Content Strategy January 2014 - Author: Lieu Pham, Content Strategist, King Content - Without A Hitch
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Content Strategy
January 2014
Author: Lieu Pham, Content Strategist,
King Content
2014
CONTENTS 01 Executive summary
02 Strategy agenda
03 Goals and objectives
04 Target audience
05 Keyword and competitor analysis
06 Proposed content approach
07 Website UX and design
08 Content amplification
09 KPIs and measurement
10 Contacts
11 List of appendices and attachments
12 Appendix 1,2 and 3
|2
Executive Summary
With a history extending back as early AL-KO’s marketing team has engaged
as 1946, AL-KO has earned a reputation King Content’s expertise to develop and
for high-quality products in the caravan, help execute a content strategy that will
trailer and marine market. generate leads, cultivate existing and
The company’s strong growth over the new audiences, and provide a service
past decade has been driven by product (through content) to their customers.
range expansion and innovation that has A current opportunity in the caravan (RV/
further enhanced AL-KO’s position as a motorhome), trailer and marine markets
market leader in its field. will enable AL-KO to establish its team
Intelligent concepts and innovative tech- as the trusted, technical and safety go-
nology (700 patents and counting) have to experts on everything relating to the
given AL-KO the advantage over its com- caravanning and towing market.
petition and continue to increase revenue In response to this challenge, King Con-
across all business areas. tent recommends AL-KO create an online
Today the company utilises CAD, CNC content hub for the Australian market.
and robotics to design and manufac- The strategy that follows builds a com-
ture excellent products. With the aid of pelling case that creating a content hub
a modern computer system, it delivers a which provides valuable advice, tips and
high standard of service to its customers. “how-to’s” is the best course of action for
In 2014, AL-KO will actively promote its differentiating AL-KO in the market. In do-
latest key products including: ing so, AL-KO will be established as the
• AL-KO ESC (Electronic Stability undisputed number one expert of techni-
Control) for caravans cal information, advice and tips relating
• AL-KO Authentics range – cara- to the caravan, trailer and marine market.
van and trailer parts and accessories
• AL-KO Sensabrake – marine trail-
er braking system
Strategy Agenda
AL-KO is looking to establish its brand ing the brand as a trusted partner. Over
the long term, this trust will result in in-
profile, as well as increase awareness of
its caravan, trailer and marine products creased numbers of loyal customers for
in the Australian consumer market. the brand, which remains top of mind for
Within this strategy document, King Con- the audience of the content.
tent will provide direction and strategic AL-KO has already established strategic
content planning, setting it out against relationships with local partners, which
the required levels of time and resources will be a key component to ensuring the
that are needed to effectively optimise success of the content strategy. That
the AL-KO brand position in the consum- said, AL-KO has a lot of ground to cover,
er market. so at this time it is best to focus on build-
Throughout this document will be refer- ing a loyal and engaged audience. To do
ences to Youtility, which is defined by this, King Content recommends that AL-
Jay Baer as “marketing so useful, peo- KO create a Youtility that provides value
ple would pay for it”. The essence behind to their existing and potential customers,
Youtility is providing information, insights as well as differentiating itself from com-
and advice that help the audience solve petitors.
problems in their lives, thus establish- As this will be a new platform which is
|3
subject to further growth and change,
King Content will also look to further de-
fine both the long-term and short-term
objectives and benefits of working within
the content hub.
Goals & Objectives
The goals and objectives of this strat- suggested activities.
egy have been defined by a review of the Although these objectives and goals are
existing AL-KO activities within related set out at a high level they will evolve and
channels and the information provided mature as the depth and growth of the
by relevant AL-KO team members. Inde- strategy develops (this must be seen as
pendent research has also been consid- a living document).
ered when defining core objectives and
The AL-KO key business and communication
objectives for this content strategy are:
•Attract new high value customers
(lead generation)
•Increase brand awareness and recognition of AL-
KO among the target market
•Establish AL-KO as an authority for parts &
accessories in the caravan industry
To achieve these goals, we have set the follow-
ing content objectives:
•Drive traffic to the microsite
•Create demand for AL-KO products and services
•Leverage key partnerships to amplify content
•Increase audience engagement with content on
the microsite (measured by engagement metrics:
sharing, likes) building an engaged community of
caravan followers
•Generate new leads from email sign-ups and
mailing forms
•Build relationships with customers at all stages of
the buying cycle by providing Youtility
Target audience
Market snapshot
Like many other sectors of the Austral- dergone significant change over the past
ian economy, the caravan, camping and 10 years, and is currently working hard to
manufactured housing industry has un- reinvent itself.
|4
Market snapshot - Camping and Caravanning in Australia
http://turu.com.au/media/35246/camping-caravanning-in-australia_590x3206.jpg
|5
Each year, consumers ask operators for taken in Australia, an increase of four per
better standards. They are looking for cent compared to the equivalent period
better ‘‘destination parks’’ that can pro- in 2012.
vided a high standard of facilities such According to KPMG’s Impact of Demo-
as self-contained caravans, electricity, graphic Change on the Future of the Car-
internet access, swimming pools, kids’ avan, Camping and Manufactured Hous-
clubs, camp kitchens, jumping pillows, ing / Manufactured Home Village Industry
mini-golf, group entertainment, restau- report, at July 2013 over 12 per cent of
rants and shops. the domestic trips in Australia were dedi-
Park visitors are looking for the most cating to caravanning or camping.
comfortable places. They want to feel as The Australian Government Tourism Re-
though they’re ‘‘away from home’’ but with search Australia study International Visi-
everything they need to feel ‘‘at home’’. tors in Australia (March 2013), reports a
As Australians seek higher standards in total of 211 million visitors to Australia, of
caravan holidays, they’re also seeking which 1.7 per cent comprised people uti-
better products that enable this lifestyle. lising camping/caravans as accommoda-
In recent years, there has been strong tion. International visitors from Germany,
growth in visitors from both the domestic France and the United Kingdom made up
and international markets. the largest groups.
In September 2013, Tourism Research
Australia’s Key Findings revealed there
were 76 million domestic overnight trips
Audience segments
The 2012 Australian Government’s Tour- According to the statistics, this market
sector is projected to increase from 3.1
ism Research Australia Snapshot found
half of the 8.5 million domestic caravan/ million in 2011 to 3.7 million in 2021.
camping visitors in Australia were aged The research above suggests the most
30 to 54 years, while around one quarter promising market segments are families
were active seniors aged 55 to 70 years. with young children and seniors over 55
This sector grew rapidly in 2011, with years of age. These groups should be
visitors increasing by 12 per cent to 2.6 prioritised in moving forward with the
million. content strategy.
The July 2011 report, The Caravan and
Park Industry, by Alliance Strategic Re-
search suggests that the 50+ age group
has equal importance as the key user
group of 35-49. Furthermore, there has
been an increased visitation by families
and decreased visitation among ‘singles’.
While in 2008, couples with children un-
der 18 made up 50 per cent of the demo-
graphic, by 2011 this figure had risen to
54 per cent.
Furthermore, the KPMG report states that
the ‘young families’ segment may present
one of the most significant opportunities
for the industry over the coming decade.
|6
Primary Audience
Families with young children. Seniors over 55 years of age.
Parents between 30-49 years old, with
young children no more than 10 years
old.
Both parents working in a full/part-time They are usually retirees or pensioners.
job. They normally travel during school They have spent most of their life working,
holidays to entertain their kids. Parents raising their children and watching them
place high value on how they spend their build their own families. They’re starting to
free time with their kids. Among the ac- re-build their life and enjoy what’s coming
tivities they partake in together are play- next. They try to keep themselves active by
ing outside, sports, musical activities and joining different sport clubs or elderly activi-
reading books. Mothers with a child un- ties, thus improving their health conditions.
der five spend 38 hours a week parenting They are more likely to take long-term holi-
and playing with children. Fathers with a days because they have a lot of free time
child under five spend 16 hours parenting and are in no rush to get anywhere. After
and playing with children. They look for a a busy life, they try to avoid holiday peak
friendly environment for the kids and low- seasons and they are usually only look-
cost holiday destinations close to home in ing for relaxing sites where they can go on
case of emergencies. hikes or walks.
Secondary Audience
Couples. International visitors.
Between 25 and 35 years old with no
children.
They want to experience the real Austral-
Both are working in a full/part-time job. ia. They spend at least two weeks in the
Eventually, they want to start a family country and they want to see as much as
but they are currently focusing on their they can. They want to try different ac-
careers. They spend their time togeth- tivities like surfing, snorkelling or diving.
er by having dinner, watching movies, They look forward to seeing the wildlife of
going for walks, attending picnics, go- Australia, such as kangaroos and koalas,
ing to friends’ birthdays, participating in which is why they go camping. Accord-
family reunions and others. They are ing to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,
more likely to go on short breaks of there were 495,100 visitor arrivals during
three to four days close to where they September 2013 – an increase of 4.5 per
live because of work commitments. cent relative to the same period of the
previous year.
|7
Common themes
What is common to all these groups is terests, travel on a budget, and experi-
that they are all looking to travel at their ence the ‘real’ Australia and the natural
own pace, to meet people with similar in- environment.
Audience drivers
One of the strengths of park holidays is modation and cost. However, two main
that they are seen as easy to organise. factors that are considered the most im-
This particularly suits young families with portant in the decision-making process:
children and seniors, who don’t want to location and accommodation. Customers
go through the hassle of planning a va- usually think first about where they like to
cation. spend their holidays and then how would
they do it. Therefore, AL-KO should work
The internet has become the starting on being ‘top of mind’ when it comes to
point of planning a vacation. The cara- preparing for holiday.
van/camping industry needs to be up-to-
date with the technological changes and
use online as a distribution channel to Young families:
promote their services. Today, more and
more people are going to the internet to Domestic families between 30 and 49
either search for information or purchase years old with young children usually
something. According the KPMG report value camaraderie when travelling. They
mentioned earlier, online shopping in normally travel during school holidays
Australia has grown by an average of 25 and they are looking for low-cost holi-
per cent per annum over the five years to days and a friendly environment. They
2013 and it projected to grow by an aver- are looking to relax and enjoy their time
age of 11 per cent per annum over the away from home. They usually plan their
five years to 2018. holidays by using the internet and looking
for good sales.
Travellers are adopting the internet as a
research and booking tool across all age
groups. As in line with Tourism Research Useful to this group:
Australia, around 38 per cent of domestic
caravan/camping visitors used the inter- • Best camping areas to take your
net in seeking information for their trip. children
• Preparing your caravan for kids
Despite the majority (81 per cent) of inter- • What to take on your holiday
national camping and caravanning visi- • Dos and don’ts when caravanning
tors using the internet to book their travel with your children
to Australia, only one-third of Australia’s • Caravan checklist before your
tourism operators have online booking holidays
and payment facilities, as reported by
KPMG.
When planning a holiday, a traveller con-
siders several factors: destination, time
of the year, length of trip, type of accom-
|8
Seniors: net to search for good options, although
books, magazines and newspapers are
Generally comprise cashed-up retirees also used.
or pensioners. They prefer to tour their
caravans or motorhomes and try to avoid
the peak holiday seasons. They have a Useful to this group:
lot of free time so they are looking for
longer-stay trips. Relaxation is their main • Practical information on caravans
goal when booking a destination. They • Articles related to the best places
are looking for places where they can to go off season
enjoy the natural scenery. Many of them • Is my caravan ready for my holi-
prefer outback touring and avoid the days?
coast. They want to travel as comfortably • How to choose the right caravan
as they possibly can and they are usu- • How to maintain your caravan
ally conservative when it comes to their • What services do the parks
shopping behaviour. They use the inter- provide?
|9
Keyword and competitor analysis
A) Overview
To assist with determining the direction of the new con-
tent hub, we performed keyword research and a com-
petitor analysis to identify key opportunities. Specifical-
ly, the scope of the investigation included:
Keyword research into towing/equipment/accessories.
• Where do the key opportunities lie?
• What are people searching for online in rela-
tion to towing?
• What can we determine from the types of
searches?
• How can these learnings be built into a con-
tent strategy?
Competitor analysis
• What are the key competitors doing on their websites?
• What market are they targeting (Lifestyle/Brand/Commercial/Retail)?
• How are they managing or not managing leads, next steps, and sales funnels?
• How are they using social sites to integrate content?
• What are the competitors doing right/wrong?
• How can AL-KO differentiate themselves in the market?
Lead generation capture/measurement
• Determine options for engagement in blog to lead/sale pathways.
• Show examples of how this can be integrated into the blog content.
• Determine how potential customers can be driven to nearest sales reps.
• Recommendations for content amplification – Outbrain/Search etc.
| 10B) Keyword search
We used the Google Keyword Planner is to drive traffic from Google organic
to research keyword search terms within search results it is important to find niche
Australia across the three core product keywords that represent you content –
verticals: caravan, trailer and marine. that are not too competitive – and that
Keyword research can give very clear in- are highly targeted to drive leads for the
sights into the type of searches people business.
are typing into Google and the level of Additionally understanding the key goals
potential audience and competition. of the traffic once it gets to the site is also
When developing a new content site it vital in keyword selection. What keywords
is crucial to develop the content strategy would potential customers type into
in-line with the marketing strategy. What Google? What information are they seek-
strategies will be implemented to drive ing? What stage of the research, buying
targeted traffic to the site? What are or information seeking cycle will they be
the traffic volume goals and what budg- in? How can the keyword to call to action
et is available to promote the site once relationship be fostered through making
launched? What are the core objectives a clear keyword content strategy?
and KPIs of the site? If a core objective
Keyword Searches – Site Visibility – Supporting Content – Engagement – Lead Generation
Attachment 1: A full spreadsheet of keyword re-
search is supplied separately to this document.
i. Caravans – Keyword Research
The majority of searches for caravans petitive with a range of brands investing
are around “caravan sales”, “caravan heavily in Google Adwords and Google
hire”, “second-hand caravans” and “cara- SEO search results.
van brands”. These keywords have high There are also high volumes of traffic
volumes of traffic but are highly com- around “caravan parks” and name varia-
| 11tions of different parks. So where do key- searching online? When is the best time
word opportunities lie? What stage of a to capture them?
person’s caravan experience will they be
The opportunity:
There are lots of searches around “cara- ing equipment”. A series of “how to” arti-
van towing”, “towing capacities”, “best cles containing really helpful information
car to tow a caravan” and “caravan tow- could be capturing extremely targeted
| 12traffic in the research phase of the buy- to provide solutions and guides to the
ing cycle. There is a targeted opportunity many searches and questions people
to drive traffic to the AL-KO hub through search for in relation into Caravanning
“how to” and “guide” content. Aligning and towing.
with Google Hummingbird conversation
search results will favour articles that
have headings that match how people
search. There is an opportunity for Al-Ko
| 13What type of “new” search activity does Hummingbird help?
“Conversational search” is one of the biggest examples Google gave. People, when
speaking searches, may find it more useful to have a conversation.
“What’s the closest place to buy the iPhone 5s to my home?” A traditional search engine
might focus on finding matches for words — finding a page that says “buy” and “iPhone
5s,” for example.
Hummingbird should better focus on the meaning behind the words.
In particular, Google said that Hummingbird is paying more attention to each word in a
query, ensuring that the whole query — the whole sentence or conversation or meaning
— is taken into account, rather than particular words. The goal is that pages matching
the meaning do better, rather than pages matching just a few words.
http://searchengineland.com/google-hummingbird-172816
ii. Towing & Trailer – Keyword Research
Search volumes around towing and trail- seeking information on towing a car or
ers as expected is not as high in volume car towing services. These would gener-
as caravans, however it is very targeted. ally be people looking to have a one off
There is a large volume of searches for car towed as opposed to people seeking
people looking to have a car towed or information on how to tow trailers.
| 14The opportunity:
There is an opportunity to specifically There are some good volumes for motor-
create content around the different types cycle trailer searches and tow bars and
of towing and trailers people would use tow and trailer hitches. There is also
for different purposes. There is a lot of search volume around “horse trailers”
search volume around “towing capacity” and how to pull or tow a trailer.
and people seeking specific information
such as laws, and speed limits relating to
towing.
iii. Marine – Keyword Research
The keyword research for marine trailers is best for which task, person or lifestyle
is similar to caravan in that boat and trail- such as box trailers, boat trailers, galva-
er sales and hire dominate the volume. nised trailers, atv trailers, ski boat trailers
There are also many brand searches. etc.
Where the opportunity lies across all ver-
ticals with descriptions and info on all
different types of trailers and which one
| 15The opportunity:
There is a good volume around “trailer AL-KO can determine the keywords most
parts” which may be a good opportu- relevant to the products they want to pro-
nity for introducing the AL-KO products mote and map informative articles to key-
through supportive guides and how-to’s words that people are searching for.
with marine towing information.
| 16| 17
AL-KO competitors and lifestyle sites
Many sites were discussed for the com- Some of the caravan sites are really out-
petitor reviews. The direct competitor dated – and look like they were built in the
sites in the majority were product-based last century.
only and do not offer blogs or articles, so The following is a list of all of the sites
there were little key insights or learnings considered for the review. For the pur-
we can get from these. pose of this particular strategy, the sites
A lot of the caravan specific sites are highlighted in red were reviewed.
more about sales / new and used – not
much value in reviewing these in detail.
| 18Reviews
i. The Grey Nomads
Category: Caravan Specialist
Company Name The Grey Nomads
Website URL http://thegreynomads.com.au/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/thegreynomads1
Facebook Likes 2314
Site Overview If you are one of the growing army of grey no-
mads discovering, or hoping to discover, the
joys of the open road in this wonderful country,
then this site is for you. Whether you are a baby
boomer travelling indefinitely, choosing to spend
the winter months up north, or simply enjoying a
few short trips a year, you are part of the growing
grey nomad community in Australia. Whether you
are travelling in a caravan, motorhome, camper-
van, camper trailer, fifth wheeler or a tent, this site
is the place to read about people like yourselves
… and about the issues affecting the grey nomad
lifestyle in Australia.
Site Overview
The Grey Nomads site is aimed at retiree’s travel-
ling around Australia – whether living in a caravan,
motor home, campervan, camper trailer or tent.
• The site features classifieds – help
or work wanted, volunteer work,
items for sale.
• Features guides on where to go /
how to get there / Australian Events.
Content Categories
| 19Links to The Grey Nomads
Facebook page were ob-
vious from the top of the Visitor Engagement Opportunities
site. The Facebook page
is used to connect directly • Facebook
with customers and at the
time this page was reviewed
• Twitter
the posts were focused on • RSS Feed
directly communicating to • Subscribe to Mailing List
customers current news ar- • Potential and existing customers would come to
ticles from the Grey Nomads the site to get information on The Grey Nomads
website.
products and services, advice on where to travel
in Australia, information on planning your
Facebook •
camping trip.
There is a lot of visitor engagement in the articles
page: – customers can comment on articles or partici-
2,314 likes pate in conversation in forums.
The comments and posts are
both positive and negative
based on customer opinions
of the content.
| 20ii. Experience Caravanning and Camping
Category: Caravan Specialist
Company Name Experience Caravanning and Camping
Website URL http://www.experiencecaravanningandcamping.
com.au/default.aspx
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/ExperienceCaravan-
ningandCamping
Facebook Likes 29,268
Site Overview Experience Caravanning and Camping’s mission
is to be the national peak body representing the
Caravanning & Holiday Parks industry in Australia
(caravan holiday parks, caravans, motorhomes,
camper trailers, tent trailers, camping, cabins,
plus other RV’s, and industry suppliers), and pro-
vide for growth, development and professionalism
of industry participants.
Site Overview
Caravan RV & Accommodation Industry of Australia
Ltd (CRVA), as it is now known, was formed in 1992
out of industry concern for declining RV manufactur-
ing levels. The Australian Caravanning & Holiday
Parks Industry has come a long way since this time
with manufacturing levels now over 5 times that of the
early 1990’s. CRVA is a membership based organisa-
tion with each of the individual State Associations and
the Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers Association
of Australia (RVM Australia) providing representation
for the CRVA National Board, and various operational
committees.
Content Categories
| 21Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: • Facebook
29,268 •
•
Subscribe to Mailing List
Join VIP Club
likes • Potential and existing customers would come to
the site to get information on Experience Caravan-
ning and Camping products and services, as well
as deciding on where to travel through Australia
and information about caravanning services includ-
ing where to purchase parts and where to go for
repairs.
• Site features key industry partner AL-KO in footer
Facebook posts are a variety of
camping related articles, funny
pictures relating to camping.
Another positive opportunity
is Facebook post advertising
a competition which is getting
a lot of comments and likes/
shares. Good way of engaging
current and new customers.
| 22iii. Dexter Axle
Category: Caravan Parts Specialist
Company Name Dexter Axle
Website URL http://www.dexteraxle.com/
Facebook URL N/A
Facebook Likes N/A
Site Overview The leading manufacturer of trailer axles and trail-
er brakes for over 50 years
Site Overview
Since 1960, Dexter has built a strong reputa-
tion as a progressive industry leader. We’re an
engineering driven company dedicated to help-
ing your company remain competitive, safe and
innovative. Over the past 50 years, OEMs have
installed more than 45 million Dexter Axles.
• Aimed at people who want to repair their
caravans, likely a more male-based audi-
ence.
• This is more of a product-based website –
information mostly on parts/mechanics
Content Categories
Visitor Engagement Opportunities
• There isn’t much visitor engagement opportunity –
no social media – forums or articles for comments.
| 23iv. Titan Trailer Brakes
Category: Caravan Specialist
Company Name Titan Trailer Brakes
Website URL http://www.titanbrakes.com.au/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/titantrailerbrakes
Facebook Likes 8
Site Overview Titan Trailer Brakes offers a clear and easy way
for you to choose just how to overcome all of your
brake problems. Choose the type of brake system
you would like... Bronze, Stainless Steel, Dacrom-
et Coated or a combination of all. Each choice is
designed to help you meet the price you want to
pay and yet still have corrosion, low maintenance
brakes. All of the hydraulic plumbing is available
in kit form, with all the correct sizing. All the new
brakes are available in complete kit form or view
our Accessories page on our website for individual
items.
Site Overview
• This is purely a product-based website and
menu items consist of products listed by
category, accompanied with an image, de-
scription and pricing.
Content Categories
| 24Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: 8 • Facebook
likes •
•
YouTube
This is a fairly new Facebook page – having joined
in July 2013. As of the time of review, there is not
much content on the Facebook page, and under 10
followers. Photo albums include images of trailer
brakes, hitches and actuators, and in-cabin control-
lers. Some YouTube videos appear throughout the
website – underneath product descriptions. Videos
show the product in use.
| 25v. What’s Up Down Under
Category: Travel Television Series
Company Name What’s Up Downunder
Website URL http://www.whatsupdownunder.com.au
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/WhatsUpDownunder
Facebook Likes 26,069
Site Overview TV Show What’s Up Downunder
Site Overview
Caravanning, Camping, 4WDing, Self
Drive & Fly Drive Holidays - Travelling
‘Downunder’!
Content Categories
• Includes classifieds – sorted by categories including caravans, 4WDs, holiday parks,
tents, RV parts and accessories.
• Directory listing – users can search for holiday parks, restaurants, activities, RV man-
ufacturers, towing services etc all by location.
Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: • Facebook
26,069 •
•
Twitter
YouTube
likes •
•
Newsletter signup
TV/video episodes feature on the website sorted
by season and episode.
• Users can register and submit their own business.
| 26| 27
vi. Discover Down Under
Category: Travel Television Series
Company Name Discover Downunder
Website URL http://www.discoverdownunder.com.au/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverDow-
nunderTVShow
Facebook Likes 15,499
Site Overview Discover Downunder is Australia’s longest running
Travel Lifestyle TV Show dedicated to all aspects
of Caravanning and Camping
Site Overview
Discoverdownunder.com.au is the only
website in Australia dedicated to Caravan-
ning, Camping, 4WDing and ‘On the Road’
Travel that is supported by its very own TV
Show!
Discoverdownunder.com.au is also sup-
ported by Bauer Trader Media’s top-sell-
ing magazines such as – Caravan World,
Camper Trailer Australia and Motor Home
& Caravan Trader as well as many others
across a range of genres.
Just like the TV show, the website is dedi-
cated to bringing our visitors a range of new
and archived information including reviews
on: Caravan/RVs, New Products, Cara-
van/Holiday Parks, Attractions, Festival &
Events, Recipes from right across Australia!
Content Categories
| 28• Content-rich site with a lot of visitor engagement opportunity through social media
and blog/forums on site.
• Includes sponsors and features AL-KO on the website.
• Features each episode categorised by season and episode available to watch on-
line.
• Product reviews
• Features a directory for holiday parks, and RVs for sale.
• Great competitions – currently three running where you can win caravans or a holi-
day.
Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: •
•
Facebook
Twitter
15,499 •
•
YouTube
RSS Feed
likes • Blogs
• Forums
• Competitions
• Sign up to website to receive access to forums, blogs,
photo galleries, and weekly newsletter updates
| 29vii. Caravan Camping Sales
Category: Caravan Specialists
Company Name http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/
Website URL Caravan Camping Sales/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/caravancampingsales.
com.au
Facebook Likes 830
Site Overview caravancampingsales.com.au Australia’s number
one caravan and camping site!
Site Overview
carsales.com Ltd. (ABN 91-074 444 018) is
a publicly owned company whose goal is
to bring you the best Automotive classified
and other classified websites in Australia.
We compete directly with the newspaper
media moguls.
This website specialises in selling caravans/motorhomes
Content Categories and the supporting accessories.
They feature a travel section, which includes a travel
planner – where you can map your journey and find out
how many holiday parks or service stations are along the
way and where they are located.
There is also the opportunity to book a caravan park
through this planner.
As well as buying caravans there is the opportunity to
sell.
| 30Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: 830 •
•
Facebook
Twitter
likes •
•
Google +
News/Reviews
There doesn’t appear to
be a lot of engagement
on the Facebook page.
There are some posts
asking for opinions of
members but they are
getting little traction
and often no response.
| 31viii. Jayco
Category: Caravan Specialists
Company Name Jayco
Website URL http://www.jayco.com.au/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/JaycoAust
Facebook Likes 3,581
Site Overview Jayco has a reputation for producing high quality,
competitively priced caravan and camping prod-
ucts, and is a leading player in the Australian rec-
reational vehicle (RV) industry
Site Overview
Site Overview
Jayco manufactures eight product ranges.
They are: Camper Trailers, Pop Top Cara-
vans, Expanda Vans, Caravans, Park Cab-
ins, Motorhomes, Campervans, Toy Haul-
ers. All Jaycos are proudly designed and
built in Australia
Mission
• To build high-quality and reliable products which are competitively priced and ex-
ceed our customers’ expectations.
• To continually strive to be innovative and efficient in work practices.
• To provide a secure, safe and rewarding working environment for our employees.
• To conduct our business in an ethical, professional and responsible manner towards
our suppliers, dealers, customers and the wider Australian community.
Content Categories
• This is a product-based infor-
mation site and mainly spe-
cialises information on the
products they sell – different
types of RVs
• Does not feature sponsor-
ships/classifieds
| 32Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: • Facebook
3,581 •
•
Twitter
Newsletter signup
likes
| 33ix.Caravanning Queensland
Category: Caravan Specialists
Company Name Caravanning Queensland
Website URL http://www.caravanqld.com.au/
Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/CaravanningQueens-
land
Facebook Likes 2,834
Site Overview Caravanning Queensland joins the peak industry
bodies in this state for caravan dealers, manufac-
turers, camping suppliers, service providers, etc.
as well as caravan park operators through two re-
lated associations
Content Categories
• Guides and tips to purchasing RV’s and what
to know before you buy, where to buy
• Travel guides – destination ideas and tips
• Directory featuring caravan parks around Aus-
tralia
| 34Facebook Visitor Engagement Opportunities
Page: • Download App through iTunes App Store
2,834 •
•
Facebook
Interactive Map
likes
| 35x. Towing Guide
Category: Towing Guide
Company Name The National Caravan and Recreational Vehicle
Towing Guide
Website URL http://www.towingguide.com.au/index.html
Facebook URL N/A
Facebook Likes N/A
Site Overview The caravan and camping industry associations
throughout Australia are pleased to make The
National Caravan & Recreational Vehicle Towing
Guide available to you free of charge. We hope
you find the publication useful and we wish you
many hours of happy, safe towing.
Site Overview
The National Caravan & Recreational Vehicle Tow-
ing Guide has been produced in response to over-
whelming public demand. In the guide you will find a
wealth of technical information, handy hints and ad-
vice, which, when put into practice, will help you to
tow your caravan or other recreational vehicle with a
greater degree of confidence and safety.
There are currently around 400,000 registered rec-
reational vehicles – including caravans, camper
trailers and tent trailers – in Australia. The popu-
larity of these vehicles is growing rapidly, with new
registrations of around 20,000 units every year. Of
course, there are also innumerable other types of
trailers such as boat trailers, horse floats and the
humble box trailer, which are used for both private
and commercial purposes. But no matter what vehi-
cle you tow and what your level of experience (from
first-timer to old hand) you will find the guide is an
invaluable reference tool.
Refereed by nine technical experts with many years
of collective towing experience, the information in
the guide is both practical and, at the time of publi-
cation, consistent with the applicable national road
and towing regulations. For additional towing infor-
mation or advice, please contact one of the organi-
sations listed on the last page of this guide.
| 36Content Categories
This site offers very specific detailed information
for towing and related equipment. It is provided
by an association and is backed up with a guide.
However the information is mostly text based with
a few diagrams. There is some level of detail in
some articles however there is differently room to
improve visually and to be able to more effectively
communicate information.
Keyword and competitor research summary
Keyword Opportunities
The keyword research indicates some strong opportu-
nities with the key segments – Caravan/Towing/Marine
– with specific search terms that should be incorporated
into the content strategy. It is recommended to stay away
from high-volume, highly competitive or very travel ge-
neric terms as these will have little impact and will have
a lower goal conversion rate.
Direct Competitor Sites
The direct competitor sites with similar types of content
are mostly product sites and have little to no additional
lifestyle or application or guide-style information. Most of
these sites have small social media presence and do not
have direct relationships with consumers.
| 37Large Lifestyle Sites
A lot of larger lifestyle sites were proposed for review. However, this
market is very saturated and there would need to be a very large
investment in content development to ever have a chance at getting
visibility in this space. Generic lifestyle is way too broad and would
also not yield as many targeted leads specific to the AL-KO products.
The recommendation from a keyword perspective to generate ongo-
ing long-term traffic and a clear position in the marketplace is to be
specific.
Travel and Touring information
There were a number of caravan and travel and touring sites. Some
of these are very destination focused and travel guide orientated.
Some were poorly designed and others had some excellent content
categories that could be incorporated into the AL-KO content strat-
egy.
Content Categories
There were a few sites that had a great variety of content and ap-
proach that covered a range of information through different stages
of a person’s experience with campaign, towing and trailers. These
ranged from articles on buying tips, hiring tips, finance and insurance,
different caravan, campervan RV types etc., different trailer types,
security, off road, lifestyle, towing setup, wiring diagrams, and much
more.
Content Diversity
Overall the content for most of the sites – excluding the specific TV
related site – was pretty basic in style. Only a few of the sites re-
viewed in the caravan travel specific sites were engaging well in so-
cial media. There is a great opportunity to offer more diversity in con-
tent such as guides, videos, articles, features, and more.
Tone
The tone varied greatly across the sites reviewed. The product-based
competitors were formal and specific. The caravan and travel sites
were more conversational and engaging.
Look and Feel
There was great variance in the look and feel. The direct competitor
manufacturers offered very mechanical and hard-looking sites, while
the travel sites were busy with lots of different information. Some of
the caravan-specific directories and sites were very old fashioned
and did not look modern. The look and feel for this hub should be ap-
proachable and informative.
| 38Proposed content approach
The content hub represents a unique opportunity for AL-
KO to target current and prospective customers sparking
their interest, active consideration and purchase period,
through a content-rich environment that will connect users
with relevant products.
Specifically, using ‘how to’ content to contextualise audi-
ence needs, leading to the explanation and relevance of
products, which will convert to sales later down the track.
Understanding the customer journey
To better understand how content is cre-
ated we have identified three stages of
mind that assist in defining how content
may affect our readers.
Content considerations
Content is the heart and soul behind this competitor analysis and market research,
strategy. what follows are King Content’s overarch-
ing recommendations when approaching
Having an ever-growing repository of content for this hub.
good, quality content is the primary driv-
er behind AL-KO’s ability to achieve ‘top
of mind recall’ for Australian customers.
Through a mixture of editorial experience,
| 39Content mission statement
The content mission statement sets out
the purpose of the content. It outlines
who your target audience is and why they
should want to read this content. The
focus is on the audience objectives and
needs. It should identify who the audi-
ence are (in their terms, not yours) and
explain what you’ll offer them and why
they want to consume it.
Proposed content mission statement
Without a Hitch, brought to you by AL-
KO, is a comprehensive hub dedicated
to helping you have a smooth towing trip.
This is the place where you’ll find up-to-
date information, practical advice, ‘how to’
guides and handy tips for your caravan,
trailer and anything worth towing. From
the open road to the camping grounds,
we’ve got you covered.
Depth and breadth of content
We are here to help Australian caravan/
trailer/marine enthusiasts, and solution-
oriented content will position AL-KO as a
trusted source of advice. The content will
be presented as a series of blogs posts
that cover a wide variety of topics pertain-
ing to the target audience’s concerns.
The premise is to build a repository of in-
formation that covers any and all informa-
tion Australians and visitors to Australia
would search for regarding the entire buy-
ing life-cycle (from buying to maintaining
and upgrading) of caravan goers, boat-
ing, trailer and towing enthusiasts.
| 40Depth and breadth of content
• Develop a range of content type – cle. Write articles that related specifically
An excellent opportunity exists for AL-KO back to products offering solutions and
to establish itself as a provider of quality drive leads.
information to the caravan/trailer/marine
industry. There are thousands of searches • Practical topics – Topics that an-
every day for a variety of content terms. swer questions that people will ask online
It is recommended that a variety of con- are good ways to drive ongoing, consist-
tent types be provided, including specific ent and targeted traffic to the site. Espe-
towing guides and laws, information on all cially when people are in research mode
different types of vehicles for towing, ar- – if they find good content that easily links
ticles for different stages of engagement through to resellers – this will have the
and ‘how to’ guides. Videos and demon- highest opportunity for driving leads and
strations of products should also be con- building brand awareness.
sidered.
• Be specific and not generic – The
more specific the content and articles,
the more ongoing search visibility will
be achieved. Steer away from generic
headings and vague editorial headlines
– these will have little impact on driving
traffic. Ensure there is a good volume of
specific detailed informative content and
limit light fluff articles that will have little
engagement and will be unlikely to drive
leads.
•
210KM SOUTH OF CAPE YORK.
Content marketing and SEO – it
GOOD TO KNOW YOU’VE Tone - GOT
Two stylesGENUINE
is imperative that articles are written with
•
the purpose of driving new visitors to the of tone that are
PEACE OF MIND.
recommended: professional/informative
site. All articles should contain unique
for guides and static content and com-
keyword rich meta title and a description
mentary and conversational for feature,
tags that reflect the content of each page.
topical and hook-style articles. AL-KO
• Content that tackles problems should establish themselves as a leader
and issues and offers solutions – Write in this field offering informative and up-to-
articles about the issues and concerns date content.
or questions people have with towing.
Look at different stages of the buying cy-
| 41Content Types
As part of a phased approach, this initial shareable across multiple platforms and
stage will focus on building an audience. channels.
This is more about giving current and pro-
spective customers of AL-KO something King Content recommends that AL-KO
valuable, interesting and helpful. In this adopts a three-layered approach to the
instance, it’s not about selling or convert- content hub. The first is the base and
ing them to products; this will come later. the core of the hub to capture visitors via
As such, we are producing information- SEO (satisfying their immediate enquiry
rich content across three key verticals as need), with the second and third keeping
per the three identified markets: caravan, them on the site and encouraging them to
trailer and marine. This content should be explore further (nurturing leads).
Catch
As examples:
Cover common search terms and evergreen top-
ics across caravanning and towing.
e.g. The gourmet caravan: X great food and wine
regions to take your caravan
• e.g. What’s the best car to tow a caravan?
e.g. The rise of glamping (We go in search of Aus-
• e.g. The six best box trailers for motorbikes
tralia’s most luxurious caravan. Also looks
• e.g. Caravan vs. campervan. Five things to
at current trends in high-end caravan de-
• think about before you buy
sign)
• e.g. Towing by numbers: An infographic guide
e.g. The latest in tech-gadgets for caravans
• to load capacity
e.g A beginner’s guide to freshwater fishing (with
• e.g. Think safety first: How to prepare your
help from Fishcare, a not-for-profit organi-
• caravan for an Easter break
sation promoting sustainable recreational
• e.g. A buyer’s guide to second-hand caravans
fishing, http://www.fishcare.org.au)
• e.g. What to do when your caravan breaks
e.g. Five outback destinations to escape this win
• down
ter (According to Alan Whiting, editor of
• e.g. How to buy insurance for your caravan Outback Travel Australia)
e.g. Our great big year off (We talk to three fami-
lies who left the big smoke for an island
continent-sized family adventure)
Although lifestyle/destination/travel is not terests can to capture their attention and
the focus of the AL-KO hub, King Content encourage them to explore the site fur-
recommends complementing the ‘how to’ ther.
pieces with a small selection of this style As the hub becomes richer in content, and
of content. the audience grows, AL-KO may want to
Content that speaks to the audience’s in- increase the quantity of lifestyle content.
Convince
Build AL-KO’s authority in the towing
specialist niche by producing ‘how to’ and
other relevant guides.
| 42• e.g. Everything you need to know about
towing your caravan, trailer or boat
• e.g. Bang for your buck: 2014 buying
guide to Australia’s best caravans, RVs,
motorhomes
• e.g. How to upgrade your caravan on a
budget
• e.g. 2014 caravan models: Our top picks
• e.g. AL-KO’s 2014 safety guide for cara-
van enthusiasts
• e.g. The latest in safety technology
Convert
• e.g. The latest in safety technology
• e.g. Mix ‘n’ match: 6 AL-KO products and
your caravan
• e.g. How to upgrade your caravan with
AL-KO
• e.g. 5 things to consider when you in-
sure your caravan
• e.g. 4 components you’ll need to tow
your boat trailer
• e.g. 8 AL-KO products that will change
the way you tow
The creation process for each article will work to solve a customer’s need through an AL-KO
product by:
• Establishing the vertical that the content belongs to
• Establishing the subcategory that the content belongs to
• Identifying the relevant product, challenge and objective
• Identifying a suitable topic for the article according to seasonality/content calendar
• Contextualising articles for use within the Without A Hitch site and external placements
| 43Content Checklist
Audience engagement with content will pieces assessed according to perfor-
mance and thus effectiveness. Content is
be measured with users and content
required to fulfil single or multiple objec-
tives, such as:
Aligning with the evaluation pro- Content created to drive awareness
cess a user goes through, and increase site traffic.
the connection moment is
gauged on metrics such
as bounce rate, time
spent on site, pages
visited and sub-
scriptions/signups.
Short-term goals Engagement in-
such as sub- volves long-term
scriptions/sign- goals of the content,
ups to the Without driving social lay-
A Hitch newsletter. ers including shares
and likes on integrated
platforms. This leads to
repeat conversions and
transitioning users in be-
coming brand advocates not
just participants.
Each piece of content will be further
checked against:
• Deriving customer value through
the following propositions: useful,
engaging, shareable, considered,
accessible, pull – not push, friendly,
maintainable and has personality
• Meets business objectives
• Meets users’ needs and wants,
made easily searchable
• Communicates in a ‘human voice’
that is consistent and personable
| 44Content Checklist
New content hubs take time to develop; on AL-KO to further position the brand as
therefore, it is imperative that the foun- a trusted partner and highlight the brand’s
dations are solid. For the launch phase, expertise.
the core content should focus on ever-
green articles and blogs. In future, AL-KO • e-books. These guides will serve
should build towards a content hub that is as lead generation opportunities, provid-
rich in format types. ing visitors with in-depth information so
valuable that they would be willing to ‘pay’
• Evergreen/blogs. This will focus for it with their contact information.
on content with a long shelf life, provid-
ing a solid grounding of information for • Infographics. Infographics can be
visitors who need general advice around highly effective, especially on social chan-
towing as it relates to the caravan, trailer nels, to share specific data and insights
and marine market. in a visual manner. King Content recom-
mends including infographics to present
• Topical/blogs. These articles will research data or to illustrate a point that
be current in nature with a time relevance. would be too complex via text.
They will be simple and engaging and
provide useful information to the target • Videos. A highly visual and share-
audience. able medium, videos will enable AL-KO
to ‘hero’ willing ambassadors and further
• Technical/blogs. Be more instruc- enhance the personal touch of the brand.
tional and satisfy an immediate need to These could include talking-head style
learn “how to” do something or solve a advice from ambassadors and other ex-
problem or query. perts, case studies of current customers,
analysis of news and stories in the cara-
• Feature articles. These articles will van/trailer/towing space, as well as gen-
go further into issues affecting our read- eral advice and aspirational content from
ership. Here we will provide actionable the caravan/trailer/marine market.
‘how to’ advice and analysis of recent
news and research. Note: Whitepapers are not recommended
for a consumer-focused site due to their
• Case studies/expert profiles and highly technical nature.
interviews. These will shine the spotlight
Content Pillars
King Content recommends that content three sections, and will be as follows:
be divided into pillars to help visitors find
the information they are looking for. The • Buying and Maintenance. This
core pillars for the launch phase will be: covers buying and maintaining a
caravan, RV, motorhome and trail-
1. Caravan er.
2. Trailer
3. Marine • Towing and Compliance. This cov-
ers compliance with legal require
The subcategories will be the same for all ments as well as policies, proce-
| 45dures and expectations for towing • Equipment, Parts and Accesso
your caravan/RV/motorhome and ries. This covers everything you
trailer. need to know about parts and ac-
cessories for your caravan, popup,
• Driving and Safety. This covers trailer, RV, motorhome etc.
safety and driving tips and expert
advice as it relates to caravans, • Destinations and Experience. This
motorhomes, RVs trailers and tow covers lifestyle, travel, events,
ing. des-tination and articles around
experiences such as bush
Post-launch, King Content recommends walking, fishing, camping, where
adding the following sub-headers*: to go etc.
* Please note that the creation of a site category with too few items results in poor user
experience. Therefore, King Content recommends launching new categories only once
three or more articles can be contained therein.
Caravan Trailer Marine
Buying and Maintenance Buying and Maintenance Buying and Maintenance
Towing and Compliance Towing and Compliance Towing and Compliance
Driving and Saftey Driving and Saftey Driving and Saftey
Equipment, Parts and Acces- Equipment, Parts and Acces- Equipment, Parts and Accesso-
sories sories ries
Destinations and Experience Destinations and Experience Destinations and Experience
Editorial calendar
In this first phase of the project, three
months’ worth of content will be produced
with a view to all of the content being
ready for launch (end of March). In the
next phase, there are plans to increase
the output of articles and reach out to us-
ers via amplification and lead-generation
materials and premium content.
| 46Launch phase content mix
Caravan Content Trailer Content Marine Content
Buying and 15 x general Buying and 10 x general Buying and 2 x general
Maintenance posts Maintenance posts Maintenance posts
10 x tech 5 x tech 2 x tech
posts posts posts
Towing and 8 x general- Towing and 5 x general Towing and 2 x general-
Compliance posts Compliance posts Compliance posts
2 x tech 2 x tech 2 x general
posts posts posts
1 x e-book
Driving and 6 x general Driving and 5 x general Driving and 2 x general
Saftey posts Saftey posts Saftey posts
2 x tech 2 x tech 2 x tech
posts posts posts
Proposed monthly content schedule for post launch, with a week dedicated to a par-
ticular pillar (note: the ‘caravan’ pillar will alternate weeks as it’s a key focus of the
hub)
Monday Tuesday Wednes- Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
(9.30am- day (2pm- (8am- (6pm -
10am) (11.30am- 3.30pm) 8.30am) 10pm)
2pm)
Week 1
General blog x Tech blog General blog General blog x Tech blog
(Caravan)
Week 2
General blog x Tech blog General blog General blog x Tech blog
(Trailer)
Week 3
General blog x Tech blog General blog General blog x Tech blog
(Caravan)
Week 4
General blog x Tech blog General blog General blog x Tech blog
(Marine)
| 47At July 2014, King Content recommends AL-KO do a review to of its content hub to determine
what content is engaging with users and develop a content mix to match. If site traffic is strong,
it is recommended that AL-KO add some ‘Convert’ content to this mix.
See the Editorial Calendar on Google Drive for topics and schedule.
Tone and Style
The AL-KO tone is knowledgeable, help-
ful and conversational.
The tone of blog/topical/feature articles
should be insightful, reassuring, support-
ive, confident and full of life. Content is
presented in a simple, easy-to-follow for-
mat while being entertaining and/or in-
formative.
The content will portray solutions-based
advice in a positive, proactive and prac-
tical manner, providing actionable advice
for AL-KO existing and potential custom-
ers.
Images and Visual Direction
Each article will include an image to en-
hance visual appeal and provide a relat-
able human element for the advice being
offered. In general, images should be:
• Clean and crisp. Images should
have a clear focal point and not be
overly busy.
• Real. representations of abstract
ideas.
• Human. Where possible, include a
human element.
| 48You can also read
