Erika Heald Marketing Consulting

Content marketing that drives business results

April 22, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Content Marketing Ask Me Anything (AMA)

by Leave a Comment

Still recovering from our post-Easter food comas, this week we opened #ContentChat for a content marketing ask me anything (AMA) with our host Erika. Check out the discussion below, where we dove into everything from coming up with blog post ideas, making effective use of video (hint: you need subtitles), ways to drive engagement, and more!

Q1: My friend and colleague @rachelformaro is content-centric agency owner, like me, and asked: Where/what do you do to come up with blog post ideas?

Ideas can come in a variety of places. A safe start is an audit to see what content has traditionally performed well and what content you’re missing.

Keyword research is another avenue, as well as using Google suggestions to guide you.

Social media could point you in the right direction.

Use timeliness to your advantage and create content around industry events, news, upcoming holidays, pop culture hooks, and more.

Above all else, make sure you’re meeting the needs of your audience. Keep in contact with them and put yourself in their shoes when you’re thinking of new content.

Derek raised a great question about the community’s favorite way to remember or organize ideas for later creation. Evernote, Google Keep, Google Sheets, standard web bookmarks and the ol’ favorite pen and paper were suggested.

Q2: What are your favorite ways to extend a blog post (from )?

Start with your goals for a piece of content and think of the channels that can help you achieve them.

Assess how your content can be reinvented across channels with visuals or audio. A blog can find new life as a SlideShare, a series of images with pull quotes or an infograph on social, a video, a podcast… the possibilities are endless, as long as it’s useful for your audience.

You can also tweak a blog to make it more relevant or relatable.

Q3: When you have content creators interested in extending their ideas beyond a blog to other forums, where do you recommend they go (from @allisonryder)?

LinkedIn, Medium, Quora, Facebook Groups, Twitter chats or channels you or your company owns are all valid options.

Q4: What repurposed content examples can the community share (from @chrliechaz)?

Check out the ideas below. A blog series was turned into an e-book, a post was optimized with subtitles and keywords, a Facebook Live Q&A became a blog, and more!

Q5: What do you do with social media (FB and Twitter) if you get literally zero likes? There are several thousand followers in your groups but nobody ever reacts to your writing (from @pitchbox)?

Think about the factors that may detract people from engaging with your content. Is the topic dry or overplayed? Did you post it too early or too late in the day? Did you use the right channel for your audience? Are the algorithms working against you?

Knowing your audience and their needs is a crucial step. Do the necessary research and speak with your audience to find out the type of content they need and will engage with.

A call to action can be the extra push your audience needs.

Tag or @ relevant users to make sure they see the post, but only when it’s appropriate. Tag people sparingly and build a connection with users before you start tagging them.

Develop your brand ambassador and contributed content programs so that you always have fans excited to engage with you.

Q6: Considering how easy it is to scroll, how can you use video effectively without annoying someone (from @MahoutMkt)?

Video should work without sound (think subtitles or text) and have some educational value, not just a random series of ideas or thoughts.

Q7: Where do you draw the line between content that is “locked” for membership-only areas vs. content available for everyone (from @DerekPillie)?

Provide limited-time access to member-only content so non-members can get a sneak peek at the value.

Member-only content should be rich, filled with research, deep-dive, and a unique value add or perspective.

Caitlin shared an article that provides more detail.

Q8: How do you use content promotion to reach a wider audience (from @SocialAnimal_io)?

A little paid promotion can go a long way if your content was already performing well organically. Brand advocacy programs can also authentically tap into networks that your corporate channels don’t reach.

Without ad spend, you can turn to social channels to boost exposure.

Q9: How important is it to have your content marketing strategy documented (from @LoneDigiMarketr)?

A documented strategy is crucial for alignment across any involved parties, to ensure there is a clear definition for, and roadmap to, success.

A documented, agreed-upon strategy also keeps your team’s resources focused and gives you the ability to say no when needed.

Q10: How do you encourage conversations in an authentic way (from @CardozaGab)?

Invest in your community to get them to engage with you. Care about and know your community as individuals so that you can start or join their conversations without it feeling forced. Be enthusiastic and genuine in your conversations, and over time you’ll build a mutual cycle of engagement.

Be relevant by sharing resources or information that your community needs.

Encourage engagement through calls to action. Ask for their opinion on a topic and give them an opportunity to engage with what you post.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

Explore the Blog

#ContentChat ABM B2B blogging branding buyer personas career development CMworld conferences content audit content creation content distribution content marketing content marketing planning content marketing process content planning content strategy customer experience editorial calendars editorial management editorial style guide employee brand advocacy events influencer collaborations LinkedIn marketing conferences new hire onboarding personal branding podcasting professional development professional development for content marketers research SEO SMB social media social media engagement social media planning solopreneurs Spin Sucks startups thought leadership twitter UGC virtual events writing process

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

All content © copyright 2000-2023 Erika Heald. All rights reserved.
Read our Privacy Policy.