Uncover the expertise inside your organization and develop systems to share it with the world at scale.

<p>Aon partnered with Rep Cap to help write and design collateral for a sponsor presentation at the SIOP Annual Conference.</p>



<h2 id="h-background">Background</h2>



<p>When Aon, a leading global professional services firm, was preparing for a major presentation at the annual SIOP (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology) conference, they turned to Rep Cap to help them create a lasting impression.</p>



<h2 id="h-challenge">Challenge</h2>



<p>Trade shows are lively but noisy places, and it can be challenging to communicate complex ideas in these environments. Aon’s marketing team wanted to find a way to extend the impact of their messaging to attendees long after the event.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-solution">Solution</h2>



<p>Rep Cap wrote and designed a B2B guide that could be distributed both digitally and in print. Styled as a 4-by-6-inch booklet, the “AI in Talent Handbook” showcased Aon’s collective expertise in applying cutting-edge technology to assessments. The guide offered plain-language guidance on the major developments in artificial intelligence for talent, including basic definitions and an overview of trends.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.repcap.com/wp-content/uploads/appliedcover.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90153"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.repcap.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2022-06-30-at-3.22.55-PM.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90155"/><figcaption>Handbook cover and interior spreads<br></figcaption></figure>



<h2 id="h-results">Results</h2>



<div class="wp-block-group">
<p>The printed guide was a big hit at the event. Attendees were spotted reading and sharing the handbook throughout the conference center. The content was also adapted into a digital format to be used as a gated lead-generation asset. The asset performed so well that the handbook model was extended to a series and adopted for other business lines.</p>
</div>

Tapping Into the Power of Print 

<p>Rep Cap developed a variety of thought leadership pieces (blog posts, long-form content, infographics and video) for Coursera to support a B2B thought leadership campaign.</p>



<h2 id="h-background">Background</h2>



<p>Coursera, a global online learning platform, is built on big ideas. The company hires the brightest minds in Silicon Valley and partners with the world’s best universities. Because of the company’s focus on education, a thought leadership campaign was a great fit for reaching potential buyers, but Coursera needed help creating collateral to support the campaign.</p>



<h2 id="h-challenge">Challenge</h2>



<p>The enterprise marketing team wanted to leverage those big ideas to create high-quality, original content that would resonate with potential buyers inside Fortune 500 companies.</p>



<h2 id="h-solution">Solution</h2>



<p>The company hired Rep Cap to develop thought leadership pieces (blog posts, long-form articles, white papers and reports, infographics and videos) to support a B2B thought leadership campaign that would expand the company’s online footprint and start a conversation with potential buyers for its new enterprise service offering.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.repcap.com/wp-content/uploads/Coursera-Closing-the-Skills-Gap-Infographic-1-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90161"/><figcaption>Coursera Infographic</figcaption></figure>



<h2 id="h-results">Results</h2>



<p>Rep Cap was able to quickly access the company’s internal thinkers and outside partners, turning their ideas and experience into a timely, industry-leading content marketing campaign. The company used that content to power a long-term lead-generation campaign through its website, social media, email, PR and a paid lead service.</p>



<p>“The thing that sets the Rep Cap team apart from other content marketing agencies is that they know our space. They not only have top-notch content chops, but they also bring expertise about our industry to every piece they develop. They are not just a team of writers; they are thought partners.”</p>



<p>— Senior marketing manager, Coursera</p>

Closing the Skills Gap

What’s your big idea? What one idea or topic area do you want to be known for? When people think about your organization, what do you want them to say? The answers to these questions should be the essence of your thought leadership program.

Chances are your organization is full of people who aren’t shy about the experience, expertise and opinions they bring to their work each day. Thought leadership is all about pulling those ideas out of your team’s heads — and emails and phone conversations — and using them to build your organization’s brand.

Thought leadership is the most advanced form of content marketing. We’ll show you how to build a thought leadership program that establishes your organization’s expertise by generating big ideas, building a content engine to bring those ideas to life and encouraging your employees to share them online.
<h2 id="tiers">3 Tiers of Content Marketing</h2>
Content can generally be grouped into three tiers, which are likely to evolve with your goals and available resources.
<h3>SEO-Driven Content</h3>
You want potential customers to find you online. This approach involves chasing keywords so prospects can find you, read your content and decide whether you’re the right fit for them. Often seen as the entry point for content marketing, this strategy often relies on generating a high volume of how-to content based on long-tail keywords.
<h3>Customer-Driven Content</h3>
You have excellent customer relationships, and you want to build on them in your marketing. If you care more about building those relationships than simply being “found,” this strategy is often a good fit. You’ll focus on case studies and profiles of customers on your blog. This can be a particularly effective content strategy for smaller and midsized B2B companies.
<h3>Idea-Driven Content</h3>
This is the pinnacle of content marketing — true thought leadership. You’re still practicing good SEO and uplifting customer stories, but that’s not all. You’re also gathering and sharing deep internal expertise, often working ahead of industry publications. You’re introducing new paradigms.

People reading this type of material may even forget that it’s marketing.

So how do you get to that idea-driven tier? Start by digging up those big ideas — knowing they are most likely to originate outside your marketing team.
<h2 id="big-ideas">Uncover Your Big Ideas</h2>
Many organizations start the idea-generation process by brainstorming within the marketing team. That can generate some ideas, but no matter how clever you are, relying too much on your marketing team in unlikely to yield something original. You have to cast a wide net to find strong ideas worth sharing.
<h3>Look for the Big Thinkers</h3>
These people are the “connectors” — they work across departments and can see the big picture at your organization.

Who are the employees everyone looks to for ideas and answers? Who has been at the organization for a long time and knows everyone in the industry? What do they have to say about current events and trends?

Don’t forget about thought leaders, influencers and trendsetters outside of your organization, too. They can help your customers and prospects understand marketplace intricacies or upcoming trends while associating your brand with that expertise.
<h3>Keep an Eye Out for Interesting Data</h3>
Your organization collects data about your operations and customers and likely has access to industrywide data, too. How can you use what you already have to tell a useful story? Maybe you can transform a recent customer survey into a state-of-the-industry report. If you’re tracking how customer needs have changed over time, you can share what that means for the future of your industry in an article or infographic.
<h3>Develop Original Research</h3>
A powerful way for your brand to showcase its expertise is by <a href="https://repcap.com/case-studies/the-real-deal-2018/">sharing original research</a> or survey results. You might already have the data in hand. But if you’re not satisfied with your current data, you can survey customers and prospects about the burning questions in your industry. Presenting this research will educate and enlighten while highlighting your brand as a possible solution.
<h2 id="content-engine">Building Your Content Engine</h2>
Turning ideas, data and research into compelling content isn’t easy.

Even the sharpest thinkers sometimes have trouble translating ideas into content. Scaling up that process to create an ongoing content calendar can also be challenging. You need a strong team and a smooth process to make it happen.&nbsp; Create a content marketing engine that produces your thought leadership efforts by using these six steps.
<ol class="h3">
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Establish a Strategy</h3>
“Strategy” can be an intimidating word, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the best strategies are simple. A good content strategy answers these questions:
<ul>
 	<li aria-level="1">Who are we trying to reach?</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">What do we want to offer them?</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">How are we going to make a connection?</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">How will we know when we’ve succeeded?</li>
</ul>
</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Document Your Plans</h3>
Once you’ve established your strategy, you can start to plan content. Create a content calendar that maps out topics, channels and the team members needed to produce the campaign and each asset in it.</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Establish Accountability</h3>
How do you follow through on the content calendar you’ve created?

Break every piece of content into steps, and assign an owner for each step. Project management software such as Basecamp, CoSchedule or Monday can help organize these projects into easy-to-follow action steps with firm deadlines assigned to an owner. Keeping track of deadlines and assignments identifies where the bottlenecks are, making it easier to improve the process over time.</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Build Checklists &amp; Templates</h3>
Don’t reinvent the wheel every time you create a piece of content. Templates and checklists allow you to focus your energy on the ideas rather than how you’re going to get the work done.</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Get Creative With Formats</h3>
Not every expert is a fantastic writer. Putting the onus on them to create publication-ready copy is a common mistake made by floundering thought leadership programs. Don’t force it.

Instead, play to the strengths of your experts. This might mean interviewing them through video or audio, then transcribing the results. Your team might go another step and craft a narrative piece that incorporates quotes from that transcript, or create video or audio snippets to accompany the text.

What matters most is capturing your thought leaders’ ideas and adapting the material to appropriate formats for your audience.</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">
<h3>Assign People to the Right Roles</h3>
As you rev up your content engine, observe where things slow down. If people are having trouble staying on task and hitting deadlines, your content team needs a managing editor or content marketing manager. If content isn’t being promoted on social media, or the messaging doesn’t align, you might need a more intentional and collaborative approach with your social team. If articles don’t have the right tone and polish, you might need to hire an editor to elevate your content.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="spread-ideas">Spread the Your Best Ideas</h2>
Great content is meant to be shared. The problem is that people don’t necessarily know how to go about sharing it on their own.

Employees may be reluctant to share content from their organization without some encouragement. Don’t assume your employees will share your branded content. They may fear saying the wrong thing or feel awkward sharing work news without guidance. Having an internal promotion strategy is just as important as your production strategy.
<h3>Market Your Marketing</h3>
Take your external marketing efforts and turn them inward. After all, you send emails to prospects and customers to keep them informed about your business; employees should get the same level of intentional communication. Send an internal version of your marketing newsletter to employees —&nbsp; full of links to content they helped produce — and invite them to share it outside your company.
<h3>Help Them With What to Say</h3>
Encourage your colleagues to share thought leadership online by providing sample language or ideas about what to say on social media. As with any social sharing, making it easy is vital. A simple cut-and-paste of suggested text ensures employees get the messaging right.
<h3>Track and Reward</h3>
When sharing content is part of their jobs, employees are more likely to do it. Set expectations about how and when they should share content. Then establish a reward system to reinforce its importance.

How to Create a Thought Leadership Program

Fuel your account-based marketing and demand gen with differentiated content.

<p>When consultant and keynote speaker Ryan Estis and his team began reviewing their existing newsletter, they realized that, while it was performing well, there was potential to improve upon its success as a regular resource for sales and business leaders. Ryan and his team turned to Rep Cap to develop a new experience for their subscribers that would take their newsletter to the next level.</p>



<h2 id="h-background">Background</h2>



<p>Ryan and his team had an existing monthly email newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers and strong engagement, but there was more opportunity to expand their audience and provide unique, informative content for sales and business leaders.</p>



<p>The client partnered with Rep Cap to help develop a strategy to grow the newsletter and provide new insights for its audience.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.repcap.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2022-06-30-at-2.44.11-PM.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90152"/><figcaption>Newsletter</figcaption></figure>



<h2 id="h-challenge">Challenge</h2>



<p>With Ryan’s role as a keynote speaker and consultant, it was important to align the newsletter content with similar messaging and an experience that mirrored live events as closely as possible. Capturing the energy of an in-person event would be no small feat, requiring an overhaul of the existing newsletter while still remaining true to the brand.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-solution">Solution</h2>



<p>The solution was “Prepare for Impact,” a new branded experience that shifted to a weekly email newsletter highlighting the best advice on how to prepare for a successful week. The new format also included an overhauled design, a brief video each week and new sections offering valuable resources.</p>



<p>Video was critical for mirroring the live experience. In addition to the videos being featured in the weekly newsletters, they’re also hosted on the client’s YouTube channel. Rep Cap assisted in strategically planning the video topics and content for the following quarter and helped Ryan and his team prepare in advance for filming. Due to the client’s busy schedule, Rep Cap filmed the 12 videos in a single session.</p>



<h2 id="h-results">Results</h2>



<p>Engagement immediately improved across all metrics (open rates, click-through rates, social shares and email forwards) after the initial email was sent in the new “Prepare for Impact” format. The final result was a more sustainable production process that could accommodate the client’s busy schedule while continuing to appeal to the target audience of sales and business leaders.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfS4zNXM_ps
</div></figure>



<p>The subscriber list, currently over 23,000, continues to grow while maintaining strong engagement overall. Recent campaigns have seen average open rates of 42.9% and average click rates of 4.4%. Prepare for Impact continues to be a weekly source for information and industry resources, as well as a core aspect of the client’s overall strategy.</p>



<p>“As a keynote speaker, my vision was to touch an audience during the presentation and then bring them forward to continue the learning journey together. Rep Cap has provided the thinking and execution to fulfill that vision and create meaningful engagement in our community every week that fosters connection, professional development and personal growth.”</p>



<p>— Ryan Estis</p>

An Email Newsletter With Impact 

People keep saying, “Email is dead.” Sometimes, they even say it <i>in </i>emails.

The reality is that bad emails were always ineffective, but awesome emails are more valuable than ever. With all the new platforms vying for our time and attention, sometimes it seems like our inboxes are the only place we can maintain a little control.

Amazing email newsletters deliver surprising insights or create joy. They sound like they were written by an actual human being, with a personality, not the Voice of a Brand.

So what does it take to get the right people opting in and reading your content so you can build that authentic connection?
<h2 id="engaged-audience">Building an Engaged Audience</h2>
Without an audience, your weekly newsletter is just a digital “note to self.” But you have to earn every subscriber.
<h3 id="value-prop">Articulate Your Content Value Proposition</h3>
The goal of B2B email marketing should be quality, not quantity. You want to send an email newsletter designed to deliver value to a highly targeted and engaged audience. Think of your newsletter as a product in itself.

You might get newsletter signups from people who randomly discover you, but you will grow your list most effectively by clearly articulating your target reader and explaining how signing up for your newsletter will improve their life or business.

One structure for this pitch is the classic value proposition formula: What for Whom. What benefit will someone get from signing up? Who will it be most valuable for?

Once you’ve clarified your <a href="https://managingeditor.com/find-your-content-value-proposition/">content value proposition</a>, proudly share who you are and what your newsletter offers. You want to be clear, but you can still be enticing and even a little mysterious. Tease your audience with enough information to compel them to click through to your site and/or fill out the email signup form.

Speaking of signup forms, you want a dedicated landing page for email signups, even if you have signup boxes elsewhere on your website. This landing page is a great place to express your newsletter’s value proposition.
<h3 id="choice">Give Your Subscribers a Choice</h3>
This is the cardinal rule of effective newsletter marketing: Don’t send people emails they don’t want. This applies throughout the email subscriber life cycle. Send emails to people who have signed up, send them <i>only </i>what they’ve agreed to receive, and stop sending them email if they unsubscribe.
<h4>Opt-In</h4>
This is the ideal method for growing your list – and the only kind we support at Rep Cap. This puts the power in the hands of your audience and, by requiring confirmation, ensures they actually want to be part of your audience. Some email publishers even practice double opt-in subscription, in which the user signs up by entering their email and receives a confirmation email they must engage with before being added to the list.
<h4>Opt-Out</h4>
Under this approach, you automatically include the recipient on your emails and require them to actively unsubscribe to change that. This tactic has its uses, but opt-out lists, as you might expect, have significantly lower engagement rates. Opt-in lists perform as much as 21 times better, according to one case study.

While it isn’t illegal to send cold, unsolicited emails or even spam email, the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business">CAN-SPAM Act</a> places certain demands on email senders in the U.S., as recipients must be given an option to unsubscribe and a physical address to contact the sender.&nbsp; Sending unsolicited or spam email annoys people, and you also risk running afoul of privacy laws and other regulations in&nbsp; the U.S., Europe and other jurisdictions.

Rather than looking for loopholes in the laws, follow their spirit and don’t trap people on your list without permission.
<h3>Grow Your Target Audience</h3>
Myriad marketing strategies and tactics are available to grow your lists, from partnerships, to social media promotion to referral programs and word of mouth.

Word of mouth can be especially difficult to spark, but these subscribers can become your most engaged and loyal fans because they’ve heard how great you are before signing up. And those are the readers you ultimately want. You aren’t just building an audience — you’re building a community.

Likewise, if your readers love your content, encourage them to share the newsletter with their friends and colleagues. Many newsletters have found success with referral incentives, such as offering swag or other perks for people who generate a certain number of referral signups. Make this process easier with visible sharing buttons and/or clearly written instructions. Don’t just ask readers to help you; explain to them the cachet of being a referrer.

Your social media channels, website and existing content are also powerful tools for building your email list. When people register for your gated content or events, give them to option of signing up for your newsletter, too.

Before these people get a single newsletter from you, they’ve already engaged with your brand.
<h2 id="deliverability">Getting Deliverability Right</h2>
It’s impossible to build an audience if subscribers aren’t actually receiving your emails. Keep your content flowing by optimizing deliverability.
<h3 id="bounce-rate">Watch Your Bounce Rate</h3>
A variety of issues can trigger an email bounce – the email itself may no longer be valid or your sending domain may be blocked because you’ve spammed people in the past. Healthy email lists have only a few bounces with each send.
<ul>
 	<li aria-level="1">0.5% — The bounce rate industry standard</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">2% or more&nbsp; — The bounce rate danger zone</li>
</ul>
A bounce rate over 2% creates the risk of being flagged by your email service provider (ESP) — and it could get your account suspended or shut down.
<h3 id="email-validation">Invest in a Reliable Email Validation Service</h3>
If you’re using an imported contact list, run it through an email validation service before you upload it to evaluate the quality of the list. This scrubs email addresses that would bring down your engagement rate, such as invalid email addresses, spam traps and addresses known to frequently report abuse.

Email validation services increasingly use artificial intelligence and other technologies to score the quality of email addresses. This helps optimize campaigns and avoid negative impact to your list.

We love <a href="https://www.zerobounce.net/">ZeroBounce</a> for its excellent security practices, which is particularly important if you work in a regulated industry such as financial services or health care. Other options include:
<ul>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.emaillistverify.com/">EmailListVerify</a></li>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mailgun.com/">Mailgun</a></li>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.millionverifier.com/">MillionVerifier</a></li>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://mailfloss.com/">MailFloss</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>What Is a Spam Trap?</h4>
Spam traps take several forms, one being accounts created by internet service providers (ISPs) with the express purpose of catching email spammers who are building their lists through disreputable means. Getting caught in a spam trap can hurt your deliverability, and having spam emails or other inactive addresses on your list can also affect the accuracy of your data.
<h3 id="email-platform">Pick the Right Email Marketing Platform</h3>
A good email marketing platform centralizes all of your email newsletter operations and helps you learn from your send data. These platforms also help you send a variety of email communications, including newsletters, while keeping the look and feel consistent from send to send.

Your email marketing platform should offer features like A/B subject line testing, inbox previews, open rates and mobile options. We recommend <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/">Campaign Monitor</a> as a standalone email marketing platform in large part because of its deliverability performance. Other options include:
<ul>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.constantcontact.com/">Constant Contact</a></li>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://myemma.com/">Emma</a></li>
 	<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://mailchimp.com/">Mailchimp</a></li>
</ul>
If you use a full marketing automation platform, such as HubSpot or Marketo, your email marketing should run through it.

Whichever digital marketing platform you decide on, commit to it. Your platform tracks your data, and the more emails you send, the smarter it gets, which can only help improve your email marketing campaigns and newsletter performance.
<h2 id="compelling-content">Creating Compelling Content</h2>
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which email platform you use is if your newsletters aren’t delivering compelling content. Here’s what you need to create great content that resonates with your audience.
<h3>Deliver an Irrisistible Subject Line</h3>
Think about how many emails you receive each day. How many do you even notice, much less feel compelled to open? If you want your emails to stand out, your subject line needs to evoke an emotional response. You only get five to seven words, or about 40 characters — each one counts! If you want people opening your emails, you’ll need a strong subject line.
<ul>
 	<li aria-level="1">Match the tone of the email and your brand.</li>
 	<li aria-level="1">Avoid jargon.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Craft Newsletter Copy With Punch</h3>
Once you’ve got your reader’s attention, make it count! The body of your email newsletter has to deliver on what your subject line promises. Crisp copy and images with punch are essential.

You have a message to share, so get to it. Be bold and direct with your call to action rather than ramble or bury your point. Long blocks of text won’t keep your readership’s attention and could reduce their engagement with any links or CTA buttons you include.

At the same time, quality matters more than length. If you have something of value to say, don’t cut yourself short.

Break up your text with sections and images. For example, your top section might cover the main topic or be a first-person short essay, while the next section links to informational content, shares an upcoming event or promotes a product update.

Images also break up text while adding value of their own. Experiment with GIFs to inject movement (and humor) into your content. Swap out the stock art for casual yet custom images. Sharing behind-the-scenes photos of your team or your work processes humanizes your brand.

This kind of content elevates your brand. Provide value to your subscribers and they’ll move organically down your marketing funnel.

3 Essential Elements for an Amazing Email Newsletter

Attract and retain the talent you need by celebrating the stories of the people who power your business.

<p>Kearney wanted to create a podcast that examined work differently, particularly through the concept of joy. Rep Cap helped Kearney execute this podcast from brainstorming through post-production. </p>



<h2 id="h-background">Background</h2>



<p>Kearney is a management consulting firm whose work is built on strong relationships with leaders across industries. The team wanted to showcase the firm’s focus on creating joy at work, as well as highlight interesting people with inspiring, joyful stories in the Kearney network. The marketing team was looking for ideas outside of the usual B2B marketing strategies and channels.</p>



<h2 id="h-challenge">Challenge</h2>



<p>Business leaders tend to focus on job satisfaction but rarely on joy as part of performance strategies. The Kearney team identified the significant disconnect between what people want from their jobs and what their actual experiences are, which they named the “joy gap.” Kearney saw the need to highlight the big ideas related to joy, share success stories and inspire others to bring more joy into their everyday workplace cultures.</p>



<h2 id="h-solution">Solution</h2>



<p>Rep Cap worked with the Kearney team to design and produce a podcast about joy at work that would extend the firm’s message and create impact with a wide range of listeners. Rep Cap coached the Kearney team on all aspects of podcast production, including generating episode ideas, selecting guests, interview preparation and podcast promotion. The first season featured guests from the worlds of design, Broadway, telecommunications, technology and social psychology. All of the conversations were hosted by Kearney Managing Partner and Chairman Alex Liu.</p>



<h2>Results</h2>



<p>In its first season, the podcast quickly earned a loyal audience. For the Kearney team, the podcast has served as a powerful networking tool with clients and prospects and as an appealing recruiting channel for prospective hires. The podcast was renewed for a second season and then a third, which were also produced with Rep Cap’s help.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.repcap.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2022-06-29-at-10.52.52-PM-1-1024x498.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-90115"/></figure>

A Podcast That Sparked Joy —at Work

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