We recently had a chance to catch up with Vanessa Hartung for our Pro Interviews series to talk about her content marketing experience at PointClickCare.
Pagezii — Vanessa, please tell us a bit about yourself.
Vanessa — After graduating from high school, I went straight to Sheridan college taking their Visual Merchandising program. Afterward, I worked at The Shopping Channel for a little over a year before returning to school to pursue a career in marketing. I then attended McMaster University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts. After a brief attempt at living overseas in Scotland, I got my first marketing role as an intern at TeraGo Networks. My internship was cut short, though, as the company ended up offering me a full-time position as their Content Marketing Specialist. Since then, I’ve transitioned into a manager role, working with companies such as UNOapp and [24]7 Inc.
I have a passion-driven career
Pagezii — What got you started in content marketing?
Vanessa — My boss at TeraGo Networks first introduced me to the idea of content marketing. Once I got a taste, I was hooked; binge-watching every available webinar and reading every piece of documentation I could find on the topic. I have a passion-driven career.
Pagezii — What is PointClickCare?
Vanessa — PointClickCare is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, servicing the senior care industry. Teams can quickly and efficiently document all care delivery tasks electronically – via computers, kiosks, or mobile devices – within one central record for each resident. This provides better access to critical health information across the continuum and speeds up decision-making.
Pagezii — What has been your most memorable marketing campaign?
Vanessa — It was a launch campaign I worked on at TeraGo Networks. We were launching fibre Internet in business parks across Canada – many of which already had access to fibre Internet. So, to create interest – we combined physical and digital elements.
First, we sent out an actual mini-cereal box called “Tera – Go’s” where, instead of the ingredients, we listed the benefits of our service or solution. We even had “100% daily intake of fibre” written on the box. Inside the box was a small postcard with more information and our call-to-action – which drove people to a URL that contained an infographic. The infographic then led to an eBook – followed by a call from our sales team if it was downloaded.
The combination of physical and digital helped create interest and a connection – as when the prospect was contacted by a member of sales, they more often than not had the mini-cereal box of “Tera-Go’s” on their desk.
Pagezii — What content marketing trends do you see for 2017?
Content binging is going to be huge
Vanessa — Content binging is going to be huge in 2017. Netflix has created a community of “instant consumers” who want to binge on their favorite interests. If a prospect is interested in the information your company has to offer – they want to consume as much of it as possible, as quickly as possible. It’s important for businesses to make content readily available for readers – because if they can’t find it on your website, then they’ll go somewhere else in search of it. However, to minimize the risk of creating content just for the sake of it, it’s critical for companies to understand the “why”. Why should consumers care about your content? Why should they spend the time consuming your content? Why should they trust you? Why should they invest in your solution or service? Knowing the “why” will help eliminate any “filler” content by focusing your efforts on creating what your audience wants.
Pagezii — Thank you, Vanessa, for your insight in content marketing. Our readers will appreciate your experience.
