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

Effective…Err…NOT SO Effective Marketing

So a few weeks ago I went out shopping on a Saturday with my roommates to the RioCan Centre. After a while we decided that we needed to get lunch. Wanting a restaurant in walking distance, I saw the signs of a few well known chains like Montana’s and then I saw this.

 

 

 

While the composition of the banner is eye catching and the promotion is clearly stated, I seemed to notice one major flaw. There was no signage to tell me what company or brand this was. This banner was at the back of the building that overlooked a major parking lot with interconnecting roadways that went through the outdoor complex.

Here’s why branding is important:

• Creates brand loyalty

• Creates brand recognition

• Differentiates brand for competition

• Gives employees direction

 

What I Did Next

So I walked around the side of the building and still didn’t see any signage. My roommate pointed out the blue awnings and said that she thought It might be Kelsey’s. But there was nothing on the building or in the many windows. When we got around to the front of the building and saw that it was Kelsey’s.

I found it hard to believe that there was only one sign on the building stating the name of the restaurant. Especially given the buildings location. And the only time the Tuesday night promotion was advertised was on a banner on the backside of the building. The promotion was not advertised on the side or front of the restaurant, on the windows, the doors, the lobby, by the hostess or by our waitress.  There was absolutely no personal selling involved. In addition to not having any signage in the restaurant supporting this promotion the hostess and waitress did not talk to us about it.

The only thing that told us about the promotion was a menu insert that stated the exact same thing as the outside banner.

 

What would you do to sell a weekly promotion?

 

This is part one of two, click here to see what I would do if I were in charge of this promotion!

 

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.