1、Content MarketingWorkbookA Beginners Guide to Applying Content Marketing to Your Business Third EditionContent Marketing Workbook2Table of ContentsThe Purpose of This Workbook and How to Use It.3Case Study:Townsend Security.5Section 1:The Power of Storytelling.7Section 2:Building a Content Creation

2、Framework.8Section 3:Planning a Long-Term Content Strategy.9Section 4:Generating Content Ideas.12Section 5:Creating Quality Blog Content Your Audience Loves to Read and Share.14Section 6:How HubSpot Uses Blogging to Rank#1 on Google.16Section 7:Extending the Value of Your Content Through Repurposing

3、.18Section 8:Creating Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages.21Section 9:How to Create a Successful Video Marketing Strategy.23Section 10:Building a Guest Blogging Strategy Powered by SEO.25Section 11:How to Effectively Promote Content.27Section 12:Measuring and Analyzing Your Content.29Your Completed Work

4、book.31Content Marketing Workbook3Welcome!Youre here because you want to grow your business and career by becoming a content marketing expert.To start,what is content marketing?Content marketing is a strategic marketing and business process focused on creating and distributing valuable,relevant,and

5、consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and ultimately drive profitable customer action.When done correctly,this helps create a relationship with your audience,which leads to trust.And when your audience members trust you,theyre more willing to do business with you when t

6、heyre ready to make a purchasing decision.To communicate with your audience,you need to produce content.Content has the very important job of pulling people from one stage of the inbound methodology to another.Your content should attract the right people to your site,engage those people into leads,a

7、nd nurture and help close them into customers.But it doesnt stop there.Your content should also delight your customers and turn them into promoters of your brand.In a nutshell,content marketing is the art of communicating with your prospects and customers without having to sell to them.As opposed to

8、 advertising your products and services,youre creating helpful,engaging content that your prospects and customers can enjoy and learn from.The Purpose of This Workbook and How to Use ItContent Marketing Workbook4The following activities and resources will help you create and grow a repeatable conten

9、t process for your business.Each section connects to a lesson featured in the Content Marketing Certification course.If you havent done so already,I highly encourage you to sign up for this course and complete each lesson before working on the practical exercises.This course has become the industry

10、standard for content marketing professionals.In fact,more than 40,000 professionals across the globe have completed the Content Marketing Certification since it launched in 2016.Earning your Content Marketing Certification and completing this workbook are the first steps toward becoming an expert in

11、 the industry.Heres a list of suggestions to get the most value out of this workbook:Please save this workbook to the desktop on your computer.This way your progress will be saved correctly as you complete each section.If you prefer to have a hard copy to write on,then print this PDF.Join the Conten

12、t Marketing Study Group on HubSpots Community.We believe the best way to learn content marketing is by implementing strategies,sharing ideas,and discussing what youve learned with a group of marketers,just like you.Tweet me(JustinRChampion)and HubSpot Academy(HubSpotAcademy).Were here to support you

13、,and we want to follow your journey.Now lets get started!Content Marketing Workbook5Need proof that this workbook is a transformational resource?Learn more from a business that completed the practical exercises from each section and sustainably grew their business(which is still growing today).Writt

14、en by Ken Mafli,Townsend Securitys Senior Digital Marketing Manager Townsend Security is a leading provider of affordable enterprise-grade encryption key management for an organizations data at rest.We are a smaller company that routinely goes up against competitors whose marketing budgets dwarf our

15、 own.So how do we make our voice heard?Simple:a rock-solid,completely human-centric inbound content marketing strategy.In the eight-plus years weve been doing inbound,weve seen upward of 1,085%more non-paid traffic to our website.The real shocker:In that time,my team has grown its monthly new contac

16、ts by roughly 19,000%for non-paid leads.The disparity between those two numbers is a perfect example of the power of inbound:more highly qualified web traffic that converts to a much higher rate of leads.Content marketing is continuously evolving.HubSpot has proven time and again to be on the forefr

17、ont of the best-producing content marketing strategies.In 2016,we were invited to participate in a beta program that HubSpot was conducting that would later be known as the topic cluster framework.In it,you produce a pillar page a webpage that completely informs prospects about a specific topic.From

18、 there,you surround your pillar page with subtopics(e.g.,blog posts,videos,infographics,etc.),each with a link back to the pillar page.With this methodology in hand,we created our first pillar page and launched it in the first week of January 2017.Over the next six months,we continued to optimize it

19、,all the while promoting it via social media and online information security magazines.The results were outstanding.Our pillar page brought record-high organic traffic and a record number of leads.We couldnt be happier with the results and with the guidance that HubSpot provided through its free res

20、ources and one-on-one consulting.Case StudyTownsend SecurityContent Marketing Workbook6That said,content marketing isnt for the faint of heart.If youre looking for a“slap it on the website and they will come”approach,youre in the wrong place.You need true grit and the unwavering resolve to fully und

21、erstand what your personas need at each step of the buyers journey and you need to provide it like no one else does.If you provide your prospects with the experience they deserve,you like us will be amazed by the results.The Content Marketing Workbook is the road map you will need to chart your cour

22、se toward success.Throughout this workbook,youll learn from some of our examples.Im confident that by using this workbook,you will build a unique content strategy thats tailored to the needs of your personas.By doing so,and by executing on that plan,you will find your own path to success and reach r

23、esults you never thought possible.Content Marketing Workbook7Everyone loves a great story.People want to feel connected to a group,to belong.Stories give us a reason to communicate and relate.Stories are stimulating and give us something to believe in.Stories make us feel better,smarter,safer,or eve

24、n loved.Business storytelling is similar.Its about creating alignment between your business and your prospects and customers.But telling your brands story is more than what you write on your website,your blog,or even social media.Its your value,your mission,and how you communicate them consistently

25、to your audience wherever they are.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:The Power of Storytelling RESOURCES Blog post:Executive Summary:The Golden Circle With Simon Sinek PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 In the box below,write your businesss“why.”This should be written in the form of a one-sentence

26、purpose or mission statement.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Heres Townsend Securitys“why”:Townsend Security creates data privacy solutions that give organizations the ability to keep their data safe.If you get stuck and need help,complete the lesson“The Power of Storytelling”in the Content Marketing Cert

27、ification course.Section 1The Power of Storytelling1Content Marketing Workbook82Section 2Building a Content Creation FrameworkA content creation framework is a structure of processes for publishing content from the beginning stages to post-publication.With a framework in place,your team can foster c

28、reative ideas in an organized,scalable manner.A framework strikes that perfect balance between autonomous creativity and long-term content sustainability.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Building a Content Creation Framework RESOURCES Blog post:How to Create an Editorial Calendar in

29、Google Calendar Free TemplatesBlog post:How to Hire a Freelancer in 5 Simple Steps Tool:HubSpot CRM PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1If you dont already have the following free analytics platforms in place,sign up for them:Google Analytics HubSpot Marketing Analytics PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2If you dont already have

30、a Customer Relationship Management(CRM)platform in place,sign up for HubSpots free tool.PRACTICAL EXERCISE 3An editorial calendar is the first step toward achieving a sustainable content creation process.Use this free template to create an editorial calendar for your business.If you get stuck and ne

31、ed help,complete the“Building a Content Creation Framework”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook9Planning provides a road map for your content.Youll be making confident and more tactical decisions regarding what topic youll be talking about,what format your

32、content will take,and when youll be publishing it.With a content plan,you and your team can stay organized and even factor in ad hoc content requests like company initiatives or other on-demand marketing tasks.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Planning a Long-Term Content Strategy RES

33、OURCES Template:Long-Term Content Planning Worksheet Google Sheets Content offer:Content Gap Analysis PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 If you dont already have a primary buyer persona established for your business,create one using HubSpots free Make My Persona tool.In the box below,write a quick profile for you

34、r primary buyer persona.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is an overview of Townsend Securitys primary buyer persona,Growing Awareness Andy:Andys quick profile:Andy is an IT professional whose job touches on cybersecurity.While his title might not always reflect his data security responsibilities,he h

35、as taken onthese duties in an effort to help his company with its cybersecurity challenges.3Section 3Planning a Long-term Content StrategyContent Marketing Workbook10Awareness stage driver:Key stakeholders in his company are uneasy about thecompanys current security posture,and recent breaches in th

36、e news have onlyhighlighted the need for increased security.They are not sure what they need in orderto better secure their data,but they know they have to do something.PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Perform a content audit and an event-based audit for your business using this Google Sheets template.PRACTICAL

37、 EXERCISE 3 Identify the buyers journey for your primary buyer persona.The goal is to help this buyer through each stage:awareness,consideration,and decision.And while theres no magic number for the amount of content within the buyers journey,lets start by identifying three pieces of content.*For th

38、e awareness stage,we recommend identifying a comprehensive educational resource like a guide or ebook.*1.Awareness stageIn the box below,outline a content format and theme.(Think of this like a working title.What doyou want to communicate?)2.Consideration stageIn the box below,outline a content form

39、at and theme.(Think of this like a working title.What doyou want to communicate?)Content Marketing Workbook113.Decision stage In the box below,outline a content format and theme.(Think of this like a working title.What do you want to communicate?)TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is an example of the

40、buyers journey Townsend Security identified for its primary buyer persona,Growing Awareness Andy.Awareness stage:Content format:Guide Theme:The Definitive Guide to Encryption Key Management Fundamentals Consideration stage:Content format:Webinar Theme:Encryption Key Management Simplified Decision st

41、age:Content format:Product evaluation Theme:Alliance Key ManagerIf you get stuck and need help,complete the“Planning a Long-Term Content Strategy“lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook12Humans are always coming up with new ideas.Whether were lying in bed,comm

42、uting to work,or going for a run,our minds have a seemingly endless ability to generate new ideas.But as natural and easy as this process might sometimes feel,it gets tricky when your job depends on it.A content marketer or any creative,for that matter doesnt have the leisure to have an“off day.”You

43、r content ideas fuel your work.Run out of gas,and your content initiatives will stall.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Generating Content Ideas RESOURCES Blog post:How to Figure Out What Keywords Your Potential Customers Are Using Book:A Technique for Producing Ideas Tool:HubSpot Blo

44、g Ideas Generator PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 In the boxes below,write down a few blog post ideas that support an educational topic your business wants to be known for and build authority around.For now,consider creating a descriptive working title for each blog post.Blog post idea 1:Blog post idea 2:Secti

45、on 4Generating Content Ideas4Content Marketing Workbook13Blog post idea 3:Blog post idea 4:TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a list of blog post ideas that Townsend Security identified for its topic“encryption key management.”1.Key Management:The Hardest Part of Encryption2.Trying to Outfox the Oth

46、er:A Brief Look at Cryptography and Cryptanalysis3.3 Ways to Fast-Track Your Encryption and Key Management Project4.Fixing the TDE Key Management Problem in Microsoft SQL Server If you get stuck and need help,complete the“Generating Content Ideas”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.

47、Content Marketing Workbook14Think back to the last blog post you read.Did you skim through it as opposed to reading it because the introduction didnt hold your attention?Did the content seem to ramble as opposed to getting to the point?Were you unable to find a helpful next step to continue your jou

48、rney?If you answered“yes”to all of these questions,the author who wrote the blog post probably didnt pay close enough attention to the structure of the content.And he or she is suffering the consequences:You,along with many others,stopped reading the post.All effective blog posts have a blueprint.Yo

49、u might not easily see it,but its there,and its meant to help you,the reader,through your journey to making a well-informed,confident decision whatever that decision might be.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Creating Quality Blog Content Your Audience Loves to Read and Share RESOURCE

50、S Training:Business Blogging Course Blog post:How to Write a Blog Post:A Step-by-Step Guide+Free Blog Post Templates Tool:Moz Keyword Explorer PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 For almost every piece of content,come up with at least five to 10 different headlines.In the box below,write five different headlines f

51、or your businesss next blog post.Section 5Creating Quality Blog Content Your Audience Loves to Read and Share5Content Marketing Workbook15PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2Write your businesss next blog post.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a blog post that Townsend Security created to support one of its primar

52、y topics,“encryption key management.(Click here to read the blog post.)If you get stuck and need help,complete the“Creating Quality Blog Content Your Audience Loves to Read and Share”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook16Here at HubSpot,blogging is our prim

53、ary source of traffic.In fact,a significant percentage of HubSpot customers first stumbled upon our brand and our website through our blog usually by searching for something on Google and clicking through to one of our blog posts.To understand how HubSpot uses blogging to rank in search,we have to f

54、irst understand how blogging helps anyone rank in search.Blogging on topics that are relevant to your business will do two things:help you build relevance to rank for more search queries and help you build authority on those topics to rank higher in search results.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING

55、MODULE Lesson:How HubSpot Uses Blogging to Rank#1 on Google RESOURCES Blog post:How to Optimize Your Content for Googles Featured Snippet Box PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 In the box below,identify 2 blog posts that have a chance of winning the featured snippet.Section 6How HubSpot Uses Blogging to Rank#1 on

56、 Google6Content Marketing Workbook17TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a featured snippet for one of Townsend Securitys website pages.PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Choose one of the blog posts from the previous practical exercise,and optimize it for the featured snippet.If you get stuck and need help,complet

57、e the“How HubSpot Uses Blogging to Rank#1 on Google”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook18Imagine youre a content creator tasked with writing blog posts,content offers,video scripts,and so on as part of your daily job function.Thats a lot of content to crea

58、te.Repurposing content allows you to extend the value of your content by changing it to serve a different purpose,like transforming the messaging of several blog posts to create a guide or reusing content from your guide to help you create an educational video series.The messaging is the same,but th

59、e channel or format in which its consumed is different.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Extending the Value of Your Content Through Repurposing RESOURCES Blog post:How to Repurpose Campaign Content for Different Channels(and Never Waste the Leftovers)PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 Repurpose on

60、e of your blog posts into an infographic using Venngages free infographic maker.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is an infographic Townsend Security created by repurposing stats from one of its educational pieces of content.Section 7Extending the Value of Your Content Through Repurposing7Content Mark

61、eting Workbook19PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Create an awareness-stage guide for your business.However,instead of starting from scratch,consider how you can repurpose the current assets you have at your disposal.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a guide that Townsend Security created for its topic“encrypti

62、on key management.”Content Marketing Workbook20If you get stuck and need help,complete the“Extending the Value of Your Content Through Repurposing”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook21If you want to create effective content that converts visitors into lead

63、s and eventually customers,you need to create a helpful,positive user experience that solves for both the searcher and the search engine,not just one or the other.Heres how you can solve for both:Create targeted clusters of relevant content that each covers a specific topic in depth.These targeted c

64、lusters then need to lead to a centralized hub,known as a pillar page.A pillar page(also known as a content pillar or power page)is a website page that covers a specific topic in depth and is linked to a cluster of related content.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Creating Topic Clust

65、ers and Pillar Pages RESOURCES Blog post:Topic Clusters:The Next Evolution of SEOPRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 Repurpose one of your awareness-stage guides into a pillar page.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a pillar page Townsend Security created by repurposing content from its awareness-stage offer,“The

66、Definitive Guide to Encryption Key Management Fundamentals.”(Click here to read the pillar page.)8Section 8Creating Topic Clusters and Pillar PagesContent Marketing Workbook22PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 If you dont already have a solution for a pop-up form on your website,sign up for HubSpots free tool.If

67、you get stuck and need help,complete the“Creating Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages“lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook23Thanks to the rise of technology,video is used more widely as a business strategy across marketing,sales,and service teams.When done corr

68、ectly,a video marketing strategy is an effective way to attract,engage,and delight your audience in a human and helpful way.But creating any old video isnt enough.You need to create memorable videos that engage your audience.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:How to Create a Successful

69、 Video Marketing Strategy RESOURCES Training:Video Marketing Course Blog Post:How to Get Started With Video Marketing:A Checklist for Marketers PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1 Create a script for one of your educational website pages using this template.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a snippet video script

70、 that Townsend Security created by repurposing content from its encryption key management pillar page.Section 9How to Create a Successful Video Marketing Strategy9Content Marketing Workbook24PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Using the script you wrote,create a video and embed it on your website.TOWNSEND SECURITY

71、 EXAMPLE Below is a video that Townsend Security created and embedded at the top of its encryption key management pillar page.(Click here to view the video.)If you get stuck and need help,complete the“How to Create a Successful Video Marketing Strategy”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification c

72、ourse.Content Marketing Workbook25Guest blogging is an effective tactic that helps your business in more ways than one.Not only does it help you build authority as a thought leader within your industry,but also,and more importantly,its a powerful way to optimize your website for search when done cor

73、rectly.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Building a Guest Blogging Strategy Powered by SEO RESOURCES Training:SEO Training Course Blog post:A Simple SEO Strategy for 2019(The Middleman Method)Tool:Moz Link Explorer PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1Do research on Google and find five websites that

74、youd like to write a guest blog post for.Write them down here:PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Start building a relationship before reaching out for a guest blogging opportunity with each company you identified in the previous practical exercise.One effective way to do this is to start a discussion by commentin

75、g on one of the companys blog posts.Section 10Building a Guest Blogging Strategy Powered by SEO10Content Marketing Workbook26 PRACTICAL EXERCISE 3 Repurpose one of your educational pieces of content into a guest blog post that links back to your website.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a guest blo

76、g post Townsend Security wrote for Infosecurity Magazine.(Click here to read the guest blog post.)If you get stuck and need help,complete the“Building a Guest Blogging Strategy Powered by SEO”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbook2711Section 11How to Effectiv

77、ely Promote ContentOne of the biggest challenges marketers face when creating content is visibility.Creating great content simply isnt enough.A successful content strategy should include a promotional plan that strategically shares content with the people who will benefit most from it.Lets put it in

78、to practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:How to Effectively Promote Content RESOURCES Training:Social Media Certification Course Template:Social Media Content Calendar PRACTICAL EXERCISE 1Create 10 social posts by repurposing content from one of your educational website pages.TOWNSEND SECURITY EXAMPLE Bel

79、ow is a tweet that offers an interesting snippet with a relevant image from Townsend Securitys encryption key management pillar page.Content Marketing Workbook28PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2 Identify a top-engaged social media post that offers a link to one of your website pages with a form on it and boost i

80、t with ad spend.*If this is your first time purchasing a digital ad,then start with minimal budget youre comfortable spending as an experiment.*If you get stuck and need help,complete the“How to Effectively Promote Content”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.Content Marketing Workbo

81、ok2912Section 12Measuring and Analyzing Your ContentThere are a ton of metrics out there that you can report on to understand your contents performance.For a blog post,you might be interested in webpage visitors,time on page,and referral traffic.For a video,maybe youre more interested in watch time,

82、social media shares,and impressions.And if youre offering a webinar,landing page conversions for registration might be your top metric.Regardless of what type of content youre measuring,there are numerous metrics that impact its success.Lets put it into practice.LEARNING MODULE Lesson:Measuring and

83、Analyzing Your Content RESOURCES Blog post:15 Metrics Every Marketing Manager Should Be Tracking Template:Monthly Marketing Reporting TemplatesPRACTICAL EXERCISE 1Use your CRM and web analytics data to inform your ad campaigns and see exactly which ads are turning prospects into loyal customers.*If

84、you dont already have a paid ads tracker in place,sign up for HubSpots free tool.PRACTICAL EXERCISE 2Create a monthly marketing report to communicate the performance of your content creation efforts.*If you need a reporting template,then click here to access one.*Content Marketing Workbook30TOWNSEND

85、 SECURITY EXAMPLE Below is a list of metrics Townsend Security reports on each month:Target keywords search engine results page position Total average search engine results page position Organic search traffic Visitor average time on page Visitor bounce rate Total inbound links If you get stuck and

86、need help,complete the“Measuring and Analyzing Content”lesson in the Content Marketing Certification course.31Content Marketing WorkbookCongratulations!By completing the practical exercises in this workbook,youve taken a step toward transforming yourself into an effective content marketer.Give yours

87、elf a pat on the back.The next step is to continue growing your plan and stay consistent in your approach.Always be on the lookout for new content opportunities that provide value to your audience.Remember,your audience is the reason youre doing this in the first place if you want to start a relatio

88、nship with audience members,make sure to give them the care and attention they deserve.Engage with content marketing professionals like yourself.We believe knowledge and ideas should be shared often.Thats how we,together,transform the way the world does business.Now that youve learned how to create a content strategy,what advice would you give to someone looking to get started?Click here to share your advice.Keep up the good work!Justin Champion HubSpot AcademyThe ResultsYour Completed Workbook!