The Other 3Hs: Heart, Happy, and Human Content
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When I was producing digital marketing training for various organisations, I often found myself sharing as much information as possible—believing that the more tactics and resources I shared, the better. However, I realised that providing a structured model that trainees could apply to their daily activities and future projects was more beneficial. This led me to expand on the traditional 3H Content Marketing Framework with three additional components: Heart, Happy, and Human content.
Here’s how these elements fit into the marketing funnel:
Heart Content
Heart content forms the base of the funnel. It’s what I refer to as ‘sales-type’ pages. In my LinkedIn course, Heart content begins with ‘Why?’—explaining the mission and goals of your organisation. It then transitions into ‘How’ and ‘What’, following Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model. This approach lays the foundation for compelling sales pages.
Happy Content
Happy content addresses customer retention and satisfaction. Once someone becomes a customer, what steps are you taking to ensure they stick around? This involves training them on your product and ensuring they are satisfied with their purchase. Effective Happy content makes customers feel valued and supported.
Human Content
Human content focuses on personalised experiences: case studies, personal videos, and unexpected gestures of appreciation. You might send a personalised video message to a long-term customer, make a personal call, or send a small gift. These actions can significantly enhance customer advocacy.
Implementing the 6H Marketing Model
To get started with the 6H model, consider the following steps:
- Hero Content: Create one incredible piece of Hero content to attract attention.
- Help Content: Develop around 12 pieces of Help content to address common queries and problems.
- Hub Content: Produce 12 podcast episodes or similar ongoing content.
- Heart Content: Craft one compelling sales page or piece of Heart content.
- Happy Content: Design one engaging piece of Happy content to welcome new customers.
- Human Content: Plan one campaign of Human content to foster personal connections with your audience.
Using Marketing Channels to Drive Traffic to Content Mediums
I refer to podcasting as a content medium rather than a marketing channel. Marketing channels like LinkedIn and Facebook ads should drive traffic to your content mediums. For instance, partnerships can guide people to your Hub content, while retargeting and Google ads can lead them to your Heart content.
A successful B2B content strategy integrates the 6H model within the Pump & Funnel framework. With a robust piece of content for each stage of the funnel, you can effectively strategise on driving traffic and engaging your audience through well-thought-out content experiences.
By adopting this comprehensive approach, you can ensure that your content marketing efforts are structured, targeted, and capable of nurturing long-term customer relationships.