The future of marketing – intimacy leads to innovation

Creating connectivity through team interaction

Under normal circumstances, we at delaware all sit around one giant table, where there are various brains to pick, each with his or her own areas of expertise to offer. Advice is freely given and new ways of reaching the customer are constantly coming to the forefront. We consider this time of flux to be an excellent opportunity for marketers looking to the future to analyze the ways in which customers and companies interact.

To create content that stands out from the masses, intimacy between customer and content marketer is essential. The more we know you, the more your message will resonate with your target audience.

Thinking strategically and writing long copy (cause size matters!)

With the advent of new channels and formats, content can now be amplified, reused and repackaged into different formats. We believe that regenerating content helps our customers reach new markets and hone their message, giving it a fresh new look while maintaining its integrity and optimizing your strategic outlook.

Dirk, senior consultant: “I prefer working on strategic tasks and planning and translating that into long copy. I’m a buff for long and strategic content work. Most recently, that was working on our own content marketing strategy and how to bring this new offering to our customers. And I guess my proudest professional achievement to date was realizing ‘The extraverted Nerd’ by Philippe Gosseye, a book on B2B marketing. The foundation was laid years earlier when we wrote a few e-books for Dell Technologies. The ‘story’ culminated in this book. A great feat, and an excellent example of how content marketing can be reused to grab the attention of a potentially larger audience.”

Analyzing data and keyword search analysis

As every company becomes an IT company at heart, the need to understand how and where your message gets read becomes paramount. It not only gets your message more accurately to your target market, it allows marketers to prove ROI.

Lieve, senior consultant: “I love working on the analysis of each customer, building a strong basis for their ‘why’ through their strategy, and I especially enjoy measuring the results of creative content when presented within a solid strategy.”

The personal touch

How do you keep content real and establish sound bonds between company and customer? By making things personal and authentic. The messages that resonate are not designed to sell, but to connect.

Laura, consultant: “My favorite type of work includes the interviews I get to do with customers and colleagues alike. I like bringing structure to chaos, finding the common thread and making a coherent story out of the things they tell me and the central message they want to achieve. I feel that my specialty could be ‘personalized content’. Meaning that I dig deep into the ‘why’ of things, into the human side of technology.”

Discovering new methods of interaction

Social media is the lighthouse of the digital age, leading the way to the most efficient points of interest for any company's content. When combined with new ways of storytelling, it personalizes your message and accentuates your content.

Simon, consultant:  “My specialty would be the copywriting itself. I love to research complex subjects and explain them to the reader in the most readable way I can. To spice things up, I also enjoy writing in shorter formats, such as tweets or LinkedIn posts, because then I can truly get to the central point of the matter and make it shine. Grabbing the attention of someone scrolling through their social feed can be quite difficult, but very rewarding if you succeed in raking in the views, likes and comments. Finally, I also like to change things up and get away from the texts for a while. Creating presentations or video content is a great way to do this, and as video content is only increasing its influence, it is probably the medium with the most future potential.”

Personalized project management

The strongest link in any content marketing chain is its PM. He or she is the bridge between the unique needs of each customer and the team member best suited for the job. As a single point of contact, a good PM frees the customer to focus on the message by ensuring the work will be well-coordinated, specific to the client and adhere to deadlines.

Maaike, senior consultant: “As a project manager, I’m so happy to be able to rely on a great team – each team member has their own expertise and brings something unique to every project. And that’s a great offer for our customers. That’s how we manage to run international blogging programs, by giving C-level executives their own voice. The writers in my team really get into the head of these execs and help them build an online presence that is authentic. That’s when you know you are really working customer intimate. I also like how they keep coming up with new ideas on how we can distribute content better. Making the shift to video? We switched in a matter of a few weeks.”

Bringing it all together

What’s in a story? It’s challenging the customer to have a new look at the content they already have and adding an extra layer.  Sometimes execs are too close to their message to see the bigger picture. And that’s where we come in. Challenging their content, helping them to connect the half-hidden dots of the future, and turning them into thought leaders.

Olivier, senior consultant: “I most enjoy work when I am able to translate visionary insights of decision makers to the real business environment of today, pushing forward best practices and experiences which contribute to a better world. I am also especially happy when I can help a senior exec trigger comments and connect the dots between his vision and the ways it can help the entire company. “