August 15 #ContentChat Recap: Content creation tips and resources

This week, #ContentChat was joined by chat regular Maureen Jann (@Maureenonpoint) who shared her tips for creative content creation.

Q1: What is your biggest roadblock when it comes to creative content creation?

A1: Getting out of my own head! Often times whats in my head sounded so much better than what ended up in the blog post! #ContentChat

— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) August 15, 2016

A1: Definitely finding the time. Ideas are in the millions.. time to implement is like finding matching socks after laundry day #contentchat

— Methodic Content (@MethodicContent) August 15, 2016

A1: I often find myself not creating content because I’m distracted. I always want to be doing a million things instead of one. #contentchat

— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) August 15, 2016

A1: Oddly, having too many ideas at once can be a content creating roadblock for me. End up overwhelmed & unfocussed #ContentChat

— Jenni Hill (@CantSwingACat) August 15, 2016

A1. Getting “immersion” time to wallow in the thinking & follow through while thoughts are fresh. #ContentChat https://t.co/3TlIXsoZsz

— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) August 15, 2016

A1: Buy in, risk aversion, buy in, and resources. Oh, and client buy in. #contentchat

— Kevin Mullett (@kmullett) August 15, 2016

A1: My biggest creative content roadblock is resources. We work on a small team and there’s too many ideas for hours! #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

Q2: Where do you find inspiration for creative content ideas?

A2: Most of my content inspiration comes from listening to podcasts or thinking about the meaning of life in the shower #ContentChat

— Jenni Hill (@CantSwingACat) August 15, 2016

A2: In the past I’ve done coloring books (before they were cool), workbooks, cootie catchers… the sky is the limit! #contentchat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

@SFerika A2 Is it TMI if I say ideas always come to me when I’m in the shower? It’s true! #ContentChat

— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) August 15, 2016

@martinlieberman @SFerika A2: Expo markers & glass doors! Don’t lose them… #ContentChat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) August 15, 2016

A2: Yet to pull it off but future plan is to: Video -> Podcast -> Article -> Infographic -> Slideshare -> Social Images #contentchat

— Methodic Content (@MethodicContent) August 15, 2016

A2: I look for inspiration in the unlikely places: Random conversations, old books, and blogs unrelated to my industry. #ContentChat

— Berrak Sarikaya (@BerrakBiz) August 15, 2016

A2. I find creative ideas outside the marketing echo chamber: in everyday things, in science, in art… #contentchat https://t.co/GsYcP0fNdr

— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) August 15, 2016

A2: In the old days–GET OFF MY LAWN–we called it a swipe file. A collection of inspiration. #contentchat

— Kevin Mullett (@kmullett) August 15, 2016

A2: From other people! Conversations, taking a break & having a great phone conversation about nothing with a good friend #ContentChat

— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) August 15, 2016

A2: Reading, reading, & more reading generally on @feedly (RIP Google Reader) filed in @evernote. #ContentChat https://t.co/miHNTcOwEK

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) August 15, 2016

Q3: What are your favorite ways to reuse/repurpose/repackage content?

A3 How about if we turn a fundraising pitch into a music video? https://t.co/wrTBmVSm9u #contentchat

— Ken Gordon (@quickmuse) August 15, 2016

A3a: I like to add to and massage content in different ways for different media. Original Blog https://t.co/M5ia5gwBfO #ContentChat

— Jeff Reno(e) (@Renoe) August 15, 2016

A3c: Dissected and used for print and another audience. https://t.co/hU8KkpiqCO #ContentChat

— Jeff Reno(e) (@Renoe) August 15, 2016

A3: Roundups work really well for our blog audience. From trends to old posts, it’s an easy way to repackage successful content #contentchat

— Brandfolder (@Brandfolder) August 15, 2016

A3 I actually preplan multiple uses when working on a big project that is targeted as a pillar. #contentchat Ex: https://t.co/wH0Y0EHX97

— Ben H. Rome (@bhrome) August 15, 2016

A3: Roundups work really well for our blog audience. From trends to old posts, it’s an easy way to repackage successful content #contentchat

— Brandfolder (@Brandfolder) August 15, 2016

A3b: For webinars, for instance-we create a video d/l, blog article, training mods, and nurture campaigns. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A3c: For white papers, we turn them into podcasts (from interviews) and though leadership landing pages. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

@SFerika A3: I like to do “Second Looks” or to revisit a topic and see how my thinking has changed. #ContentChat

— Derek Phillips (@digistrategist) August 15, 2016

Q4: How can you streamline your content creation process?

Q4 I write & publish 6 new posts per week. I’m 70+ posts ahead. My ed cal begins with topic, then idea, in edit, and published #ContentChat

— randy clark (@randyclarktko) August 15, 2016

A4: +1 Your brain is already in the right place + it forces you to think succinctly abt key takeaways. #ContentChat https://t.co/G6VblkSa4F

— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) August 15, 2016

A4: Editorial meetings get everyone in the room for more ideas in a short amount of time. It also cuts down on content overlap! #contentchat

— Brandfolder (@Brandfolder) August 15, 2016

A4: Have mapped out processes, time set aside to handle curation, content creation, repurposing, responses. #ContentChat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) August 15, 2016

A4a If you’re crafting with multi-use in mind, you can figure out your timeline/resources as you go, hit ground running. #contentchat

— Ben H. Rome (@bhrome) August 15, 2016

@MaureenOnPoint Here is the explanation and a free COR template download. https://t.co/AieNkg07or #ContentChat

— Kevin Mullett (@kmullett) August 15, 2016

A4: Organize ur ideas, I have notebooks, evernote & dropbox. Sync it all up, make it easier for urself where u are when u can #ContentChat

— Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) August 15, 2016

A4: Editorial meetings get everyone in the room for more ideas in a short amount of time. It also cuts down on content overlap! #contentchat

— Brandfolder (@Brandfolder) August 15, 2016

Q5: How can you get on-brand content from outsourced content creators? creation tools?

A5: Rule #1: Don’t treat them like contractors, onboard them as a member of the team. Build it into the budget. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A5b: Rule #2: Have an comprehensive brand voice guide. Know who you are or help them define it for you. #partnership #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A5c: Rule #3: Provide clear expectations… like outline clear. Have deadlines on calendars, talk frequently #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A5 Make sure you’ve defined your brand voice, and documented your style guidelines and walk them through those items. #ContentChat

— Erika Heald (@SFerika) August 15, 2016

A5: Give them the “full-tour” of what you do, your voice, your audience, etc. #contentchat

— MioDatos (@MioDatos) August 15, 2016

A5: Here are some good #tools for external (outsourced) or internal content dev teams. #contentchat pic.twitter.com/O0oohL4FBU

— Kevin Mullett (@kmullett) August 15, 2016

A5: Ensure they are fully aware of the brands voice. Treat them like a member of the team, try to make them enjoy your brand #ContentChat

— Hayley Jacqueline (@Hay_Jay_Ash) August 15, 2016

Q6: What brands are creating the most creative content?

A6 Two words: Woo and Woo. https://t.co/Ntt9DHDPTu #contentchat

— Ken Gordon (@quickmuse) August 15, 2016

A6 @LEGO_Group is astounding. So are the @penguins. My dream employers, absolutely. 😀 #contentchat (Call me!)

— Ben H. Rome (@bhrome) August 15, 2016

A6a In gaming world, @Bungie @BethesdaStudios @RockstarGames They do great pulling in fan-generated content, community. #contentchat

— Ben H. Rome (@bhrome) August 15, 2016

A6: We like what @bespokepost does w/their blog, emails and the copy they include in their boxes. #ContentChat

— HighYa (@HighYaReviews) August 15, 2016

Q7: What are some of your favorite #content creation tools?

A7c: I use @stupeflix to create quick videos to supplement our content + create training mods. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A7: @rev has a recording app 4 yur phone that lets you send those recordings to them to transcribe: 1-touch #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A7: Those little backpocket Moleskines, Word (Mac vers w/ tabs) Evernote, & Canva- Oh- and the G2 from Pilot… best pen ever! #ContentChat

— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) August 15, 2016

@Grammarly is amazing, caught so many little, unwanted content bugs. #ContentChat https://t.co/IJMnjQJO9C

— Andrey Kozlov (@WhoIsAndrey) August 15, 2016

A7: I could talk #tools all day, but I will just suggest checking out @SproutSocial‘s Landscape tool. https://t.co/WBeuhFx1y1 #contentchat

— Kevin Mullett (@kmullett) August 15, 2016

A6) Some of mine: @typoramaapp @canva @WordSwagApp @AdobeSpark @over #ContentChat https://t.co/4b1fgDOwAq

— Jim Carter (@MSLJim) August 15, 2016

A7c: I use @stupeflix to create quick videos to supplement our content + create training mods. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@MaureenOnPoint) August 15, 2016

A7: @trello, @canva, and the good ol’ @googledocs. #ContentChat

— Berrak Sarikaya (@BerrakBiz) August 15, 2016

A7: We’d be silly to not include @giphy, @canva, @unsplash, @Lightroom, @AdobePremiere, @Photoshop #ContentChat https://t.co/FzR6V8JQmB

— Site-Seeker, Inc. (@SiteSeekerInc) August 15, 2016