Ever wondered how to turn your content marketing up a notch? Corrina & Taylor chat with Ashley McGovern from Realync about her innovative approach to building online courses for Realync’s target audience.
Ashley’s content strategy helped Realync to differentiate itself by offering a modern, visually appealing way for their audience to consume information. Short-form video content proved to be more effective in driving engagement and educating their audience compared to traditional written formats.
Looking to transform your academy? This episode is for you.
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Featured Guest
Name: Ashley McGovern
What she does: Head of Content Marketing
Company: Realync
Noteworthy: Ashley McGovern leads content marketing at Realync, a B2B SaaS startup specializing in virtual tour solutions. She co-hosts the Two Pizza Marketing podcast and has been a bar instructor for eight years.
Key Insights
Building Effective Online Courses with Audience Research
Realync’s success in creating online courses hinges on understanding their audience’s needs. The team transitioned from written PDFs to video content based on extensive audience research, discovering that property managers responded better to video formats. By testing and refining their content, Realync delivered five-minute daily videos tailored to their audience, making the information more digestible and engaging. This strategic approach ensures that content not only reaches the right people but is also consumed in a way that maximizes its impact. Knowing the audience and their content preferences has been vital in driving engagement and improving campaign performance.
Importance of Distribution in Content Marketing
Effective distribution is crucial in content marketing. Initially, Realync focused heavily on content creation but overlooked distribution strategies. This changed when they leveraged partnerships to amplify their reach. For instance, a partner’s email mention led to a significant increase in sign-ups. By integrating distribution planning into their campaigns, Realync ensured that their content reached a broader audience and had a greater impact. This highlights the importance of not only creating high-quality content but also strategically planning its distribution to maximize visibility and engagement.
Using Video Content to Engage Multifamily Property Managers
Video content is a powerful tool for engaging multifamily property managers, a key audience for Realync. The shift from written materials to video allowed Realync to showcase their virtual tour solutions more effectively. Short, five-minute videos delivered via email provided a convenient and engaging way for property managers to learn about new features and best practices. This approach also helped Realync differentiate itself in a traditional industry by offering a modern, visually appealing way to consume information. The use of video content has proven to be more effective in driving engagement and educating their audience compared to traditional written formats.
Episode Highlights
Importance of Hybrid Work for Team Collaboration
The episode begins with a discussion about the importance of hybrid work for fostering collaboration and camaraderie within teams. Ashley expresses her preference for in-person interaction, despite the benefits of remote work. She highlights the value of spontaneous collaboration and community building that is often lost in a fully remote setting. This preference stems from her experience transitioning from in-office to hybrid and finally to fully remote work. Ashley believes that a hybrid model can offer the best of both worlds by allowing for occasional in-person interactions while maintaining the flexibility of remote work.
”If I had a magic wand right now, I would wave it and we would all be in the office. […] I just thrive off of collaboration and community and camaraderie and I just miss the in-person of that all. Although I would go hybrid. I just wish my team was here in Chicago with me and we can meet up here and there.”
Realync’s Niche Market and Customer Understanding
Realync focuses on providing virtual tour solutions for the multifamily industry. Ashley explains that their primary audience includes leasing teams and multifamily property managers. Understanding this niche market has been crucial for developing effective marketing strategies. Over her three years at Realync, Ashley has conducted extensive research to understand the content preferences and needs of their target audience. This research has informed their transition from traditional PDFs to more engaging video content, tailored specifically to the busy schedules of property managers. The shift to video has significantly improved engagement and effectiveness.
”So Realync is a virtual tour solution specific to the multifamily industry. So we target leasing teams and those decision-makers would be multifamily property managers, regional property managers, or like multifamily marketers. So leasing teams use our app to virtually tour renters around their communities.”
Utilizing Audience Analysis for Campaign Success
Ashley emphasizes the importance of audience analysis in designing successful marketing campaigns. Realync conducts detailed audience research to address confusion around their product and to tailor content to their customers’ needs. By analyzing how their product is used outside of its primary function, Realync discovered new applications, such as maintenance teams using their app for video tutorials. This insight led to the development of targeted content that addresses specific customer needs, enhancing the overall value and effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Continuous evaluation and adaptation based on audience feedback are key components of their strategy.
”We did a ton of audience analysis to figure out what was going on with some of the confusion around our product because we want to answer questions with our point of view as a company. And then obviously, like the solutions that we provide. One thing that we started to notice was how people use our product outside of leasing.”
Overcoming Challenges in ABM Campaigns
Implementing Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies presents unique challenges, particularly for companies without a freemium model. Ashley discusses how Realync navigates these challenges by offering valuable consultations and personalized strategy plans. This approach helps bridge the gap created by the lack of a free trial and engages potential clients more effectively. The focus is on providing significant value through conversations and tailored advice, which has proven successful in generating interest and converting leads. This personalized approach underscores the importance of understanding and addressing specific customer needs in ABM campaigns.
”As a content marketer, something I had to think through is what can we offer them to really get them over that line to talk to us and come back to us? And that has been offering a 12-month strategy plan with Christie, who’s our subject matter expert. That’s helped us get them over that hunch, and they’re like, okay, let’s start to talk about this.”
