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.

February 10, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Turbocharging Your Social Media Content Curation and Promotion

February 13, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

When curating social media content, many marketers know to use the 80/20 rule: Just 20% of your content should be promotional, while the remaining 80% should engage your audience by helping them do their jobs better or providing information relevant to their interests. The process of finding and selecting relevant content to highlight is more important than you may think, though, especially since the content you share can be a direct reflection of your brand’s credibility.

In this #ContentChat, longtime community member Paula Kiger (@BigGreenPen), editor of the SmartBrief newsletter, took the hotseat to share tips for finding the best sources for content curation, including how to identify influencers in your space, ways to optimize content for different channels, and the tools you need to work efficiently.

Q1: If you’re just starting out with curating content for a new topic or publication, how can you identify the best sources for curatable content?

Before looking for sources for curatable content, you need to understand your audience, their interests, and where your brand overlaps with those interests. Ideally, you should have a list of keywords and topics that are relevant for your audience that you can then use as the foundation of your search.

A1: there are a few things to keep in mind – who is your audience and what is the brand known for.
Figure out all the keywords around that and then start googling news articles around it. I also find looking for accounts talking about it on Twitter to help. #ContentChat https://t.co/ngPqkxt4VB
— 🎙JMatt (@JMattMke) February 10, 2020

Find experts or thought leaders on those topic(s) that your audience is interested in, and explore the content that they are creating, sharing, or linking to.

A1. It’s a combination of not overlooking the obvious BUT not assuming it’s going to be easy to find what you’re looking for. Look for the experts in the topic and dig around for their sources. 1/2 #ContentChat
— Paula Kiger (@biggreenpen) February 10, 2020

A1. For example, for the @nasw newsletter fm @smartbrief, I look at the #MacroSW thread via @OfficialMacroSW & get their newsletter. Great ideas there. Keep peeling the onion of what they’re all discussing. 2/2 #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/RIBUMJwXrU
— Paula Kiger (@biggreenpen) February 10, 2020

A1: Like to scout our existing friends and ambassadors for content to find the best sources…it helps build community if you are going to people you already know first! #contentchat https://t.co/ojGfLZIOG8
— Agorapulse (@Agorapulse) February 10, 2020

A1: I like to identify self proclaimed influencers in any area with social search on platforms & specific keywords. Than I research to see if their methods, followers, & tools have merit. #ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) February 10, 2020

A1. I identify the thought leaders in your field and follow them religiously. See what they’re doing and what they’re not. This way you can see what consistently works and where you have room to experiment. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) February 10, 2020

One way to find these experts is by looking for trade or niche publications that regularly discuss these topics of interest.

A1: I try to find specialist publications and then follow the authors in those publications. Kind of a “six degrees” strategy. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) February 10, 2020

Tools like BuzzSumo, SEMrush, and Right Relevance can identify widely shared content or most-searched topics for you to then explore relevant publications or experts.

A1: I usually start my research by using @buzzsumo to see what the most socially-shared content on my topic was and where it was published. Then, I use @semrush to understand the most popular sites that are similar to them. #ContentChat https://t.co/YHPf84HQnL
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) February 10, 2020

A1) #ContentChat @semrush ‘s Topic Research tool is very consistent with pulling content based on subject as well as providing content on related topics.
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) February 10, 2020

A1: There are a few different tools we like to tap into, including @buzzsumo, @healthhashtags and @semrush. @hashtagify is also a great resource for influencers, who can lead you to some good content. We also take advantage of industry newsletters! #contentchat
— WriterGirl (@WriterGirlAssoc) February 10, 2020

A1 (b) Another option is to find a good tool to discover influential folks or on-topic content before it starts trending. There are lots of good tools you can pay for. @RightRelevance is a great free option if you are on a tight budget! #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) February 10, 2020

LinkedIn, especially with its Pulse articles, is another place to find experts, as well as a few of the highly regarded outlets and companies that Vraj identified.

A1: LinkedIn is a great resource for finding experts and the top sources in different industries. Find influencers and top voices in different areas of expertise and connect with them.#ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) February 10, 2020

A1.
Best sources for curable #content:
1. Blogs:
+ @CMIContent
+ @SMExaminer
+ @socialmedia2day
+ @hootsuite
+ @Crowdfire
2. eBooks
3. Infographics
4. Webinar and Podcasts
5. #TwitterChats 🌟#ContentChat
— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) February 10, 2020

A1
*Blogs by industry leaders
*Twitter Chats
*LinkedIn
*Listly
*Google Trends to see what people are most interested in.#ContentChat https://t.co/plzaN51FGh
— Kahill Insights (@Kahillinsights) February 10, 2020

View this process as a journey, not a one-and-done exercise. After you identify your initial list of content sources, create lists or follow experts on Twitter, subscribe to newsletters, and sign up for Google Alerts so that you are constantly being fed new potential sources.

A1:
That takes a combination of active discovery (intently looking for relevant content) and passive discovery (taking note of valuable/relevant content as you read newsletters, article digests, etc.#ContentChat https://t.co/KBU0KZ0NQs
— ChipBot🚀📈 (@getchipbot) February 10, 2020

February 3, 2020 Content Chat Recap: How To Use Data Science To Level-Up Your Content Marketing

February 10, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

“Data-driven” is a common buzzword in our digital world, but what does this actually mean and how can marketers use data science to increase their success? In this #ContentChat, Danielle Oberdier (@DikayoData) and the community discussed what data science means for marketing, including the type of data that matters, where to find it, and how to use data science to better connect with your audience.

Q1: Let’s start things off with some level-setting. What is data science, and how does it relate to AI and machine learning?

Data science combines various approaches and tools to understand a set of data, extract meaning from it, and to try and identify trends from it.

A1: #DataScience is a method of using tools like #AI and #MachineLearning to unearth trends that could change the way our industries operate. #ContentChat https://t.co/pUHkLSpaQi
— DiKayo Data (@dikayodata) February 3, 2020

A1. Data science it the discipline of extracting knowledge and insights from data. AI and machine learning leverages automation to streamline the process of gathering and disseminating data. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) February 3, 2020

A1: Data science isn’t just about AI and machine learning, it’s using data in a scientific (collecting/experimenting/rigorous) manner to derive business, user, and product value. Many practitioners don’t work with ML #ContentChat
— Randy Au (@Randy_Au) February 3, 2020

A1: I define data science as the ability to gather meaning and interpret data that is outside of normal analytics. It is getting deeper into the what. #ContantChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #SMOS2020 Speaker (@B2the7) February 3, 2020

A1. Data science is organizing and analyzing sets of inputs (data) to report on performance. That’s my non-technical definition, anyway. #ContentChat
— allison ryder (@allisonryder) February 3, 2020

Certain tools for data science leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve efficiencies in data collection, storage, and analysis. Basically, these technologies make various data science tools more efficient and enable a level of automation that frees data scientists/humans from needing to do as much manual work.

A1; What we are trying to do as #data scientists is to leverage technologies like #AI and #MachineLearning to improve efficiency. There are barriers to efficiency that are preventing innovation or even basic operations from happening. #ContentChat https://t.co/pUHkLSpaQi
— DiKayo Data (@dikayodata) February 3, 2020

Right! And using machine learning to automate that process saves so much time, and ultimately, money. It’s clearly worth the investment.
— ChipBot (@getchipbot) February 3, 2020

January 27, 2020 Content Chat Recap: An Introduction To Marketing Automation For Small Business

January 30, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

With an ever-growing list of to do’s and only so many hours in the day, many marketers know the value of adopting tools that help automate repetitive, tedious tasks that can detract from other business priorities. When you’re starting out, though, it can be difficult to know where to start on your marketing automation journey.

In this #ContentChat, our friend Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo), founder and managing director of Super Deluxe Marketing, shared the basics of marketing automation for small businesses, including discussion of who benefits from marketing automation, how to evaluate your options (and which are most cost-effective), and tips for success along the way.

Q1: Who can benefit from marketing automation in a #smallbusiness setting?

Anyone could benefit from marketing automation, but the first step is to identify the goals of the automation to then identify who specifically on your team it will benefit.

A1: It really depends on the structure of your organization, but in a nutshell: everyone. From owners who do their own marketing to scrappy teams with minimal time, marketing automation can improve the quality of your life. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) January 27, 2020

A1: Anyone who is doing marketing for their business can potentially tap into one form of marketing automation or another. How much of your business has a digital component to it may be a big driver in how much of it you can need/will use. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 27, 2020

A1) #contentchat It depends on the business structure and the goal of the automation. But automation is so broad and flexible it could benefit really anyone willing to learn and implement it.
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 27, 2020

A1: I would look at what you are looking to achieve with automation and what it will be replacing and how does it impact the relationships with your audiences. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #SMOS2020 Speaker (@B2the7) January 27, 2020

Marketing automation is valuable because it handles repetitive, easy tasks so that you can then focus on different priorities.

A1b: When I say that marketing automation can improve the quality of your life, it means that marketing will feel less stressful and onerous after it’s set up. It will give you more time to focus on what matters. #contentchat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) January 27, 2020

A1c: Companies are asking marketing orgs to do more with less every day, investing in marketing automation makes that actually possible. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) January 27, 2020

a1 SMB’s can automate aspects of their content marketing by using workflow tools such as calendar tools, tools that assist in the organization of their workflow processes.#ContentChat
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) January 27, 2020

Great point! Investing in a CRM makes it so your marketing automations interact with your other tools for sales, operations, and support. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 27, 2020

A1: Done right, the whole team can benefit from automation. It can make jobs easier and free up time that can then be dedicated to other tasks. #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) January 27, 2020

January 13, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Best Practices for Content Marketing Reporting and Measurement

January 16, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Planning season is in full swing for many content marketers, so the #ContentChat community traded tips on how to best approach reporting and measurement cycles. Read the full conversation below, which explores how to quantify content marketing success, best practices for presenting the data, and the tools you should adopt to support ongoing measurement of your activities.

Q1: Are you working on a 2019 year-in-review content marketing analysis or another reporting project right now? If so, what do you hope to learn? If not, why not?

Many marketers start the new year by analyzing the success of the previous year’s content. Typically, they’re looking to see what types of content performed best, how different channels stacked up, and what topics they should explore next.

A1 That’s on the calendar for tomorrow, actually. I’ve only been in this job for a month and a half, but we’re gonna look at the entire year’s metrics and discuss what worked and didn’t. Good times! #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) January 13, 2020

A1: I am. Most interested to learn what formats performed the best.#ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 13, 2020

A1 #contentchat We tend to do that as the year closes so in December. We looked at growth metrics and their performance. This gave us insight on where to focus on in 2020 at a holistic level. Then we dove in specific channels and content types to find the growth triggers.
— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) January 13, 2020

A1: I’m reviewing my writing from the past year to see what topics I want to explore this year. It’s exciting! #ContentChat
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) January 13, 2020

Q1: I’ve been working on the social media report gor Visme and we are looking at switching to bigger and better tools for 2020. #ContentChat
— Orana Velarde (@OranaCreative) January 13, 2020

A1. Definitely doing this. Hope to learn the balance of assets created in 2019 and the value add vs the repurposing we have done. Also it particular subjects were more popular than others. https://t.co/JjCvwWf83L
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 13, 2020

A1. I worked on several 2019 reviews to come up with our 2020 recommendations. I have learned that for my clients, simple additions are easier to implement than huge changes. #ContentChat
— Janette Speyer (@JanetteSpeyer) January 13, 2020

A1: I’m with @MLLNNLmotivator here. I’m looking forward and continuing the goals I put in place in 2019. I reviewed 2019 analytics, but I don’t plan on sharing them. They will just help me move forward.#ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 13, 2020

A1: Yup! We waited until the year closed so that we could include December numbers as well. We provide insights and recommendations for optimization. #ContentChat
— Berrak Sarikaya 👩🏻‍💻| B2B Strategist (@BerrakBiz) January 13, 2020

A1. We just presented ours last week! Happily, it provided a lot of affirmations that our current content strategy is taking us in the right direction! It also offered valuable insights on what content was best received. #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 13, 2020

That said, annual content audits are not conducted by all marketers, or they are just one piece of the measurement puzzle. We’ll explore some different reporting cadences in Q8.

Yeah, my mantra is #ContinuousImprovement.
Go for singles, not home runs. A home run strategy is a fool’s game.
To figure out how to improve you need to understand where you are now. Every day is a new starting point.
#DontJustDoStuff #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 13, 2020

A1) #contentchat We tend to analyze as we go in order to try new things or repeat successes, but a full year in could be interesting.
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 13, 2020

January 6, 2020 Content Chat Recap: 2019 Reflections and 2020 Intentions

January 8, 2020 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

Happy new year, everyone! To kick off 2020, the #ContentChat community reflected on our content marketing firsts, fails, and favorites from 2019, packed with tips to start the new decade strong. Check out the full recap below, and if you’re interested in being a guest for an upcoming #ContentChat, fill out this short form so we can get a conversation started.

Q1: What is something you did in content marketing in 2019 that you’d never done before?

2019 had a range of firsts for our community. For a few people, content marketing was a new area in 2019.

A1: Content marketing was new to me in 2019! I always knew it was important to be online but did not have a consistent approach until 2019. I’m excited to see where it will take me in 2020.#ContentChat
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 6, 2020

Content marketing was also new to me in 2019! My company is investing more in content so looking forward to shaping strategy in 2020 #ContentChat
— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 6, 2020

Others explored new content types like ebooks or wrote content on new topics.

A1. Write an ebook (me personally, not our company). #ContentChat
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 6, 2020

A1: I wrote blogs for a whole slew of new clients, and that included posts about parking bollards and analytical materials testing! I love learning a little bit about a lot of things. #contentchat
— RenéeDeLuca (@ReneeDeLuca) January 6, 2020

Some folks had notable firsts with guest blogging, both paid and unpaid.

A1. In 2019 I got my first check as a paid writer. I’ve done plenty of guest blog posting, and written email, landing page, website, etc content, but getting paid for a blog post was a first for me. 🙂 #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 6, 2020

A1 Hi All! I had my first guest blog post published! #ContentChat
— Michael Martucci (@LoneDigiMarketr) January 6, 2020

Visual chops were tested, and marketers experimented with live streaming, IGTV videos, and moving images.

A1: I’d never done an IGTV video before! And in October, they introduced IGTV series, so I started one. #ContentChat
— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) January 6, 2020

A1: Multi-channel live streaming! Did a live panel across six different live social channels and recorded it. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) January 6, 2020

A1: I started a social media manager class, created moving images with @PixaloopApp & cool graphics with @PicsArtStudio, and learned a ton about photo editing. #ContentChat
— Alexis Smith (@Alexified) January 6, 2020

Processes were optimized to automate tasks, better assess a content’s impact, try new ways of writing, and reprioritize certain social channels like Twitter.

A1. Write lots of intros before I picked the final one. Before 2019, I worked on possibly editing the intro to polish it. But I’m more about writing a couple before deciding which one is best now. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) January 6, 2020

A1: With content marketing in 2019, I was able to step back and fully look at the impact or lack of impact it has on all our channels when not coordinated or consistent. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) January 6, 2020

A1) Automation!!! Figuring out automation funnels for our different initiatives has been really, really fun! #contentchat
— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 6, 2020

A1: I stopped treating Twitter as an afterthought. The truth is for a long time Twitter has been the social media platform I use the least.
I started giving much thought to how I use the platform and over time, I’ve learned a lot and connected with great minds.#contentchat
— Oluwafemi Oyelola (@meetoluwafemi) January 6, 2020

Several marketers earned certifications or researched technical topics like SEO.

Get a @semrush certification
— Helene Fleischer (@hellzy_bellzy) January 6, 2020

A1: After 6 years in marketing copywriting, 2018 was the year I moved into content marketing and 2019 was the year I really did a deep dive into SEO and taking on more keyword research and optimization responsibilities. #ContentChat https://t.co/bP1MFJowMt
— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) January 6, 2020

a1. I started creating content strategies for social media and sem. I used to just write copy and plan seasonal campaign launches. Now I get to create detailed and elaborate content strategies which I absolutely love to do 🙂 #ContentChat https://t.co/GRMyxOOpSE
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) January 6, 2020

New revenue streams were introduced.

A1: I transformed my three major approaches into trainings.
And for my #intro: My name is Gary J. Nix and my favorite cold-weather breakfast is spare ribs. Yes. Spare ribs.#ContentChat https://t.co/Ciirgf4WY7
— THE Gary J. Nix 💰: the emoji is the mood (@Mr_McFly) January 6, 2020

Clients were encouraged to adopt more inclusive language.

A1: I got to work with a client who has an equity language guide, and persuaded another client to adopt one too. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) January 6, 2020

Content was optimized for consistency in style.

A1. Fully integrate { and manage } SEO, email, social media (per platform and content type), website, print, direct mail, and ads to have one synchronized messaging tone, language, and style from a hierarchy level.
I never did it to that scale.#ContentChat
— Troy Sandidge 🚀 (@FindTroy) January 6, 2020

Teams were expanded or freelancers were brought in to help meet content goals.

I was actually able to (finally) get a few freelance writers together to work on our content #ContentChat Hallelujah!! https://t.co/tiBVrNOtIv
— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 6, 2020

And tools like Click to Tweet were tested to help in content sharing.

A1: Hi, sorry I’m late. 😬 I used Click To Tweet in my posts, and I featured quotes & recs from folks I wanted to cultivate a relationship with. C2T gives readers a chance to share the item & give extra exposure to the person being quoted. 👍🏆😊 #ContentChat
— Mark Armstrong (@mrstrongarm) January 6, 2020

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

December 19, 2019 by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment

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.

A1. Truly successful companies are not ego driven, they strive to fix a problem in the marketplace. Think about what your fans want to see, not what you want to project. If your executive doesn’t get that, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. #ContentChat https://t.co/ogFGRzwoNW
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) September 30, 2019

A1.
At the end of the day your customer is at the core of everything you do.
The livelihood of your business is in their hands so you have to ensure that your content is of value and of relevance to them! #ContentChat
— Bentley University (@bentleyu) September 30, 2019

A1a: This gets to the heart of the difference between creating content and being engaged in content marketing. If it’s not created with your customer needs in mind, it’s not content marketing. #ContentChat https://t.co/eG4v0o1Mt2
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019

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.

A1: Always has been, always will be. My mantra for any one piece of content is that if you haven’t used it three times, you’ve wasted it. #contentchat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) March 11, 2019

A2b: When you put a lot of time and money into a project, it’s silly to confine it to just one communication channel. It’s a better use of your time—and a better way to reach your customers with their own content preferences—to reuse the content in a few ways. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 11, 2019

A2a: Let’s say you interview a customer for a video case study. Not everyone likes or watches videos, so you create a blog post with the highlights. But you need a physical asset to hand out at trade shows, so you create a 1-page case study. #ContentChat https://t.co/ksoBw8rapA
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 11, 2019

A2. Planning in advance for repurposing is simply a much more efficient way to create content—and it helps with strategic consistency, connecting the dots from one piece to the next, etc. #ContentChat https://t.co/qzwVlWR6zx
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) March 11, 2019

A2: A great way to extend a blog is to pull the key points into an infographic! Super shareable on social media and drive additional traffic back to the blog. A recent example, blog: https://t.co/wom7cBVhwl
Infographic attached. #contentchat pic.twitter.com/cptrKLdCXm
— Caitlin Kinser (@caitlinmarie89) April 22, 2019

A3: Necessity is the mother of invention, as a one-man show I often had to figure out how to do something if it was going to happen. One way out of a rut is to think of a type of content delivery you’ve never done before and read up on how you can make it happen! #ContentChat
— Derek Pillie (@derekpillie) May 6, 2019