A good idea can evolve into something more, according to Mike Lewis, President of Kapost. In a podcast interview with Bryon White, Lewis discusses how Kapost got its start and how the growth of content marketing changed the expectations of customers seeking a production platform.
Content Marketing is King
In 2009, the co-founders of Kapost, Nader Akhnoukh, Toby Murdock and Mike Lewis, wanted to develop a platform geared towards freelance journalism. Newspapers, magazines and blogs were looking for more flexible solutions to content development.
Media companies needed a tool, something in the cloud, that would allow them to control the work done remotely. Kapost was initially designed with that purpose in mind, but like all really smart ideas, it evolved into something more.
In 2012, Kapost changed gears to focus more on content marketing because that was where the demand was greatest. Today, they help mid to enterprise-sized businesses produce content that meets their needs.
Good Content Marketing Requires Crowd Control
What kinds of challenges do companies that produce large amounts of content face? Despite the common misconception, there is more to it than just writing a blog post and uploading it to the Internet.
One of the obstacles they face is getting everyone on the same page. Businesses like IBM have lots of hands in the marketing pot and they are all vying for attention. An online platform allows them to control the content produced and keep everyone on the same page.
The right platform allows each member of that team to visualize the progress of a project, as well. The photographer sees where the writer is at and knows when to provide images. The legal team can watch to ensure each element remains compliant, as well.
The Right Tool for the Job
Kapost recognizes what they do well and what others do better and make use of that in their platform. As part of their marketing tools and techniques, they offer plug-ins and apps to improve content.
Optimization is a good example of this in action. Through their platform, clients can access apps like Scribe SEO to analyze the content for keyword usage.
The flip side of the tool equation is metrics. With a sophisticated platform like Kapost, companies can publish anywhere on the Internet and measure the performance of their content.
The combination of social media chatter, page views and unique visitors all combine to paint a picture of how well the campaign, and each individual channel, works. This is an especially effective tool to have for B2B clients who work to pull people through the funnel from reader to lead to conversion.
One thing that becomes obvious from the discussion between Byron and Mike is that effective content marketing is a team effort. It requires a user-friendly platform with streamlined workflow and a combination of the right marketing tools and techniques.
The challenge is to find the best partners to make that happen and that kind of networking is what you will get at the Content Marketing Conference coming up in Las Vegas this May.