Erika Heald Marketing Consulting

Content marketing that drives business results

Content Conversations

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

Is It Time For a LinkedIn Personal Brand Refresh?

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The potential value of social media for both personal and professional reasons is hard to deny given its ease of access and billions of global users. Through social media, people can connect easier than ever, share ideas and content at a massive scale, and build their professional brand to unlock new business opportunities.

But, all too often, content marketing professionals join a social network with the best intentions and eagerness tap into these benefits, are active for a week or maybe a few months, and then let the account sit for eternity (or until the site deletes it like Twitter does.)

You may never think twice about those inactive accounts, but they can actually hinder your personal brand. At their best, outdated profiles are confusing and potentially annoying for customers, clients, or colleagues that were hoping to reach you on that site. At their worst, these dormant profiles can lead to lost connections and business opportunities.

While it’s not necessary—and probably not recommended—for you to be on every social media channel, it is important for you to at least maintain your brand on the channels you are on. And many business professionals find LinkedIn to be most beneficial for personal branding, given its unique profile elements that are meant for showcasing professional roles and achievements.

With that in mind, let’s explore how to put your best foot forward on social media, the core elements of a LinkedIn profile, and how you can use each section to maximize your branding potential.

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Employee Experience: Taking a Page from the Customer Experience Playbook

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Companies across industries are racing to provide the ultimate customer experience, with many viewing it as the main battleground for earning today’s business.

The investment is paying off for brands that are transforming their customer experiences—companies on average report a 4% higher revenue growth, complemented by a 1.9x higher year-over-year growth in customer retention, repeat purchases, and average order value compared to businesses that are not investing in the customer experience.

These results are not easily earned, however, and the process involves advanced data analysis to track the customer journey and optimize each step. Often, there are three or more pre-purchase customer touchpoints that marketers have to track, and purchase cycles can easily take more than four months for some industries.

Despite these hurdles, companies are doing everything they can to win on the customer experience. But what if companies applied these same strategies to transforming another key experience in a company—the employee experience? In many cases, a company’s employees are not receiving the same focus as the customers, and it’s hurting your bottom line.

To truly be future-ready, companies must invest in both the customer and the employee experience to reach optimal business performance. Luckily, you can take a page from the customer experience playbook to transform your employee experience.

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The Savvy Marketer’s Guide to Finding, Joining, And Mastering Twitter Chats

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Recently, an acquaintance was confiding in me that she just didn’t get Twitter. That it felt so much less personal than Instagram. “I mean, how do you actually find your tribe there??” she asked. My answer? Twitter chats.

While Twitter chats don’t have the sexy sheen of being the latest bright shiny object in the marketer’s toolbox, they can still be an excellent time investment. But don’t expect to just jump into a chat, drop a bunch of your links, and check Twitter chats off your to-do list. The real value comes in those relationships you build over time by participating in chats.

That’s why I’ve distilled my decade of Twitter chat participation, and three-and-a-half years of moderating #ContentChat into this post, with a few key learnings to help you make the most of your next Twitter chat.

The Benefits of Joining a Twitter Chat

“How am I supposed to make time for a Twitter chat when I have a full plate at work?!” Great question. Most marketers face this dilemma in trying to maintain an active—or really any— regular presence on chats.

The blunt answer: You have to make time for Twitter chats if you want to reap the benefits, which are often well worth the investment.

That is not to say you should drop your work commitments to join any and every Twitter chat, nor do you have to attend a chat every single week. Even a once or twice a month Twitter chat participation is enough to keep your image up with your chosen community.

Now, back to the benefits. Just a few ways that Twitter chats are valuable for brands and marketers’ professional development include:

  • Build your network: A core benefit of Twitter chats is the opportunity to network with other like-minded professionals. But these chats are far more valuable than the typical “meet, greet, exchange business cards” cycle seen at traditional networking events. It’s common to see many deep-rooted relationships form in Twitter chats, with those interactions evolving into business opportunities outside the Twitterverse.
  • Access to a global audience: Unlike in-person events or local meetups, Twitter chats can be joined from anywhere in the world. That means you’ll interact with other pros around the globe, bringing unique perspectives you probably would not find elsewhere.
  • Establish or bolster thought leadership: Some Twitter chat topics may be outside your wheelhouse, meaning you’ll probably take the backseat on the convo and let others drive the conversation. On weeks where you’re well versed in the topic, though, it’s a chance to share tips and tricks, and further position yourself as an expert (and possible thought leader) in the space.
  • Perform at your best: Twitter chats are designed to give you the tips, tricks, and recommendations you need to stay on top of your game. Chats are a great place to step out of your bubble to see how your peers are tackling problems and the tools they’re using to help.

Now that you’re sold on the benefits of Twitter chats for either your personal account or your company’s brand account, let’s explore how to find the right Twitter chat for you.

How to Find Relevant Twitter Chats

The full range of value you unlock will depend on which chat(s) you choose to join and how often you can dedicate to attending. This means you have to do your homework to find the right Twitter chats to join.

Here are the main ways to find the right Twitter chats for you:

  • Search #TwitterChat: Many hosts promote their chats with #TwitterChat, so searching that hashtag will help you identify a lot of chats. The downside is that this can be time-intensive to sift through them all, which is why more targeted efforts may be preferred.
  • Ask your network for Twitter chat recommendations: When people like a Twitter chat, they usually aren’t quiet about it. Post on your networks asking what chats your network recommends, and be specific about the topics you’re looking for. This can get you more tailored and pre-vetted recommendations, versus stepping into a chat without any background.
  • Google “Twitter chats for [your interest/industry/needs here]”: When in doubt, Google is always there to help you find your Twitter chats, usually through someone’s roundup blog post where they share their favorites.

Twitter Chats for Content Marketers

The #ContentChat community highly recommends these Twitter chats:

#CMWorld, Tuesdays at 9 a.m. PT

Hosted by the Content Marketing Institute, #CMWorld joins some of the top marketers across industries to discuss all things content marketing. Past chat topics have included the intersection of content marketing and branded content, achieving small business goals with content, and the role of privacy in marketing. I’ve participated in this chat since its inception and have learned a ton and made some great friends here over the years.

#ContentChat, Mondays at noon PT

I took over #ContentChat more than three years ago, and this community of content creators and content marketers join to share our challenges and best practices for solving them. You can see past chat recaps here, which include discussions of how to put your ideal customer at the center of your content marketing planning process and how to get the most out of attending an industry conference. I’m obviously biased on this, but I think #ContentChat has one of the most welcoming communities, making it a great place to start!

#Digital360Chat, Fridays at 9 a.m. PT

This chat is hosted by another friend of #ContentChat, Bernie Fussenegger (@B2the7), and covers topics around digital, social, marketing, and the customer. Past chats have covered the importance of relationship marketing, how to use email marketing to build customer loyalty, and how to engage with customers through native apps.

#FreelanceChat, Thursdays at 9 a.m. PT

Led by my friend and frequent #ContentChat participant Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs), #FreelanceChat is focused on helping freelancers better manage their businesses and navigate the unique hurdles of freelancing, plus all the great general marketing and content topics you need to perform at your best.

#SEMRushChat, Wednesdays at 8 a.m. PT

Another brand-sponsored chat, #SEMRushChat is hosted by SEMrush, a leader in SEO best practices. The chat focuses on all things SEO in content marketing, including how to write explosive content and how podcasts can be used to boost business results.

#TacoChat, Tuesdays at 11 p.m. PT

What started as a simple GIF choice in a #ContentChat reply sparked a lively discussion of the marketing community’s love for tacos, and found new life in #TacoChat, created and hosted by The Karcher Group. While you can expect some taco talk and puns, the chat also discusses important marketing topics like how to manage email marketing campaigns, ways to approach influencer marketing, and how to build an online community.

Take The Twitter Chat Plunge

You’ve put together a shortlist of chats, and put them into your calendar—now what? Make a point to join in a few of the chats and see how it goes. Much like company culture, Twitter chats have their own unique culture and you’ll want to spend a few weeks getting a feel for a chat before deciding if you want to invest more time in it.

If you get a feeling that a particular chat—despite how popular it is with your peers—may not be a fit for you, that’s OK! Trust your gut and keep searching. You can always come back to the chat later to give it another shot.

By doing this, you should be able to identify 1-2 chats you’d like to start joining on a regular basis.

A Dozen Do’s and Don’ts of Being a Fantastic Twitter Chat Participant

OK, you’ve identified your top chats and are ready to try them out. Certain communities will have their own quirks and styles you’ll need to adjust to—like whether responding via GIF is acceptable—but there are a few core do’s and don’ts to follow. Here’s how to put your best foot forward on any chat you join.

DO: 

  • Do introduce yourself when you join: While many hosts will have an icebreaker question for participants, it’s good practice to start a chat by introducing yourself with a brief description of what you do.
  • Do regularly drop in to the chat, even if you can’t stay the full time: Any efforts to stay active on a chat are appreciated, even if it’s just a quick “Hi everyone, sorry I can’t join today but I can’t wait to check out the recap!” By keeping a semi-regular presence on the chat, it can preserve your position as a recognized member and keep you somewhat in the know on the group happenings.
  • Do format your answers accordingly: Use the chat hashtag for all of your answers, along with some marker of “A1” or “A2” so other participants know what question you’re addressing. You can also quote Tweet the question for additional context for your followers. I often see chat newbies reply to others’ answers without using the hashtag, which limits its visibility to the other chat participants.
  • Do use standalone examples: Whenever possible, point to real examples of challenges you’ve faced and the lessons you learned. Provide enough context so that other participants can understand your example without needing to be versed in the company or industry involved. And even if they love you, it’s unlikely they remember that blog post you wrote last Decade on the topic—be ready with your TL&DR.
  • Do interact with other participants: Some of the best insights from Twitter chats come when the participants interact with one another, versus just sending their response to the current question and standing by for the next. Build on the tweets from the other guests, ask them follow-up questions if their responses pique your interest, or answer questions they may have asked the community in their answers.
  • Do suggest topics or guest speakers to the chat moderator: If you have a topic you’d love for your community to explore, or if you know of an expert who could provide a lot of value for the audience, let your moderator know. Chat guest and topic ideas are always welcome. That said, you will want to message them outside of the normal chat window to start the conversation since they’ll be a little busy during the chat.

DON’T: 

  • Don’t link back to something on your site in every question: There are few faster ways to tarnish your reputation (and maybe even get you banned from a Twitter chat) than being overly self-promotional in a chat. There are certainly times to share your work, but it must fit under the context “here is a lesson I learned” or “I am directly answering the question to share a certain type of content,” not “this article I wrote five years ago answers your question, go read it during this hour-long Twitter chat.”
  • Don’t rephrase someone else’s answer as your own: It’s common for similar answers to bubble up during a chat, but it’s the positioning that matters. If you see another participant Tweet an answer similar to what you’re drafting, simply respond to their Tweet to express your agreement, or mention “similar to other folks in the chat” to start your answer.
  • Don’t cite statistics without linking to the source: Marketers are constantly working with data, and it’s great to share relevant industry stats during chats. That said, sources for stats should be cited, or if you’re unsure of an exact figure, say so (or say nothing at all). It’s perfectly OK to come back to a chat later to link to relevant data sources.
  • Don’t use the chat hashtag for a long side conversation mid-chat: Sub conversations are natural to come up during a chat—and I’ve certainly started a few in my time! But it’s important to stay focused on the question set so that the whole community can benefit from the allotted time. If you find yourself in a conversation that has taken on a life of its own during the chat, it’s good Twitiquette to remove the hashtag so that the feed isn’t diluted for the other participants.
  • Don’t attack other users: This should go without saying, but, alas, many people do not know how to be responsible and considerate e-citizens. Disagreements will probably arise on a Twitter chat, especially if it’s set up to encourage dialogue (which it should be). But it’s never OK to harass or demean other chat participants. If you have a hard time with this, Twitter chats probably aren’t for you.
  • Don’t feel like you need to answer every question: It’s best to only answer questions where you can provide some legitimate value for the other participants. If you do not have experience with a question’s topic, it’s OK to sit it out and simply read the responses to learn more. Then, if you’d like, you can aggregate the responses you’ve seen and do a recap-like answer, positioning as “Per the other respondents, it looks like.. [layer answers with @ mentions of users who gave them].”

Again, each individual Twitter chat community will have its own, often unwritten, code of conduct to follow, so look to the chat moderator and established regulars for models of what is/is not acceptable. If this list is missing one of your top do’s and don’ts of Twitter chats, share them in the comments below.

Take on A Bigger Role: Pitch Yourself as A Twitter Chat Guest

Once you join chats regularly, build relationships with the community, and get a grasp on the potential dizzying pace of the chats, you’ll really start to see the benefits of Twitter chats take form. From here, you may wonder how you can take your Twitter chat activity to the next level.

The easiest way to upgrade your presence is by being a guest expert on one of your favorite chats, or a chat whose audience could benefit from your expertise. Now, “the easiest way” is far from actually being easy, but it is the most logical next step in your Twitter chat progression.

To pitch yourself as a guest for a chat, simply reach out to that chat host outside the typical chat timeframe. Some chats will have guest intake forms (like this one for #ContentChat), too, which are an alternate way to get in front of the host.

Elements of the Perfect twitter Chat Pitch

When pitching yourself as a guest for a Twitter chat, follow these best practices to keep the pitch compelling:

  • Keep your topic narrow: You need to pitch a topic that can be explored to a satisfactory level in six to eight questions over the course of an hour. That means, “how to do marketing,” is too broad, but “how to do marketing automation for SMBs” or “identifying community influencers for your brand” are fantastic topics to pitch.
  • Be ready for on-the-fly questions: Whatever you pitch, you need to be well-versed enough in the topic to answer people’s questions during the chat. It’s OK to say “I’ll get back to you” on a few deeper-dive questions, but you need to be comfortable and confident enough to talk freely on the topic in the moment.
  • Have at least three audience takeaways: Guests need to be able to provide legitimate value for the audience, instead of joining just to self promote. When you make your pitch, call out at least three specific takeaways you intend the audience to get from your chat. Then make sure to follow through with them during the actual chat.
  • Don’t flake: As a Twitter chat host, it’s incredibly annoying to spend the time coming up with questions and promoting someone’s guest slot on the chat only to have them flake at the last minute. If you think you may flake on the chat, or you are not in control of your time at work, do not pitch yourself as a guest. It’s that easy.

If you are chosen to be a guest on the chat, promote the chat on your channels, and take your time in drafting or reviewing the chat questions. Work alongside the chat host to ensure you have a question set that will be great for that community.

Should You Start Your Own Twitter Chat?

Once you’ve mastered being a Twitter chat participant and have tried out guest hosting a few times, you may feel compelled to start your own Twitter chat. Or, your boss may want your company to start a Twitter chat to build your brand’s online community.

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before starting a new Twitter chat:

  • Do I have the time to host a regular Twitter chat?
  • What is the marketing goal of this Twitter chat?
  • Who is the audience this Twitter chat will serve?
  • Are there other Twitter chats that cater to this audience?
  • What topics will this Twitter chat explore that will enable us to generate topic ideas for an entire year?

Common Twitter Chat Challenges

If you’re able to answer all of the above and have confidence in your approach, next consider these hurdles you will face in starting your own Twitter chat:

  • Time intensiveness: You will need to dedicate time for planning a regular stream of chats, including drafting compelling question sets for each, and the appropriate promotion. If you want to succeed, this will include time to solicit feedback from your audience, review any guest speaker submissions, and possibly even draft recaps of each of your chats.
  • Audience development: Building an audience for your chat will be difficult, especially since many users already have their favorite chats that they attend. This is why you need to address an unmet need in the Twitter chat space to draw folks to your community or have a well-established brand and Twitter following.
  • Scheduling woes: Most timeslots for Twitter chats already have a multitude of other chats you’ll be competing with. Putting your new chat up against an established chat makes it tough for you to find your audience.
  • Navigating a crowded space: Because there are so many other Twitter chats, you’ll need to hit promotion hard. The problem is that as Twitter continues to change how your feed is structured, it becomes harder for users to see your posts unless they are actually searching for the hashtag. Gone are the days where a chronological feed made it very clear when a chat was happening.

When a Twitter Party May Be the Answer

For most people, starting a Twitter chat probably is not the most effective marketing move given these considerations. This is not to discourage the creation of new chat communities. Rather, it’s just an acknowledgment that Twitter chats take a significant investment, and risk, that many individuals and companies cannot afford. There is always the chance that no one will show up to your chat, so hosts have to be determined in finding the right topics and promoting the chat to draw a crowd.

You may find these other options to be more advantageous for your company instead of the significant investment of starting a Twitter chat:

  • Sponsor an existing chat: Even though Hootsuite has its own Twitter chat (#HootChat) the brand sponsors #TwitterSmarter by having one of their team members join each week, and a specific “Ask @Hootsuite” question is included in the #TwitterSmarter question set (check out this one as an example).
  • Host a Twitter party: The key to Twitter chats is the regular cadence. But if you want to drum up activity on social media on an ad-hoc basis, consider hosting Twitter parties. They’re a great opportunity to engage influencers and fans on some new offering or topic, and they spare you the ongoing commitment of a Twitter Chat. You can learn more about whether your brand should throw a Twitter party here.

If you or your team are determined to launch a Twitter chat, though, start back with the initial thought-starter questions as the framework to get your plan on a page.

Find Your New Twitter Family

Once you start to settle into your Twitter chat groove and cement yourself as an active member in your chosen communities, you’ll start to see just how small the world truly is.

Joining a Twitter chat is more than a commitment to participating on Twitter. It truly opens you up to a whole new world of professional opportunities, connections, and people who are likely going to take a much larger role in your life than you could ever expect. You’ll start to see the same folks across chats, at your favorite events, or even as the byline on that marketing article you just read.

I’ve met future clients, colleagues, and even a few IRL BFFs thanks to being part of the same Twitter chat communities.

You won’t regret taking the jump into Twitter chats. And I hope, with all the recommendations and tips above, you’ll be primed for success.

If you want a friendly place to start, join #ContentChat weekly on Mondays at noon Pacific/ 3 p.m. Eastern. Let us know if it’s your first time and we’ll take even greater care of you, I promise.

18 Content Creation Tips and Truths From a Year of Content Chat

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2019 was yet another successful year for the #ContentChat community—we covered more than 40 pressing topics for marketers, welcomed 10 experts to the hot seat, and a handful of us were even able to meet outside the cyberspace at great events like CMWorld and local content marketing meetups. 

Looking back on our chats from the year, we’ve pulled 18 of the best content creation tips and truths of marketing to set you up for success in 2020 and beyond. Check them out below, and comment if we missed any of your favorite marketing tips from this year. 

Truth: Content that is not created with your customer needs in mind is not content marketing. 

The customer should be at the heart of everything you do as a marketer. Whether it’s a press release about your new product, an infographic on your data report, or a webinar discussing trends in your industry, your content should be geared toward addressing the problems of your customers and helping them do their jobs better.

Tip: For any one piece of content you create, have three uses for it. 

One of the best ways to stay budget conscious is to repurpose your work. For any single piece of content, explore the different ways that your customers prefer to be reached and how this content could find new life in a different format. Consider the different channels you could share the content on, or different forms it can take (i.e. a video can be turned into a blog post with an infographic for social). We’ve shared some ideas to get you started in this recap.

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5 Important Steps for a Successful Email Newsletter Launch

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For most of us, the days when just the thought of receiving a new email brought some semblance of joy are long gone. Now, the average office worker receives 121 emails every. Single. Day. 

Considered a novelty when it was first developed, email has become a ubiquitous communications channel that has bound many to their inboxes. For years, though, people have claimed that email is losing its effectiveness as a business tool, especially with the rise of social networking sites. Cue the “email marketing is dead” cries that have been heard since the CompuServe years.

The thing is, email is still an incredibly powerful tool for businesses. A 2018 study found that email marketing has more than a 30x ROI (an increase from 2016), which partially explains why 87% of marketers still use email to nurture their audience. 

What is “dying”—and rightfully so—are the days of email marketing past, where generic messages were blasted to thousands of people. Today’s consumers expect a superior customer experience, which starts with putting their needs first in every communication you have with them. And that includes your email newsletters.

If you’re looking to start an email newsletter, or need tips and tricks to instill new life into your existing newsletter, follow these steps to flourish and bring joy back to your customer’s inbox (and don’t forget to download our free checklist on what to review before you hit send on your newsletter). 

Step 1: Define Your Purpose

Email newsletters are successful when they provide the most value for the reader, ideally combining unique tips, tricks, and insight with research, trends, and current events. 

That means if you plan to create a “newsletter” that provides a bucket list of your new blog posts or some collection of industry articles without anything more than a link, you need to rethink your strategy.

When starting an email newsletter, or if your newsletter is not driving the value you had hoped for, it’s important to (re)explore these foundational questions:

  • Who is my brand’s ideal customer?
  • Who is my newsletter’s content being written for?
  • What struggles do these two individuals face?
  • What value can I provide to them?
  • How can a newsletter support my business goals?
  • Do I have time to send a newsletter on a regular cadence?

By answering each of these questions, you can have a better understanding of whether a newsletter is even relevant for your team, if you need one or more newsletters to meet your needs and provide value for your readers, and if you have the time and resources required to sustain a newsletter.

Step 2: Set Goals

With your purpose documented, it’s time to align your newsletter with your business goal(s) and pick the KPIs you’ll track.

An email newsletter can support any range of business goals, and it’s important to keep your top goals top-of-mind so you can appropriately plan your content and be strategic with any calls to action. 

A few areas that newsletters can support include:

  • Lead generation: Get in front of prospective customers by creating content that aligns with topics that they are already searching for or invested in. This can include educational content, like how-tos and 101s
  • Lead nurturing: Keep your brand top-of-mind for your audience by offering a steady cadence of additional support materials and more targeted content like buyer’s guides, checklists, and webinars or live-streamed Q&As
  • Thought leadership: Demonstrate the expertise of your brand and any related executives by featuring expert commentary and insight
  • Audience feedback: Enable a feedback loop through your newsletter content by including reader surveys or monitoring the KPIs below
  • Brand voice: Showcase your brand’s unique style and voice with your communication, creating a personality for your brand

Depending on the business goals you assign to your newsletter, there are a few KPIs you’ll want to monitor to quickly identify potential issues with your approach. The main email newsletter KPIs you can track include:

  • Delivery rate or inbox placement rate
  • Open rate (Mailchimp has a great benchmarking guide you should reference)
  • Click rate
  • Opt-outs
  • Subscriber growth
  • Qualitative feedback (survey responses, email replies)

Those are just a few options, and you can explore each of these and more in this post. 

Step 3: Pick Your Tools

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to create your newsletter. There are upward of 300 different providers in the email marketing software space, which poses its own challenge of finding the right tools for you. Don’t worry, though, we’ve asked for help on your behalf. 

For core email newsletter creation and distribution, a few options that come recommended from our #ContentChat community include:

The above options can come at varying price points, and we recommend staying light on your budget until you have a full understanding of the functionalities you need. There are plenty of free tools to fill in the gaps that your distribution software (or purchased plan) may not provide—check out this list of content marketing tools to make your life easier, including several design tools, sources for royalty-free photos, and software to proof your content. 

Step 4: Craft Your Content

Now your foundation is in place, and you’re ready to start writing your newsletter. Use your purpose and goals to guide content decisions, and remember to focus on value for your audience, not cramming every company buzzword or promotion into the newsletter.

Some best practices to follow when writing an email newsletter include: 

    • Make your content skimmable: Use bullets, bold font (sparingly), subheads, and different text colors (no more than three) so that your reader can easily browse the newsletter to find the section(s) most relevant to them
    • Use (unique) imagery: Include images or gifs in your newsletter when possible, preferably original photos (but stock photos can work in a pinch)
    • Include a call to action: Encourage your readers to take action based on your content. Whether that’s to sign up for a webinar on the latest marketing trends, read a great industry article, or simply share their feedback with you, your readers should feel compelled to take some action based on your newsletter. Ideally, this CTA will be tied to one of your previously identified business goals
    • Be human, but on brand: If you haven’t, define your brand voice. With that, use your newsletter as an opportunity to be more personal with your audience, but stay true to your brand. If your company is generally more serious in your communications, your email newsletter should be the same way. Don’t try to come across as more fun and embed 50 gifs in your newsletter if that’s not what your readers expect of you
    • Combine outside sources with your commentary: The majority of the content you highlight should not be something your company created. Find outside articles, new data, or interesting conversations happening on social media that your readers would be interested in, and explain why that piece matters with some unique commentary from your brand/brand spokesperson

 

Before you hit send on that newsletter, though, run through our checklist to make sure your content is actually ready to go (there is nothing like the unique displeasure of sending an email to 100+ people with a glaring typo in your subject line). 

Step 5: Always be Testing

Once you start publishing your newsletters, establish a benchmark of the KPIs you selected in Step 2  and track them to see whether your newsletter is meeting the needs of your audience. This can be one of the most difficult steps if you have not carved out time to explore your data and try new approaches. 

A/B testing is a critical part of this process, where you will send two versions of your newsletter, each with (ideally) just one variable that has been changed. Everything from your subject line, image use/placement, calls to action, and even your font choice can affect your reader’s experience.

Get the full rundown on improving your content marketing performance through A/B testing so you can hit the ground running with even your earliest newsletters.

Newsletters Built to Last

After completing the above steps, you’re off to a solid start of what will be an ongoing journey of optimizing your newsletter. Being so ingrained in the process can create tunnel vision, so continue to ask your readers for their feedback, listen to their needs, and be open to exploring new ways of creating and distributing your newsletter.

One of the best ways to write a newsletter is to also be an avid newsletter reader, and below we’ve highlighted some of the best newsletters for marketing professionals to subscribe to. And if you’re looking for more tips on how to successfully manage an email newsletter, check out the #ContentChat community conversation recap on email newsletters.

  • Brafton’s The Content Marketer (click “subscribe” for the form): This is one of the slickest email newsletters you will likely come across—the design is gorgeous, using great graphics as the core design in a grid format, so the content is incredibly easy to skim and find the right resource for you. Sent every Tuesday, The Content Marketer highlights a range of blogs, videos, guides, and more, all focused on helping content marketers perform at their best (think of topics like “What is SEO Writing” and “Turning Conversations into Content”). This newsletter is a great example of delivering high value in as few words as possible. 
  • Heidi Cohen’s Actionable Marketing Guide Newsletter: Every Monday Heidi shares an array of, well, actionable marketing tips tied to the latest research and best practices in the field. She distills extensive reports and news articles into bite-sized, ready-to-use tips for all things marketing. She also thanks her new subscribers at the end of each newsletter, which is a fun and personal touch. 
  • Bernie Fussenegger’s B2The7 Bits: Bernie hosts #Digital360Chat every Friday, and every other Wednesday he shares his B2The7 Bits. This newsletter is incredible at encouraging conversations, since he links to Twitter threads with thought-starters like “if social channels go away tomorrow, how important do other platforms like email and websites become?” He also has a Featured Friend each newsletter, highlighting someone who has made a positive impact on him that week. 
  • Allen Gannett’s newsletter: Allen’s newsletter is unique from the others listed in that he sends two separate emails a week. On Wednesdays, Allen shares productivity and creativity hacks in a very brief note, then on Sundays he shares his “Sunday Brunch” for a more in-depth exploration of the week’s news, innovative or cool new products, and a mix of pop culture. From the first welcome email to each week’s editions, Allen uses a friendly and conversational tone packaged in an incredibly clean email that is easy to skim (he even has a “For Skimmers” section at times). 
  • Ann Handley’s Total Annarchy: Ann’s newsletter is sent every other Sunday, and it’s packed with writing tips and marketing ideas, plus she connects current events and trends in the business world with larger marketing principles and ideas. Her occasional “Department of Shenanigans” section gives a much-welcomed chuckle for your weekend (or Monday if you save the newsletter to start your work week). 
  • Erika Heald’s The Content Chat Bulletin: Erika’s newly launched newsletter will keep you in-the-know on the latest trends, research, and case studies in marketing. Sent every other Friday, you’ll hear the latest from the #ContentChat community, learn about upcoming marketing events and webinars, and get expert tips on how to stay responsible with your marketing. Plus, Erika has an adorable french bulldog named Kupo who is sure to make an appearance from time to time. 
  • Managing Editor’s newsletter: Positioned as a “love letter to all the other marketers out there working at the intersection of brand and publishing,” this newsletter meets that expectation. Each Friday, the newsletter highlights just three to five pieces of high-quality content, recent podcasts, or upcoming events. Each section header is incredibly clever (you’ll find yourself chuckling or at least cracking a smile) and the copy balances brevity with quality so you are only reading things that help you in some way. 
  • Christopher Penn/Trust Insight’s In the Headlights: Shared every Wednesday, this newsletter rounds up the most interesting news in marketing and data science that you can use immediately. The “Rear View Mirror Data” section delivers relevant stats and takeaways on key topics (like brand use of Facebook), and the Shiny Objects section highlights great content to visit, organized by category. The newsletter also highlights upcoming events both online and in-person across the US, inviting the opportunity to connect with like-minded pros. 
  • Joe Pulizzi’s The Random Newsletter: Sent every other Thursday, this newsletter is a mix of marketing and writing topics, plus a discussion of news that impacts the larger business landscape. Joe frequently references his family and how events in his personal life helped him discover new tools and tricks, so the newsletter reads more like a letter from a friend than a stranger. 

Know of another great newsletter for marketers? Let us know in the comments!

Exhibit, Speak, Attend, or Skip? Industry Conferences 101

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Finding the Right Industry Conferences and Events to Participate in

In an age where seemingly everything has gone digital, there is still an innate charm—and incredible value—in attending industry events and conferences.

Don’t just take my word for it—Bizzabo’s 2019 Event Marketing Report found that 84% of company VPs and C-Suite execs believe in-person events are a critical component of their company’s success. Further, 63% of those respondents planned to grow their total event budgets by an average of 22% in the next year.

An increase in budgets does not mean that wallets are any easier to open, though, and leadership teams demand a clear and enticing ROI for any event activities. 

This means that marketers need to be ever-diligent in selecting only the best events for their company’s needs. We’ve put together a framework and process you can follow to evaluate your conference participation opportunities and put your limited events budget toward the events with the most upside for your marketing efforts.

Determining Your Conference Approach 

Depending on the extent of your company’s previous conference involvement, you may have an inbox overloaded with event opportunities, or you’re starting from scratch. Either way, your approach should include a mix of exploring inbound opportunities, plus seeking out new options. 

There are many ways for you to get involved at an industry conference, the most common of which are:

  • Sponsoring: Event organizers are constantly looking for companies to financially sponsor their events in exchange for an enhanced or exclusive presence at the event. These often come with a hefty price tag, but the benefits—including getting your logo and spokesperson in front of your ideal customer audience— could justify the costs. 
  • Speaking: Often the most coveted opportunities, speaking slots are highly competitive (unless you have the money to sponsor). Don’t let that discourage you, though! There are many opportunities, including solo presentations, co-presented client/customer case studies, fireside chats, panel discussions, or workshops. And as long as you meet the conference’s speaker submission deadlines, your hat will be in the ring. 
  • Exhibiting: Often tied to a sponsorship, exhibiting at a conference gets your company a presence on the show floor to engage with the attendees. While this has the most opportunity for direct lead generation, many savvy marketers are shifting the focus of their booths away from high-pressure sales tactics and toward creating a branded experience.
  • Attending: Simply attending a conference is often the most cost-efficient route, and still allows for access to most (if not all) of the main programming. If it’s an industry event, you can still work on influencer and media relationship building. Or, if it’s a consumer event, you can create content that reflects what you learned at the conference.

Each option has its own pros and cons, but whichever route you choose, you need to have clearly defined goals. Our #ContentChat community shared their top KPIs for events in our conversation on How to Make That Industry Conference Worth Your Marketing Budget Dollars—check out that recap to see how your peers define event success. 

Finding Conferences to Attend

With your preferred involvement and overarching goals in mind, you can then start looking for opportunities. Most conference speaking slots fill at least three months before the event—a year in advance for large, international conferences—so all proactive research should be for a minimum of one quarter out for exhibiting, and 12-15 months for speaking opportunities. 

Here are the best ways to find new conferences to attend:

  • Keep your friends close: Ask your colleagues for their recommendations, both in person and on social media
  • Keep your competitors closer: Research your competitors to see where they have been speaking and exhibiting
  • Turn to the news: Identify the publications your ideal customer regularly reads and check to see if they host conferences (Forbes, TechCrunch, and Business Insider are just a few with excellent, consistent programming)
  • Search it: Find outlets and sites like Techmeme Events or Industry Dive’s publications for more industry-relevant opportunities

Assessing Conference Opportunities

Once you start finding events, things can quickly get jumbled. We recommend creating a spreadsheet (you can even use ours if you’d like!) with the key details for each opportunity for you to decide whether or not to attend.

Here are a few areas you should consider:

  • Cost: This is one of the biggest factors, so ensure you understand all of the costs associated with the conference opportunity.
  • Date and location: Research where a conference is being held, as well as the timeline so you can budget for travel, or align the activity with pre-scheduled trips for your team.
  • Attendees: Research the past attendee counts (often available on the conference site or in news articles about the event), as well as the job title/role of the attendees. This will help you determine if you’re reaching your key audiences, and the right spokesperson(s) for the event. Remember that the quality of attendees is more important than the quantity of attendees—some of the best business opportunities can come from events of only 100 people.
  • Conference tracks: The conference site will often list speaking tracks or topics to be explored. Use these as guardrails for the types of speaking opportunities you propose. 
  • Media attendance: Beyond industry professionals, journalists are also attending events, presenting an opportunity for you to be seen on stage (if you’re presenting), or for your representatives to network with the journalists during the show. Search conference hashtags on social media and look for past news coverage on the event to see if there is a media presence.
  • Past speakers: See who presented at the event in previous years, with a particular focus on their job title, company, and their talking track. This can ensure you propose the right representative from your company to attend. 

Once you have all of the potential events in your tracker, you can then more easily weigh your options to identify a select few events to pursue. Some teams use a scoring system to stay objective when assessing events. To do so, assign a numerical score to the areas listed above (any scale can work, we recommend one through five), and add them up to get a total event score.

However you decide to stay organized, keep your company goals in mind when making choices, and start small if you are unsure of the right path to take. 

Event Best Practices

With your event strategy in place, your team is set to start lining up opportunities! If you are aiming for a speaking slot, stay patient as you may receive a few declines before your first congratulations.

Whether you’re speaking, exhibiting, or attending, your first few conferences can be dizzying if you don’t know what to expect. Read our #ContentChat recap on How to Get the Most Out of Attending an Industry Conference to walk in like a pro, or check out some of the highlights—including a number of other great industry conference tips—below:

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