Disney Plus has launched. Here are four lessons for content marketers.

I have spent much of this fall speaking at marketing conferences on what content marketers can learn from Walt Disney Studios’ recent business decisions: from live action remakes to acquiring Lucas Films (Star Wars) to launching Disney Plus.

I want to share just a couple of the ideas I’m discussing at the Digital Summit Series. By the way, you can catch me sharing the full presentation this week at the Internet Summit in Raleigh, North Carolina. I would love to see you there!

This is a big week for Disney fans. Disney+, the Walt Disney Company’s much anticipated streaming service has arrived in North America. It’s a big deal for a company that has made billions in the traditional film and television industries. Bob Iger, Disney CEO calls it “hastening the disruption of our own business,” according to Iger’s new memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime. 

But Disney has been making smart and strategic moves as they enter the streaming services fray. And since no company quite encapsulates the gold star of storytelling-meets-business quite like Disney, there are multiple lessons marketers can learn from the mouse. Here are five content marketing lessons from the launch of Disney+.

1. When new technology disrupts, get in the game and do it better. Streaming services like Netflix have monumentally shifted how people take in film and television. It’s had a huge impact: from shuttering all but one Blockbuster video store to a decline in movie theater ticket sales. Instead of dwelling on the creativity of the past, Disney is innovating to stay relevant. Disney has strategically acquired Marvel, Lucas (Star Wars), National Geographic, Pixar, and 21st Century Fox and thus is able to compete with heavy hitters like Netflix and Amazon. Their secret weapon is characters that people feel strong emotional connections to, and they’re using that to their advantage.

2. Repurpose content to connect with your audience. Repurposing content is critical to a savvy content marketing strategy. And with the launch of Disney+, Disney is doing exactly that. From Disney Channel original shows to animated classics that have been in the vault, Disney is aggregating all of their content and putting it in a new format to reach a larger audience. Some people who resonate with your content won’t read a white paper. But they will listen to a podcast. They might download an infographic. Repurpose strong content to reach your audience in new ways. Repurpose to stay relevant.

3. Expand on content that resonates. Disney isn’t just bringing old stuff out of the archives. Yes, you can watch Darkwing Duck to your heart’s delight, but it’s also creating new content with characters that you already know and love. The first of its big budget franchise expansion shows is The Mandalorian, a Star Wars live-action television show directed by Jon Favreau. Disney dropped a cool $100 million on the series. Disney has plans for at least four Marvel television shows as well--all with the original film stars. Disney is bringing new stories and new shows to beloved characters and franchises that people love. Content marketers should too. Dive into your analytics. Which pieces of content performed very well? How can you take a deeper dive? At McKinley Marketing Partners I wrote one article on ageism and saw that it got 4x the number of clicks than other articles published in that month. So we took a deep dive and wrote a four-part investigative series. Pay attention to what resonates with your audience and serve them by expanding on it. 

4. Make the first “yes” easy. Disney is starting at a very low price point: $6.99 per month--$6 cheaper than Netflix’s standard package. Users can download content to ten devices with 7 different accounts. This is an easy entry point. So how can you make the first “yes” easy with your content? Create an experience for your audience that makes them think, “Well of course I’ll trade my email address for this download. That’s a no brainer.” 

Creativity and a commitment to excellence are what set Disney apart from its competitors decades ago. But it’s Disney’s innovation and commitment to embracing technology that continue to make them the top story-based business in the world. This applies to your content marketing program as well. Look at your analytics with fresh eyes. What story is it telling you? What should you repurpose or expand? What technology do you need to pay attention to in your vertical? What do you need to do differently to approach your content the Disney way? 

Hilary's Tuesday Social Media Tip 003: Why are you on social media?

This week I'm back with another quick video with a social media tip and a challenge! 

It's so easy to get bogged down and focused on things like number of likes, number of followers, or how often we are posting. But let's not get distracted.

The real name of the game is lead generation, growing our email list, increasing brand awareness, or fill in the blank with your goal of choice.

We'll never know if we hit it out of the park if we don't know what we're aiming for. Why are you on Linkedin? Instagram? Twitter? Facebook? Periscope? Having a lot of followers is great. Posting regularly is great. But do you know what you want to achieve? Get crystal clear on who you want to reach and what action you want them to take. That is Step 1 in achieving your goals on social media. 

Do you ever feel a little confused about your purpose on any given platform? 

The 4 Measurements of Marketing

THE FOUR MEASUREMENTS OF

Several months ago I got to sit down with one of the brightest, most energetic marketing minds in technology, Elisa Steele. Steele's resume is nothing to sniff at. She has served as Corporate VP and CMO of all consumer applications and services at Microsoft, including brands such as Bing, Internet Explorer, Lync, MSN, Outlook.com and Skype, among others. She was also CMO at Skype, Executive VP and CMO at Yahoo!, and Senior VP of Corporate Marketing at NetApp. Since my article on Elisa went to print she has now graduated from CMO to CEO of Jive Software. Elisa is really inspiring. She got into marketing by way of sales by way of spending her summers scooping ice cream as a teen. It all started because she was just really excited about putting a smile on customers' faces.

Steele wrote a manifesto of her view on marketing called "Fast Forward: The Four R's That Matter in Marketing." I want to share her "4 R's" with you today.

The Four Measurements of Marketing

1. Reputation

How are people viewing your company in terms of giving back and doing the right thing in the world? What is your reputation as compared to that of your competitors? What specific aspect of your reputation is trending over time, and how can that trend be affected?

2. Relationship

How are partner relationships doing? Are they producing results? How can we make them better? Are customers garnering value from our product so they are inspired to tell the world about their success and help others learn from their experience?

3. Reach

How do you define your target market segments, and how much reach do you have within those? Of the reach you have today, what is your penetration rate? Is your penetration rate growing? What strategies are effective at increasing penetration and what strategies are not?

4. Revenue

How is marketing driving growth for the company? Are we supporting sales channels as effectively as possible? How is our database health? What are the conversion rates? How are we doing on sales leads?

Steele has used these marketing check points to ensure that her team is achieving the right goals. Do you have your own sign posts that you check in with regularly to make sure you're headed down the right path? 

Enjoy the full-length version of this article originally published in Forefront Magazine here.

Hilary is a freelance journalist, a bit of a marketing geek and blogger. Say hey on Twitter @hilarysutton.

A Huge Lesson Broadway Taught Me About My Clients

The Bridges of Madison County ad in the New York Times

Last weekend I got the chance to visit my favorite escape: New York.

While I was there I took a stroll through the theatre district. It’s an interesting area. The theaters that line the street are both places filled with nostalgia and detached buildings that are constantly experiencing the loss of one show and the gain of another. That’s the exciting thing about theatre--it’s live and current and you can’t save it for later like media. It’s now or never, which well, isn’t that a bit like life?

Back to the lesson...

While in the theatre district I saw new signs on a marquis for a new show: The Bridges of Madison County, which I guess was originally a book and then a film. Neither the book or the film mean anything to me but there are two names attached that do mean something to me: Kelli O’Hara and Jason Robert Brown.

Kelli O’Hara is one of my favorite Broadway actresses. She is one of the best actors that sings and one of the best singers that acts. She is class personified and I LOVE watching her perform. Jason Robert Brown is one of the most celebrated composers alive today.  I’ve sung his beautiful music from Songs for a New World, Parade and the Last Five Years. His iconic sound is unmistakeable.

When I saw their names on the marquis that made up my mind for me. Take two artists I love, give them a musical and BAM, you’ve just sold me a ticket.

Perhaps my clients aren’t so different than me.

Maybe as an entrepreneur I can make the sale by offering my clients just two things that excite them. Two things that they need. One thing they need will attract them, but if I give them two, well, it’s a done deal. That’s a better offer than just one thing the competition is offering them.

Social Media Savvy + Experience in Arts Marketing Millennial Perspective + Killer Writing Skills Commitment to Flooring My Client’s Expectations + Journalism Experience

Whatever the combination, I’m convinced: two desirable qualities can nail the sale. 

Price, within reason, becomes a non-issue when you are meeting customer needs and delighting them.

Kelli + JRB = 1 ticket sold.

And I don’t even know the plot.

Don’t need to.

What are the two components you’re selling that will guarantee your sale? 

Last week I wrote about why I feel ok not living in a major city. It seemed to resonate with people.