[EMD 2016] Reforge, Susan Su "The ROI of content and how to scale"

TL;DR

Content strategy is crucial for growth, focusing on content market fit and customer awareness lifecycle.

Transcript

I'm Susan as mentioned I do content and marketing at a company called reforge that specializes in training and advancement for growth professionals and then I'm also a venture partner at 500 startups where for the past few years I've helped hundreds of portfolio companies with their content strategy and with email as a channel to deliver that so wi... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Content strategy is a complex blend of market fit, distribution strategies, and customer lifecycle understanding.
• 😮 Influencers play a pivotal role in content distribution, with a focus on rising influencers and sustainable partnerships.
• 💌 Metrics like sessions, emails collected, and referral quality are indispensable for measuring content performance and ROI.
• 📡 Distribution strategies should be integrated into content creation, focusing on understanding market signals and optimal platform selection.
• 🎓 Effective content strategies prioritize education over direct sales, aligning with the customer awareness lifecycle for impactful engagement.
• 😀 Content market fit is essential for growth, with examples like IF C showcasing successful alignment with market needs.
• 🏛️ The 90/10 framework emphasizes nurturing over conversion, highlighting the importance of building relationships before selling products.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can you strategize content distribution effectively?

Content distribution should align with content creation, focusing on influencer partnerships, platform suitability, and analyzing engagement metrics for optimum reach.

Q: Is it advisable to start blogging on platforms like Medium?

Starting on Medium can provide initial visibility, but owning your platform enables better control of audience engagement and long-term relationship-building.

Q: What metrics are essential for measuring content ROI?

Metrics like sessions, emails collected, shares, and referral source quality are crucial, along with tracking performance changes over time to assess content effectiveness.

Q: How much emphasis should be placed on content distribution after creation?

Distribution should be a crucial consideration from content inception, leveraging market signals, influencer relationships, and platform suitability for effective reach and engagement.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Content is a strategy, not just a channel, focusing on ROI, resurrection of engagement, and conversions.

• Content market fit is crucial, with examples like IF C achieving success through understanding their market and delivering content that resonates.

• The customer awareness lifecycle guides content strategies from unaware to product aware, emphasizing education over direct sales.