4 Free and Smart Ways of Using Content Marketing to Open Doors w/ Stu Heinecke [Episode 127]

Stu Heinecke is a Wall Street Journal cartoonist and the author of How to Get a Meeting with Anyone: The Untapped Selling Power of Contact Marketing. Stu is also a Hall of Fame nominated marketer and author. In this episode, Stu and I discuss the importance of content marketing.

What is content marketing?

Strategic marketing campaigns focused on creating and distributing relevant, valuable, and highly personalized content to a small number of contacts. Content marketing is used to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. It is a highly personalized campaign and methodology, which is used to reach and meet ultra-high value contacts that will transform your business.

What is an executive assistant/gatekeeper?

Executive assistants provide high level administrative support to executives in the company. They conduct clerical work, but also perform duties that can have an effect on the success of a business. They help with marketing research and training staff. Executive assistants are also known as the gatekeepers. They are usually well-known public figures with influence in their community. A gatekeeper controls which phone calls and reports go through to the higher level executives, such as CEOs. Gatekeepers also understand the objectives, values, and needs of the company and higher level executive.

Why is it important to talk with the gatekeeper?

Usually sales people ask to get around the executive assistant. This is not correct; you want to talk to the gatekeeper. The executive assistant is basically living the same reality as the CEO or higher level executive. They are aware of their vision and priority lists, and they are present in meetings. The gatekeeper’s job is to spot the opportunities that the CEO may not be able to find. Instead of attempting to get around the executive assistant, try to enlist them in your objective, which at the end of the day, is to have a meeting with the ultimate decision maker.

4 free successful contact marketing campaign ideas.

Email, Phone, Mail, and Social Media are 4 free and easy ways to have a successful marketing campaign. Social Media is one of the best ways. Take a look at the profile of the person you are trying to reach. You need to learn something about them before the initial contact. If you are a sales person you should never show up unprepared. You want to have an idea of who the person is before starting any campaign. Then once you have an idea of who the person is, you can start figuring out the best approach for your campaign, which for example might be giving a gift to the higher level executive.

Authenticity is the key, so do not send gimmicky gifts.

Make sure you find something that reflects the interest of the person you are gifting, while also staying true to your passions and interests. You want to make sure not only has it reached the person it’s intended for, but also that you bring your own personality. This will humanize you, making the receiver of the gift wondering who you are and wanting to reach out to you.