On-demand webinar: Content along the customer journey

Angela Meyer: Welcome to our diva-e webinar Content along the customer journey. In this webinar, Andrea Frohleiks and Bastian Wiesemeyer will advise you on how you can provide suitable content for your potential customers at every touchpoint. Let's start with a short round of introductions. My name is Angela Meyer, I'm part of the diva-e marketing team and I'm your moderator today.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: I'm Bastian Wiesemeyer, I'm a Content and Marketing Consultant, I've been with diva-e since 2014 and I'm responsible for things like content strategy, content audit and also topic research. In other words, everything that has to do with content before it is produced.

Andrea Frohleiks: I'm Andrea Frohleiks, I'm COO of diva-e Products, Managing Director and therefore responsible for content marketing and content production. And I've also been part of diva-e for what feels like almost ten years.

Angela Meyer: Very nice. Then we'll start the presentation right now and I'll hand over the broadcasting rights to Bastian. And I hope the participants enjoy listening.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: So, the broadcast should start right now.

Angela Meyer: Now we can see the speaker view.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Yes. (9 sec.) It worked before in the test. (laughs) But of course it no longer works live. (10 sec.)

Angela Meyer: Now we see a white area.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Mhm, now it works.

Angela Meyer: It's working now. Now it's in full screen mode. Very good.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Then we start with success along the customer journey. We have split the whole thing into two larger parts. Firstly, the strategic considerations, i.e. what preliminary work needs to be done before we start on the content for the customer journey? What do we need to think about? Then, in the larger part, we'll look at the customer journey and content marketing, present which content opportunities are available at which touchpoints and what the aim of the whole thing is. And at the end, we will give a brief summary of the five most important points.

Let's start with wishful thinking versus reality. This is how we would actually like the customer journey to look. A straight road, people meet us for the first time, then go one step further and at some point they arrive at the conversion in a straight line that we have determined exactly beforehand, and in most cases that just won't work. But why do we think about it in this way? It's because of a classic marketing funnel that has been around for well over 100 years. And of course it is still used because it has proven itself over more than 100 years and is based on a straight line, because there was no online marketing back then. And now it's really very common in online marketing for various people to say that it's no good just relying on this marketing funnel. You also have to go other ways, you have to take the whole thing a bit further. I have also - you will receive the presentation afterwards - included two links to articles that talk about why the marketing funnel should actually be completely replaced. We don't want to be that radical here. But you should definitely be aware that this funnel will only work in very few cases in reality.

Instead, the whole thing will look more like the picture on the right. This means that at some point, people join us at the touchpoint, but may arrive at a completely wrong point because they are still unqualified in our eyes to actually take the information with them at this point. They actually need further training or even somehow don't have the trigger at all with materials from us but are told about our brand by other people, family or friends. Or they have seen a product in a normal brochure in the daily newspaper, who still subscribes to it, or in an advertising leaflet. There are so many possibilities and entry points that a customer journey really isn't a straight road, but rather they start in the middle, then go back to the beginning, then to the end, then back to the beginning again because they didn't understand it any other way. And that's a hopeless mess if you don't look carefully and then analyze the whole thing later. So the classic marketing case is rather rare in reality.

That's why it's particularly important to link all the channels together properly. I once posted a link here to a Google study for Central Europe and the market research company together. And it was absolutely clear to all participants that they use both online and offline channels during a customer journey and then really switch back and forth. It is very rare for only online or only offline touchpoints to be addressed and used. And we always have the problem that we don't know exactly where people are coming from. And that's why we have to look at how these channels can be linked together. In other words, if they enter in the middle, how can I still make sure that people are directed correctly through the channels? And I always have to offer people ways to do that.

I have now formulated above from A to B via D, K and Z. This is in line with what the real customer journey looks like. In other words, we actually want people to become aware of us and have a conversion. But then we have to see how we can guide them through all the other points where they might end up by chance and steer the whole thing better. And in the beginning, it's a good idea to limit yourself to channels that can be used in any case. Just because there are so many niche networks and so many ways to be present online doesn't mean you have to do it.

Instead, you should think about which channels are relevant for me at the beginning? Which ones can I really build up and use well now? And then, above all, how can I link these channels together? And how can people switch from one channel to another? How can I make sure that people can land on other content pieces on the customer journey before each content piece where they enter? And, one of the most important factors, be sure to brand any content that is not directly on your own website. Simply so that people, even if they end up at a dead end, at least know through the brand, okay, I can now start a brand search and then somehow end up at the brand on the website. At the same time, of course, we can see that there is theoretically a way to undermine the multichannel. I used a very striking example here. We are on Instagram and people then see the brand. They go to the brand's profile, subscribe to the channel, see a product-related story, open the link and carry out the conversion directly in the app. This means that it is theoretically possible for users to actually go through a customer journey on a channel. But this is the exception rather than the rule. And that's why you should definitely look at how you can carry out multichannel marketing.

How can I link the channels with each other? And how can I really prepare the content on the various channels to ultimately direct people to my product page in order to then carry out the conversion? And this is where the touchpoints on the customer journey help us. And it's particularly important when we talk about people entering at certain points that we hadn't planned and then jumping back and forth. This can sometimes take up to 90 days before a conversion is actually achieved. During this time, there will probably also be a number of touchpoints, including the family and friends mentioned in the research, salespeople perhaps in a store that is not operated by the brand itself or articles written about the brand on other portals that deal with the product. And you can only have a passive influence here. And that's why it's really important to make sure that the content on the channels you have in your hands is completely consistent and guides users. I have summarized some examples of touchpoints here.

These are not all the touchpoints that exist, but we are already at twelve with just these examples, which could theoretically be used. We have the website, which is one of the most important because it has the content with which you really have a completely free hand to set up and do everything the way you want. The newsletter protects you from the situation where Google says, oh come on, we're going to update the algorithm and then suddenly your traffic plummets to zero. With newsletters, if you curate and maintain a list properly and put out relevant content, then people will remain loyal and you can shorten the customer journey considerably because people can be addressed directly via the newsletter with certain topics.

It is still possible to create satellite pages. This means that if you have a specific product or a specific sub-brand and want to create a brand page for it, you can also do this and it is particularly suitable for information-oriented portals. An example of this is Saturn's turn-on.de, which is actually an independent technology portal, but at the same time still has contact with the store page and directs users to it. Then we also have messenger bots, which have become very popular in recent years, which can be used to make a very personalized approach and then make targeted offers. And then take people on a journey from there. I half cheated a bit with the social media channels. Because Facebook and Instagram are clearly social media channels. They thrive on user interaction with the various things that are posted. Whereas Pinterest and YouTube are more or less social media, although they are actually more of a search platform and almost more of an alternative to Google. Pinterest is a visual search engine that is also very interesting for smaller brands that have their own store, especially with the shopping function that is available directly via the “store via pins”. And YouTube is always said to be the second largest search engine in general and the most important and more or less the only video search engine that is actually still relevant. And it also gives you the opportunity to rank with organic videos in organic search and to direct people to the website via the various options.

And last but not least, the offline channels. As I mentioned earlier, online and offline belong together in the customer journey. On the one hand, we have POS either in our own stores or in other stores where we can influence what might be shown for our brand at the POS. And then we also look to see whether we can somehow get people from there into our online universe with an app installation or in the traditional way with a QR code. Which is of course also a possibility with posters, which were already around 100 years ago when the marketing funnel was invented. And then, of course, we also know brochures. These are available both digitally and offline. But offline they also end up with a lot of people without them asking for them. However, they can still provide an opportunity to incorporate additional content. You can see with supermarket brochures that they often include recipes, which then have the right products right next to them. This can also be an interesting way to take people on a journey.

Und dann auch die klassische TV-Werbung, wo man sehr gut sehen kann, wie verbreitet der Second Screen ist. Weil wirklich dann messbar ist in den Datenanalyse-Tools, wenn so ein Spot läuft, dann sieht man wirklich die Traffic Peaks, weil die Leute dann nach einer Marke googeln und sich auf der Webseite tummeln. Dann haben wir natürlich die große Herausforderung bei so vielen Kanälen und so vielen Redakteuren und Leuten, die dafür verantwortlich sind, den Content zu erstellen und aufzubereiten und zu distribuieren, dass die natürlich alle mit der gleichen Stimme sprechen müssen. Und da ist es dann wichtig die Tone of Voice aufzustellen, quasi eine Anleitung, wie mit dem Kunden kommuniziert wird. Und natürlich auch dann zu beachten, es gibt Kommunikationsunterschiede auf den Plattformen, dass zwar einheitlich gesprochen wird, aber immer passen zur richtigen Plattform. Zu gucken auch, was ist die Persönlichkeit unserer Marke? Und das Wichtigste auch, wie sieht überhaupt unsere Zielgruppe aus? Mit wem sprechen wir? Wer sind unsere Kundinnen und Kunden? Weil daran ist natürlich dann wichtig, wie kann ich überhaupt mit den Leuten sprechen? Weil es gibt dann kein Regelwerk, dass man sagt okay, man muss ganz nüchtern und sachlich mit den Leuten diskutieren. Und nein, je nachdem, wie die so drauf sind, die eigenen Leute, kann man auch dann ganz anders mit denen sprechen. Kann ein bisschen flapsiger sein, man kann Scherze machen. Oder wie auf dem Beispiel rechts, einfach mal einen großen kompletten Binärcode machen. Weil man weiß, dass die Leute, die sich für diese Seite und für dieses Thema interessieren, das Ganze dann lustig finden. Und da ist es wichtig, dass Sie dann gucken irgendwie mit dem Kundenservice oder Verkaufspersonal zu sprechen, einfach da so ein Gefühl für zu kriegen, wie sind die Leute, die bei uns einkaufen? Und auch dann gucken, wie generell über die Marke gesprochen wird. Auf welchen Plattformen wird gesprochen? Wie wird dort, in welchem Stil über die Marke gesprochen? Und der letzte Vorschlag, da übernehme ich auf jeden Fall keine Haftung, aber einfach mal austesten, wie weit man gehen kann. Und dann gucken, dass man hoffentlich nicht zu weit gegangen ist. Genau. Dann müssen wir uns nur einmal Stolperfallen angucken, die erst mal prinzipiell nichts mit dem Content zu tun haben, sondern aber die man immer wieder sieht in unserem Täglichen.

On the one hand, these are technical things, such as in-app browsers. In other words, we have a lot of touchpoints where people come across us in an app, a social media network or similar, open a link there and then, as you can see on the right, can either select the right browser in the app or there really is a browser in the app. And there is a possibility that functions will not work and the customer experience will clearly be diminished and the customer journey may be interrupted. It's the same with link targets on campaigns. I had this recently - I can use it as a concrete example. Lego wanted to advertise a new product on Instagram and then used the link to an old product because the campaign was running beforehand. And they somehow adjusted things and apparently didn't change the link. This was then fixed in the afternoon, but of course this can also cause the customer journey to be interrupted. And also generally look on the website, in other channels, if you really link all the profiles of yourself, make sure that the right profiles are linked. As I wrote, we really already had a situation where the old Facebook channel link was still linked on the website, but a new Facebook channel had actually been online for two years. And I don't think that's a good way to retain users. That's why you should definitely keep an eye on it, mistakes will always occur, it can't be avoided. But always really look with the whole team, especially if you are using so many channels, that the whole thing is then bundled together in a table somehow or something similar, so that everyone has access to it and looks, okay, we currently have these touchpoints, we are currently running this content and we have tested it on this and that day and it all worked as it should. Then we're almost at the end of the first part.

What preliminary conceptual work should I do before I start the customer journey? And in order to be really ready, you should generally take a look at how things have been going so far. Look at all the channels you are using. How are users interacting with our brand? How does the whole thing work? Also look at how we have linked the channels so far. Does it all work at all? Just test for yourself how it works when you click on it somewhere. Then just look, analyze the competition. It's always a bit stupid, because of course we don't have their internal data. But from an external perspective, how do they try to solve the whole thing? What channels do they have? Can you tell from an external perspective whether it works? Or is there no interaction at all? Generally speaking, create a very rough mapping, how do we actually want users to be guided through our content cosmos? And also plan where we actually want to place advertising and how much budget do we actually need for the various channels that we really want to use? Exactly. And then we start the main part, namely the customer journey and content marketing.

Which content formats and content options are suitable for this? And that brings us back to our marketing funnel. And even though I said that the customer journey would never work like this, the marketing funnel is actually really good for planning, because we can map it very nicely. Because we can then look at the various stages - stranger, visitor, lead, customer, promoter - to see what type of content is best suited to our target group in order to achieve the greatest possible effect. And to do this, we really have to make sure that each piece of content can stand on its own. Because people might not start where we want them to, but somewhere else. Then, of course, we want to say that it's not an absolute allocation. So we'll say straight away where we usually place content. But that doesn't mean that it can't always be located in this place. It can also be partially integrated at a different point in the funnel, depending on the specific circumstances. And, as I said earlier, always brand the content pieces so that people don't end up at a dead end, but can still google the brand name if they do. And very importantly, the home page must also be prepared for people to get there simply via the brand search and from there they can be directed very quickly to the most important topics. Exactly. And then I can take a short drink break and pass on to Andrea.

Andrea Frohleiks: Very good, thank you very much Bastian. Now let's take a very specific look at what formats are actually available for content marketing and how can we actually map the formats to the customer journey? We are still at the top of the funnel, i.e. actually with the unknown user, the unknown potential buyer, and how do we actually draw attention to ourselves and our brand? And, as we have already seen, there are very different touchpoints. So it can be the classic way via a TV commercial, it can also be via family or friends who say something or via billboard advertising, or even via various advertisements. But, and this is what we have focused on here again, social media content is very important. Because it can attract attention and because it can be prepared accordingly. So what we're looking for at the beginning of the funnel is first of all to create attention, to create inspiration and also - yes. This can be through entertainment, interesting content and emotional preparation. So formats such as graphics, images, videos, memes, GIFs or any content that can be made interactive. So be it a quiz, a question-and-answer game or even competitions. In other words, in such a way that we get in touch with the user. We also have a few small examples for each individual format. As I said, we generally have a lot of content on our slides and will probably also need the time, but as I said. All of this is also available to read afterwards. Here are a few small examples. Bastian, would you like to say a few words?

Social media postings

Bastian Wiesemeyer: That's also the best way to get started, in quotation marks. Because we know that people won't always necessarily enter via social media, but we can target people very well on this channel. And we have a lot of opportunities to simply prepare things. If you look at the two posts I've chosen as examples, they didn't actually require much effort. With the Happy Thanksgiving for international marketing from the Warhammer brand, they simply have a graphic that was created, a short post and we have already been able to attract attention to the special day, which will probably get a lot of attention, especially in the USA.

And on the right-hand side you can see very well, especially on Instagram, that it is of course very practical when people post things that they have bought from someone and also tag them. And then you can take it over very nicely, simply post it in your own story. They don't have to worry about the content themselves, they can add social proof, here, they bought this, they're happy with it, they can promote themselves directly and with as little effort as possible. And you can see very clearly that you can do so many things easily and boost awareness for the brand very well.

Informational search queries

Andrea Frohleiks: This brings us back to a, yes, similar format, which also creates awareness in any case. It is particularly relevant in the inspiration, information search and research phase. But that's also primarily about gaining the trust of customers. So here we primarily have informational search queries that we can cover in the long-tail area, and how do we manage to present ourselves and our brand as experts with neutral, impartial advice. And that is of course very important and then creating loyalty at the beginning of the funnel, but of course also in the long term. So someone who has already bought from us, but then also sees that there is a lot of interesting content and is always looking for advice. Of course, they keep coming back to our online store, they keep coming back to our website and they always have our brand in mind. And of course, at the end of the day, trust is pretty much the best sales argument.

And how do we achieve this? So how should a content piece like this be prepared accordingly? This brings us to a very important point that we encounter time and again when it comes to online texts. In other words, a really good structure. These can be lists, bullet points, tables, so that I can quickly see at a glance what I want to know. And, of course, added value in terms of content. Only then does the whole thing make sense and only then do I not jump off, but rather return to this brand again and again. And find content that interests me.

What else is perhaps important, i.e. when we get down to the actual creation of the content, is of course the whole issue of integrating W questions. So then to optimize these W-questions in the content accordingly. This gives me a very good guideline as to which topics I actually need to cover and which topics I actually need to include. Yes, or basically chapter contents of the content are essential for potential users and interested parties. We have also provided a few examples. I don't think we try to go through everything in detail because of the time available. But I think it's just to see what could be possible topics, where there is also a certain neutrality in relation to the brand, i.e. where it's not directly about selling, but of course creating a link there. Exactly. So, as I said, we have topics like from-, exactly. Making Advent calendars - all good. Exactly. So, I think that's also relatively clear what the possible topics are. Perhaps one more point.

Of course, you can also expand it in the direction of a white paper or eBook. Then you have even more knowledge in one place, which can of course also be downloaded, so you can also create another conversion there. Exactly. Very good.

Category texts

Let's move on to something that I think everyone knows in the SEO and content sector: category texts. Much loved and much hated. What is it actually? It's what you find on almost every entry page to a product range. Be it blue shoes, green dresses, et cetera. In other words, all search queries that actually signal a certain interest in buying. So always generic terms, really something like black women's boots or a combination with a brand. For example, Nike running shoes. I already know which brand I want, I also know roughly what I need, but I want to get an overview first. Where can I even get them? What is there to choose from? What are the prices? Is there anything else I need to bear in mind? And I actually have a certain amount of interest. In other words, we are still in the upper part of the funnel, but as an online store we have the opportunity to direct the user further.

Of course, as always, it's also about good structure, added value in terms of content, but above all about optimizing for exactly the terms that are searched for. And what is our big advantage for the online store is that we want to increase our visibility, our traffic and of course get as many visitors as possible to our site in the first place. So we can - we've also brought two small screenshots with us. But as I said, I think that's what everyone actually knows. Sometimes hidden at the bottom or on the side, because it's mainly about the SEO effects of category texts.

Infographics

Let's see if we can go in a completely different direction - another little digression, so to speak. Infographics are a format that can be integrated at many different points in the funnel and are always useful. On the one hand, similar to social media content, they offer the opportunity to create awareness at the very beginning. But, of course, they also always retain customers. So it's also about finding informative content on a page so that people know that it belongs to the brand and keeps drawing me back to the page. And as Bastian said earlier, infographics in particular are also very much about CI conformity and branding, because the infographic either has the logo somewhere or is already in the style of the brand. And that's how I always become aware of the brand. So even if I share infographics via social media and haven't heard of the brand yet, I still keep coming back to it. And of course, as I said, this is also very important.

We have social visibility, so we can distribute it well and, above all, we can also offer added value in terms of content. In other words, we can present very complex content visually. For example, we can supplement advice articles with it or have a certain fun factor. Because it also has an entertainment value, of course. So when it comes to the ten most popular types of pasta, it's not just about the pure information that is conveyed. We also have a few small examples.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: I can take over again for a moment. It's really quite suitable for covering a whole range of topics. We've also kept it a bit shorter with just the infographics. Of course, you can also make sure that you produce pure graphics just for the channel in this format, especially for social media Instagram, Pinterest or similar. We sometimes call them fact graphics or somehow short entertainment graphics that present very small things. And it's always really good to see how many options there are for preparing all the things and then linking them to the rest. Because a graphic doesn't necessarily have to be a dead end. For example, if you simply go to the Hagebau site and look at the lawn care page. A link has also been built in so that you can go directly to the various products and somehow end up in the categories. That the whole thing isn't just Gimp graphics, people look at the graphics and then they're done. But that they really do look at it, okay, I need this type of lawnmower and can then go straight into the category. You can really link this together quite well, so that you can then go from this standard graphic to an interactive graphic. And the supreme discipline, but then it really takes a lot of work to really make a graphic, to recreate it, in HTML, I think it still works quite well somehow, which then adapts itself depending on the viewport. And then designing and implementing this is of course a little more difficult, but can of course have a huge effect if you can distribute it really well.

Purchase advisor

Andrea Frohleiks: We've already talked about the category texts and there's another upgrade, namely the purchase advisor. And that's actually the case, when an online store comes to us and says they need content and something for their category pages, we would actually always recommend purchase advisors these days. So it's really like that, the increase, it's more than just a category text, because it advises the customer. And that's very similar to what I actually experience in a good store. In other words, the customer advisor is effectively the sales advisor. In other words, when a customer advisor gives me seemingly neutral advice and doesn't just push a certain product at me, but also explains the differences between different types, between different brands, between different models, and also explains different purposes and goals, then I feel like I'm in good hands. And that's also something that really makes the purchase advisor text stand out.

Category page

That means we've actually already landed on the page. We're already in the online store, so we're actually on the category page. So it's still the product range entry page, so to speak. We have an overview of the product range, but we get much more added value in terms of content. This means that someone who already has a certain interest can do some more research here and actually find the information they need. Again, very important: a very good structure. So you can really see at a glance which questions I have are answered where? Of course, that makes a big difference. The whole thing can then be supplemented accordingly and here too, for example with a W-question research, the text can be optimized accordingly. And, of course, it is also important to address the target group appropriately. Of course, we haven't always included this. But, of course, it's generally the case for all products and all formats that it has to fit the target group. We have also included two or three small examples. Simply so that you can see how it can be prepared and what the structure is like. Simply so that it is visually appealing.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: And perhaps that's also quite interesting. We haven't included that as a separate format. You can see very clearly with niche topics or trending topics that are just establishing themselves that we very often have search queries where Google cannot yet assess exactly whether it is informative or informational. Is it transactional? And there are also a lot of pages popping up that are designed like a buying guide. Where the product is explained, the method is explained, there are some kind of instructions and then products are included. And then there are these hybrid pages between the guide text and the buying guide, so to speak, and you can really cover these search queries very well on the customer journey, although you're not quite sure yet what people really need at this point, at this touchpoint.

Andrea Frohleiks: And ideally, that's how it should be, of course, if someone has been on the category page, has gained an overview and then they should hopefully go to the individual products and find out more. In other words, we have somehow slipped a little deeper down the funnel, so to speak, so there really is an interest, someone probably wants to buy something, but of course they also want to find out more. So they also want to know what the individual product offers. And the product page and product description are correspondingly important.

Content preparation

How you prepare it depends very much on which product we are talking about. So whether it needs to be more of an emotional appeal, whether it needs to present lots of images, perhaps even a video that somehow shows how the product works. Or is it more about data and providing the relevant information? It's also important for me as an online store that I can also reduce the returns rate with a good product page. Because if I, as a buyer, can find everything I need, and it's really comprehensive and detailed, then I know what to expect. But if I can't find much information on the product page, then I might say to myself, okay, I'll just order three pairs of shoes. I'll have a look at them all first and then I'll send back what I don't need. And that's exactly what we want to prevent, of course, because that sounds like a great promise to me as a buyer: I can send everything back. But as an online store, of course I don't want that at first. So in this respect, it really is very relevant. Another thing you can add to product texts or product descriptions are product reviews. Simply by generating users and integrating content, including testimonials, then of course it looks even more authentic. Exactly, we also have a few examples that show this very clearly.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Then we've already picked out three examples. Firstly, advice that we really show in the description, for example here in fashion, what can I actually combine it with? Of course, this is particularly interesting for stores like Zalando, because it enables direct up-selling at the point of sale. And what's also very important is that we always say content, we always immediately think of text, but also product images. They also have to look good, they have to show the product clearly and well. We've already talked about this with the video. Simply so that people can get a better idea of the product. There's nothing worse than a product detail page that doesn't have a picture or video and where you really have to buy a pig in a poke.

Tone of Voice

Then there is the topic of emotion. In other words, how can we really address the target group? We also have to write a little differently, as we did earlier with the Tone of Voice. And then also make sure that we focus on exactly the right product for your group, for you, how you identify yourself. And a very important factor, especially with electronic things, is the data, so you have to make sure that everything is listed down to the smallest detail. Because if any important data record is missing, the user will drop out. We look to see where the data can be found and then they might end up in a competitor's store. And that wouldn't be so good.

Magazines and blogs

Andrea Frohleiks: We have called it the supreme discipline of customer loyalty, namely magazines and blogs. So we have shown in the funnel that ideally we retain our customers. But of course, this can also be a way to draw attention to yourself in the first place. A completely different customer journey is also conceivable here. So someone who first becomes aware of us via a blog, subscribes to the blog, reads the magazine regularly and thinks okay, cool, what is that actually? Which brand does it belong to? And then becomes a lead and a buyer, which is of course just as conceivable. Ultimately, however, the main advantage for me as a customer is that I can find up-to-date information in a magazine or blog.

That I may also have a large entertainment factor and that current topics can also be covered here. That's also the difference to a guidebook. A guidebook has, above all, standing content, can cover a lot of queries at first, and is perhaps updated from time to time. But here it's really about current topics, perhaps also about series of topics. So I can plan my content for the long term and can of course use it to retain customers in a different way. So if I know that there will be an article every week, then I'll keep coming back because I'm probably interested in the topic. So it's also a lot about emotional loyalty, but what is also a good option and we see this again and again is that content should always be linked in different ways. On the one hand, it can of course be teased via social media, but just as well via the newsletter.

In other words, you can direct loyal customers who receive the newsletter back to this page, the magazine or the blog. Ideally, of course, they will then share it further. So, as I said, we also have a few topics here that I would like to tease out briefly. So you can really see this current reference. So Christmas presents 2020 or maybe a field report, what it's like in the home office, and of course other possible formats that we can combine. So it could be checklists, listicles, but also more personal topics presented in interviews or field reports.

We've already mentioned the newsletter. Of course, many current topics can be teased in this way. But, and this is what we see at the end of the funnel, it's really about this bond. And if I regularly receive a newsletter, then it's also important to me that there's something special about it. I want to have certain privileges and these are usually granted to me in a newsletter. In other words, I'm informed about special promotions, maybe I'm the first to know when a new product is launched, maybe there are coupons. So there are many ways to interact, to provide certain benefits and to generate returning users. In other words, to really have regular readers or regular customers. In the preparation, so we can see it again in the examples, it is of course also about the fact that it is, as I said, very target group-oriented and above all emotional and also personal above all. I think you can see that very well from the examples.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: I didn't just write coupons here. That doesn't mean that we don't use coupons, but we very often see that coupons are then used in newsletter strategies and then the strategy is over. Of course, that shouldn't be the case. You need these offers because they can always be suitable for users who really want to buy and are happy that they get a coupon and that some kind of promotion is running. But in general, you also have to look at how you can personalize the whole thing. How can I involve my subscribers? And how can I perhaps highlight sales offers in a different way? And I've brought along three examples here.

One of the Tonies. This is a box where children's audio games can be played on it. And they very often do interactive things. Either you can play something on their website that was teased in the newsletter, or they really involve the community and ask for feedback. Or, in this case, asking for Christmas wishes to be incorporated into a radio play. With the Scott C. Newsletter, we see that - it's actually just a newsletter for the sale, but the fact that he drew something especially for this newsletter in his own drawing style gives it a more personal touch. The fact that he went to the effort of making it more beautiful, even if it was just for a sale. And then the last newsletter from an artist who has illustrated the Discworld novels in recent years and who always shares a bit about his creative process. Even during the lockdown - he's sitting in the UK - he told us a bit about how his work is going, because it wasn't much different for him, how he somehow deals with creative holes, how he recharges his batteries and how to get things done. And there are always things to buy in the newsletter anyway, but on a much more personal level, because he shares a bit about himself. And that's very important in newsletter marketing. Not just coupons, but looking at what else can I offer people? What else do they actually expect from me? How can I ever retain them in the long term and build up a personal option?

Podcast

Andrea Frohleiks: And this personal relationship, or long-term loyalty, can also be achieved with a different format. So, as I said, we've only been able to pick out a few things here, but last but not least, we've also brought the podcast with us today. Because we see this as another format that is becoming increasingly important. More and more people are listening to podcasts regularly and we see it as an important format for retaining potential customers or actual customers. And to build up a regular audience in the same way as our regular readership. In addition to the entertainment value, we also want to offer added value in terms of content and, of course, it is simply a format that can be read independently of a laptop or cell phone. So where you always have to read or look at something somehow - but you can also listen to it whenever you are traveling by car, or if you just want to close your eyes during the train ride. Of course, beware, there's not always WLAN, but it's at least an option.

And what is perhaps also very important when it comes to processing is that it doesn't always have to be so complicated. Technically, it's relatively easy to realize, really with a short concept script and just get started. Or design it as an interview or, what we see as very, very useful, to use content multiple times, for example, to simply set existing guidebook content to music again and thus make it available to a broader customer group. Simply because there are different interests, whether people prefer to read or listen.

These are just a few of the formats listed. I think we've already covered most of them. Radio plays are also a good option, of course, and we've added them here. Just because we've already mentioned it. Of course, there are many other formats, such as videos, which we have only briefly teased. But this is just a small selection that I think shows how content can be enriched at the various touchpoints and along the funnel.

How do I actually do that? Because now we actually know what we can actually do, what formats are available. Maybe also a bit about what topics we actually want to cover. But how do we actually draw up an editorial plan for the year? And the most important thing for us is that we see and experience time and time again that many marketing departments are still very, yes, divided into silos. So there's the TV advertising area, there's PR, there's social media, so perhaps also split between Facebook and Twitter within the social media area. Then there is the area that only deals with the online store. And that is exactly what is difficult. It is essential to get away from this silo mentality and set up the internal organizations accordingly in order to be able to cover the entire customer journey. This means first having cross-channel budgets, working together and then ultimately evaluating the channels in terms of their success. And then to shift the budgets accordingly.

Another important point is to act globally and locally. That means, of course, if I'm an online store that really operates internationally, then it's good to set international strategies first. But of course we also have to take a very close look in the individual countries to see what we need to adapt so that it also works locally. And to run a continuous campaign, i.e. to play themes across channels. In other words, to plan and implement according to the target groups and the different touchpoints.

We have also brought along an editorial plan as an example. As you can see, this is really just an example of how it can be structured. But above all, what we think is essential, what a multichannel editorial plan should actually include, is the whole area of timing. So when should something be produced? So really when are there deadlines for delivery? When should something be published? Then all the hard facts, i.e. what is the topic? Are there already a few key points about the content? What formats do we want to do? And where will all the information and files be stored in the end? And of course, very importantly, who is actually responsible? Of course, this should always appear in the editorial plan and all the channels that are used should be listed there. And to see, okay, I have a certain topic, on which channels do I actually want to play it? And then to store it accordingly. And of course, status, so you can always see where we actually stand. That's another overview. And what is also very important, well, the example was really just an example. So you can expand the whole thing as you like, you can of course add KPIs, you can also add data analysis and successes. The budgets and expenses, so what do I actually have for expenses? Where did I use them? Or things like what resources do I actually have? How long can I take or how much time do I actually have? Or simply using the editorial plan as a topic memory. And, as we have just seen, it can be expanded. But that also means that an editorial plan should not be a rigid system. In other words, we work with and on the plan and we can expand it at any time, perhaps even change it if we realize that certain things just aren't working. So we have to do reviews, think about it together, how does it work in collaboration? And then adapt it again, change something, take something out, add something. So all of this is actually possible. But above all, to combat silo thinking and create transparency for everyone involved.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Once I've set up the editorial plan and I'm using all the channels, I naturally have to look at how I can measure my success and all the individual touchpoints. We have deliberately kept this brief because our focus is on content. But we still think it's an important topic to at least briefly touch on. Simply because you really have to look at what the company's goals actually were. What were the goals of the individual content pieces? In other words, the content marketing as a whole? What was supposed to happen at which touchpoint? And here it is important to make sure that you have all the key figures ready, that you have agreed on what the KPIs are beforehand? Is it really traffic at a particular touchpoint? Is it conversion? Is it a share? All of this has to be defined beforehand. And then you can really look at when sales have increased? Can you see a build-up of brand trust or greater awareness in general? For example, you can see an increase in brand keywords in the search volume per month. This means that my brand has become better known and people are searching for it more often. Perhaps also in connection with the campaign that you can see, okay, we have teased this product, people are now searching for it directly. In general, more relevant traffic comes to the site, which we can also convert and so on and so forth.

And then you really have the big challenge of where do I get all the data from? We've only put a very small selection in the list, then just for all the SEO tools, for visitor numbers, then comparing with other websites, for our own tracking somehow in Google Analytics or similar suites. And then social media, there are also internal tools. That's not a complete list, but even then I think there are ten, eleven, twelve tools that you have to have ready and then you have to look at how these tools work in combination with each other. Because it can happen that things are not passed on exactly one-to-one and you have to see how it all works. And what is of course a particular challenge for us, especially in Germany, is that we want to track in compliance with data protection regulations. In other words, we really have to look again at where we can demand our own conditions? How can we link the channels with each other? Can we even track people via different channels? And we also have a short video afterwards, which you can watch at your leisure afterwards. It's possible, but of course you really need a lot of preparation to set the whole thing up so that it works really well.

Andrea Frohleiks: Well, we can only refer you to our colleagues. We have an internal diva-e tool that you can use. And we have just launched Privacy Safe Analytics with a consent management platform. So as I said, I think that's a pretty good tip, but as I said, the link in the presentation.

Bastian Wiesemeyer: Then we're almost there. Now we've got to the point where we know why we need this data in the first place. Because the customer journey will never be as ideal as we want it to be. We may map it on the marketing funnel, we know which content should be where and at which touchpoint, but something will always go wrong. Be it, as I mentioned at the beginning, that the technology doesn't work properly or that we have overlooked a dead end in our planning. And at that point, you have to make sure that the data helps you to recognize this. That you can really see, okay, the touchpoint is performing badly, because we set up the KPIs beforehand, we collected the data and now we can see, okay, it's not fulfilling this expectation at all. And then you can really take a closer look at the whole thing and see exactly where the error lies. And that's not a problem at all.

I've brought along a few examples of what can happen. For example, we have the problem in quotation marks that our rankings are too good. In other words, we often already have users on the store page at category level, but they don't convert. This is because they have actually landed on this page far too early and need more information, which reduces conversion and increases bounces. Of course, if you've identified this as a problem, you could then look at adding a teaser and redirecting people to an upstream page and then say okay, we need to take another step back in the customer journey and send them to this guide text. Or generally look, if we realize, okay, it's not just a few users who have now landed incorrectly, but in general, it's a category that requires a lot of explanation, then more detailed guide text is added directly to the category.

Another example would be an ad on social media. We have a lot of impressions, interaction, no traffic to the landing page. And here you can simply test and say, okay, that's probably due to the ad. Can we change something with a different copy? Can we adjust an image? Can we maybe just make a video so that people have a moving image and are more likely to click on it? You can test this directly. We can also let the ads compete against each other to see what is possible to get the customer journey moving again.

And we have a guide text that has a lot of traffic but doesn't redirect people. In other words, we've actually built in links to take people to the store area, but somehow it's not working. And you could do a competitor analysis, for example, and see how they present the topic. Have they perhaps done it differently? A different template solution? Are we perhaps missing any topics that could lead to conversion? Can we try to integrate the products directly on the guide page so that people actually want to buy in theory, but don't really realize that they can click on the store and go from the guide article to another store and then look back there? Or do I perhaps need another buffer topic? In other words, I have the guide topic where quite a lot of people jump off. But I could then redirect them to another advice topic in quotation marks, which is closer to the conversion, and from there to the store. You can try all this out quite well and then, of course, you have to make sure you track the whole thing with A/B testing or something similar. And with that, I'll hand you back to Andrea for our final summary.

Andrea Frohleiks: Let's slowly come to the end. We've put together a few takeaways. What can we actually do, or what have we actually seen today? What we've actually seen is clear. There is always a discrepancy between this marketing funnel, the classic one, and the real customer journey. But what we are trying to do, of course, is to bring them as close together as possible. In other words, to really match the formats that best fit the customer journey. Because this doesn't always work perfectly and because it's all a bit theoretical, the main thing is that we create connectivity between the individual channels and content pieces. That means switching from one piece to another and simply linking them together to create paths and guide the user. That is one thing. But at the same time, each of these content pieces should also be able to stand on its own. In other words, they should be understandable on their own. So that you don't jump off and don't know what to do next, but that you also understand, okay, where am I actually here and what is it actually about?

And then, I think that's one of the essential points, we've already said, of course, on the one hand you have to analyze, where are we? But we also always have to experiment. So actually, both are essential for us, simply trying things out a bit. Yes, certain formats are best suited to certain touchpoints and certain phases of the customer journey. But you can also test things out a little and perhaps experiment with a call-to-action here and there. Simply try something out, but always analyze the interaction. In other words, collect the data, evaluate it, try it out, see what can I change again? What can I set up again? And to keep working on this, so that I'm actually always working and can keep developing new content formats and new strategies. So we've actually come to the end and can only say thank you.