How to Create a Content Marketing Plan

As a final assignment in my Content Marketing course at St. Lawrence College I created a Content Marketing Plan. This plan was based on the client Catitude, with a strategy including the objective/purpose, target market and buyer stage, the tactics, and tone of messaging. I will share with you my strategy as well as the three pieces of content I developed for the plan.

Background

Catitude is a fairly new e-commerce, monthly subscription service, that provides cats with toys, treats and catcessories, and a gift for their human, hand-selected based on the individual personality of the cat. The concept of the company is that we as humans should embrace that cats have attitude and celebrate their unique personalities.

The pet supply subscription market is highly competitive and Catitude must use its unique selling point of embracing individuality in a humorous, relatable way, to set the brand apart from its competitors.

Plan Purpose

The purpose of the content marketing plan is to support the launch of the new e-commerce website by using brand storytelling, with a humorous appeal technique. Overall the purpose is to build brand awareness for consumers and increase engagements through social media conversions (likes, follows, shares, etc.), and to increase website visits.

The target Market and Buyer Stage

So who are we selling Catitude to? Cat enthusiasts either cat owners or those looking to give Catitude as a gift are the primary and secondary target markets.  They are at the awareness stage in the buying cycle as they may not know of Catitude or other pet subscriptions, but do understand that there are benefits to purchasing pet supplies online. Here is the breakdown:

Primary Target Audience

The primary target audience of cat owners are cat enthusiasts. They treat their pet as a member of the family and will do anything to protect them. They are openly known as cat people and will often sport cat inspired clothing and accessories. They feel a sense of community when discussing their cat with other cat owners. These cat owners are tech savvy and you can often find these people looking online at funny cat memes or watching videos of cats and their antics. The follow influencers like Grumpy Cat and Taylor Swift to get a candid, authentic look at the lives of the sarcastic cat and celebrity’s daily life with her feline. These people care that they are getting a good quality product for their purchase and that the company has good corporate social responsibility, donating a portion of the proceeds to animal causes.

Secondary Target Audience

The secondary target audience is of those people who are looking for a gift for a loved one. They know that the pet owner thinks of that pet as a member of the family. The believe the person the gift is for is as cat person and will often wear cat inspired clothing and accessories. These people care that they are getting a good quality product for their purchase and that the company that they buy from has good corporate social responsibility. These people are tech savvy and may choose to purchase gifts online because of convince in shipping.

 

The Tactics

The primary goal of this content plan was to create content that will drive engagement while providing consumers valuable content that is authentic, brand storytelling consistent with brand values.

Themes within the content are present to provide consumers with a variety of content that is compelling and worth seeing. One theme throughout is embracing your personality. The videos are a cat personality series that will each feature one cat and the characteristics that make up who they are. These videos use a humorous appeal and border on cat shaming. The purpose of the video series is to introduce the fact that each cat has their own personality and that it is okay to showcase the uniqueness that is a cat’s attitude.

 

Another tactic is to showcase that the brand has good corporate social responsibility and is heavily involved in charity work. Catitude supports several cat rescues in Ontario by donating a portion of proceeds to animal charities and helps to provide cats with the opportunity to find their forever home. Targeted blog posts and an infographic are used to communicate a strong company corporate social responsibility.

 

How-to’s are also a theme within the content plan. Cat owners often adopt cats to save them from lives on the street or in shelters and do not always have the knowledge on how they should raise their pets, who are usually a lot more work than the the owner anticipates.

 

The overall goal is to produce a content that is relatable to the target audience and communicates Catitude’s brand values. Catitude’s content will effectively deliver the USP of embracing individuality making the brand stand out amongst the competition.

The Tone and Style

Catitude relies heavily on a brand storytelling style and uses a blunt humorous tone in its messaging. The brand looks to portray honesty in its messaging and is inspirational in the way that it is an authentic,  unbiased reaction to cats and their attitudes. The brand embraces the fact that its okay that cats have attitudes, and we as humans can mock them for it, while accepting that each cat is truly an individual.

The Content

Video

 

Infographic

 

Blog

So Its Been A While…

So its been a while since I last blogged. I started this blog as a school assignment and have often thought about picking up this blog again. I thoroughly enjoyed blog writing in spite of restrictions imposed on blogs that I was graded on.  As the time has gone on, I would regularly see something I would like to blog about (the current U.S. president gives me a lot of material), but say that I would get to blogging later. Well then a week would go by, and then the guilt would set in. I would feel so guilty that I had let it go so long, and then see something else I should be blogging about. The vicious cycle of guilt and regret would be a constant and I left this blog untouched.

So why now rekindle my blog you may ask? Well a lot has happened. I actually was nominated for a creative writing award at the 2016 Greg Awards for writing this blog! I have now entered my third year of Advertising and Marketing Communications Management at St. Lawrence College. During my time at SLC I have acted as a Peer Tutor, I volunteered as a student ambassador and as the FUSE Mentorship Program Coordinator, while maintaining Dean’s List status. In 2016, My team won 2nd Place Best Overall Ad Campaign and in 2017, at the Greg Awards in my team took home the prize for Overall Best Direct Marketing Campaign.

While I may be rusty wring this blog, recently through my summer employment as the Marketing Assistant for Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites I have been able to curate and create blog content for the organization. So yes the class I took on creating this blog was actually useful in a real life work setting!

So here it is. My promise is to write the no-holds-barred, honest, and authentic blog that is true to my thoughts on marketing and current events. I hope you enjoy and come along for the ride!

Does Starbucks Hate Christmas?

Being a Tim Hortons girl myself, I couldn’t believe the outrage over the 2015 years Starbucks red cups. I saw #RedCups trending on twitter the other day. I didn’t give it another thought until I came across a Facebook post asking for opinions on the controversy.

The stripped down plain red cups differ than the vibrant decorated ones of previous years.

Some people have stated that Starbucks just wants to be politically correct and others state religiously fuelled comments that Starbucks is taking the Christ out of Christmas. Many people are choosing to boycott the brand. Others are saying merry christmas when baristas ask for their name.

Check out this viral video by Joshua Feuerstein that has had over 16 million views on Facebook since November 5, 2015.

Even celebrities are weighing in:

 

 

Donald Trump even went so far as to say he will end the Starbucks lease in his buildings and boycott the brand.

The Official Explanation

Starbucks claims that this years holiday cups were intentionally left as a blank canvas for customers to draw what they want on them .

Creating a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity is the core values of Starbucks

What I Think

In my opinion its just a cup! Get over yourself if you think that Starbucks is ruining your christmas because they have failed to put a picture of a reindeer on a cup.A cup that you will throw away twenty minutes later. It was just a change in branding design. Starbucks doesn’t hate christmas, in fact they encourage their customers to use a little creativity.

I will leave you with this:

Even though people are threatening to boycott the popular brand, this controversy has gained Starbucks an insane amount of brand awareness. So was this cup actually a publicity stunt or just a design concept that got a life of its own on social media? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

SLC Open House

               

So today I volunteered for the open house at St. Lawrence College. It was an amazing opportunity to get to know people and show some school pride.

 

It was the spring open house last year that really made me make the decision to attend SLC. Since I hit that accept button I have never regretted this decision. The passionate knowledgable staff with real world experience and the small class sizes were exactly what I was looking for in a college.

Today there were many booths set up promoting the school services and program specific tables to give potential students more information about the programs they are applying to.

The campus was vibrant, with red carpets, star shaped balloons, and theatre drapes. There was a photo booth and many other interactive activities for potential students.  The viking mascot greeted attendees and many volunteers were on hand to answer questions and give campus tours.

 

You may ask how this relates to marketing?

It is important to know that just because this event was held by an institution it was still a thriving event. This event was full of energy, with engaging information sessions and a whole lot of character. Marketing is essential in planning a successful  event that promotes attendees to confirm their choice to attend SLC.

In this industry I must be proficient in my presentation skills. By giving tours today I was able to work on my networking and public speaking skills contributing to my future in marketing.

#ProudToBeSLC       @whatsinsideslc

Experiential Marketing and Tim Hortons?

 

#TimsDark Booth seems to be the latest in a list of commercials by Tim Hortons promoting Dark Roast coffee using experiential marketing. I thought this was a good opportunity to examine current uses of experiential marketing.

 What is Experiential Marketing You Ask?

Experiential Marketing is when consumers form a personal connection with a brand by being engaged in a brand experience.

 

 

#TimsDark Booth creates curiosity among the public the black box is located across the country with only the words, “get into the dark” written on it. People are asked what they think dark roast would taste like, often giving negative reviews without having tried the product before. By trying Tim Hortons dark roast coffee in the dark, the consumer is able to focus the experience solely on taste.

Check out the video for #TimsDark Bus below:

 

 

What about Other Examples?

Molson Canadian uses the tagline  as the backbone to the company’s marketing efforts. This ad portrays various people attempting to open the Molson Canadian beer fridge saying I am Canadian in different languages. This ad shows multiculturalism in Canada while consumers are interacting with the product.

 

Gaining access to the Molson fridge becomes a challenge where consumers must interact with each other and the branded Molson fridge in order to receive the product. The main purpose of Molson’s experiential marketing is to get people invested in what is being sold.

Click here to find out why The Globe and Mail thought this ad was effective.

CHECK OUT THE CANADIAN PASSPORT BEER FRIDGE VIDEO BELOW

 

 

Why is This Important?

Companies are able to interact with the consumer on a personal level while promoting the brand image and its core values. In the end, Experiential Marketing is a good way to gain customer retention and build brand loyalty.

 

Have you participated in an experiential marketing campaign?

CIBC Sponsorship Inspires Women

 

While on YouTube I came across an ad playing before my music video. It caught my eye and I decided to watch it instead of clicking the very appealing skip ad button in the right corner my screen.

The CIBC Run for the Cure ad pulled on my heart strings. At first I thought this is a really cool video interviewing why women participate in the run.

Then it went to a whole other level.

SPOILER ALERT: WATCH HERE 

 

I balled my eyes out while watching this ad. Every single woman in charge of some aspect of the interviews was a breast cancer survivor.

 

“Today, we were truly ‘all in this together’ as more than one hundred thousand Canadians united across the country for the CIBC Run for the Cure,” says Lynne Hudson, CEO, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

 

October is Breast Cancer ACTION Month and I have seen many stores, restaurants and local shops in Kingston promoting breast cancer awareness.

But this was an interesting take on an emotional subject. None of the merchandise I have seen evoked such strong emotions as this digital ad. I hold the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation close to my heart after seeing loved ones battle this life threatening disease.

With the annual run taking place on Sunday October 4^th, #CIBCRunfortheCure trended number one on twitter.

The cause and event marketing is the core of this ad and the sponsorship looks to elevate the CIBC brand. Fundraising events for causes like the CIBC Run for the Cure support life saving research.

As a title sponsor CIBC not only provides a sponsorship to a brand, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, but also to a cause the Run for the Cure. According to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation website CIBC has been a sponsor for 18 years. I think this proves that CIBC is a social responsible company trying to find a cure.

 

Check out the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for a Cure sponsors page here.

 

 

Steer It Up for Local Foodbank

 

As I have previously blogged about the Steer It Up campaign I thought I would examine if the campaign is effective. For those of you who don’t know Steer It Up is a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the purchase of a new van created by the Partners in  Mission Foodbank with support from Spark Production House and Enactus at St. Lawrence College.

Why the New Van?

The current van is ten years old and a lot of money is spent on maintenance, repairs and fuel. The If the fundraising goal of $50,000 is raised the van will be named the CareVan. The CareVan will provide more space for pickups and improve fuel economy while maintaining lower repair costs.

Why Crowdfunding?

When asking yourself if this campaign is  effective, ask if the method of funding is effective.

Crowdfunding is a way to get many people to donate to contribute to a larger cause. It creates a sense of community within the contributors, and support to the cause. Crowdfunding this cause is effective because people are more likely to donate if they receive perks for their contributions.

The Use of Partnerships

Supporting partners Enactus and Spark Production House are groups associated with St. Lawrence College. There are 7,000 students at St. Lawrence College. By having these connections to the college the campaign is viewed by a large number of students and faculty. These students and faculty not only donate themselves but they share this information with their connections.

What you Get When you Donate

As crowdfunding rewards vary given the amount donated you can choose how much to donate based on the reward given. Some of these rewards include:

• Your name on the side of the van
• A digital badge to post on social media
• A printed copy of Recipes for an Empty Wallet
• An electronic copy of Recipes for an Empty Wallet
• Your logo on the van
• Shout outs on social media
• Facebook and Twitter sponsored posts
• One shift riding in the van

The verdict

Crowdfunding for the Steer It Up campaign is effective

In just two weeks the campaign has raised over $25,000. Thats  half of the $50,000 goal. St Lawrence College in itself is a community but it is also part of the larger community of Kingston. The partnership between Enactus, Partners in Mission Foodbank and Spark Production House allows students to become active in their community while supporting a worthy  cause. Partners in Mission Foodbank provides an important service to Kingston and the surrounding area. An area that we live in and interact with on a daily basis. By donating small amounts contributing to a larger cause, crowdfunding gives you the sense of community. Therefore Crowdfunding the Steer It Up campaign resonates with the audience of the Kingston area community.

 

So check out this campaign video created by Spark Production House

 

DONATE TODAY!

Steer It Up Crowdfunding Kingston

What is Steer it up?

Steer It Up is a crowdfunding campaign created by The Partners in Mission FoodBank with the support of Spark Production House, and Enactus SLC. The FoodBank has been supporting the Kingston Community for the last 30 years thanks to your continued generous support.

What We Need & What You Get

The campaign is aimed at raising enough funds to support the Kingston and Area FoodBank purchase a brand new van in order to fulfil the rising demands.

The expenses:

• 2015 RAM PROMASTER – HIGH ROOF 159 IN
• Vehicle sticker wrap
• Processing and licensing
• Crowdfunding fees

Crowdfunding campaigns are famous for its perks, and this one is no different. The FoodBank prides itself on being a nimble not for profit and having little overhead. Therefore our Perks follow what we believe in.