August 12, 2019 Content Chat Recap: How To Make That Industry Conference Worth Your Marketing Budget Dollars

August 19, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Almost every quarter is conference season for some industry, with events big (think hundreds of thousands) and small (think 100) all vying to connect like-minded professionals and showcase the latest and greatest for the field.

Most marketing or PR professionals have received promotional emails about conferences to sponsor at, each positioned as the “must-attend” event of the year. Or, your company executives are being invited to speak and you’re tasked at evaluating the opportunity.

When budgets are tight and opportunities are abound, how can communications professionals make smart use of their budget at industry conferences?

In this #ContentChat, we discuss how to determine if an event is worth your team’s resources, including ways you can maximize the ROI of your industry conference presence.

Q1: Is exhibiting at or sponsoring conferences and trade shows part of your current marketing budget?

Most of our poll respondents (58%) include conference and trade show activities in their current marketing budgets, and the next biggest group (25%) has never budgeted for these activities.

Q1: Is exhibiting at or sponsoring conferences and trade shows part of your current marketing budget? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) August 12, 2019

A1: Most of my #B2B clients exhibit at trade shows and sponsor conferences. Several also produce conferences for their own customer/member base. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) August 12, 2019

A1: Not yet, but hopefully in the future! #ContentChat
— Cob Creative (@cob_creative) August 12, 2019

A1: We do a lot of conference and trade show appearances (our instructors present regularly) but I personally have not gotten to be attendance at any yet. #ContentChat
— Derek Hauk Is Making Things Again (@ThisDerekHauk) August 12, 2019

A1: For my area and as part of our goals, we attend at least one conference a year but my area doesn’t sponsor any conferences etc. Our larger brand department but not involved with that area. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) August 12, 2019

Reasons for participating vary (we’ll dive deeper later), but conferences can be great for media relations regardless of if you’re a sponsor, exhibitor or attendee.

A1: I work with clients on trade shows – they’re great for #PR because you can meet reporters in person at some of them. #contentchat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 12, 2019

Such a great place to do that. If they are already on-site, so much more likely to stop in and chat for a few minutes than take a cold meeting pitch. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) August 12, 2019

August 5, 2019 Content Chat Recap—Community Conversation: New Research On The State of Digital Marketing

August 19, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Altimeter released its The 2019 State of Digital Marketing report, exploring what’s top-of-mind for today’s digital marketers. In this #ContentChat community conversation, we explore the results, focusing on our top goals, challenges, and the skills we need to stay competitive in today’s data-driven business landscape.

Q1: What is your top digital marketing goal? Brand awareness, new leads. unified customer experience, new product awareness, or increased revenue with existing customers?

Brand awareness (37%) and new leads (26%) were top priorities for the survey respondents.

A1: The survey found 37% of marketers had a primary goal of brand awareness, with 26% focused on increasing the number of new leads and prospects. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) August 5, 2019

Our community largely mirrored these two goals, noting that brand awareness is a necessary foundation for most activities. Marketers need to focus on action-driving areas, though, past awareness.

This all makes sense to me as most of the marketing teams I work with have very aggressive new lead goals each month, and put a lot of their budget into top of the funnel content creation and distribution. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) August 5, 2019

A1] While brand awareness is important–with the addition of voice-first marketing & no click searches (45+% of Google), marketers need to think beyond branding to drive actions. #contentchat #digitalmarketing #voicemarketing https://t.co/HmxQ9xL4RI pic.twitter.com/5RHHh2LCgN
— HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) August 5, 2019

A1: What a tough question! Right now, we are focused on lead generation and nurturing. Just set up a few nurture campaigns we are really excited about. #ContentChat
— The Karcher Group (@KarcherGroup) August 5, 2019

A1.
Well it all starts with the “Brand Awareness”
If they know and understand the brand then only they start interaction and become a future clients. 🙂#ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) August 5, 2019

A1: Definitely new leads! #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) August 5, 2019

A1. All of the above. I believe your Marketing Strategy should be focused on delivering awareness, leads, UX & driving traffic to your website and/or brick & mortar location. They have to be multi-leveled for success #ContentChat https://t.co/2NplNXitNg
— Eddie Garrison #FLBlogCon (@EddieGarrison) August 5, 2019

A1: All of these goals are important! Brand awareness is definitely key because it can ultimately lead to more leads and a boost in revenue. #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) August 5, 2019

It’s important to align your digital marketing goals with your business goals, and have both long-term and short-goal aspirations based on your unique buyer’s journey.

A1] Top digital marketing goals should be aligned with your business objectives. They also depend on where your audience & prospects are in the customer journey.
Remember the first 100 days post-purchase are critical.#contentchat #digitalmarketing https://t.co/LmSLVyAnGz
— HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) August 5, 2019

A1 – They’re all valid, but the 🔑 is how much value you assign to each and how they fit into your funnel/journey. #contentchat
— Andrew Stewart (@andrewtstewart) August 5, 2019

A1: Depends if we’re talking about long term goal and short term goal. Long term goals are expansion, new leads, and increased revenue. Short term, more traffic, smaller bounce rate, and brand awareness. #contentchat
— LiveHelpNow (@LiveHelpNow) August 5, 2019

Other areas of focus for the community? Brand consistency, thought leadership, engagement, scaling, and more. What is your top focus?

A1.
Our top digital marketing goals?
💪🏽Brand consistency
💪🏽Thought leadership
💪🏽Community building
💪🏽Impactful engagement#ContentChat
— Bentley University (@bentleyu) August 5, 2019

A1) Learning scalability in digital marketing. Lately I have been having an influx of work and clients, now its preparing for what’s next! #ContentChat
— David Perez (@njbranding) August 5, 2019

July 29, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Building And Managing A Highly Effective Content Marketing Team

August 5, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Whether it’s writing the latest company blog, analyzing the results of a recent email campaign, planning the next quarter of content, or identifying content gaps in the customer journey, a content marketer’s job is never truly done. But, there’s only so much time in the day, and when resources are spread thin, content marketers need to know how to establish priorities and make best use of the team at their disposal.

In this #ContentChat, we explored ways that content marketers can stay on top of their game by discussing what modern content marketing teams look like, best practices for building and managing a content team, and what we think the future holds for the function.

Q1: What size is your current full-time, in-house content marketing team?

The majority of respondents reported having a small team, most with one team member, and 2-4 team members as the next most common team size. Remember that this is just including full-time, in-house content marketing team members, which won’t include part-time or freelance workers (which we discuss later), or team members whose roles are divided across departments.

Q1: What size is your current full-time, in-house content marketing team? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 29, 2019

A1: that would be one! Me! I’ve had as many as eight, though, in the past. #contentchat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) July 29, 2019

A1: We don’t have a full time team but the responsibilities are spread across a couple different teams #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) July 29, 2019

A1: Sitting at 2 – 4. Mainly it’s me, but I work with in house experts on various pieces for digital marketing and web development. I solicit feedback, write it, get their approval, and post. They then distribute on their various channels, as well as our branded. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) July 29, 2019

A1. Wish I could say 1 FTE, but in reality that would be untrue. Being a micro-business, we get it in where we can fit it in.#oellc #contentchat
— Nerissa Marbury (@OneEpiphany) July 29, 2019

A1.
We have Devided roles of Content Writers
Such as,
Specific one for #socialmediamarketing
Another one for blogs and PR
Another one for Website content
And last one for guest content writing Jobs.#ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) July 29, 2019

A1
We have a large team! We each belong to different sub-teams and we all cover different areas! They include:
-digital marketing
-paid social media
-organic social media
-Magazine publications
-Creative services
-Content creation
-Etc.
We have 11+ people!#contentChat
— Bentley University (@bentleyu) July 29, 2019

July 15, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Founding and Managing an Effective Editorial Board

July 16, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

A 360° view of your company is essential to best identify and prioritize your company’s content needs, especially since each piece of content you create should be written with your audiences in mind and ladder back to your company goals. While your content planning and evaluation process can take place solely in the hands of your content team, that may not be the most efficient use of your resources.

Creating an editorial board is an effective way to join diverse perspectives and best map your content roadmap, but editorial boards come with a few considerations for those just starting or finding that their boards spiral over time.

In this #ContentChat, we explore what an editorial board is, who the members should be, and tips on how to enable your board to thrive.

Quick poll—who here is currently running or participating in an editorial board (or two)? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 15, 2019

Q1: What is a content marketing editorial board, and do you have one?

A content marketing editorial board is composed of people across functions that create or use content. The board meets regularly to evaluate the success of past content, identify content needs and create a workflow for content creation.

A1: a content marketing editorial board is a cross-departmental group of people who create or use content and who come together on a regular schedule to discuss content needs and coordinate content creation and distribution. #ContentChat https://t.co/aYCvbStPb6
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 15, 2019

A1: An editorial board in content marketing is a good tool to:
• Involve other departments in the strategy and ideation part
• Get alignment accross the organization#ContentChat
— ⓂⒶⓁⓉⒺ ⓁⒶⓃⒹⓌⒺⒽⓇ (@MalteLandwehr) July 15, 2019

A1: Having an editorial board pushes you to think strategically about your content marketing efforts. Your team can come together to discuss goals and needs, then plan upcoming content that will help you see increased ROI. #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) July 15, 2019

A1: A content marketing editorial board plans and creates written content that reflects the company’s position/ideas and benefits other departments (i.e. sales). We do not use one, but our whole marketing team pitches in. #ContentChat
— Synthesio, an Ipsos company (@Synthesio) July 15, 2019

A #contentmarketing editorial board is a group of people who is behind the brands #contentwriting and marketing strategy.
Either it is website content to blogs to even #socialmediamarketing content.#ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) July 15, 2019

A1: We don’t necessarily have a formal editorial board, our content is usually created, executed, and distributed by our creative marketing team. With the support and help of other team members when needed! #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) July 15, 2019

Editorial boards are more common for larger companies, but any business could benefit from having one (pending the resources are available). Boards can accelerate content ideation and creation, and also ensures cross-functional alignment on content needs and goals.

A1b: I’ve run several editorial boards for former employers and clients. I don’t currently have one for my own business, but I have thought about creating one. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 15, 2019

A1. A content marketing editorial board is a member board directly responsible for executing the content marketing plans of an organisation/biz. Since I’m a freelance writer, I don’t have one, but have worked with editorial members of different businesses. #contentchat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) July 15, 2019

We didn’t call it an “editorial board” at the time, but I’ve worked with a group like that before. Was so important for getting buy-in. If people felt investment early on in what was being created, they’d be more likely to support it later. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) July 15, 2019

July 8, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Why Account-Based Marketing (ABM) + Content Should Be BFFs

July 10, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

The concept of account-based marketing (ABM) has gained traction in recent years, with companies finding great reward with hyper-personalized targeting efforts. This process, however, is a resource-intense activity, leaving many companies questioning if they should stick to casting a wide net hoping for success, or if it’s also worth chasing a smaller group of accounts with a greater commitment.

In this #ContentChat, Sierra Summers (@SierraSummers), demand generation and marketing operations consultant with Main Shark, joined us to discuss what makes ABM so valuable, when an account-based approach makes sense, how you can prove the ROI of your ABM efforts, and where content fits into the picture (hint: practically everywhere).

Q1: What is account-based marketing (ABM)? How does it compare to inbound marketing?

ABM takes your traditional marketing tactics and laser focuses them toward a very specific target audience or individual account.

A1a: Funny you ask – when I first started in marketing we called it “strategic” marketing. At the core it is taking applying your marketing programs/campaigns/tactics at a group of accounts/prospects. #contentchat
— sierrasummers (@SierraSummers) July 8, 2019

A1b – It is highly targeted and specific to the individual accounts. @Engagio defines it as “go-to-market strategy that coordinates personalized marketing and sales efforts to land and expand target accounts” #contentchat
— sierrasummers (@SierraSummers) July 8, 2019

A1c – the biggest difference is you aren’t boiling the ocean. It is not “if you build it they will come.” It is designing your messaging/programs/campaigns around a smaller subset of prospects. You are leveraging all angles to break into the account #contentchat
— sierrasummers (@SierraSummers) July 8, 2019

Any of your existing strategies and/or marketing collateral can be used in an ABM approach, but there will almost definitely be some personalization and fine-tuning to appeal to your target audience’s needs and preferences.

A1: Account-based marketing is targeting your marketing efforts to a select group of ideal clients, with tailored content reflecting their needs. Inbound marketing revolves around creating great content that speaks to your target audience overall. #contentchat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 8, 2019

Account Based Marketing is the process where sales and marketing team up to go after key accounts.
Instead of creating content for personas or roles you create or modify content for specific people at the target account.
#ContentChat #ABM #Marketing
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) July 8, 2019

A1: For me, any marketing technique where you go after a specific prospect (account) is ABM. The perfect ABM will combine inbound and outbound marketing techniques. #ContentChat
— ⓂⒶⓁⓉⒺ ⓁⒶⓃⒹⓌⒺⒽⓇ (@MalteLandwehr) July 8, 2019

A1.
ABM – Highly targeted way to market your specific audience.
Mostly I will do this with Facebook pixel by adding user identity. I.e (profile link)
ABM is a part of Inbound I believe. #ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah (@vrajshahspeaks) July 8, 2019

A1: ABM is targeting a very specific people or account with relevant messages or content. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) July 8, 2019

Many marketers like Derek have used ABM principles without realizing it. Are you in that group?

All this time I was ABMing and I didn’t even know it (in my past life) #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) July 8, 2019

July 1, 2019 Content Chat Recap: The Modern Buyer’s Journey

July 8, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

In our data-driven age, companies can know more than they ever have about their customers. Marketers can create data-backed customer journey maps that identify the touchpoints at play in the buyer’s journey and the actions needed to effectively move customers down the funnel with unprecedented levels of efficiency.

Despite the potential of this bright, shiny and prosperous future, the reality of today’s customer journey is incredibly complicated and marketers are drowning in data.

Arm Treasure Data’s The State of the Customer Journey in 2019 report—which our host Erika Heald partnered on—found that sales cycles often last at least 2 months and can span upwards of 10 different touchpoints. And even though marketers can access more data, that does not mean they can effectively use this data.

Building on the report findings, the #ContentChat community joined to discuss the modern buyer’s journey, the hurdles we face in delivering the optimal customer experience, and how to address the issues with our current attribution strategy.

Check out the conversation below, and if you’re interested in hearing more on the report findings, listen to Erika and Tom Treanor of Arm Treasure Data discuss the report and answer questions on it in this webinar archive.

Q1: Do you have a documented customer journey that details the path to purchase for your ideal customers?

Nearly half of our Twitter respondents do not have a documented journey.

Q1: Do you have a documented customer journey that details the path to purchase for your ideal customers? #contentchat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 1, 2019

The respondents that do have documented customer journeys said that customer journey maps help them prioritize efforts that drive action from the customers.

A1: We have a customer funnel that allows them to go down a number of journeys on our backend that ultimately ends with them taking action based on serving them solutions to the problems. Things like events, memberships and webinars work best for us. #contentchat
— Youpreneur® (@youpreneur) July 1, 2019

Q1: Yes! Our team has mapped out the customer journey of our clients so we can best connect with them and increase sales. #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) July 1, 2019

Those that don’t have documented customer journeys acknowledge they should build them.

A1: I work on mapping customer journeys for my clients, but for my consulting business, I haven’t gotten around to it yet. But it is on my to-do list. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 1, 2019

A1: I’m retweaking our sequences to get things going again. Long overdue. #contentchat
— Jennifer Navarrete (@epodcaster) July 1, 2019

A1: We should, to be frank(furter). But we haven’t. Why? I’m not sure. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) July 1, 2019

Alek Irvin