Andrew M. Davis - Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships

Copyright @ 2012 by Andrew M. Davis. All rights reserved.

Published by Content Marketing Institute, a division of Z Squared Media LLC, Cleveland, Ohio.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or other commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

About the Content Marketing Institute

The Content Marketing Institute teaches non-media brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI does this through multiple offerings including the Content Marketing World event, Chief Content Officer magazine, electronic and print books from leading content marketing experts, speaking and workshop engagements, and content marketing consulting services.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012944015

ISBN: 978-0-9833307-8-3

ISBN: 9780985957605

Printed in the United States of America.

To my wife, whose patience, understanding, and smile have made me the success I am today.

When Andrew first approached me about writing the foreword to his new book, I reacted with an enthusiastic yes! Andrew is a friend and a colleague, and the kind of genuine, nice-guys-finish-first person who deserves to succeed. Without even seeing a draft, I said, Id love to!

Then he mentioned the title, and I felt a small rise of panic. On the outside, I played it cool. But inside I was thinking, wait Brandscaping?! This is a book about branding? I had assumed that Andrews book would be about content marketinga topic I know far more about.

As a former journalist and current chief content officer and business-book author, I am qualified to speak with some authority about various topics in marketing. But just between you and me, I wouldnt put branding at the top of the list, especially when there are so many branding experts out there who could run circles around me when it comes to the topic.

But before I could find the words to graciously back out, Andrew sent his draft. And I relaxed.

Because what you now hold isnt a book about branding in the old-school sensebig advertising budgets and broadcast messaging. Instead, this is a book that talks about how to build a brand in a richly storied world where we have new and interesting ways to connect with our prospects and customersthrough (you guessed it) content!

Andrew calls this brandscaping, or (as he writes) using and treating content as an asset rather than an expense.

I love that, because its consistent with how I think about content, too: Your ability to publish blogs, and make videos, and post photos to Instagram, and create infographics and slide shows and podcasts and webinars and cartoons and e-books and puppet shows and whatever else you might dream up isnt merely table stakes for getting found by Google search. Instead, your content marketing presents a rich opportunity.

To do what? To connect with your customers and prospects in a meaningful way. To tell your story in a way that draws your customers to you. To resonate more deeply with them. To create something new and interesting with a set of new tools and an array of new channels. To create content that can drive real business growth and, I believe, transform your business.

Does that sound all blue-sky and Kumbaya? It shouldnt. Because thats the real opportunity all brands now have before them. Content is what will set your company apartbecause it will define how you relate to your customers, and whether your customers choose you over everyone else.

And thats exactly what this book is about. Here, Andrew shows how the most successful companies are embracing content as a cornerstone of marketing, andmore specificallyhow they are using it to grow their brands. He spells out how those companies view the opportunity thats before themand before all of usas an exciting time for all kinds of businesses.

So how about you?

Dont read this book if you have a million dollars to buy a billboard in Times Square, as Andrew says (a billboard that will, by the way, not have anywhere near the lasting resonance of a well-crafted blog). But if you want to create something far more lasting and meaningful? Welcome to Brandscaping.

Ann Handley

Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Co-author, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos,
Ebooks, Webinars (and More) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your
Business (Wiley, new in paperback 2012)

Brand/skp-ing: A process that brings like-minded brands and their respective audiences together to create content that increases demand and drives revenue.

Look, if you want to raise awareness for your brand, buy advertisinglots of it. Buy banner ads, Facebook ads, and sponsored tweets. Buy Google Adwords and television commercials. Buy space in magazines and air time on the radio. But realize this: the space you buy isnt permanent, and the time you buy is fleeting.

On the other hand, if you want to increase demand for your products, create contentlots of it. And not just any content, but great content. Great content shows people how your product or service can impact their lives. It gets people to buy your stuff more oftenfor the right reasonsand leave more satisfied. But creating great contentthe right kind of contentisnt easy. Youre going to need partners. Youre going to have to brandscape.

So, if you want to buy more advertising, dont read this book. Its a huge waste of time and your hard-earned money. There are too many great books out there about everything from developing effective advertising strategies to creating a successful campaign.

So, if you want to raise awareness, go buy ads. If you want to increase demand, this book is for you and its worth every penny.

When I first started telling people I was writing a book called Brandscaping, I got a lot of blank stares. Brandscaping? I was asked. Whats brandscaping?

The simplest way I can put it, is that brandscaping is a new way of thinking. Its more than a content marketing strategy or a social media initiative. Its a marketing methodology that enables you to leverage content as an asset instead of treating it as an expense. This book is going to show you how. There are plenty of examples out there of companies that are brandscaping quite successfully, and youre going to learn about several of them right here.

Did you know that companies just like yours spend more than $8 billion a year on PR initiatives just so they can get some type of brief coverage about their products and services in a magazine, on a TV show, by a blogger or a newspaper reporter? Even worse, companies spend another $600 billion worldwide on advertising that is, for the most part, ignored.