Content Chat

#ContentChat is a weekly twitter chat that brings together content creators and content marketers to share their challenges and best practices for solving them.

I took over hosting duties from Lucy Rendler-Kaplan on June 13, 2016. The chat was originated by Jenise Stout Fryatt of Smarter Shift who built up the community over three years.

Check out these recaps from recent chats and join us on Mondays at 12 noon Pacific/ 3:00 p.m. Eastern to join in the conversation.

September 13, 2021 Content Chat Recap: How To Create Memorable, One-of-a-Kind Visual Content

September 16, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Visual content is an essential part of any content marketing strategy, but many marketers struggle with sourcing or creating unique and effective visuals for their campaigns.

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett), CEO and founder of Killer Visual Strategies, to discuss how marketers can create one-of-a-kind visuals to elevate their content marketing. Read the full recap below, where we explore why brands should invest in visual content, how to document a visual brand identity, where to find visuals for marketing, and more.

Q1: Why should brands invest in visual content as part of their marketing strategy?

Visual communication is an efficient way to share information. Audiences connect more easily with visuals, and some studies estimate that visuals reach the brain 60,000x faster than text.

A1a: Visual communication reaches the brain 60,000x faster than text.
Audiences connect more easily with visuals, and it shows: 82% of all internet traffic is driven by video—and that’s just one of many kinds of visual content available to marketers. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/Ii95VeqgWi
— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) September 13, 2021

A1: Visual content is an essential way to deliver value to your community. Some ideas or concepts are best shown through visuals, like a diagram explaining a complicated process. Or, visuals can simply draw attention to an important point, like a quote. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) September 13, 2021

Some of your community members prefer to consume visual content, and this content is more likely to stand out on social media.

A1: Your community learns and consumes content through a number of channels and senses. Visuals are an important way we process information and need to be part of our #contentstrategy. #ContentChat https://t.co/41CiOTr71J
— Erika Heald | Speaking at #CMworld + #MProfsB2B. (@SFerika) September 13, 2021

A1: Everyone consumes content in a different way and visual content is one way to broaden your brand’s reach and audience. And in our frenzied, overstimulated social feeds, it’s more likely to stand out! #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) September 13, 2021

A1: visuals stand out, good visuals will stop people in the scroll. You need to grab the attention of your audience! #ContentChat https://t.co/TCGdSTeHUF
— JMatt (@JMattMke) September 13, 2021

A cohesive visual identity can reinforce your branding.

A1: I’d also add that having unique visual content can help reinforce your brand with potential customers. (vs. using stock images or repurposing someone else’s visuals) #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) September 13, 2021

Agreed!
Whether you have your own illustrations created, like @CMIContent with @jkkalinowski‘s amazing work, or commission brand photo shoots, bespoke visuals do so much for brand definition. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Speaking at #CMworld + #MProfsB2B. (@SFerika) September 13, 2021

And most visual content can easily be repurposed to drive additional value across channels or formats.

A1. Reaches a wider audience and consumers seem to prefer taking in information in visual format vs text. You can also reuse visual content in so many additional materials. #ContentChat
— Mandi DeGroff Munger (@mandide) September 13, 2021

Amy’s microsite further explains the power of visual communication for marketing:

A1b: To learn more about the power of #visualcommunication as a tool for #contentmarketing professionals, check out this microsite: https://t.co/xcopiIcxCW #ContentChat
— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) September 13, 2021

Q2: How can a brand define its visual identity? What are the essential areas to document?

August 30, 2021 Content Chat Recap: Why Customer Experience Can Be Your Best Marketing

September 8, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Over the past years, brands have increasingly prioritized the customer experience to retain customers, drive new business, and ultimately stay ahead of the competition. But, who in an organization is responsible for customer experience, and how can teams consistently create incredible experiences?

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Dan Gingiss (@DGingiss), customer experience speaker, coach, and author of The Experience Maker (out Sept. 14), to discuss why customer experience can be your best marketing. Dan shares a handful of learnings from his book—we received an advanced copy and, trust us, you want to grab a copy—including how you can use his WISE methodology to find ways to elevate your customer experience (with examples of brands doing this well). Read the full recap below, and tweet us your examples of WISE brand experiences with #ContentChat.

Q1: What is customer experience? How do you define it?

The customer experience is how customers feel about every single interaction with your brand.

A1: #CustomerExperience is how customers feel about every single interaction with your brand. The “feel” part is important because perception = reality, and it’s important to remember that EVERY interaction counts. #ContentChat https://t.co/gYaUXUUHR4
— Dan Gingiss – The Experience Maker (@dgingiss) August 30, 2021

A1 Customer experience is the sum total of every interaction a customer has with your company—from their first glance at your store facade or email or website through to using the product at home. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 30, 2021

A1.
The overall impression that a customer has in the whole encounters and relationship with a company or brand.#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 30, 2021

A1: not sure it matters how ‘we’ define it — what matters is what customers think it means. #ContentChat
— Tiffani Bova (@Tiffani_Bova) August 30, 2021

These interactions include all your communications through email and social media, as well as when your customers search for your products, navigate your website, hear about your product from friends, or simply see your product on store shelves.

A1: Customer experience is the emotional response to each aspect of your brand.
If they go to your website, how do they feel?
If they’re in your physical space, how are they treated?
If you email them, do they open immediately or delete?
Each touchpoint matters. #ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) August 30, 2021

A1. Customer experience is the sum of all interactions a customer has with your business — from the time they discover your business, become a lead to post-purchase emails. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 30, 2021

I had a great chat with Val at @forepoint about this for a project we’re doing. She pointed out that our potential customers and or future employees and colleagues can be any age: think school projects to post-retirement consulting. So it’s every touch point. #ContentChat 🤗
— Katherine Wildman | Haydn Grey (@haydngrey) August 30, 2021

A1: The process of how customers interact with your brand and how they feel during those interactions. Finding your product, navigating a website, finding information about a product/service, interactions with sales teams, using the product/service, etc. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 30, 2021

A1: The way a business or brand interacts with the people buying their products. It can also make or break relationships and convince others to buy/not buy the product or service again. #ContentChat
— Christian McIlwain (@cpmcilwain) August 30, 2021

A1. The whole process of interaction between a customer and a brand/business/company. It can be an enquiry, a transaction or a visit. #ContentChat
— Daniel Warui (@warmurd) August 30, 2021

A1 Customer experience is how the customer felt through the whole process of working with a company – either through finding, purchasing and using a product, or with an offered service
-Alyx #ContentChat https://t.co/MDQuYwYSQj
— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) August 30, 2021

A1: Customer experience is the perceived/experienced interaction between a business or service & the customer. #ContentChat https://t.co/mQYPJPDwaV
— Cathrine Alexandra Nelson (@cathrinewith1e) August 30, 2021

Every member of your team can impact the customer experience, and this experience is not tied to a single medium or channel.

A1: At a basic level, a customer experience reflects every interaction that a customer has with a brand, whether direct or indirect. The experience is created by ALL of your brand’s teams, including marketing, sales, PR, design, customer success, etc. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 30, 2021

A1: I view customer experince as not being tied to one medium or channel. It can be the website, it can be in person etc. It is the experience they have with the brand and how it makes them feel. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger (@B2the7) August 30, 2021

Q2: What is an Experience Maker?

August 23, 2021 Content Chat Recap: So You Want To Be A Content Marketing Or Public Relations Freelancer

August 26, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Have you considered leaving your traditional 9-5 job to pursue freelance content marketing or public relations work? Or do you hope to raise some extra cash on the side by freelancing?

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs), PR consultant and host of #FreelanceChat (Thursdays at 9 a.m. Pacific/noon Eastern), to discuss how to get started with freelance communications work. Read the full recap below, where we explain the benefits of engaging in freelance opportunities, how to find freelance work, solutions to common pitfalls that many freelancers face, and much more. If your freelancing question was not answered, let us know in the comments so we can help!

Q1: What are the benefits of pursuing freelance content marketing or public relations work? If you switched from in-house or agency to freelance, why did you make the change?

There are many benefits of freelancing. For starters, you can be your own boss and can choose who you work with…

A1a: There are MANY benefits, I’ve found. I love being my own boss and having the freedom to set my schedule and choose who I work with. It’s a lifestyle for me – one I couldn’t have without being my own boss. #ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

A1: I moved into freelance life from an agency because I wanted the freedom to choose the clients and projects I worked on, to enable me to do my best work. There’s no going back now!#ContentChat https://t.co/yhjqq2X3nZ
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 23, 2021

A1: The biggest benefit I see to freelance content marketing, or content of any kind, is that you can work with whatever clients you want. You yourself are also a client, and as you promote your work, you get better at what you do + get better leads. #ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) August 23, 2021

A1: Benefits are many. The ability to pick the projects & people I do or do not want to work on is probably the biggest benefit. I love what I do and enjoy the folks I work with. It’s cheesy, but event though I work long hours it doesn’t feel like work. Zero dread. #ContentChat
— 🟣 Jennifer Navarrete (@epodcaster) August 23, 2021

A1a: I never planned on going freelance, but city life gradually wore on me (rent, daily commute) and I needed to move/reset. I was able to transition to freelance for my agency at the time. I would now have a VERY hard time giving up the perks of freelancing. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 23, 2021

Which includes the freedom to pursue long-term or short-term collaborations with agencies and companies alike.

A1. I like to have the best of both worlds. I prefer long-term collaborations with companies and agencies, but as a freelancer. #ContentChat
— Teodora Ema Pirciu (@EmaPirciu) August 23, 2021

This diverse mix of clients can allow you to tap into more of your marketing skills.

A1 – In my experience, it gave me a wider range of clients to work with. It also gave me a chance to use my less tapped into skills in my digital comms repertoire. #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/bmZv1gkFN9
— 👨🏾‍💻Musolé | #CreateYourMoment (@Musolek) August 23, 2021

Many freelancers find a healthier work/life balance than before. That is not to suggest that freelancers never work late hours. But late-night work is more a matter of choice when you freelance…

A1b: The benefits of freelancing include (just for starters):
– Flexibility for a healthier work/life balance
– Near-total control over my hours (I used to work after 6 p.m often…. not anymore)
– Ability to work with a ton of people I love working with!#ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 23, 2021

That’s one of the first things I noticed going freelance – I rarely work past 5. Gave me a new (healthier) definition of work/life balance. #ContentChat
— Monina Wagner (@MoninaW) August 23, 2021

I spend a fair amount of time working in the evenings but I like that it’s my choice and I’m being forced. #ContentChat
— Shane Carpenter (@dshanecarpenter) August 23, 2021

Important to distinguish that it is your choice. I used to work late because I felt I had to. Churn and burn is real. #ContentChat
— Monina Wagner (@MoninaW) August 23, 2021

I did too but then one day I decided I was done at 5:00 and I found out the world wouldn’t end. #ContentChat.
— Shane Carpenter (@dshanecarpenter) August 23, 2021

No joke, I didn’t realize how much time I actually had between 5pm and bedtime. With the exception of dinner, the laptop was always on. The 5pm rule for me is a gamechanger. #ContentChat
— Monina Wagner (@MoninaW) August 23, 2021

This balance includes the ability to juggle errands and miscellaneous life tasks at more convenient times.

One thing that folks may not know is that going to the grocery store and movie theater during the work week is a much better experiences vs. nights/weekends. #ContentChat
— 🟣 Jennifer Navarrete (@epodcaster) August 23, 2021

It is pretty nice to be able to run out to do errands – without having to notify anyone you’ll be OOO. 😆#ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

We recommend you get at least three years of agency or in-house experience before going freelance. You will develop your skills and expand your network much faster at an agency than if you go right to freelance work.

A1b: The last job I had was w/ a PR agency (because my mentor told me I needed to have that experience before hanging out my own shingle). Great advice–although that year was 1 of the toughest of my professional life. #ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

A1c: So when I did the agency stint, it was always with the goal in mind of starting my own biz. I couldn’t have/wouldn’t have worked there long-term. I saw how I could offer clients what they needed at a lower cost. #ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

Learned a lot–but oof, it was ROUGH. Lots of carrot dangling. Long hours. Difficult clients. I’d come home and collapse. #ContentChat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

A1c: For anyone about to graduate college, I recommend you get at least 3-6 years of agency or in-house experience before attempting to go freelance. You’ll learn more and greatly expand your network before going freelance. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 23, 2021

I second this. I went out on my own after a long time working in-house, and a year at an agency to help me understand how to make a business of it, above and beyond trading dollars for my hours as a solopreneur. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 23, 2021

This is VERY true… At least *some* agency experience will help prepare you – and yes, you’ll meet a lot of great contacts. My agency co-workers still refer work to me all these years later. #ContentChat https://t.co/LD63Dbtoya
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) August 23, 2021

Q2: How can freelancers find relevant communications and content creation opportunities? What methods, sites, or tools do you recommend?

August 16, 2021 Content Chat Recap: Content Curation At Scale

August 23, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Brand communities want to receive valuable content and resources from a range of reputable sources on that brand’s content channels—not just the company’s owned content. Especially if that owned content is a blatant sales asset.

In this #ContentChat, we explain how to curate content that your community will love. Read the full recap below for tips on how to find the best curated content sources for your community, our favorite content curation tools, and engaging ways to share curated content across your channels.

Q1: What is content curation, and how can it benefit a brand’s marketing strategy?

Content curation is a process in which you identify and share reputable third-party resources with your brand or personal community.

A1a: Content curation is the process of identifying and sharing a vetted selection of other people’s content with your audience. #ContentChat https://t.co/lTZpJIcHOn
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 16, 2021

A1.
A collection of #content pieces by
other experts on a certain topic that you put together to provide value for an audience.#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 16, 2021

A1: #Contentcuration involves sharing third-party resources with your community. By sharing valuable content from reputable sources, you show your community you’re here to help them, instead of just pushing your content on them. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 16, 2021

An effective content curation strategy can build your brand reputation, help nurture relationships, and ideally drive website traffic.

A1b: Content curation can benefit your brand in 3 big ways:
* Build your reputation
* Nurture relationships
* Drive website traffic#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 16, 2021

A1c: Curated content also breaks up the monotony of your brand talking about itself and sharing its owned content on social media. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 16, 2021

Yess! Takes the focus from me-content for a bit—adding fresh perspective for your audience. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 16, 2021

Which builds credibility #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) August 16, 2021

The content you curate should lend a perspective on a topic of interest to your community. Ideally, this content will naturally extend from the content you create and answer new questions for your community.

A1b: When you integrate #contentcuration throughout your content channels, you can more effectively address the range of topics that are important to your audience. Share content to spark ideas. Help solve challenges. Lend a perspective that you cannot directly say. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) August 16, 2021

A1: Content curation is a companion to content creation. In addition to content you create, content curation includes accompanying pieces that will also resonate.
It’s a great benefit to any brand hoping to amplify a message w/out making everything about them. #ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) August 16, 2021

100% agree with this.
When you share other people’s content that validates your brand POV, it’s a very positive reflection on your brand and its understanding of industry trends and challenges. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 16, 2021

Content curation can also lighten your team’s content creation needs.

A1. Content curation is gathering content on a specific topic in a creative way.
Example: a Twitter thread on threads to improve writing.
It helps by adding variety and voice to your content marketing strategy while reducing the work of churning out new content. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 16, 2021

A1. Content curation is creating content based on other people’s content. Providing your own pov and collecting / presenting materials in an easily accessible way helps take off the pressure of creating original content every time #ContentChat
— Manisha (@ManishaDot) August 16, 2021

For brand such as @morganstanley, #contentcreation can be broad in scope.
For example, I covered a @morganstanley event and wrote a profile of their guest @Martina. It was about her career & what pushed her to succeed in spite of big obstacles for #women in tennis.#ContentChat pic.twitter.com/sCuox5UM9B
— Rose Horowitz, #WomentoFollow, #SreeShow (@RoseHorowitz31) August 16, 2021

Q2: How do you identify the best curated content sources for your community?

August 9, 2021 Content Chat Recap: How To Turn Your Blog Into a Revenue Generating Resource

August 16, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Blogging can unlock a range of benefits for businesses and professionals alike, but how can you turn your blog into a revenue-generating resource?

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle), marketing consultancy founder and author of Blogging for Business and The Business of Branding You (both here on Amazon), to discuss how to earn money from your blog. Read the full recap below, where we discuss the do’s and don’ts of enabling automatic ads on your blog, why you need a lead magnet, ways to partner with guest bloggers, and more.

Q1: How can a blog drive revenue for a business or individual?

A blog can drive revenue through affiliate marketing (learn what that is here), sponsored guest posts, ad networks, and by raising awareness of your paid solutions and offerings like products or online courses.

A1: There are multiple ways a blog can drive revenue. Affiliate marketing, being paid as an influencer, sponsored guest posts, ad networks, selling digital products, online courses (just to name a few) #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021

A1b: Your blog can drive direct revenue through advertising, sponsored content, affiliate links, and promoting direct sales of your digital assets such as e-books, templates, and courses. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021

A1. While there are direct options to monetize blogs such as affiliate marketing, I use my blog as a revenue generating magnet by sharing valuable educational content to attract and convert prospects. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021

Ditto for the consultancy website. Although affiliate marketing is an income generator for me on https://t.co/BCLbph1eUa #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021

A1 As someone who’s working through the fine details to do just this, I know if you use a Google based blog you can link it to an adsense account
-Alyx #ContentChat https://t.co/iqIJQPSnvx
— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) August 9, 2021

Consistency is key to drive a successful blog strategy. You need to provide a consistent flow of content that addresses the range of topics and priority keywords for your readers.

A1. A #blog can spread news about your services, brand and deliver helpful content to attract people to your solutions and offers. From a #SEO perspective pages with evergreen #content might be more helpful to drive traffic longterm.#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021

A1: Long-form content such as blogs, drives traffic to your website and generates leads and sign-ups if valuable and relevant to your audience. #ContentChat
— Pavel Stepanov (@pavelStepanov77) August 9, 2021

A1: I think the biggest indirect benefit is how a blog can become “long-game” content marketing through providing useful tips and info as well as helping to establish credibility, expertise, etc. #ContentChat https://t.co/BCeBa2e6E7
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021

A blog is definitely “long game”. That’s a great point to bring up. Beware the “gurus” offering courses that turn bloggers into overnight millionaires. True success comes through time and serious dedication. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021

In this capacity, your blog showcases your expertise in your space and builds your reputation as a trusted expert for your community. This thought leadership status could unlock new opportunities for your team, like speaking engagements, awards opportunities, or access to exclusive business networks.

A1a: Blogs can drive either indirect or direct revenue for brands and individuals.
Indirect: builds your reputation as an industry thought leader which causes others to seek you out for work or speaking engagements. #ContentChat https://t.co/LqLhOmya8w
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021

A1: From a #ContentMarketing standpoint, a blog can help sell your services or products by showcasing your expertise and building your brand’s reputation. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021

A1. Blogs act as a key platform to engage relevant audience, nurture them and then of course convert using your content as the most powerful promotional medium – blogs have a lasting impact unlike paid advertising #contentchat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 9, 2021

Just for starters, I feel it’s important to “demonstrate expertise in action.” Using the tenets of great storytelling, and also being smart about using social media in a way that’s aligned around the brand, using a blog is key to Customer Experience (CX) and business success. 🙂
— Roger Darnell (@RKDarnell) August 9, 2021

Regarding ads on your blog, be conscious of what you promote and how you present these ads. By promoting poor-quality content or presenting ads in a way that detracts from the reading experience, you can actively deter your readers from engaging with your content.

A1b: Just be careful what products you promote, the types of ads you accepted, or how you present sponsored posts. You can lose trust from your audience or get hit by search engines if you do it the wrong way. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021

This is so true! If you accept payment to add sketchy links or host poor-quality content, you can easily read your community’s trust. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021

So true! I’ve seen many cringeworthy ads on blogs where I’m sure they have no idea what ads are really being displayed. #ContentChat
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021

Q2: What should a blog content plan include?

August 2, 2021 Content Chat Recap: How To Build A Thriving Multi-Platform Community Around Your Content

August 9, 2021 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

How can marketers best engage and delight their community online? And how should this strategy change if the community spans multiple social media channels?

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Neil Parekh (@NeilParekh), VP of events and communications for Digimentors, to discuss how to build a thriving multi-platform community around your content. Neil shares lessons from his work on the #NYTReadalong as he and the community explain how to build an engaged community on Twitter and Facebook, plus ways to use email marketing, live video, and more to nurture your relationships.

Q1: What common mistakes do you see brands or individuals make when trying to build a multi-platform community? How can we avoid these mistakes?

Deliver tailored content on each of your social media channels. Do not simply copy/paste the same content at the same time across channels. There are two reasons for this. 1.) Each of your social media communities is unique, and you should approach them as such. 2.) Each channel has exclusive settings or features that you should explore, and common features like hashtags may perform differently based on the channel.

A1a. Common mistake when building a multi-platform community: Automatic cross-posting & copy/pasting between FB/TW/LI/IG. Handles and image sizes are different, use of hashtags are different, character count and audience is different. #ContentChat https://t.co/976OIPkc1O pic.twitter.com/8FsqlyJWgZ
— Neil Parekh (He / Him / His) (@neilparekh) August 2, 2021

A1b. Avoid multi-platform mistakes.
Create standard text first & modify for each channel.
Use the @SproutSocial image guide. (Note, 1920×1080 works great on FB, TW and LI.)
Check your handles. Use fewer hashtags if not on IG.#ContentChat https://t.co/LNFzIuAQg3
— Neil Parekh (He / Him / His) (@neilparekh) August 2, 2021

A1.
Not giving people specific reasons to engage with them on each platform!
If all the content is the same everywhere, why should they follow you in different places? ❤️ #ContentChat
— Christine Gritmon ❤️ #ChatAboutBrand (@cgritmon) August 2, 2021

A1. A very common mistake I see brands/ppl make when creating multi-platform communities is copy pasting the same content (without even tweaking it to meet the platform’s requirements) across all channels. It’s honestly boring and does little to garner engagement. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 2, 2021

Start with just one or two channels where your audience is already engaged. Do not launch a full multi-platform strategy if you are just getting started. It will take a considerable amount of resources to launch and maintain any individual channel. Put your full effort into the places you know you can make an impact, instead of trying to be everywhere to little effect.

A1: One of the biggest mistakes I see is launching a channel without the resources or content to keep it up. Then the channel goes dormant…and that doesn’t look good for a brand. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 2, 2021

A1. Common mistakes
🙈 Same #content on every platform instead of using the specifics + advantages of each one
🙈 Not checking the audience on a platform before starting
🙈 Just being on a plaform for no reason or real connection just because you “have to be there”#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 2, 2021

A1
When an individual or small company is just getting started, know what platform your biggest audience is likely to be engaged on. Yes, it’s great to be on multi-platforms but it’s hard to post on all platforms w/ the same energy at the start.
Focus!#contentchat pic.twitter.com/uz2PbArFZ5
— Rose Horowitz, #WomentoFollow, #SreeShow (@RoseHorowitz31) August 2, 2021

Also: look at what’s actually working and what people are truly responding to!
I wasted years trying to make Facebook my top platform.
Once I gave in and acknowledged/owned/embraced that Twitter was my top by far, everything got bigger and better!#ContentChat
— Christine Gritmon ❤️ #ChatAboutBrand (@cgritmon) August 2, 2021

That’s true. Organic reach on Facebook has tanked. Particularly for livestreams. We used to get huge audiences for the #NYTReadalong on FB Live. We get more engagement there, but more numbers on Twitter. #ContentChat.
— Neil Parekh (He / Him / His) (@neilparekh) August 2, 2021

If you claim handles and usernames/create accounts on channels that you cannot invest in yet, pin a post to the top of that page to explain where your brand is currently active.

I see this a TON when I do social media channel audits for new clients. If you are just claiming your brand name, at least pin a post to the top of the page to direct them to where your brand IS active! #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 2, 2021

THIS.
I had a client who absolutely did not want to deal with Facebook at all… but it made sense to be there for her industry.
So we made her profile super strong & then did everything we could to direct people to her website, her IG, and/or call/email. ❤️ #ContentChat
— Christine Gritmon ❤️ #ChatAboutBrand (@cgritmon) August 2, 2021

Create and share content that aligns with your brand mission and audience needs. Do not create and share content to jump on a bandwagon or trending topic. It can be tempting to join the “What’s happening” conversations on Twitter, but it can come across as inauthentic or, at worst, offensive and alienating to your community if your brand joins conversations for the sake of being relevant.

A1. Jumping on the “trends” bandwagon to grab eyeballs without any relevance to their core brand or purpose #contentchat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 2, 2021

Q2: How can marketers build a thriving community on Twitter? What are your lesser-known tips and tricks?