DSIM CONTENT MARKETING CURRICULUM AND

STUDY MATERIAL
 What is Content marketing?
 Introduction to content marketing
 Objective of content marketing
 Content marketing 7 step strategy building process
 18 types of content with examples
 How to write great compelling content?
 Keyword research for content ideas
 Optimizing content for search engines
 Discussing authority blog
 Steps towards developing authority blog
 Ways to monetizing authority blog
 How to market your content?
 Debate- Doesn’t great content just spread by itself?
 Understanding second customer
 Importance of second customer
 How to increase second customer
 Understanding online influencers
 10 ways to connect with online influencers
 35 unique ways to write magnetic headlines
 180 examples of magnetic headlines?
 How to increase opt-in email list with content marketing with examples?
 5 top examples of content marketing from around the world
 Case study on content marketing
 Show…. don’t tell- with examples

WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?

Content Marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert
prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is
closely related to what you sell; in other words, you’re educating people so that they know,
like, and trust you enough to do business with you.

If you’re interested in marketing your business online (and who isn’t at this point), you can’t
escape hearing about content marketing. It’s everywhere you look, or listen.

How to build a Successful Content Marketing Strategy

in 7 Steps?

1- Plan- Who you are, Where you are, Where you want to be

2- Audience- Who you want to tell it to

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 3- Story- What story you want to tell

4- Channel- Where you want to tell it (Facebook, Twitter, Email, Linkedin, Blog)

5- Process- Create and manage, Optimize, aggregate

6- Conversations- Converse & listen (Interact with your audience)

7- Measurement- Measure and learn

CONTENT TYPES
1. News- iamwire.com
2. Case studies- Salesforce.com
3. Reports- DSIM blog
4. Ebooks- Hubspot
5. Humor- Madovermarketing.com, wittyfeed.com, scoopwhoop.com
6. Videos- Hubspot TV
7. Webinars- Socialmediaexaminer.com
8. Podcasts- Jon loomer
9. E-magazines
10. How-to-guides- Hubspot
11. Interviews- DSIM blog
12. Events coverage- Mashable
13. Daily experiences-
14. Answering questions- Google Webmasters
15. Examples from industry- yourstory.com
16. Guest posting- entrepreneur.com
17. Quilting content together
18. Authority blog- hubspot

Building an Authority Blog

An authority blog targets a specific market or group of like-minded individuals. It is designed
to be the  ultimate resource for that topic. Its primary goal isn’t to make an instant sale.
Instead the site is used to educate the user in order to establish a long-term (but profitable)
relationship.

The Development Process

There will be three phases for any new blog:

Phase 1 – Building The Foundation

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By- Kunal Choudhary, kunalchoudhary@dsim.in
This will be pretty much like building a niche site. I will do basic stuff like:

• Choosing domain and hosting. (subdomain or a new domain)

• Setting up website. (Wordpress)
• Content planning & keyword research. (Content marketing strategy 7 steps process)
• Create publishing schedule (A routine of when what type of content will be posted and how
it will be marketed)
• Hiring content writers. (full-time/part-time from freelancer.com, elance.com, odesk.com,
iwriter.com)
• Creating rich valuable content. (new content or skyscraper method)
• Marketing content.

Phase 2 – Authority Building

This phase will focus on creating massively valuable content that attract shares and links
naturally. We will also start reaching out to bloggers and developing relationships with them
for guest blogging opportunities.

Creating content consistently is also a MUST for this phase. Building an authority blog is like
a marathon, not a sprint. And don’t forget that it is a long term process.

Phase 3 – Monetize

Although can start monetizing the site from day one with affiliate reviews/links/suggestions,
But we would also begin to create my own products.

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How to Create Content that Isn’t a Joke?
1. Answering websites like yahoo answers and quora.com- not just respond to
questions but taking ideas from then on what to write about.
2. Set alerts like Google alerts, en.mention.com, socialmention.com to keep a track on
what people are talking about your industry.
3. Use keyword research tools like longtailpro.com or Google keyword planner tool to
find search queries on Google
4. Contact people/companies in your industry to write about them (success stories, case
studies, examples, Interviews)
5. Subscribe to good blogs in your industry
6. Be updated for news and case studies
7. Be a good and active social animal
8. Skyscraper technique- This is an highly productive technique not just to find out what
content to write about but to make your blog and authority blog. Content written via
this technique often ranks well on search engines. In this technique we find top
content on web for our keywords/area of interest and re-write it by updating it and
adding things which can be added to make it even more comprehensive. Foreg- If
there is an article which headlines reads- “11 reasons you should do content
marketing” then we can add few more points to it and write – “21 reasons why content
marketing is important for your business”
How to find top content?
- References used by Wikipedia
- Google search
- Reddit.com
- Content curators
- Pinterest.com
- Open site explorer
- Daily experiences
9. Daily experiences- Keep your eyes open and seek content opportunity while
socializing. You meet all kinds of people daily in meetings, while commuting, in
events, get together, etc. For eg- Famous singer Honey singh writes his songs after
observing society
10. Have expert people write for you- Hire experts from your industries to share their
experiences with you via webinars, articles, interviews, etc
11. Be open for guest post- Have a “write for us” page on your blog and let other guest
bloggers reach you and write for you.

How to market your content?

1. Social media
- Facebook
- Linkedin
- Twitter
- Linkedin
- Instagram
2. Directories- ebooks directories, infographic directories, video websites, etc
3. Multiple versions of same content- for eg- an article can be made available in
podcast, can be converted into infographic, can be posted on slideshare in form of an
PPT, etc
4. Find who has linked to similar content in past- this can be done by using tools like
OSE, Majestic SEO
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 5. Connect with Influencers (See 10 step guide on how to connect with influencers
online)
6. Forums- Search for forums related to your industry and create multiple accounts on
them and help people by providing more info with your content
7. Guestpost- Will not give you thousands of visitors but traffic coming in via a guest
post will not just be a visitor but may be a second customer or follower.
8. Email- At times Old is gold. Promoting your piece of content via email is very common
but a highly effective method. Shooting e-mailers to your opt-in list increases
followers, builds second customers with better brand image.
9. Second customer- Writing compelling content over a period of time will build lots of
second customers for you which will help your content go places and increase its
visibility

TIME FOR SOME DEBATE-

Topic- Don’t great ideas just spread themselves?

• It’s lovely to think that if we just duck our heads down and produce the absolute best
content we can possibly create, that our content will fly around the web on magic
wings and find an audience.

It’s lovely to think that, but it doesn’t work.

The web is social. Always has been, always will be. It’s people who share content, people
who talk up the best businesses, people who create the businesses worth talking about.
(customers, second customers and brand advocates)

Apple did their part by designing the iPod — it was customers who spread the word. (And
then did it again with the iPhone, the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air, the iPad, ad nauseum).

Vodafone did there part by ZUZU ad campaign. It was their customers (again, many of them
second customers who don’t use a Vodafone network) who couldn’t stop talking about the
ads.

Second customers are tireless. They’ll roam the web — the entire web, not just your
comfortable little corner of it — to find the perfect customers for your business.

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 SECOND CUSTOMER
Goal is to Score More Traffic, Subscribers, and Buyers by Discovering Your Second
Customers and increasing them over a period of time.

What the second customer can do for you?

The second customer has always been important — it’s that social connector who tells all his
friends what a great job you do, or the fashion icon who makes your product an “overnight”
craze.w

But in the age of the Internet, we have lots more connectors, each of whom has an audience,
large or small, that they might share with you.

1. A second customer might share your thoughtful content on Facebook, Twitter or

linkedin.
2. A second customer might link to you, or run your guest blog post, and find you a
whole new audience.
3. A second customer might write a witty, compelling review that convinces buyers
you’re terrific.
4. A second customer might introduce you to the business partner who can turn
everything around for you.

What the second customer needs from you

The content connector needs few things from you.

1. Your content needs to be good. Really good. Thin, weak, generic stuff won’t do it.
2. Your website needs immediate appeal. If it looks spammy, shady, or just plain
hideous, connectors won’t want to send their audiences there.
3. Above all, your content needs to make connectors look incredibly smart and cool for
sharing it.

Guest blogging to increase visibility-

Guest posting is creating content and publishing it on another person's website. Blogs are a
very popular platform for guest posting. This is a great way to build an online reputation and
for a company to get its name out there. Generally we guest post on blogs which are part of
our industry. For eg- A HR consultancy firm will guest post on any good
HR/management/business blog.

CASE STUDY-

I remember one of our students who was having a tough time finding guest posting
opportunities.

She’s a beauty blogger — she writes about cosmetics, hairstyles, that kind of thing. And she
didn’t feel too welcome when she approached her fellow beauty bloggers about sharing a
guest post with them.
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Answer- Find related audiences

The answer for our beauty blogger was pretty simple.

If there isn’t a single blogger in your topic who would be open to a guest post, the next step is
to ask yourself,

Who else has the audience I want?

Do parenting bloggers ever run posts about hair or makeup? Would a career- building blog
consider running something on how to look more professional and polished? Is it possible a
fitness blog would have room for a post on how not to scare people with your appearance as
you’re leaving the gym?

Yes, yes they would.

How to find related blogs that are open for guest post? With Google operators- “write for us”
Fashion blog

ONLINE INFLUENCERS
Online influencers are the people who get the attention of the biggest brands, have a real
following, are actively involved in social media and create great content. With a little patience,
you can become a social media/online influencer. Here’s how to get started.

How to become an online influencer?

Create Relevant and Unique Content

Sync up your audience's interests with your area of expertise to create content that answers
common questions, solves a problem, entertains or enlightens. Also content variety and using
different types of content is very important. Not every one likes to read an 800 words post.
Not every visitor will be in a mood to watch your video. Not every one goes to office with an
ear phone to listen to your podcasts. Hence, play with content types and don’t be stereotype.

Josh Kaufman created the Personal MBA to empower professionals to educate themselves
more effectively, quickly, and cheaply than they could with a traditional MBA. That’s
remarkable.

None of those people has any trouble making connections with influencers ... because they’ve
done something that lots of people will want to know more about.

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Do something epic — even if it’s epic on a micro scale. One great project will open doors you
didn’t even know existed.

The simplest way to do something epic? Create some interesting, and genuinely useful
content. And yes, a great blog absolutely counts.

Be Ubiquitous

Have a presence on many relevant social media channels and ensure each profile is
customized with easily recognizable personal branding and consistent tone across all profiles.
You just can’t be on 1 single social network and become an influencer.

Be Helpful to Others
One thing that helps one become influential is to work on helping others rise up. By answering
questions or directing your connections to useful information, you will not only help others
grow their network by sharing the spotlight with them, but you will also grow your network

Update Social Networks Frequently

The News Feeds and streams of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social networks are
continually updating.

Make Time to Find New Connections

While social listening helps you find who is most influential within a specific industry, the
recommendation engines within popular social networks like Twitter and Facebook can be
extremely helpful in finding additional connections. Twitter’s “Who to Follow” and “Similar To”
suggestions are incredibly helpful in finding people akin to those you already follow and trust.

What measurements can be applied in identifying an influencer?

When I'm identifying influencers for a product launch, awareness campaign or other call to
action (for engagement at a later stage), I think about:

 The number of followers / fans that person has

 How often do they use their social presences? How many posts per day/week?
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  How often do they mention brands? Which brands?

 How likely are they to mention my brand / product?

 How many replies / comments do they receive when reviewing or talking about a
brand?

 Are they generally positive, neutral or negative about brands within my industry?

How can you find an online influencer?

Thinking about the metrics above, I use the tools listed below to identify online influencers:

 Search via conversational data: Using a social media listening tool, such as

aBrandwatch or Radian 6, along with the appropriate keywords, you will be able to
identify the commentators who speak most vibrantly in the space. Cross-check their
profiles against the number of followers and the topics that they cover, and you'll soon
have a list of influencers in a particular group. Keep your keywords narrow with niche
fields or broad for a larger view of the landscape.
 Google / Twitter search: Insert keywords / phrases into the search engine of the
platform. For Google, choose blogs or discussions and for Twitter look at tweets and
people.

 FollowerWonk: a great (and free) website that allows you to find influencers according

to the keywords that they use within their Twitter bio by location. Reorder the data by
the number of Twitter followers or number of tweets that they have posted.
 Pre-existing lists: By inserting a phase like "top personal finance bloggers" into
Google, a list such as this one from Cision will appear. Or this one from The Guardian,
when looking for the "top sustainability influencers in America". These lists are great
and require the least amount of manual work, however, it's worth remembering that
every brand / agency uses these, and the bloggers / tweeters on them tend to be
harder to engage.

Always remember...
Being popular is not being influential.
The reason that I mention this is simply because while it would be easy to say that Justin
Bieber is influential because he has a large quantity of followers on Twitter, it wouldn't be
right. Yes, he is influential amongst a younger female audience in relation to pop music, but
his credibility would dramatically drop (questionably, even further) if he aired his views on

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politics or tried to appeal to soccer fans (subjects I imagine he knows little about). A person
simply isn't able to be an influencer in every topic, and that's why popularity is different.

Influence is...
Being able to convince or positively change the behaviour of a specific target audience
around a particular topic. So, being a generalist isn't possible anymore.

Top 5 examples of content marketing

1- Rand Fiskin Whiteboard Fridays
2- Hubspot TV
3- Niel Patel legendry advanced guides
4- Hubspot blog and promotion via optin
5- Garyveynurchuk- Ask gary

HOW TO WRITE MAGNETIC HEADLINES

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the
rest.

Your headlines must:

• Be USEFUL to the reader,

• Provide him with a sense of URGENCY,
• Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE; and

How to Win Friends and Influence People

The headline structure is powerful. You’ve got benefit number one right after “How to,” with
another benefit following the word “and.” Simple, right?

• How to Save Time and Get Things Done (Time Management Coach)
• How to Get a Better Job and Make More Money (Recruiter)
• How to Save Money and Retire Rich (Financial Planner)

How to [Mundane Task] That [Rewarding Benefit]

• How to Get a Mortgage That Saves You Money

• How to Get a Mortgage That Cuts your Monthly Payment in Half
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 • How to Get a Mortgage That Gets You in Your Dream Home While Saving You $937
a Month

• Leaving Out the “To” Works, Too Want to increase the curiosity factor of your headline,
while just about guaranteeing that you’ll nail the primary benefit of your tutorial? Start
with “How” but leave out the “to.” You’ll still be making a beneficial promise to your
reader that will be fulfilled in the content, but the intrigue factor will be higher and your
results perhaps even better. Let’s look at these famous headlines:

• How I Improved My Memory in One Evening

• How I Made a Fortune With a “Fool Idea”
• How a New Kind of Clay Improved My Complexion in 30 Minutes

In Summary

• The more you focus on the benefits to the reader in your headline, the more readers
you’ll have. And by touching on the beneficial aspects while laying out the procedural
content, you’ll have more happy readers at the conclusion of the piece.

FEW MORE EXAMPLES-

1. Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure?

• Use this type of headline to demonstrate the expertise that only comes from really
knowing your business or niche. People love to get a “heads up” on potential
problems.

2. 10 Ways to Beat the High Cost of Living

• A classic that can only flop if you fail to deliver. Concentrate on writing content that
sparkles, and people will acknowledge that you not only know what you’re talking
about, but you also communicate it well.

3. Five Familiar Skin Troubles

• Commiserate with your readers by setting forth problems you know they are having,
and they just might determine that you are the right solution.

4. Six Types of Investor — Which Group Are You In?

• Let the readers self-identify themselves by providing categories into which they will
likely fall into. You know about the power of using the word “you” when addressing
readers, but people love it even more when they can focus on themselves.

5. How to Give Your Children Extra Iron — These 3 Delicious Ways

• A “how to” headline mixed in with a list — it’s almost not fair. Note that the word
“these” plus the number of items, followed by “(adjective) ways,” is an extremely
specific and powerful use of 4 simple words.

6. Free Book Tells You 12 Secrets of Better Lawn Care

• Use this style of headline and content structure with a free report or tutorial that you
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 are promoting, and you should get wider circulation.
•

7. 76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You to Answer Our Ad a Few Months Ago

• An especially bold headline that worked wonders for a popular news magazine. The
number of reasons given is so large it’s almost absurd, and that’s good from a value
standpoint with free content. Plus, by referring back to previous ads, the piece points
out the peril of not paying attention earlier.

10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work

Who Else Wants [blank]?

 Who Else Wants a Great WordPress Theme?

 Who Else Wants a Higher Paying Job?
 Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress When on Vacation?

The Secret of [blank]

 The Secret of Successful Podcasting

 The Secret of Protecting Your Assets in Litigation
 The Secret of Getting Your Home Loan Approved

Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]

 Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance

 Here is a Method That is Helping Children Learn to Read Sooner
 Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles

Little Known Ways to [blank]

 Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill

 Little Known Ways to Hack Google’s Gmail
 Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Quickly and Safely

Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

 Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All
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  Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All
 Get Rid of That Lame Mullet Hairdo Once and For All

Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

 Here’s a Quick Way to Get Over a Cold

 Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior
 Here’s a Quick Way to Backup Your Hard Drive

Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]

 Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money
 Now You Can Meet Sexy Singles Online Without Spending a Dime
 Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

[Do something] like [world-class example]

 Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat

 Party Like Paris Hilton
 Blog Like an A-Lister

Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

 Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of

 Have a Smile You Can Be Proud Of
 Build a Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of

What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]

 What Everybody Ought to Know About Mobile-Responsive Design

 What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
 What Everybody Ought to Know About Writing Great Headlines

Give Me [short time period] and I’ll Give You [blank].

 Give Me Five Days – And I’ll Give You the Secret of Learning any Subject!
 Give Me Three Minutes a Day – and I’ll Give You a Better Complexion.
 Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make You a Better Blogger.

If You Don’t [blank] Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.

 If You’re Out of the Market Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.

 If You’re Not at SXSW 2014, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.
 If You Don’t Edit Your .htaccess Now, Google Will Hate You Later.

The Lazy [blank’s] Way to [blank].

 The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches.

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  The Lazy Dad’s Way to Quickly Getting Dinner on the Table.
 The Lazy Blogger’s Way to Write Great Post Titles.

Do You Recognize the [number] Early Warning Signs of [blank]?

 Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure?

 Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of an Employee Meltdown?
 Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of Internet Addiction?

See How Easily You Can [desirable result].

 See How Easily You Can Learn to Dance This New Way.
 See How Easily You Can Own a Lamborghini Miura.
 See How Easily You Can Increase Traffic With Social Media.

Do You Make These Mistakes?

 Do You Make These Mistakes in English?

 Do You Make These HTML Coding Mistakes?
 Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?

Warning: [blank].

 Warning: If You Depend on Google for Both Traffic and Advertising, You Pretty Much
Work for Google
 Warning: Two Out of Every Three People in Your Industry Will be Out of Work in 5
Years—Will You Be One of Them?
 Warning: Do You Recognize These 7 Early Warning Signs of Blogger Burnout?

How [blank] Made Me [blank].

 How a “Fool Stunt” Made Me a Star Salesman

 How an Obvious Idea Made Me $3.5 Million

Are You [blank]?

 Are You Ashamed of Smells in Your House?

 Are You Ready to Learn Chinese for Your Next Job?
 Are You a Courageous Blogger?

[Blank] Ways to [blank].

 101 Ways to Cope With Stress

 21 Ways to Live a Better Life With Less
 5 Ways to Write Killer Headlines

If You’re [blank], You Can [blank].

 If You’re a Non-Smoker, You Can Save 33% on Life Insurance.

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  If You’re an Accountant, Our Frequent Flyer Program Really Adds Up
 If You Love Scuba, You Can Dive Belize This Week Only for a Song!

8 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy

Say it simply and directly.

 Pure silk blouses ... 30% off

 The Ultimate Tax Shelter
 FREE subscription to Entreproducer

State the big benefit.

 Now! Moonlight Your Way to a Million Dollars.

 Create your own cards, posters and banners in minutes!
 Get a FREE vase when you buy a dozen roses.

Announce exciting news.

 At Last, American Scientists Have Created the Perfect Alternative to a Mined

Diamond!
 Introducing the newest idea in cross-training. From NordicTrack.
 Now program your DVR by simply speaking to the revolutionary DVR VOICE
programmer.

Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.

 How to stop smoking in 30 days ... or your money back.

 How You Can Profit From the 3 Greatest Service Businesses of the Decade!
 How to do Central America on $17 a day.

Pose a provocative question.

 Do You Make These Six Common Mistakes On Your Taxes?

 Gotten a speeding ticket lately? Read this.
 How do I know which mutual funds may be right for me?

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Bark a command.

 Become a famous blogger in 60 days.

 Call anyone, anywhere, without a phone line for FREE!
 Stop wasting money on Web design. Use StudioPress to create your own Web site in
minutes.

Offer useful information.

 THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO LIVE LONGER.

 FREE. The best kept secrets in America.
 Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.

Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial. “Quite simply, the finest design software ever
released.”

• “This diet program worked for me. It can work for you, too!”
• “It’s the first book on personal finance that really made sense to me.”

How to increase opt-in list with content marketing?

1- Pop up at visitors arrival
2- Pop up at tab closing (popupdomination.com)
3- Providing useful content in form of ebooks, case studies in return of subscribtions
4- Engaging traffic and no: of pages per visit
5- Free trials, demo
6- Increasing trust with powerful content
7- Subscribing for newsletters
8- Subscribing for old webinars
9- Free short courses

Case study on content marketing-

How hubspot became a xxx company with xxx customers doing content marketing?

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