Conversation Marketing

Conversation Marketing

by Kevin Lund
Released October 2018
Publisher(s): Career Press
ISBN: 9781632658692

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Book description

Each of us sees more than 5,000 marketing messages every day. In such a crowded marketplace, brands are scrambling to find new ways to cut through the clutter to reach consumers. With such intense competition, it’s critical to stand apart beyond service and price.

Conversation Marketing will help you connect your brands, not just to the minds of your consumers, but to their hearts. Slick slogans and catchy ads may still work in some instances, but today’s discerning consumers demand more. They want information and a reason to connect with a brand before they act. They want a conversation.

Conversation Marketing gives you and your company the powerful tools and strategies now required, including:

How to earn your audience’s attention and provide value at every touch point
How to tell a meaningful story
How to give your customers agency in the conversation and accept that they’re in charge
How to listen, not sell
Change your strategy and your tone and you can change your results. Applying the rules from Conversation Marketing will help brands become publishers, increase sales, and establish a lifelong connection with their customers.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Contents
  7. Foreword
  8. Introduction
    1. What Is “Content,” Really?
    2. Conversation Is King
    3. Where Conversation and Opportunity Met
    4. Welcome to the Conversation Age
    5. Conversation Marketing at Its Core
    6. The Bottom Line
    7. Content Marketing in the Conversation Age
    8. Conversation Marketing Concepts to Think About
    9. The Content Struggle
    10. Let's Delve In
  9. Part One: Planning
    1. Chapter 1: Earn Attention
      1. How Do You Earn Attention?
      2. Differentiation Is Key
      3. Your Handshake Moment
      4. Finding Your Brand Personality
      5. So, What About the Content?
      6. Icebreaker
    2. Chapter 2: Tell a Story
      1. Historically Speaking
      2. The Power of Story
      3. Your Story
      4. Why Storytelling?
      5. Market From the Inside Out
      6. The Story Starts the Conversation
      7. How to Infuse Storytelling into Your Content
      8. Final Thoughts
      9. Icebreaker
    3. Chapter 3: Stay Humble
      1. Ditch the Id
      2. Don't Pitch. Teach.
      3. Telling the Right Story
      4. To Be Humble Is to Be Human
      5. Icebreaker
    4. Chapter 4: Pick Your Party
      1. Forget About the Sale (for the Moment)
      2. How to Create Your Channel Plan
      3. In Detail: A Content Marketing Channel Plan
      4. A Tentacled “Conversation Ecosystem”
      5. Embrace Channels for What They Are Today
      6. Putting It All Together: The Editorial Calendar
      7. Icebreaker
  10. Part Two: Talking
    1. Chapter 5: Be Relevant (on a Molecular Level)
      1. Imagine “Molecular” Customer Service
      2. Participating in the Conversation
      3. The Road to Irrelevance: Common Mistakes Marketers Make
      4. An “Audience” Is Still One Person at a Time
      5. Super Molecular: A Final Thought
      6. Icebreaker
    2. Chapter 6: Open Up and Listen
      1. How to Listen Effectively
      2. Data + Gut = Success
      3. Points of View: Good Versus Bad
      4. Will an MBA Help You Listen?
      5. How to Speak the Way Your Customer Wants to Be Spoken To
      6. What They Want Versus What They Really Want
      7. Icebreaker
    3. Chapter 7: Start the Conversation
      1. Remember What You've Learned So Far
      2. Tips for Starting a Conversation
      3. Writing Content Made Easy: Ask Three Questions
      4. Beyond the Headlines
      5. Big Ideas for Longer Conversations
      6. Five Wrong Ways to Start a Conversation
      7. Icebreaker
  11. Part Three: Learning
    1. Chapter 8: Know When to Stop Talking
      1. The Importance of Reading the Room
      2. How to Monitor Engagement
      3. Google Analytics
      4. Hootsuite (hootsuite.com)
      5. Bitly (bitly.com)
      6. Post-Blog/Video Comments
      7. Surveys
      8. Test It Elsewhere
      9. The Human Touch
      10. Data Diving: What Can Go Wrong?
      11. Icebreaker
    2. Chapter 9: Get Your Customer Involved
      1. How Much “Influence” Do You Have?
      2. Who Are the Influencers?
      3. Generating Content from Fans and Customers
      4. Monitor What Customers Say Online and Respond
      5. Take Advantage of User-Generated Content (UGC)
      6. Encourage Sharing
      7. How Do You Get Started?
      8. How Can You Measure Success?
      9. Icebreaker
    3. Chapter 10: Ditch the Checklist
      1. Where Mission and Passion Intersect
      2. Brands Digging Deep: Four Companies Going Beyond the Conversation
      3. What Not to Do
      4. What About the Naysayers?
  12. Afterword
    1. The Last Word
  13. Appendix A
    1. Rubber, Meet Road
  14. Appendix B
    1. Putting It All Together
    2. Before the Conversation: Know Your Audience
    3. Start the Conversation: Seven Steps to a Great Piece of Content
    4. After the Conversation: Listen to Your Audience
    5. The Power of Patience
  15. Notes
  16. Bibliography
  17. Index
  18. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: Conversation Marketing
  • Author(s): Kevin Lund
  • Release date: October 2018
  • Publisher(s): Career Press
  • ISBN: 9781632658692