Content Conversations

Conversations and resources for small business, startup, and solopreneur content marketing and social media.

57 Content Chat MVPs to Follow to Make Your Twitter Feed a Better and Smarter Place

December 11, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Over the years, #ContentChat has fostered a community of incredibly savvy communicators involved in arenas across the content marketing spectrum. Outside our Monday meetups, these pros engage with one another to share ideas, helping us all learn ways to reach our audiences in more authentic, effective and innovative ways.

If your Twitter feed has hit a lull or you’re looking to turn your feed into a non-stop river of resources and tips for how you can step up your content marketing game, check out our #ContentChat MVPs that will make your feed a better and smarter place:

@Alcrump12 Alex Crump
1. Alex shares a fun mix of pop culture, podcast and marketing content, and she was even a judge for this year’s Content Marketing Awards!
@AllisonRyder Allison Ryder
1. Allison tweets about tech and business, video & content and miscellaneous photos from her travels.
@AmywHiggins Amy Higgins
1. Amy’s active in content and SEO, and you can count on her for great articles in her Artistic Bytes roundup.
@ATXCopyWriter Kristen Hicks
1. Kristen blends topics related to current real-world issues, entertainment culture and marketing resources to keep you up on professional and personal topics (including horror movies!).
@Aubrey__Harper Aubrey Harper
1. Aubrey’s feed is a great reminder to focus on the human element of marketing and to sacrifice quantity over quality any day. She is also great for tips on managing a B2B blog.
@Avtar_Madan Avtar Madan
1. Avtar shares a delightful mix of tech news, resources for marketers and commentary on world happenings.
@Baker_Rithms Jeff Baker
1. Jeff joined #ContentChat as to discuss the intersection of design and content, and his feed can keep you up on that, as well as things related to SEO, keyword research and more.
@BerrakBiz Berrak Sarikaya
1. As said by Berrak herself, you can expect daily life musings, anything related to writing and marketing and miscellaneous observations when you follow.
@BillSkowronski Bill Skowronski
1. Bill is looped in with great tips from several Twitter chats and shares great resources for companies in the nonprofit space.
@Brafton Brafton
1. This agency’s Twitter is full of great visuals, including infographics, memes and gifs that can break the sea of text on your feed.
@BRAVOMedia1 Debi Norton
1. If you’re in search of SEO resources, Debi’s your go-to-gal.
@BruceDesch Bruce Deschamps
1. Brush up your social media knowledge by following Bruce. He shares the latest news from all channels and formats (including video), and shares some great insights from #SMEchat.
@B2the7 Bernie Fussenegger
1. Bernie’s feed is always packed with great resources on everything from types of leadership, how to turn your email list into cash and ways to unlock the full potential of your content.
@CaitlinMarie89 Caitlin Kinser
1. Caitlin’s feed is full of live tweets from events she attends and tips for using social media to its fullest potential.
@CarmenHill Carmen Hill
1. Carmen snagged the #CMWorld Community Champion Award this year and her Twitter feed lives up to the hype. She’s always engaging with folks in the space and sharing great resources to keep us all at the top of our game.
@CHARGEgoforward Charge Go Forward
1. This agency is always full of fun gifs and great insights from their client experience during our #ContentChat, and their feed highlights great sports and entertainment marketing and sponsorship tips and case studies.
@ChristinaMHager Christina Hager
1. Christina will keep you up on current events, issues related to women in business, and ways to supercharge your social strategy.
@ChrlieChaz Jen Brass Jenkins
1. Jen shares great articles to keep you on top of your marketing game, and her Instagram that autoposts to her Twitter is full of great travel pics. Did we mention the cat content, too?
@DerekPillie Derek Pillie
1. This is Derek’s profile dedicated to his interest in customer experience and data-driven service solutions and he’s constantly engaging with others in the space.
@DominicGarcia Dominic Garcia
1. Dominic is a #ContentChat and #CMWorld loyalist and is constantly engaging with the communities during the chats since he’s well versed in all things content marketing!
@DSimanoff David Simanoff
1. David is a #ContentChat favorite for his great collaboration with other participants, and you can follow him for insights from other chats, including the CMI #CMWorld chat.
@Epodcaster Jennifer Navarrete
1. If you’re into podcasts, you don’t want to miss out on Jennifer. Her feed is also full of personal thoughts and updates so you can keep up with her daily happenings.
@HeavyMetalMG Mike Goldberg
1. At #ContentChat we can always rely on Mike for top notch gifs, and in the downtime you can rely on him for great marketing articles and WWE gifs.
@Ideakid88 Wayne Hendry
1. Wayne helps SMBs grow and shares great content related to customer service, social media and more.
@InkandCopy Masooma Memon
1. Masooma’s feed is full of great quotes, “Did you know” and tip style posts that are easy to digest while you’re on the go.
@JasonLWebb Jason Webb
1. As a copywriter, Jason engages his followers by posting real-world examples of wins and flops.
@JesseGhiorzi Jesse Ghiorzi
1. Jesse blends sports with marketing for a fun feed sprinkled with tips for PR pros.
@JMattMke Jeffrey “JMatt” Matthias
1. JMatt joined us as an expert on gifs and his feed does not disappoint.
@Jonas419 Dan Goldberg
1. Dan is tuned into #HootChat and #CMWorld providing great insight on social media and marketing.
@JoshMcCormack Josh McCormack
1. On top of book reviews, Josh engages with his followers on topics related to social media and customer engagement.
@Kathrynclang Kathryn Lang
1. Kathryn’s looped in with some Twitter chats like #USABizParty, #LinkedInChat and #DaretoBe that could link you to your next best business contacts.
@KaylaNaab Kayla Naab
1. Kayla’s looped in with a few great Twitter chats, including #SEMRushchat, #BizGalz and #IntrovertsTalkBiz, providing high quality content from a variety of groups.
@KMullett Kevin Mullett
1. A self-proclaimed geek, Kevin’s great for all things SEO, social media, and UX, and he also shares great photography for a break from the marketing grind.
@Lttlewys Brandie McCallum
1. Brandie is not only great for social media and advertising news and stats, but if you’re ever in Tampa her feed is full of fun things to do in the area.
@_MariaMarchewka Maria Marchewka
1. Maria is social media savvy and provides great dialogue in a variety of Twitter chats on the topic.
@MartinLieberman Martin Lieberman
1. Martin’s feed is a fun mix of marketing, pop culture and mainstream news on some of the biggest companies around. He’s also a resource on in-house ghostwriting!
@McGuireDavid David McGuire
1. A copywriting pro, David regularly shares tips and resources for you to hone your editorial skills.
@MDigitalPatrick Patrick Delehanty
1. Patrick’s all about the data and showing ways it can help you optimize your content marketing efforts.
@MeetEdgar Meet Edgar
1. The social media solution provider is always lively during our chats and has a steady cadence of content to answer all your questions about social media.
@MonicalNorton Monica Norton
1. This former journalist shares great articles related to gender and business, customer experience, and street art in SF’s Tenderloin!
@OscarCharlieUK Oscar Charlie
1. This steady Twitter feed has a focus on social media and ways that technologies like AI and blockchain are shaping its future.
@PathFactory PathFactory
1. This B2B marketing data platform shares great case studies from some of the world’s biggest brands.
@PisaRose Shelly Lucas
1. Shelly isn’t afraid to get technical, and her tweets often lend insight on emerging technologies and the impact they will have on our world (and how we market within it).
@PRisUs Michelle Garrett
1. Michelle is great with sharing case studies and real-world examples of great marketing and PR at work, and often points us to great resources during our #ContentChat.
@PwrDigMarketing Power Digital Marketing
1. This marketing agency hosts a podcast called “Flip the Switch”, pulling in great guests to discuss everything from marketing to leadership skills.
@QuickMuse Ken Gordon
1. Ken poses many great questions to his followers, looping them in on topics related to the latest book he’s reading or tech update or innovation he’s heard of.
@RandyFrisch Randy Frisch
1. Randy joined #ContentChat to discuss how to create a more compelling content experience, and his feed is a deep dive on the topic.
@RebekahLMeyer Rebekah Meyer
1. Rebekah helps you align your business goals with your marketing goals, and often posts about topics related to SEO from #SEOChat!
@ShawnPaulWood Shawn Paul Wood
1. On top of great sports content, Shawn participates in a handful of Twitter chats like #AdweekChat and #SproutChat to give you great tips.
@SittingPretty61 Dr. Dorrie Cooper
1. Dorrie puts her background as a psychotherapist to its best use by sharing articles related to company culture, as well as great reads on SEO, social media skills, and the overlap of PR and marketing.
@SpiceDebbie Debbie Schwake
1. Debbie pulls great quotes from helpful articles and conferences, and she can be seen as a resource for topics related customer experience.
@SqueezeCMM SqueezeCMM
1. This solution provider keeps an eye on targeting buyers and keeps you in the loop on ways to best track them throughout their journey.
@SuperDeluxeMo Maureen Jann
1. Mo has her finger on the pulse of the Seattle startup scene and is a #ContentChat loyalist that always points us to the best examples and resources for our topics.
@TheJoelTruth Joel Schwartzberg
1. This seasoned speech coach can help you refine your presentations for a flawless delivery.
@TodCordill Tod Cordill
1. Follow for the marketing puns and stay for the smart summaries of several Twitter chats.
@WrittenbyEmilie Emilie Moreland
1. Emilie is constantly sharing great stats and resources for you to improve your blogging, including the role of SEO, and as an avid reader you may find your next favorite book thanks to her!
@YoungP2 Paul Young
1. Paul brings a mix of tech news, Dell happenings and great hiking shots to add some nature to your feed.

December 3, 2018 Content Chat Recap: How to Drive Organic Growth Through Content Marketing

December 10, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Content plays a vital role in connecting consumers with brands, but simply pushing out random acts of content won’t drive company growth. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Noah Kalson (@noahkalson), head of organic and growth marketing at Tailor Brands (@TailorBrands), to discuss how you can drive organic growth through your content marketing strategies.

Q1: We keep reading that content marketing is dead. Convince us otherwise!

Content marketing is far from dead. Content is the link that connects you with your audiences, and without it, they would probably never find you.

People say content marketing’s dead b/c they’re not really doing it! They’re using content for marketing purposes, which is completely different. Content marketing is about creating content assets that are aimed @ a clearly defined audience, not multiple audiences. #ContentChat
— Noah Kalson (@noahkalson) December 3, 2018

A1: While #contentmarketing may no longer be the trendy new topic everyone is talking about, brands are continuing to invest in it because it is consistently showing positive business results over time. #ContentChat https://t.co/viXVxhun1X
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) December 3, 2018

Hardly anything declared dead is dead. Print isn’t dead. Email isn’t and neither is content marketing. #ContentChat
— Christoph Trappe (@CTrappe) December 3, 2018

A1. Content marketing is FAR from dead! Content marketing is great for SEO, it educates, informs and entertains your audience (and shows you off as an industry expert). Content provides value for your audience which builds trust in your brand #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) December 3, 2018

A1: Content marketing is far from dead! If anything, it’s grown into something a little different from its start with more social traction. People want more authenticity and a look into how brands are operating, and content marketing is the way to do it! #ContentChat
— Click Ctrl Marketing (@ClkContrl) December 3, 2018

You could maybe argue that the term ‘content marketing’ has lost some allure. But that’s simply because ‘content’ and ‘marketing’ have converged. Today, content IS marketing. Content shape-shifts into many different forms & is fuel at every stage of the buyer journey #ContentChat
— @matchacontent (@matchacontent) December 3, 2018

A1. Absolutely not. We need content for organic visibility, without it, we may not as well exist because content attracts, informs, and converts our target audiences. If you don’t have it, search engines can’t find it, and searchers can’t find you. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 3, 2018

WHAT? Who said content marketing is dead? LOL — the KING is dead? It was king, now it’s dead – hogwash – -never. Content marketing has never been dead even before it was content marketing#ContentChat
— Ivana Taylor (@DIYMarketers) December 3, 2018

Again, the emphasis is on your audience and creating assets that are of value to them.

A1. It’s not possible for content marketing to be dead. Buyers need to make informed choices and it’s content that educates them! I think the focus is shifting from content creation to being smarter about how we deliver and measure it. #contentchat pic.twitter.com/dfbeDKOHxi
— PathFactory (@pathfactory) December 3, 2018

A1: I don’t even know where to start. Content marketing is the KEY to creating meaningful interactions between brands and potential customers. Provide value. Always. #ContentChat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) December 3, 2018

A1 You mean consistently delivering valuable insights to build and serve an audience over time is dead? News to me. #contentmarketing #contentchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) December 3, 2018

A1: Content marketing is certainly not dead in our eyes. As long as people search the web, Google maps, on social media, for information, for ideas, for educational assets, etc. content will be there to guide them to brands, products, and services. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) December 3, 2018

A1: It is alive and well and even more important when you know who your customer is so that you can deliver content that is more personalized and 1:1 – use data and insights on your customer to deliver content and experience on your channels #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) December 3, 2018

Content marketing also blends with other vital functions in your organization.

Not to mention #contentmarketing integrates nicely with #PR & #socialmedia. Not at all dead. #contentchat https://t.co/RymmNi9uY1
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) December 3, 2018

If you need evidence, look at the data and case studies of content marketing success.

Might be a little bias in this as it’s Hubspot, but lots of great data here showing more content = more leads / conversions. #ContentChat https://t.co/nlxYACvumH
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) December 3, 2018

A1: For #SMBs, the best example of how to use content marketing is @RiverPoolsBlog. He created a blog with a single focus – to be the go-to place for info about fiberglass swimming pools. That blog helped him skyrocket his business to the no.1 spot in the U.S. #ContentChat https://t.co/L2yrXfPdkI
— Noah Kalson (@noahkalson) December 3, 2018

November 26, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Best Practices for Using Social Media to Promote Your Content

December 3, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Social media can give your content the exposure it needs to drive actual results for your company, but navigating the multitude of channels can be an extensive exercise in trial-and-error. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Laura Roeder (@lkr), founder of Meet Edgar (@MeetEdgar), to discuss everything you need to know about using social media to promote your content.

Q1: What social media channels are the best for promoting written content?

The ideal channel will depend on your audience. Pay attention to the sites they use and how they like to consume content on those sites.

A1. It’s important to know your audience, no matter what content. Pay attention to what channels they like best. But overall without knowing your audience Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are great for written content. Pinterest too depending on your topic #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

A1: I think that “best social media channels” is a deeply subjective question… and it elicits the dreaded “it depends” answer. What works best for us is twitter and LinkedIn because our market actually sees them due to employee and partner sharing. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) November 26, 2018

#contentchat A1
The channels you choose for promotion depends less on the type of media (written/graphic/video) and more on the audience. Where do your users spend their time? https://t.co/1HbccvVNhp
— K. (@KaylaNaab) November 26, 2018

A1: I think it depends on the type of written content we are talking about. Different audiences on different social platforms want different kinds of written content #ContentChat
— Alex Crump (@alcrump12) November 26, 2018

A1: As with most channels and content, it is best to know where your customers are, what channels they are using and then develop the content for them in that format/channel. Each channel will have it limitations so each needs a goal to be planned for differently #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) November 26, 2018

Different companies will find their audiences react to content differently across channels.

A1: For us and most of our clients, Twitter is tops. For B2B, Linkedin is pretty strong as well. Facebook has gotten less and less important. Reddit is a slept on but smart place to promote written content depending on your industry. #contentchat
— CHARGE (@CHARGEgoforward) November 26, 2018

A1: Twitter and LinkedIn are great for us for promoting blog posts as they tend to be more educational/professional development in nature. FB is good for informational downloads as those tend to be more general public-facing. #contentchat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) November 26, 2018

It depends on where your audience is! We love LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Pinterest in some cases. Facebook is certainly falling off for most of our B2B clients. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) November 26, 2018

If you can, look at hard data to guide your strategy.

Yes! Tracking the performance of different content asset, formats, etc on each channel can give you great insight into what works. You can even just use a spreadsheet to track and see patterns. #contentchat
— SqueezeCMM (@SqueezeCMM) November 26, 2018

Facebook especially has changed in value over the years. As the algorithms change, video content and groups may be your best bet to reach new audiences. If you choose to develop a group, ensure it stays active by assigning a moderator that can keep engaging with the group.

A2b. With that being said, algorithms are changing now. Facebook especially, is prioritizing video content so you want to really focus on headlines and images in addition to great content. #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

I’ve found that using videos or infographics on Facebook that connect to/compliment the written content and can get attention to direct to the content on our site is a strong strategy. #contentchat
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) November 26, 2018

Agreed on Facebook. there’s a place for it but it’s harder than ever to be seen organically, especially for written content! #contentchat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

A1. I feel that Facebook’s changing algorithm has made it fruitless when it comes to promoting content organically. But groups earn good points when it comes to promoting content. Been hearing Pinterest is excellent for driving traffic and promoting content though. #ContentChat
— Masooma // Content Writer (@inkandcopy) November 26, 2018

Absolutely, you can make Facebook work if you study the algorithm. They LOVE videos these days! #contentchat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

That’s been my ongoing advice for clients… if you want to use Facebook to reach your audience, build or participate in active communities. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) November 26, 2018

Love Facebook groups! I think they’ve been a great solution to the decline in organic reach on Facebook. #ContentChat
— Laura Roeder (@lkr) November 26, 2018

Facebook groups are either too quiet or too noisy for me. Either nothing happening, or all the notifications all the time. I guess finding a stable balance is hard – especially if you want to grow a community. #contentchat
— David McGuire (@McGuireDavid) November 26, 2018

November 19, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Building an Effective Guest Blogging Program

November 25, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Running a blog can quickly become resource intensive, especially if your team hasn’t first taken the proper planning steps. Scrambling to push out content, some teams may default to inviting guest bloggers to fill the content gap. While this can be a great idea, it’s not the best for every blog, and not every guest blogger is a fit for your brand.

In this #ContentChat, we explore how to tell when your blog is ready for guest bloggers, and how to approach the relationship.

As we gather for #ContentChat please introduce yourself and share your experience with guest blogging.
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

Q1: When is a blog ready to start inviting guest bloggers to contribute?

Your team first needs to develop the objectives and goals for your blog before you can bring on guests (we explored how to start your planning in this content chat). Also, ensure you have an established brand voice to find contributors that complement this.

A1: Everyone hates this answer, but, it depends. Specifically, it depends on the objective and goals you have for your blog. For most of my/client blogs, I’ve waited until the site had a well-defined editorial voice before inviting guests. #ContentChat https://t.co/1IYNGsSS3I
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

A1. Once you have a clear voice, message and direction for your blog. It’s important to really establish the mission of the blog before inviting others to contribute or else it feels all over the place! #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) November 19, 2018

A1: A blog is ready for guest bloggers when it has defined it’s voice and brand so it knows what guests will be a fit.#ContentChat https://t.co/rtTxfMUqB1
— Kathryn Lang (@Kathrynclang) November 19, 2018

Double check your blog traffic to make sure that you are already meeting your goals and that there is a value for any guest contributors.

It definitely does. After all, have you really defined and honed your editorial voice if no one is engaging with your content? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

A1: I guess the answer really depends on the blog or site and what the goals are for that blog. Does it have a good following and how are they promoting of the blogs/content out to other channels? Plus, is the blog content of interest to others to want to contribute? #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) November 19, 2018

A1b: However, we also need to look at it from the guest blogger’s POV. If you have a domain authority of 1, for example, what’s in it for the blogger? #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 19, 2018

To make a long story short, Tod recaps it well:

Lessons learned on #ContentChat: A blog is ready for guest bloggers when it has:
(1) Defined Goals,
(2) Defined Audience,
(3) Defined Voice and POV, and
(4) Traffic that interests guests.
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) November 19, 2018

November 12, 2018 Content Chat Recap: A User-Generated Content (UGC) Primer

November 18, 2018 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

User-generated content often lends authenticity to your brand and its messages, but there is a right and wrong way to approach UGC. In this #ContentChat, we were joined by Olga Egorsheva (@egolya) to weigh the pros, cons, and pitfalls of a UGC strategy.

Q1: What is user-generated content (UGC)?

UGC is anything your audience creates that showcases your brand, most often online (but it can be offline as well). Think everything from photos and videos to comments and reviews.

#UGC is any content created by everyday users. It doesn’t have to always be branded and often times works a lot better when it’s not.
All the photos and videos you post daily on #Instagram, #Facebook, #Youtube etc is all considered #usergeneratedcontent #ContentChat
— Olga Egorsheva (@egolya) November 12, 2018

A1: User-generated content is any piece of content that was created by users of a website or platform for the benefit of the user community and their needs. #ContentChat
— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) November 12, 2018

A1) it’s content generated by consumers that marketers hope will provide positive consumer advocacy for the brand. #contentchat
— Jenn 💙💖⚪️💖💙 (@Renoe) November 12, 2018

A1: UGC is any content created and submitted by your audience, like blog comments, product reviews or testimonials, and more. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) November 12, 2018

A1 #UGC is when your brand’s fans create and share content that showcases your brand. This happens frequently through social media channels, but can happen offline as well. #contentchat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) November 12, 2018

A1. I would say that there are two types of user-generated content. The first is anything created by someone outside your organization that reflects on your brand. The second, which is more powerful, is content co-created with your users and the general public. #UGC #ContentChat https://t.co/ZrX2Ggm6iq
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) November 12, 2018

A1. UGC is content created by consumers/users. It’s anything from product photos shared from a buyer or reviews on Yelp or testimonials. It just has to come from the end user. #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) November 12, 2018