Gregory Ciotti on the Modern “Creator GTM” Content Strategy and Video as a Foundational Marketing Tool

Last Updated on April 4, 2024

Are you struggling to make your content marketing strategy stand out in a crowded market?

In this episode, we are joined by  Gregory Ciotti, Director of Content & SEO at Kapwing. He discussed the most effective ways to approach content marketing in today’s landscape and the intertwining of SEO and brand building for smaller companies and startups, the evolution of content marketing, and the shift towards creators and video. 

The most valuable lesson from this episode is the importance of using video to make content more personal and to help people get to know the person behind the advice and tactics.

Overall, the speakers emphasize the importance of aligning with a company’s beliefs and values when working in marketing, as well as pushing oneself outside of their comfort zone to try new things.

Topics

• The Importance of Video in Mobile Search
• Video as a Complement to Other Programs
• Brand Building and Attribution 
• Nuanced Take on SEO
• Using AI to Speed Up Content Production Competition is Insane
• Original Data Storytelling
• Arms Race in Content Marketing
• Creator Approach and Sustainability 
• Personal Branding vs. Company Branding
• Matching Enthusiasm 

Show Links

• Visit Kapwing
• Connect with Gregory Ciotti on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Listen to the podcast:

Key Takeaways:

[00:14:05] The Importance of Video in Mobile Search 

Emphasizes the importance of looking at search results on mobile devices, where video is becoming increasingly prevalent, and suggests that marketers should pay attention to this trend.

[00:21:26] Video as a Complement to Other Programs 

How video can be used as a complement to other programs, such as blogs, to increase engagement and distribution.

[00:25:17] Brand Building and Attribution 

Discuss brand building through product usage and the importance of self-reported attribution in measuring the impact of social media on brand awareness.

[00:28:01 Nuanced Take on SEO

Discuss the value of SEO and the importance of looking at the deal size of customers referred through social media.

[00:33:45] Using AI to Speed Up Content Production 

Discuss using AI to summarize information and speed up content production, cautioning against an “AI first” approach and emphasizing the importance of testing and understanding the fundamentals.

[00:41:13] Competition is Insane 

Talks about the competition in the content marketing space and how it has changed over time. They give an example of how they hardly ever had to opportunity size keywords when they worked at Help Scout, but now it is necessary to do so.

[00:45:43] Original Data Storytelling 

Talks about the importance of original data storytelling in the early days of a content marketing program. They mention that they did not invest much in proprietary data and data stories, except for a customer service statistics page.

[00:47:36] Arms Race in Content Marketing 

Talks about the evolution of content marketing and how it has become an arms race. They mention that back in the day, a 1000-word article could get some early traction, but now it takes a whole team’s worth of effort to create a skyscraper piece.

[00:53:23] Creator Approach and Sustainability 

discuss the sustainability and compounding nature of the creator approach, as well as the risk of losing a creator and the lasting benefits of their public presence.

[01:01:01] Personal Branding vs. Company Branding 

Debate whether it is fair to demand that employees build a personal brand in the name of building a company’s brand.

[01:07:12] Matching Enthusiasm 

The importance of being enthusiastic about content creation and marketing on LinkedIn, and how it can lead to success.

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