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Mo Willems and the Artistic Process

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Dug out and am “surfacing” this interview with Mo Willems from the book publishing archives. Here Willems — the best-selling and award-winning author and illustrator of such classic children’s books as Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, as well as an animator, app creator and filmmaker / TV producer — discusses his career path and artistic processes and name-checks some of his favorite children’s book authors.

Mo Willems demonstrates his versatility, art and artistic process.

Those who know me know that when I’m asked about children’s book publishing, I say “I know adult book publishing — children’s books are a separate animal.” And I generally leave children’s book publishing to the experts, for example in my extensive interview with kids’ book agent, Elizabeth Harding for TheBalanceCareers.

But just before “stay at home” orders hit New York City, Mo Willems — a man most widely known for his children’s books — blipped into my consciousness. At the end of February, Deadline announced that Mo Willems with Stampede Ventures had inked an exclusive deal with HBOMax to be its inaugural Artist in Residence, creating live action and animated specials, concert films and TV series based on his books.

Then, as schools closed due to the global pandemic, he launched the hugely popular YouTube “Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems” under the auspices of the Kennedy Center, where he’s an Artist in Residence (currently “from home”).

#MoLunchDoodles – Mo Willems doodles for all at COVID-19 lunchtime.

My own Mo Willems deja vu moment was postponed, however, as the COVID-19 cases surged here in NYC and then the importance and urgency of Black Lives Matter took center stage… 

But now I’m posting about Mo. And why does Willems’ current doings pique my book publishing person interest?

Because some years ago on the occasion of his publishing Don’t Pigeonhole Me, I had the privilege of orchestrating, editing and publishing an email interview with the children’s book master — and Willems’ answers still hit home for any creator.

I loved how Willems’ career evolved and one of my key takeaways remains: he never stopped creating, never stopped following his curiosity… and his career emerged from that.

In which I (again) leave children’s book writing / illustrating to the experts

For this interview, I relied on writer-illustrator Dana Carey to thoughtfully craft the questions that kids’ books pros and aspirants want to know. More of her estimable bio below — but without further ado, here’s a slightly re-edited/condensed version of Mo Willems about his multi-faceted artistic career and his process.

Dana: Let’s begin at the beginning — how did you get your first job as an illustrator? What did you have in your portfolio coming out of school?

Mo: By the time I’d finished film school I’d made several short films that found their way into various touring festivals and became my calling card for many years.

These films, of course, led to me becoming a freelance cover photographer for books about psychological disorders, a bubble gum card painter, carver of Paul Klee inspired images on pottery, and gag writer for Monster Truck rallies.

That, obviously, led to me being invited to write scripts and animate cartoons for Sesame Street, create and head-write cartoon series on cable TV and perform radio essays for the BBC.

From there it’s a pretty straight line to becoming a children’s bookmaker.

But, my first paying gig was in high school when I did a weekly cartoon for the local real estate weekly called “Surrealty”.

The New-York Historical Society Museum & Library featured an exhibit on Mo Willems work in 2016 and created this fun gif via Giphy.

Dana: Do you create a character then develop a story for it or does the story always come first?

Mo: I like to explore the inner workings of my character and his/her situation before I trudge into the messy work of plot-y, beginning-middle-end stuff.

So, I sketch and write, doodle and outline, walk and think. It’s important for my characters to be fully realized, living beings before I slap a story on them.

Conversely, if I have a story idea, I need to get to know if my characters are right for it or not.

Dana: You’ve often spoken about your picture book style as being very reductive so that children can copy it. Do you have stories to tell where you’d like to change this and illustrate in another style?

Mo Willems chose Jon Muth’s style to illustrate this particular children’s story.

Mo: The simpler the drawing, the more expressive it has to be. The idea is to focus on the words and the body language of the characters. Everything else is superfluous.

While I do fluctuate from no backgrounds to heavy backgrounds, pencil to brush, narrative to word bubbles, my strengths lie in a simple line. If I grow a story that demands a different look, like in City Dog, Country Frog, I have to go out and find a pal, like Jon Muth, to execute it.

Dana: Speaking of… City Dog, Country Frog was a departure from the kind of story people usually expect from you. How did you experience having another illustrator interpret your text?

Mo: Stories are grown and demand the type of rendering that will be most effective. I never start out thinking about style; that needs to be part of the discovery process. In the case of City Dog, Country Frog, I’d illustrated the basic story in a variety of styles (photo collage, watercolors, and whatnot) but nothing worked.

After that, it was simply a matter of trusting a friend.

Dana: Who are some children’s picture book illustrators and author/illustrators that you admire?

Mo: The great thing about picture books is that they are extraordinarily individual. A Kadir Nelson book is not a Lane Smith book. I love that I can be in a business where my peers do the same thing I do differently.

Any list of people whose work I admire would be both too long and risk missing some real talents, but off the top of my head I’ll read anything by Marla Frazee, Jon Scieszka, Jackie Woodson, Jon Klassen, Lane Smith, Kadir Nelson, Dan Santat, Brian Collier, Tony DiTerlizzi, Daniel Handler [aka Lemony Snicket], Lisa Brown, Carson Ellis, etc…

cover of Jacqueline Woodson's book Brown Girl Dreaming
Mo Willems will “read anything by” author Jacqueline Woodson, among others.

Dana: Now that you’re well-established, how do you submit new projects?

Mo: Each project is different, but at this point in my career I generally mention to my agent and editor that I think I may have a book idea, which I then am obligated to somehow produce.

Dana: While I’m sure you don’t have any trouble stimulating the interest of traditional publishers, are there projects for which you’ve thought of going the self-published or “indie” route? If so, for what type of project?

Mo: I’ve been exploring adult cartoons and stories in small mini-books called The Mo Willems Sketchbook annually since 1993. These were either part of a ‘zine or self-published.

These sketchbooks are an outlet for me to play and experiment for my pals and peers with no commercial pressure.

Some of the books are collections of cartoons, others short stories, or more serious illustration.

The most ‘famous’ of these sketchbooks, I suppose, is the original version of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, which fell into the hands of an agent who was amused, who in turn showed it to multiple publishers, who were not. My published collection of 20-years-worth of these efforts is entitled Don’t Pigeonhole Me! Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook.

Dana: You’ve also created apps. Books vs. apps — how are the processes different for you?

Mo: Books and apps are like apples and elephants.

Books are essentially individual endeavors, made to be absorbed, loved, opened, and interpreted.

Apps are big productions; games that at their worst occupy time and at their best engender creative thought.

Much like film or TV, apps productions are collaborative, involving animators, actors, producers, programmers and a host of others. The key is to create a framework that allows for some kind of new experience for your audience based on the skills of your collaborators. In that sense I’m more of a conductor than composer.

My rule is that we can’t create something that will continue to ‘work’ if the child leaves the room. Also, it should be funny.

Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for PBS’s Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards for his writing. While serving as head writer for Cartoon Network’s #1 rated show, Mo began writing and drawing books for children. His debut effort, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, became a New York Times best seller and was awarded the first of Mo’s several Caldecott Honors. Read more about his diverse artistic work and many honors at mowillems.com.

Writer and illustrator Dana Carey is International Illustrator Coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI France, as well as an acquisitions reader of middle grade and young adult novels for French publishers and writer for the Sub It Club, a website that supports authors/illustrators in the children’s book submission process. See Dana’s work on her website.

Learn more about ContentMeant for Authors.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links relevant to the content. Purchases made through those links may result in good art karma for contributing to the financial health of creators, bookstores, etc., and to ContentMeant through a possible small commission — none of these at any extra cost to the purchaser.

7 Agatha Christie-Inspired Rules for Authors

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Dame Agatha Christie, known for her mystery novels and the now-iconic detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, enjoys ongoing status as the world’s best-selling author.

Christie’s habits have much to teach writers about both the craft and the career of a successful writer. Here’s some advice gleaned from the life and habits of Dame Agatha – along with some links to additional information to help you utilize that advice today.

1. Be a good observer

According to those who knew her, Christie “listened more than she talked, who saw more than she was seen,” and she was reported had over 100 notebooks where she jotted details. Those notebooks that have survived have been analyzed and, in the book Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks, traced forward to the plots and characters they inspired and offer a glimpse into the process of a brilliant and prolific

Christie “saw more than she was seen.” @thegoldbergs via @giphy

In Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the character Hercule Poirot (who would go on to become one of the favorites) was inspired by the Belgian WWI refugees who settled in her hometown. Her second book was inspired by a conversation the writer overheard in a tea shop.

Whether it’s the cadences of natural dialogue or the personality tics of a particular character, good writers draw from life and in order to do that, you have to observe.

2. Turn your dull day job into an asset

Christie reportedly started writing mysteries partly because she had a tedious volunteer job dispensing drugs for the Red Cross during WWI. During WWII, she worked in a hospital pharmacy and parlayed the gig into extensive research about poisons.

“But I hate my job and I hate my boss.”
“Then write something where you kill off your boss.” #9Marple @9GEM via @giphy

3. Get feedback on your work

Even though she was an accomplished writer, Christie got feedback from others. According to her grandson, Michael Pritchard, she used to read her first drafts to the family after dinner, “one or two chapters at a time… I think we were used as her guinea pigs at that stage; to find out what the reaction of the general public would be.”

Learn how to get constructive feedback for your book-in-progress, on this site.

4. Understand your book contract & watch the bottom line

Christie’s first book was published by John of Bodley Head, who signed her next six books as well.  Like many first-time authors, she later realized how unfair and exploitative the deal was.

To fully understand your own first – or third – book contract, check out the Author’s Guild for tips and advice.

And remember this quote from Dame Agatha herself: “There are doubtless certain unworldly people who are indifferent to money. I myself have never met one.” 

Professional authors need to watch the bottom line. 

5. Get yourself a good literary agent

Eventually, Agatha Christie found a literary agent, Edmund Cork, of Hughes Massie. Cork who got her a new publisher — William Collins and Sons, which is now today is HarperCollins — who gave her a better book deal.

A good literary agent — or the Author’s Guild — can help with a contract.
www.simpsonsworld.com via @giphy

6. Delegate and utilize technology

Though not rich most of her life, Agatha Christie managed to have household help and childcare – and she used a then-revolutionary Dictaphone to dictate her novels and had them transcribed by others.

To preserve time for writing, how can you delegate chores or use technology? 

7. Keep challenging yourself as a writer

Needing a change of pace and not content to write only mystery novels, Christie wrote women’s fiction under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott and also wrote stage plays.

Bonus rule: To be used with caution

A little scandal never hurt anyone? Read more about the original “Gone Girl”‘s life to see how a teensy bit of unexplained craziness may kept Dame Agatha in the news 😉 

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Need a more book writing or marketing advice or tactics or other publishing advice? Here are marketing lessons from the best-selling cookbook author and first food media star, Julia Child and some of my pro insights about content marketing (which is what authors and writers do, after all).

And for more personalized advice, see the Resources & Quick Solutions to learn about ContentMeant’s offerings.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links relevant to the content. Purchases made through those links may result in good art karma for contributing to the financial health of creators, bookstores, etc., and to ContentMeant through a possible small commission — none of these at any extra cost to the purchaser.

Content Marketing 101

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What’s known as “content marketing” is actually the art and science of building true relationships with your prospects and clients by sharing informative, actionable, free information — usually via digital means — to show them what your company offers and what your brand stands for.

In short, it is “show, don’t sell.” In fact, I like to compare content marketing to party conversation…

Content marketing starts with strategically understanding your own brand and the unique value proposition of the services you deliver. Then, it involves targeting the audiences for your services — figuring out precisely who they are, where they are, and by what means (digital, video, print, etc.) they are best reached.

Content marketing tools

An overarching tool for content marketing is the:

  • content marketing calendar (see screenshot, above)

This calendar is used to keep track of when and how each piece of content (or “asset”) is sent out. The calendar is developed with an eye towards critical promotional dates, such as holidays or tentpole events that are important to the specific business.

The content marketing calendar may look daunting, but it really just a guide to help keep track of good, strategic and timely “conversational” topics you want to have, where you want to have them (social media, newsletter) — and to keep track of what materials you have or might need to develop (videos, blog posts, etc.) to help spur those timely conversations.

Other tools are used to “deliver” the content and each has their own specific uses and best practices.

  • website – to provide a firm foundation for your information
  • blog – to demonstrate your expertise on an ongoing basis and (with SEO), help ensure search engines find your website. 
  • newsletters – to stay in touch with current and potential clients
  • social media – to create awareness and engagement among various audiences
  • video – a key information delivery mechanism, to be deployed on all of the various other tools
  • list building & lead nurturing mechanisms – digital forms and automated responses to help draw people into your newsletter
  • ebooks or other “lead magnets” – robust content delivered to help capture leads
  • virtual press kits – used to target media for PR

One non-digital tool for content marketing is a:

  • book – which can be an effective brand extension that lends authority and creates a reason for media opportunities.

SEO and content marketing

As you send your content out into the digital world, you need to optimize it so search engines can more easily find it. This search engine optimization (aka SEO) is a critical element of digital marketing success.

Part of an overall marketing strategy 

Content marketing should be deployed to work in tandem with all promotional and brand efforts, such as:

  • collateral – brochures, flyers, etc.
  • advertisements – paid social media, print, radio, television
  • public relations & media outreach
  • events – trade shows, fairs, conferences
  • environmental – signage, posters, trade show booths

Working cohesively, all parts of the marketing mix can amplify each other, to most effectively attract prospects and clients.

Need content marketing campaign strategy or development? ContentMeant can help. 

Whether content marketing strategy or implementation, if you need guidance, get in touch.

How to Get Feedback on Your Book

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Early drafts of anything—novel, book proposal, screenplay, children’s book—are rarely ready for the prime-time of literary agents’ or editors’ in-boxes. For that reason, it’s advisable to get feedback on your work, to vet it and revise it before you send it out into the world for potential representation by a literary agent or potential sale to a book publisher.

For those going the self-publishing route, getting constructive reader feedback now can mean that your book appeals to more readers—or addresses more reader needs—when it’s out in the marketplace. So feedback is advisable for authors who are self-publishing, too.

1. Be appreciative of any feedback

The goal of getting feedback and revising your manuscript accordingly is to improve it before the pros or a broader audience sees it. Getting and acting on good feedback 

So, first, some reminders:

  • Reading and giving feedback takes valuable time—and being thoughtful about it takes even more time. Please appreciate your readers. Because all readers provide useful information.
  • Reading and giving feedback is meant to help. Take in all feedback—no matter what the message, no matter how it’s delivered—in a spirit of thankfulness. 

2. Remember: you want constructive, actionable notes

Writers whose friends and acquaintances read their work like to be told things like, “I really liked it!” or, even better, “I loved it!” (C’mon, admit it.)

“Liked” and “loved” are actually vague and subjective opinion and, while nice to hear, that’s actually not very useful to you right now.

What is useful—what you want—is for people to be thoughtful and constructive and honest enough to also tell you what’s not working in your novel. Notice I didn’t write “what’s wrong” —that, too, is subjective. The answers to the question “What’s not working for you?” is feedback you can use to improve your story.

3. Ask for / prompt for specific feedback

Tell your readers that you welcome their “like” and “love,” but you can really use some specifics about why they liked what they liked and loved what they loved. And what they did not.

Here are some prompts you might give readers before they read your work:

  • Did you have difficulty understanding anything?
  • Were you able to follow the plot or (for non-fiction), the flow of the information?
  • Did you stumble over anything?
  • Did you perceive any gaps in the narrative? Any places where you could’ve used more information?
  • Did you have difficulty getting beyond a certain plot point or passage? Where was that?
  • Did any passages strike you as slow-moving or boring?
  • What did you think about the characters?
  • Did any characters behave in a way that seemed “out-of-character,” as they’d behaved previously in the story?
Once you have the first draft down, get feedback and edit.
[www.simpsonsworld.com via @giphy]

There are many more questions you can ask, depending on the specifics of your book, but the general idea is to get your reader talking about what might ultimately need clarification.

4. Analyze the feedback 

Now you need to seriously examine the feedback you’ve been so generously given. Analysis takes some time and thought. 

When reviewing feedback, know that readers may not all be great at articulating what’s bothering them about When a reader says “I didn’t understand when,” “I was confused at the point…,” “What exactly was happening with…?” pay close attention.

If a person mentions to you any sort of dissatisfaction about a certain passage (or plot point or chapter or character) in any context, it indicates that there is a sticking point for that reader, something that bugs them.

If more than one person stumbles over that same passage—even if the exact feedback is slightly different or even conflicting—you have a plot (or tone or character or clarity or pacing…) problem you need to address. For example, “The part about the apocalypse seemed really long” and “I didn’t understand why the hero saved the villain during the apocalypse” points to the fact that your apocalypse needs work.

5. If you have to explain it, you really should change it…

When hearing feedback, some writers have a tendency to explain themselves and defend his/her writing or story or choices against the reader’s notes. (“I know it’s confusing but I want to keep the readers off balance,” “But the villain is meant to be a complex character,” “The scientific studies are conflicting…”)

Fight that urge. What you might be encountering is a disconnect between your writer’s vision and what the reader is experiencing. Solving for these disconnects is the whole purpose behind getting feedback — you want to ensure your own creative or informative vision makes it smoothly to the reader. 

So, instead of getting defensive, get curious about what the reader is experiencing. Ask more questions, dig deeper. For example, you might ask:

  • “What exactly did you find confusing in that section? Was it confusing you want to know more about what’s going on? Or confusing like “This is too confusing to make me want to continue?”
  • Was it that you didn’t understand why the villain would help the hero? Or was it just that the writing wasn’t clear and you didn’t understand what was going on in that chapter in general? 
  • The scientific studies do show conflicting results — what didn’t you understand about the way I presented that?

Again, honor the time and effort it takes to read and give feedback by truly exploring it and taking it very seriously. 

6. … but you get to make your own artistic choices.

The goal is to resolve the readers’ sticking points in a way that satisfies and still honors your creative vision. Yes, doing so takes skill and craft and you’ll be working on that, too. 

Note that you might get suggestions: “You should make her kill the intruder, not just maim him.” “He should get set up on a double-date with her grandmother.” “It would be funnier if the character had Tourettes Syndrome.” Ultimately, of course, you’re the author—you can absolutely ignore specific suggestions or solutions even while you take seriously the reader’s impression or thought behind it. 

If you’re unable to figure out how to solve for a certain problem, ask for specific feedback about that section from another writer whose opinions you trust.

Paying attention to thoughtful feedback can help you better engage your first professional readers— agents or editors or others who are critical to your getting that book published.

7. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

Now… 

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. [via @giphy]

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Need a dose of professional book publishing advice? Check out the Resources & Quick Solutions for a sampling of how ContentMeant can help you move your book or your book marketing forward.

Mastering the Art of Book Marketing by… Julia Child

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Julia Child (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was a master of cookbook marketing and “offline” social media promotion. When I worked in-house for book publishers, I had the pleasure of working with Child herself and also on working on a biography of hers (Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch). 

Child, the author of the seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, worked hard on her a long road to publishing that first book. But it led to her becoming host of Public Television’s “The French Chef,” and she has been hailed as the first true television food personality. Her cookbooks and “how-to” shows brought a passion for cooking and food into millions of American homes and paved the way for the generations of TV chefs who came later.

Having worked with the author in her later years, I can attest to the fact that Child was a lifelong, tireless, exuberant, low-maintenance and good-natured advocate for her books.

Here are some overall book promotion lessons you can take from Julia Child:

1. Start with great content

The path to getting her first cookbook published was a long one — Mastering the Art of French Cooking took nearly a decade for Child and her co-authors (and her editor, Judith Jones) to develop.

Child created much of her own book promotion momentum by writing and producing high quality cookbook “content” to begin with. She had:

  • A strong vision for the cookbook
  • Impeccably tested recipes
  • Precisely written recipes and instruction
  • Engaging headnotes

2. Don’t rely solely on your book publisher for marketing & publicity

Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published on October 16, 1961. According to her memoir, My Life in France, Child’s publisher Knopf was doing some advertising for the book, but “… most of the promotion job fell to [Child and co-author Simone Beck].

Julia Child personally hit the book marketing hard [@juliachild via giphy]

3. Leverage all your “social media” networks

The Childs and Beck  “…decided to travel to places where we knew people who could put us up for the night and help arrange book signings, lectures and cooking demonstrations.”

Friends threw book parties and made an effort to help connect the new authors with “the fancy food types.” Through her “social networks” Child was introduced to established and respected food professionals like James Beard, Dion Lucas, Jacques Pepin, which helped create a “buzz” about the book among foodies.

4. Be prepared for anything… and be a good sport

Like any cookbook author worth her sea salt, Child and Beck were game for any and all opportunities and worked hard at their cooking demonstrations.

Child noted that the team often had to compensate for lack of organization on the part of the stores or organizations that were hosting their demonstrations.

Paul Child pitched in to do whatever was necessary — organizing, hauling, art directing, or washing dishes.

5. Capitalize on book publicity momentum

On October 18, 1961 Craig Claiborne gave the book a rave book review The New York Times (see “Great Content,” above). In tandem with Julia, her publisher Knopf’s publicity department leveraged that review and book buzz into any author’s dream of publicity hits, including appearances on The Today Show and articles in Life, Vogue, House and Garden and many more publications.

6. Take advantage of new book marketing platforms

One promotional appearance would prove to be life- and career-changing for the newly-minted cookbook author as the culmination of her hard work paid off in a rare opportunity.

Julia and Paul Child did not yet own a TV set when she was invited to do a publicity appearance on the Boston public television station WGBH to promote her new cookbook on a show called I’ve Been Reading. Not knowing what to expect, she worked hard like she always did and brought equipment with her and demonstrated a few proper cooking techniques—how to beat egg whites, how to make an omelette, and the like.

The appearance was so successful that the station ordered three experimental half-hours of a cooking show with Julia. Despite an inauspicious fire that burned down the WGBH studio just before taping, the show went on in a borrowed kitchen. The first three episodes—“The French Omelette,” “Coq au Vin” and “Souffles,” respectively, were popular enough with home cook/viewers for WGBH to continue the series.

While today, having one’s own television show is the most coveted of all media platforms and hard to break in for a cookbook author (or any author, for that matter), there are numerous internet and social media platforms available for the ambitious cookbook author or any author who would wisely emulate Julia Child. You can even make your own book promotional videos.

Julia Child… working hard, having fun! [@juliachild via giphy]

7. Live as Julia Child did: Have fun!

Perhaps the best lesson heed the piece of advice Child gave to her My Life In France readers about cooking, which can be applied to marketing, as well: 

“… learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

•  •  •  •  •  •

Need a more book marketing advice or tactics—or other book publishing advice? Check out the Resources & Quick Solutions to learn about ContentMeant’s offerings for authors.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links relevant to the content. Purchases made through those links may result in good art karma for contributing to the financial health of creators, bookstores, etc., and to ContentMeant through a possible small commission — none of these at any extra cost to the purchaser.

Content Strategy in Action

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To show how content marketing works in the real world, here’s an example of content strategy in action from a large, global project I did for Samsung.

Strategy first, then content

Though Samsung sells its products through retailers — not directly to consumers — they wanted a way to engage consumers with their products across 70+ “regional” websites around the globe.

The solution was to develop content that would create a need for the product in the consumer’s view. But (as we marketing & strategy pros know), content strategy and marketing is NOT advertising, it is NOT an advertorial, it is NOT selling. It’s creating a relationship with the client, customer or reader. And nobody likes a relationship where the other party is constantly hitting them over the head with how great they are and to BUY, BUY, BUY. Content marketing is “show, don’t sell“.

I was brought into the project as the first person on the content team, to bring the project into the real world, to develop a couple of dozen initial examples of exactly what the project would look like, to refine them, and to help create templates of  how the project would look when globally scaled and executed by a larger team. 

Building the content strategy

After analysis and strategic thinking, it was determined that the content that accompanied  that would actually be product agnostic. It would be useful, in a friendly brand voice. 

For example:

  • An article on better sleep habits made a strong point about room temperature. Among the many sleep hints and tips, the piece mentioned that room temperature was important and some air conditioners could automatically adjust room temperature when someone is sleeping. The Samsung A/C units with this capability appeared next to the article. Those products got a huge boost in clicks/conversion rates.
  • The Samsung robotic vacuum cleaners (iRobot competitors) with the no-tangle pet hair brush when they were placed next to some tips for a cleaner home targeted to pet owners. 

For because we worked with lots of divisions and products, for each piece of content, we created a strategic brief — a sort of strategy outline before we proceeded, in order to nail down the main take-away of the article and how the helpful would link to the product without being salesy.  The brief included keywords, and other strategic SEO information. 

The articles were translated into eight languages and used worldwide. Of course, to appropriately bring eyeballs to the excellent content… 

Create strategically to amplify the content

In addition to creating a vast library, for each of the articles, the team members created strategic  marketing campaigns for the content by creating marketing “modules” — text and graphics with links that teased and invited visitors to the content from other areas of the site. We also created teaser Facebook and Twitter posts some strategically designed to engage users, others to inform users, etc. 

In that way, we had the strategic social media program “at the ready” to deploy when an article was finally approved and posted.

These assets were added to the masterlist of available content and to the content calendar for reuse at appropriate promotional periods.

Success metrics

[by @tonybabel via giphy]

This strategically-developed, informational and product agnostic content created more consumer engagement than even Samsung’s video content (my NDA doesn’t allow me to share the actual figures).

But because the success metrics were so compelling, the initial content strategy turned into a 3+ year engagement (for my client as well as for me and an  team of writers).

Yes, this content marketing will work for you

Like many of my clients, Samsung is a huge corporation. But substitute “blog post” for “article” and the principles are the same for any-sized effort. 

Create informative, useful, interesting, substantial and high-quality posts related to what your service or product is and “socialize” it – spread the word via social media (making sure you use hashtags). Use inline links to keep people engaged with your site.

And you keep doing it.

[@kimmyschmidt via giphy] 

Do you need a content marketing strategy?

ContentMeant can help. Read more and feel free to get in touch.