreach gathered interest from top journalists and astronomy supporters

• Alongside visually stimulating creative, we also provided engaging content which would help earn links and domain authority for the campaign. • We also sparked a strong social media presence for Hillarys through paid and organic media to compliment the outreach effort and generate strong back links to the content. CHECK OUT THE CONTENT http://www.hillarys.co.uk/skyglow/ www.greenlightdigital.com |  +44 (0)20 7253 7000

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www.greenlightdigital.com The Varnish Works, 3 Bravingtons Walk, King’s Cross, London, N1 9AJ +44 (0)20 7253 7000 [email protected]