Matt Hartley is not a marketer.
And yet, he's a 2022 B2C Content Marketer of the Year finalist.
Although seemingly inappropriate, it is not. Not all companies approach content with the same organizational structure.
Matt is Head of Editorial Strategy and Senior Director of Business & Public at TD Bank Group. TD Stories, the team's branded journalism platform, took home top honors for Best Content Marketing Program in Financial Services and earned final mentions for Best Content Marketing Launch and Financial Services Advertising in 2022 Content Marketing Awards.
These results prove that the department, title, and report structure don't matter if the content works.
“We tell stories that are aligned with (the company's) media and business goals. It's about brand building, thought leadership, financial literacy,” Matt explains.
This is how a non-marketer finalist for Content Marketer of the Year built an award-winning program.
If the #Content works, details like reporting structure, title and class don't matter, says @AnnGynn via @CMIContent. Click to tweet
The launch of the newsroom
In 2018, Matt joined TD as a content strategist. He was hired in part because of his background in journalism and creating new content products. Matt worked as a technology reporter for the Globe and Mail and the National Post. He also created the Financial Post Tech Desk, a home for Canadian and international technology news, and was the founding editor of the Post's arcade video game news site.
In a changing media landscape, the team tried to add branded content to the mix of more traditional media relations activities. They tapped a top headquarters team to help grow a TD-owned channel, initially called TD Newsroom, into TD Stories.
While TD Newsroom aligned with external media goals, it started with a mostly internal audience—few visitors came to the site outside of TD Bank.
Turning the content plan out
TD Newsroom's importance grew as the pandemic hit in 2020. No longer just another tool in the media toolbox, TD Newsroom became central to reaching customers quickly.
“Creating our content and being able to distribute it has become extremely important to us,” says Matt.
The team focused on creating branded service journalism (content designed to help customers), and traffic to the site increased significantly. Topics like banking tasks you can do online, budgeting for income affected by COVID, and planning an emergency fund took the stage.
At the same time, TD began rethinking its approach to the TD newsroom.
“We rethought how we made content and where the customer was in their journey,” says Matt. The team also doubled the amount of data-driven content and refined its content strategy.
In 2021, TD Newsroom rebranded, now called td stories, appeared for the first time. “It puts the customer at the center of the story. It tells stories that resonate with customers and colleagues,” says Matt.
The site's tagline – “Enriching one life at a time” – reflects this mission.
TD Stories organizes content around five pages (as shown in the site navigation in the screenshot above):
- your money Includes tips and financial advice.
- innovation Highlights new technologies to create more personalized banking experiences.
- community Includes stories about TD's involvement in the communities where it operates and where its employees live.
- colleagues tells the stories of the workers.
- insights Shows the thought leadership of the bank managers.
TD Stories puts the customer at the center of the story, says @thehartleyTO of @TDnews_Canada , via @CMIContent . Click to tweet
Makes everything count
“We're a small but mighty team in the corporate and public sector. It's a flat team – everyone brings ideas to the table. It really wouldn't work if it wasn't as cohesive as it is,” says Matt.
The digital content team also functions a bit like an agency.
“We work across our department with colleagues who support all areas of the bank to create stories. We might pitch to them, ask for a subject matter expert to help us tell a story, etc.,” explains Matt. “We couldn't exist in a vacuum.”
For example, the bank's The editing panel Revolves around deadlines and repeating patterns. Deadlines for retirement plan contributions and income tax returns occur at the same time each year. And every spring, more people start house hunting.
As TD's digital content team ramps up its content measurement strategy, the team can analyze the performance of these annual content segments. They can also better understand what people are looking for, so they can refine and improve subsequent content iterations.
“We can take those moments and make them fresh,” explains Matt. “We can ensure that the customer receives the best and most accurate information possible.”
The metrics reflect the team's dedication to excellence. In 2021, traffic to TD Stories grew more than 125% year over year. Almost all traffic (98%) now comes from external sources, including 25% from organic Google searches.
know the real purpose
“At the end of the day, the content isn't the end goal. The goal is to help educate the customer and help them feel more informed and financially secure. When you bring it up, the actual structure of a story or every sentence has a purpose,” says Matt.
Educating the customer is the goal – the story and sentence structure are the means to that end, says @thehartleyTO of @TDnews_Canada via @CMIContent. Click to tweet
It's part of the secret science of Brand journalism. As Matt explains: “Take the goals of the business and marry them with stories that customers find engaging and useful.”
And it's an award-winning formula regardless of department name, degree or organizational structure.
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Cover image by Yosef Kalinovsky/Content Marketing Institute